Summer 1 Newsletter
April ‘08
Dear Parents / Carers,
This half term our topic is Food
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
This topic offers many opportunities for children’s personal and social and emotional development. Time spent discussing favourite foods will encourage children to speak in a group, be interested and to consider consequences. By playing circle games the children will learn to take turns and to understand the need to agreed codes of behaviour.
Communication, Language and Literacy
The activities include several which are based on well known picture books and stories. They allow children to enjoy listening to the books and to respond in a variety of ways to what they hear, reinforcing and extending their vocabularies. Throughout the topic children will be encouraged to use descriptive vocabulary and to see some of their ideas recorded in both words and pictures. Role-play areas will allow the children to use their imaginations and to use speaking and writing within their play.
Mathematical Development
This theme provides a meaningful context for mathematical activities. As children play number games based on food they are encouraged to count, to recognise numbers and to begin to use the language of addition and subtraction. There will be opportunities to explore measurement, shape, size and position.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
This topic offers opportunities for the children to make observations, to ask questions and to compare. They can observe a range of fruit and vegetables. By looking at and talking about food from around the world and food for special occasions they will become aware of the wide variety in types of food. Making salt dough, fruit salads and biscuits will give children the opportunity to describe materials and to talk about similarities, differences and changes.
Physical Development
Through pretending to be seeds and miming going to market children will have the opportunity to move with control and imagination and develop awareness of safety and space. Through using a range of small and large equipment as they pretend to buy and sell food and pick fruit they will be encouraged to develop their coordination and control.
Please make sure that your child has a T-shirt, a pair of shorts (above the knee) and a pair of pumps in a drawstring bag for their PE lessons (Tuesday and Wednesday). All items of clothing should be clearly named. We have no chance of getting the correct clothes on the children without!
Creative Development
During this topic children will experience working with a variety of materials. They will be able to develop their skills of painting and colour mixing. They will sing a number of songs which have actions and they will have the opportunity to use percussion instruments. Throughout all the activities the children will be encouraged to talk about what they see and feel, as they communicate their ideas in painting, music, collage work and role play.
Religion
In this unit we will hear that were welcomed into the Church family when we were baptised.
Miss Leech
Miss Leech will be teaching the children for some part of every day for seven weeks from the beginning of May. I am sure the children will enjoy and benefit from her innovative teaching ideas.
At the end of the topic, I will invite you to join us for a coffee morning where we will all share and celebrate your child’s achievements. If at any time you would like to talk to me about any aspect of your child’s development, please don’t hesitate to come in to see me.
Mrs Ogden.
February ‘08
Dear Parents / Carers,
This half term our topic is People who help us
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
This topic offers many opportunities for children’s personal and social development. Time spent discussing the way people help them and considering different jobs that people do will encourage children to speak in a group, be interested and to consider consequences. By playing circle games the children will learn to take turns and to understand the need to agreed codes of behaviour.
Communication, Language and Literacy
The activities include several which are based on well known picture books and stories. They allow children to enjoy listening to the books and to respond in a variety of ways to what they hear, reinforcing and extending their vocabularies. Throughout the topic children will be encouraged to explore the sounds of words, to use descriptive language and to see some of their ideas recorded in both words and pictures. Role-play situations will allow the children to use their imaginations and to use speaking and writing within their play.
Mathematical Development
This theme provides a meaningful context for mathematical activities. Children will be given the opportunity to count and begin to use the language of addition and subtraction. There will be opportunities to explore measurement, shape, size and position.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
This topic offers opportunities for the children to make observations, to ask questions and to compare. By looking at pictures of old classrooms and talking to adults about the people who used to help them they will gain a sense of history.
Physical Development
As children use large equipment and carry out active games they will become more aware of how their bodies change. Following physical activities children will be encouraged to consider how adults help them and how they can help their peers and themselves.
Please make sure that your child has a T-shirt, a pair of shorts (above the knee) and a pair of pumps in a drawstring bag for their PE lessons (Tuesday and Wednesday). All these items should be clearly named.
Creative Development
During this topic children will experience working with a variety of materials. They will be able to develop their skills of painting and colour mixing. They will sing a number of songs which have actions and they will have the opportunity to use percussion instruments. Throughout all the activities the children will be encouraged to talk about what they see and feel, as they communicate their ideas in painting, music, collage work and role play.
Religion
In this unit we will hear again that we are part of the family of God and this is something that we can celebrate.
At the end of the topic, I will invite you to join us for a coffee morning where we will all share and celebrate your child’s achievements. If at any time you would like to talk to me about any aspect of your child’s development, please don’t hesitate to come in to see me.
Mrs Ogden.
Spring 1 Newsletter
January ‘08
Dear Parents / Carers,
This half term our topic is Fairy Stories
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
This topic provides valuable opportunities for children to show sensitivity to their environment and the people around them, to work collaboratively and to express feelings in response to the stories they hear. The topic is especially useful in developing children’s understanding of what is right and what is wrong and other moral dilemmas. As children become more aware of the characters and environments which they hear about in the stories they have the chance to explore new learning and develop ideas.
Communication, Language and Literacy
The activities provide children with opportunities to respond in a variety of imagination and role-play situations. Writing letters to Jack’s mother and looking at print on labels and games will help children to develop their early writing skills. Fairy Stories offer many opportunities for children to increase their vocabulary and express themselves clearly. The repeating of choruses and refrains within stories will encourage their understanding of sounds and rhymes in words.
Mathematical Development
Many of the stories contain numbers of people or animals and refrains which occur a number of times. The successive repeating of the chorus can reinforce counting skills. Fairy Stories contain objects, animals and adventures which will be used for sorting and comparing.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
This topic provides opportunities for the children to talk about past and present events. They will also talk about the environments in which the stories occur. Many of the stories are set in outside locations such as fields, forests, woods and near rivers, lakes and ponds.
Physical Development
Activities such as making salt dough frogs, cooking gingerbread men and printing and painting will offer experience of handling tools, objects and malleable materials safely and with increasing control. Through being Jack climbing the beanstalk and jumping like frogs children can develop control and coordination whilst also having the opportunity to work in an imaginative way.
Please make sure that your child has a T-shirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of pumps in a drawstring bag for their PE lessons (Tuesday and Wednesday). All these items should be clearly named.
Creative Development
During this topic children will experience working with a variety of materials as they make playdough and gingerbread men, a row of paper dwarfs and create a large giant and beanstalk with different materials. Making up frog or gingerbread men dances will help them respond to music.
Religion
In this Unit we will be talking about our experiences of being loved and hear that God also loves us.
At the end of the topic, I will invite you to join us for a coffee morning where we will all share and celebrate your child’s achievements. If at any time you would like to talk to me about any aspect of your child’s development, please don’t hesitate to come in to see me.
Mrs Ogden.