This year you are lucky enough to have Mrs Stephani (M-W) and Mrs Lindop (W-Fr) as your child's class teachers, and Miss Walton as your child's teaching assistant, full time in Nursery.

This year we are extremely fortunate with our pd curriculum. Children will have a stretch and grow session both on Monday afternoons and Friday mornings. How exciting! 

We will be doing forest school every Wednesday so please send your child in with the appropriate clothing. come - waterproofs, wellies and layers during the winter months. 

It is important that your child builds up a love of books and reading for pleasure! 

Every Monday your child will be given a new library book when their previous one is returned. This book is to enjoy together throughout the week and over the weekend. 

Our text for this half-term is : The Little Red Hen

Homework will be set on a Tuesday through our online learning platform, Tapestry. You can search for this through the app store or via an email login. 

All homework should be completed by the following Monday and Mrs Stephani and Mrs Lindop will check and respond to this within that time.  Some homework will involve an activity through the app, and other homework challenges will be a practical challenge for you to complete with your child. 

Big Question: What do I know about the amazing animals in my story?

During Spring 1, children will explore the topic Amazing Animals through stories, songs, role play and hands-on experiences. The key text will be The Little Red Hen, supported by a range of fiction and non-fiction texts including Some Pets, A Squash and a Squeeze, Monkey Puzzle and Dinosaur Stomp.

Children will learn about animals, their habitats, the sounds they make and how to care for living things.

Special Experiences

• Wow Start: Bread making linked to The Little Red Hen

• Fantastic Finish: Trip to the farm / animal visitors

• Additional Learning Opportunities:

  • Home visits, stay and play and baseline assessments

  • Phonics stay and play session

  • Celebrating Chinese New Year

  • Farm visit linked to Spring 2

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Children will:

• Build positive relationships with adults and peers

• Follow the daily routine with support from visual timetables

• Recognise and talk about feelings such as happy, sad, excited and worried

• Begin to understand how others may be feeling through stories and discussions

• Learn to show kindness and care towards animals and other children

• Begin to resolve simple conflicts with adult support

• Develop independence with self-care routines including toileting, handwashing and dressing

• Play alongside and with other children, sharing and taking turns

• Take part in pretend play and begin to extend play ideas with peers

Communication and Language

Children will:

• Listen attentively to stories about animals and recall key events

• Retell parts of familiar stories using props and actions

• Join in with animal songs and rhymes such as Old MacDonald Had a Farm and Down in the Jungle

• Follow two-part instructions

• Answer who, what, where and simple why questions

• Use longer sentences of 4–6 words

• Learn and use new vocabulary linked to animals and habitats

• Take part in back-and-forth conversations with adults and peers

• Use positional language such as in front, behind, under and next to

Physical Development

Children will:

• Develop gross motor skills through running, jumping, hopping and balancing

• Climb confidently on outdoor equipment

• Ride bikes and use pedals with increasing control

• Use large muscle movements during music and movement activities

• Begin to show a preference for a dominant hand

• Use one-handed tools such as pencils, paintbrushes and glue spreaders

• Strengthen fine motor skills through playdough, threading and mark making

• Develop independence with putting on coats, zips, hats and shoes

Literacy

Children will:

• Engage in conversations about familiar stories and non-fiction texts

• Retell stories using small world resources and role play

• Begin to understand that print has meaning

• Learn how to handle books correctly and identify the front and back cover

• Recognise and attempt to read their own name

• Take part in daily phonics sessions focusing on listening and voice sounds

• Join in with rhymes and identify rhyming words

• Make marks using lines and circles and begin to give meaning to their drawings and writing

Mathematics

Children will:

• Join in with daily number songs and counting activities

• Count objects reliably up to 5

• Begin to match numbers to quantities

• Explore subitising up to 3

• Use positional language during play and small world activities

• Talk about and explore 2D and 3D shapes

• Compare size, length, weight and capacity

• Explore patterns and routes through construction and floor play

Understanding the World

Children will:

• Learn about the daily routine and sequence of events during the school day

• Begin to understand time language such as before, after, next and later

• Explore seasonal changes, focusing on Winter and Spring

• Learn about animals, their body parts, habitats and life cycles

• Recognise and name common farm and pet animals and the sounds they make

• Learn about caring for animals and living things

• Celebrate and learn about Chinese New Year and other special events

• Explore different occupations such as vets, farmers and zookeepers

• Use their senses to explore natural materials and the outdoor environment

Expressive Arts and Design

Children will:

• Explore a range of musical instruments and the sounds they make

• Join in with familiar songs and begin to pitch match

• Use role play areas, including the vet surgery, to act out experiences

• Create animal habitats using a range of materials

• Mix colours and explore watercolour painting inspired by Quentin Blake

• Use playdough and clay to create animal shapes

• Express ideas and feelings through art, music, movement and imaginative play

• Take part in collaborative artwork with peers