Pre-School - Hedgehog Class

 

Welcome to Hedgehog Class

Preschool Practice Coordinator: Mrs Bolt

Class Teacher: Miss Oliver

Teaching Assistants: Chloe and Katy

  

Term 6

A Journey around the World

This term the children will be exploring the themes of travelling, vehicles, habitats and places. Their learning will be enriched through a set of beautifully chosen key texts including We All Go Travelling By, Handa's Surprise, Walking through the Jungle and Lost and Found. These stories will help anchor learning across all seven areas of the Early Years curriculum.

   

   

Communication and Language

Children will have many opportunities to develop their communication skills this term. They will begin to ask questions using the key vocabulary of why, what, when and how, and they will start give explanations for these. Using familiar stories and their own experiences, they will begin to use a range of tenses in their vocabulary and will broaden the language used in their imaginative play. They will continue to build up their vocabulary using key texts and their own experiences. 

Physical Development

Physical development will be supported through activities that encourage balance, coordination and control. They will continue to use a range of equipment and will learn how to safely use this. Children will be supported in understanding the parts of their bodies, and how to look after them in different weathers at an appropriate age level. 

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

This term places strong emphasis on cooperation, empathy and emotional understanding. Children will learn to consider the needs of others and practise skills such as turn taking and sharing, which are explored through their play and through key stories. They will also develop strategies for negotiation and compromise and learn how to seek adult help when the problem cannot be resolved. As their awareness grows, they will begin to recognise how their choices and actions can affect others, and they will start to notice and respond to the feelings of their peers. Regular routines will help them feel a sense of belonging and participation within the group.

Literacy

Through engaging stories, children will continue to develop early reading and writing skills. They will join in with repeated phrases and anticipate key events in familiar books such as Handa's Surprise. They will discuss stories, talk about how it is structured (beginning, middle, end) and may attempt to create their own stories in their play. Markmaking will be a focus this term, particularly in Storydough when we will begin to assign meanings to the signs and symbols that we are making. Children will have rich opportunities to develop early phonics skills through Level 1 Twinkl Phonics, experienced in a playful way through games, child-initiated play, and supportive adult-led activities. They will also begin to recognise the initial sounds in their names and other familiar words, being supported in starting to represent these with letter-type shapes.

 Mathematics

Mathematical thinking will develop through hands-on exploration and small group activities with an adult. Children will compare small groups of objects and identify when amounts are the same. They will practise subitising small numbers and counting up to five items, recognising that the last number said represents the total counted. Through playful exploration, they will recognise and create their own intentional, simple patterns.

Understanding the World

This area of learning will be shaped by curiosity and discovery. We will be learning about different ways of life, both indoors and outdoors through role play, our own experiences and key stories.   We will continue to explore how we can care for our environment, following on from our learning last term as we continue to nurture our plants. As we engage with our familiar world, such as the places we live and the natural world around us, we will begin to comment and ask questions about what we are seeing and experiencing.

 Expressive Arts and Design

Creativity will flourish as children explore a variety of artistic and musical experiences. To enhance our story telling, we will be creating sounds and movements to accompany stories. We will continue exploring joining different materials together to create models, balancing and stacking with increased skill and independence. 

‘Widgit’ in Pre-school

We use ‘widgit’ signs and symbols to help us learn the new words and vocabulary in our stories. These are published on the website and we strongly recommend that you look at these are home with your child. If your child speaks two or more languages it is really important for their development to speak about these words in all their languages and not just in English.

Makaton

 This is to help us express and communicate our wants and needs. We use Makaton how to say yes please and no thank-you, say what fruits they like to eat and make choices independently using their Makaton skills.

What a busy term we have ahead of us!

The Pre-school team

Pre-school room

We have a wonderful, light and engaging environment for the children to play, learn and explore in. We have lots of exciting new resources for the children to share and a wonderful interactive whiteboard to enhance learning opportunities. We have created lovely, calm areas to explore mark -making and our senses as well as purposeful zones to further develop specific skills. Our continuous provision - the space where they use and explore independently, provides the children with endless opportunities to develop their skills in each of the seven areas of the EYFS.

Outdoor Learning

Throughout the day, the children will have time in the outdoor areas. We have free flow sessions on to the patio area and learn to explore in the 'big garden'. There is so much to see and do outside, from bikes, trikes, balls and hoops to water, soil and exploring different aspects of journeying and travelling. They will get messy - please consider this when dressing your child for the day.  The children will have constant opportunities to choose resources independently, to explore collaborative play and decide how they want to develop their ideas and play in the outside area. We will respond to these interests and use natural resources, risk-taking equipment and will be out in all weathers, so please provide spare clothing, a hat, wellington boots and appropriate foot wear each day.

Children in pre-school learn through:

Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning.

• Playing and exploring- children investigate and experience things, and 'have a go'
• Active Learning- children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements
• Creating and thinking critically- children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.