Topic Overview
NURSERY - What makes a Rainbow? RECEPTION - Growing and Changing
Understanding the World
We will be looking at world around us. Nursery will explore how we change and grow, how plants change and grow and how our new caterpillars change and grow.
Reception will become scientists to investigate how we make a rainbow in a variety of exciting ways. We will be talking about what we have found. We will also look at how our world changes as we enter Spring.
Key Vocabulary:
- Science experiment, prediction
- Inspiration Artist primary colours.
- Lunar New Year, Easter, Church, Holi
- Life cycle, change, grow, caterpillar, butterfly
Communication and Language
We continue to learn to talk about ourselves in a positive way. We will learn to express our opinions and talk about what we see.
We will learn to listen to each other and our grown-ups in small groups and on our carpet.
We will listen to stories and sing lots of songs and we will learn some Easter songs too.
We will learn lots of new words see our vocabulary list.
If you have a celebration you celebrate at home, whatever the time of year, please feel free to send in some information about it via Tapestry so we can discuss this as part of our small group work and circle times.
English
Reading: We continue to have a love of books in Early Years and this half term is no exception.
- We will be sharing our Core Texts, retelling them and talking about our favourite parts.
- We will use stories linked to our topics.
- We will be discussing authors and their important role in our lives.
- We will be using non fiction books to find more information.
Our Reading areas are cosy and the children will get chance to share some of the stories we have had already across Early Years as well a special themed shelf too.
Nursery will be having their first Mystery Readers. If you are a Nursery parent and would like to sign up, please see Mrs McNally or Mrs Ward.
Writing: We will be really encouraging our children to hold their pencils in a comfortable and effective way and ensuring they are using Tommy Thumb and Peter Pointer fingers to help. We will continue to enjoy Dough Disco and Squiggle whilst you Wiggle. Reception have twice weekly Handwriting sessions.
Reception children are working on writing simple sentences using all of the sounds we have learnt this year. We are practising using finger spaces and full stops.
Nursery will be exploring mark making in a variety of ways, building on their Squiggle moves. We are also practising writing our names.
Phonics
Nursery children will be beginning to blend sounds in words in their play as well as listening for the first sound in things and trying to match them.
Reception children will continue to practise using the phonemes and graphemes we have learnt following the Little Wandle Phonic programme.
Reception children will be working on reading words by both sounding them out and blending and reading on sight.
At school we use the Little Wandle program and there is a great part of the website just for parents/carers: https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/ Take a look at the following resources:
Maths
In Nursery we will be concentrating on saying, recognising and counting numbers to 5.
- We will be sharing number rhymes.
- We will be playing with shapes, measures and early mathematical language.
- We will look for numbers in our environment.
In Reception we will continue to have maths activities and language in our play.
- We will complete our work on numbers up to 10.
- We will be exploring our bonds to 10 and our doubles.
How can I help?
Reception will be taking a visit to the library this half term if you are able to help us walk there, look out for more information coming soon.
We are also excited to invite you to our Easter Stay and Play. More details soon.
We love to junk model! Please send in any cardboard boxes, tubes, pots etc NO egg boxes, NO nut product boxes, NO medication boxes.
Please ensure ALL uniform is named—this includes shoes.
Computing
Reception are able to log onto the I pads now and have begun to explore apps that can help support our learning. We will using our photography skills to take photos as scientists.
Expressive Art and Design
This half term Reception will learn about Yayoi Kusuma and her use of dots. We will explore the idea of inspiration through our core book, The Dot. We will explore colour and how we can change colours, building on our work on primary colours.
Nursery will explore paint, pattern and symmetry while looking at butterflies.
Physical Development
This half term we continue with our Yoga sessions, developing our balancing and listening skills.
We will continue to use triangle to work on our Physical development, developing our climbing and balancing and strengthening our muscles.
We continue to work on our fine motor skills, with threading and printing.
PSHE and Religious Education
PSHE
Our big question this half term is…
Nursery – How can I be kind?
Reception – How can I look after our world?
Religious Education
This half term we will be exploring the celebrations of Lunar New Year, Holi and Easter. We will link these to our work on celebrations in Autumn 2. We will be visited in Reception by Reverend Shipton to share about the celebration of Easter. We will look at the friends of Jesus and stories from the Bible.
Our Values
Please Instagram us @archibald_1st if you see your child being #AFSCurious #AFSCaring #AFSCreative or #AFSCourageous
If you would like any further details about this half term's curriculum, please speak to your child's teacher.