Curriculum Overview Spring 1 - Fire and Ice Nursery

Topic Summary

This half term we explore the contrasting worlds of fire and ice! We will use the colder weather outside to explore ice and snow through multiple sensory experiences. We will delve into a frozen world where we discover colder places, their inhabitants and investigate the properties of water in different states. We then move onto a world of fantasy and fire which will ignite our imagination and spark our interest in dragons. These mythical beasts will inspire our creative curiosity as we investigate shape and pattern in art.

In the topic we will be trying to answer the following key questions:

  • What can we find out about animals from colder regions?
  • What can we learn about fire and ice?

The children will also learn more about the key vocabulary:

  • Frozen
  • Lost
  • Family
  • Melt
  • Ferocious
  • Arctic

Week 1

This week we introduce the topic of ice to the children. We will explore winter and the changes that we may see and feel in our environment. The children will use their senses to explore ice, using their scientific skills to find ways to melt it. We will discover animals who hibernate during the cold months or migrate to warmer countries in search of food and shelter.

Week 2

During this week’s story nursery will be travelling to the ice age in search of a Woolly Mammoth. We will embark on our very own adventure to find this creature, we must remember our checklist to know we are looking for the correct animal. We will develop our mathematical language using words such as Giant, Massive, and Enormous.

Week 3

In our final icy story we learn all about snow. When Elmer takes her friends on a freezing adventure they discover ice and all the fun activities you can do. The children will try out our very own slip and slide on the field, have snowball fights and use their prior learning to help save a frozen Elmer. The children will think about how we can stay warm in the snow and ice using tips and tricks shown in the story.

Week 4

This week we will read another Julia Donaldson classic. The children will go to dragon school on the front field where they will practise flying, breathing fire and catching princesses. We will open a doctors in the classroom where the children will learn how to take care of each other. We will have lots of fun bandaging the teddies and maybe some of the teachers too. The children will also learn the importance of following your dreams, and that not all princesses need saving!

Week 5

It’s maths week and this week we will be focusing on a whole school text- 365 Penguins. When a penguin arrives at school every day asking us to look after them, what will nursery do? How many will we have by the end of the month or the year? The children will have to think of ways to look after them. We will begin to look at big numbers and count in 10’s to 100.

We would also like to invite parents to join us in celebration of maths week. Please speak to the Nursery staff about this session.

Week 6

During this week’s story (I am Fire) we will learn all about how we can use fire in our everyday lives. We will look at the dangers of fire and how we can ensure that we are being safe around it. We will talk about fire procedures at school and practice what to do if there was a fire. Lastly we will have a fire in nursery fire pit using our knowledge learnt to stay safe and have fun.

Week 7

In our final week of this half term we will finalise our learning about fire using a story all about fire engines. We will look at how firemen stay safe and help to save other people too.

The following section gives you some more details about the different areas of learning your child will cover this half term. These show you what we are working towards your child being able to do, with confidence.

Communication and Language

  • I can use a wider range of vocabulary.
  • I understand a question or instruction that has two parts.
  • I can sing a larger repertoire of songs.
  • I can talk about familiar books, and am able to tell a long story.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

  • I can select and use activities and resources, with help when needed.
  • I am becoming more outgoing with unfamiliar people, in the safe context of their setting.
  • I play with one or more other children, extending and elaborating play ideas.
  • Increasingly follow rules, understanding why they are important.
  • I can talk about my feelings using words like ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’ or ‘worried’.

Maths

  • I can link numerals and amounts: for example, showing the right number of objects to match the numeral, up to 5.
  • I can compare quantities using language: ‘more than’, ‘fewer than'.
  • I can make comparisons between objects relating to size, length, weight and capacity.
  • I can extend and create ABAB patterns – stick, leaf, stick, leaf

Physical Development

  • I can use large-muscle movements e.g. to paint and make marks.
  • I can climb up apparatus, using alternate feet.

Literacy

  • I can spot and suggest rhymes.
  • I am beginning to count or clap syllables in a word.
  • I am beginning to recognise words with the same initial sound.
  • I am able to engage in extended conversations about stories, learning new vocabulary.
  • I am beginning to use some of my print and letter knowledge in my early writing.

Understanding the World

  • I can talk about what I see, using a wide vocabulary.
  • I show interest in different occupations e.g. fireman & shopkeeper.
  • I understand the key features of the life cycle of an animal e.g penguin.
  • Continue developing positive attitudes about the differences between people.

Expressive Art and Design

  • I am beginning to develop complex stories using small world equipment like animal sets, dolls and dolls houses, etc.
  • I draw with increasing complexity and detail, such as representing a face with a circle and including details.
  • I am continuing to explore colour and colour mixing.

If you would like to know anything else about the nursery curriculum this half term please speak to a member of staff.