EYFS – Penpol Primary School

Reception Children’s Magical Adventure at the Minack Theatre

14th March 202514th March 2025 by Amanda Aspden

I was the queen fairy and I was in love with a donkey – Jackson

Our Reception children have embarked on an unforgettable journey to the breathtaking Minack Theatre for a singing, dancing, and performing workshop. The experience was a playful and immersive exploration of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, filled with music, movement, and storytelling.

We went to the Minack Theatre. I was a builder and we also did super heros. We had to save the day – Tristan

Led by the lively and engaging Wenna White, Betty Blue and Ryan Red, the children were transported into the magical world of fairies, kings and queens, builders, and even a donkey! Through song and dance, they brought Shakespeare’s enchanting story to life, stepping into the roles of characters and embracing the spirit of the play.

I was a fairy. We saw the dressing room. We had to collect magic dust. We had to be naughty with it and spread it over the builders and the princess and the donkey ee-or – Esme

The adventure didn’t stop there! As well as performing, the children had the chance to explore the stunning Minack Theatre and its beautiful gardens. They learned about the theatre’s fascinating history and how the remarkable Rowena Cade built it with her own hands. A real highlight was going backstage, where the children got a glimpse of where the performers prepare before stepping onto the famous stage.

I was being the prince – Ava, I was being the queen – Flora, I was being a fairy and I falled in love with a donkey – Georgie

The day ended with a special performance on the Minack’s stage, where the children showcased everything they had learned.

It was a magical and memorable experience for all, sparking creativity and excitement about theatre and performance.

A huge thank you to the Minack Theatre team for giving our children such an incredible opportunity. Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see some of them return as future stars of the stage!

Creativity in Full Bloom with Author and Illustrator Maia Walczak!

6th March 20256th March 2025 by Rebecca Best

On Tuesday 4th March, we were absolutely thrilled to welcome the incredibly talented Maia Walczak, an award-winning children’s book illustrator, author and artist from Cornwall. Every child at Penpol had the fantastic opportunity to take part in a workshop that truly sparked their creative writing.

Before Maia’s visit, each class explored Maia’s work and created their own vibrant portraits in her distinctive style! Maia was absolutely blown away by the children’s’ incredible creativity and effort!

Maia captivated the children as she shared the fascinating journey behind her books. She revealed what inspired her to write her stories, walked through the planning process and showed them the beautiful final products of her hard work. Her visit not only brought her books to life but also perfectly complemented the writing process we teach here at Penpol. The children were inspired and their imaginations soared as they took part in a fun and engaging hands-on activity.

We were so inspired by Maia’s books that we’ve created a wordless book section in our school library to celebrate her work! A big thank you to Maia for sharing her incredible talent with us – it was truly an unforgettable experience.

Click here to see Maia’s website if you would like to have a look at her books.

Reception Classes Enjoy Outdoor Maths Adventures!

4th March 2025 by Amanda Aspden

My favourite bit of maths is number bonds. A two and a two makes four, a three and a one makes four – Ella

Our Reception classes have been making the most of the drier weather by taking their maths learning outside! The children have been exploring a range of Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) maths activities in the fresh air, using the natural environment to develop key skills in a fun and engaging way.

A one and a four makes five and a two and a three makes five – Arthur

I love maths, it’s my favourite. I’m good at numbers – Reuben

Our young mathematicians have been:
🔢 Practicing number recognition by spotting and ordering numbers in outdoor scavenger hunts.
🪵 Using natural materials like sticks, shells, and stones to create repeating patterns.
🎲 Playing counting games with hoops, beanbags, and outdoor number tracks.
📏 Exploring measurement by comparing the lengths of sticks and estimating distances.
🔺 Creating 2D and 3D shapes with outdoor objects, developing their understanding of geometry.

We’ve been learning doubles, double two is four, double four is eight, double 5 is ten – Jackson

Outdoor learning provides a fantastic opportunity for children to apply their mathematical skills in real-life contexts while enjoying the benefits of fresh air and movement. We look forward to many more outdoor maths adventures as the season continues!

I like doing maths outside – Zuri

Reading and Writing is Magic, and Magic is for Everyone

16th January 202520th November 2024 by Rebecca Best

Our annual Reading and Writing Is Magic Festival has been nothing short of spectacular, filled with fun activities, challenges, and a whole lot of creativity! This week, we’ve been celebrating the life-changing power of reading and writing in every corner of the school, inspiring everyone at Penpol to embrace their imagination and explore the magic of words.

The key theme of the week was ‘Reading and writing is magic, and magic is for everyone’ — a message that has resonated throughout every activity. We’ve focused on the idea that every child has the right to…

Be creative
Have a planet to read and write on
See themselves reflected in a book
Have some choice in what they read and write
Read and write for the joy of it

We had the privilege of hosting Cornish writer Ben Rowswell, who led energetic and inspiring assemblies for all year groups. His passion for storytelling was contagious, and everyone was excited to tap into their own creativity. You can learn more about Ben and his work here: Cornwall Adventure.

To keep the creative spark alive, every child has been given their own special notebook — a place where they can write freely and express their ideas throughout the year. It’s a space for independent creativity, giving each child the chance to freely write for the joy of it.

At Penpol, we believe reading and writing are truly magical, and this festival has been a perfect reminder of how important and exciting these skills are. Here’s to many more adventures with books, stories, and the endless possibilities of writing!

Dusty and Brownie Visit Class 1

4th April 202331st March 2023 by Amanda Aspden

Cora’s guinea pigs visited Class 1 today.

They are really cute, they are the nbest pets in the world, I love cuddling them every time after school, Dusty is mine and I really love when Brownie is squeaking – Cora

We learnt that they like to eat hay and raw vegetables and only nap for 20 minutes at a time.

They are only 12 weeks old so are not fully grown yet. They will be adults at 2 years old and will live for 5 years.

They eat some cucumber and some carrot and maybe some cabbage, they sleep on hay – Elliott

They live in a hutch and have sensitive ears, which meant we all had to be quiet so we didn’t scare them.

One was naughty because he was running away, we cant touch their ears – Talia

Cora told us that Brownie is the naughty guinea pig because he like to escape out of his hutch and hide. He has escaped twice and hid underneath the his hutch and the TV cabinet and refused to come out.

They were soft and we stroked them – Albie

Class 1 would like to thank Cora and Mrs Kemp for sharing these very cute pets with us.

Reception Visit The Tate

4th April 202327th March 2023 by Elizabeth Nidds

Classes 1 and 2 had a great time visiting the Tate in St Ives last week as part of our Super Sculptures project.

We have been learning about Barbara Hepworth and her sculptures in school with the children creating their own sculptures the week before. We enjoyed being shown around the gallery by Helen and finding all the different sculptures with our spy tubes!

The children also got the opportunity to take part in a workshop with artists Steph and Emily as part of our visit. We had lots of fun playing musical sculptures, moving our bodies into different poses each time the music stopped!

After practising making sculptures using our bodies, it was time to recreate them on paper. The children took turns to draw around each others’ shadows before then creating them out of plasticine and wire.

After enjoying a tasty packed lunch we finished off our visit with a trip to the beach and had lots more fun making sculptures out of the sand, before boarding the bus to come back to Penpol.

We had a great day on our visit to the Tate and would like to say a big thank you to Steph, Helen, Emily and Rachael!

Barbara Hepworth Inspiration

4th April 202323rd March 2023 by Amanda Aspden

The reception classes were thrilled to be joined by Steph and Helen, two local artists from the Tate Gallery in St.Ives.

We learnt about who Barbara Hepworth was, what she created and the types of materials she used to create her masterpieces.

You can make sculptures out of glass, pottery, wood and metal – Ruby

We investigated some of the structures she created and even handled some of the tools she used from her art studio.

Next we explored some of the shapes that she made and had a go at creating our own sculptures using 2D and 3D shapes. We discussed the different properties the shapes had and tried to find some examples of shiny, smooth and rough shapes, some with holes and some with many sides.

We experimented with torches to create some shadows. We drew around the shadows to create some interesting art work.

I made sculptures like Baraba Hepworth. They showed us how to make towers out of triangles and squares – Felix

Finally we had a go at making our own Barbara Hepworth inspired models from clay. The children designed, moulded and shaped to make their lovely sculptures.

I made a sculpture. I made it look like a ring. I made a whole in it like Barbara Hepworth – Cameron

Class 1 and 2 would like to thank Steph and Helen for helping us to create our own masterpieces.

Police Visit

7th December 202316th December 2022 by Amanda Aspden

The reception classes had a great time when Police Officer Mike visited us today.

He brought loads of equipment which we tried on and found out all about the different roles that the police do, including search and rescue, first aid and lots of different things to help us and keep us safe.

Police look after people -Cora

We got to see what is inside the police car and had a go with the lights and sirens.

If someone takes a bike the police take them to jail – Charlotte

I want to be a policeman when I grow up – Isaac

Class 1 and 2 would like to thank Mike for spending the time to share his exciting and interesting career with us.

Reception visit Heyl Crossfit

2nd December 20222nd December 2022 by Amanda Aspden

The reception classes had a great time at Heyl gym.

Louise, our personal trainer, taught us how to do proper squats and we did some bear, frog and duck walking. We also learnt how to swing the kettlebell properly so that it worked on our full body strength.

The children had fun going into competition with each other and practised their endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility and balance.

The reception classes would like to thank Louise and everyone at Heyl gym. We had a great time.

A Book and a Bagel

29th November 20224th November 2022 by Amanda Aspden

The reception classes had a lovely morning sharing stories with Mummy’s, Daddy’s and Granny’s.

The children had chosen some books from the library the day before that they said they would like to read with their parents.

We read stories about pirates, bugs, the tooth fairy, aliens, wild things, plants, recycling, the deep blue sea, crocodiles and snails, as well as the old favourites such as Winnie the Witch, The Highway Rat and The Scarecrows Wedding.

After enjoying our stories, the classes proudly demonstrated their fabulous phonics knowledge to parents. The children taught the parents how they learn phonics in class and introduced them to Fred, who can only say words in sounds.

The children loved sharing their classroom with their parents and enjoyed listening to all the exciting stories.

We look forward to welcoming you to the next book and a bagel session.

Festive Fun: Penpol Panthers’ Santa Run

“Penpol pupils are curious, creative and courageous learners. Our school community believes in authenticity as the foundations of deep-rooted learning. Through our rich and relevant curriculum, we nurture community-minded, forward-facing international citizens of the future.”