Nursery – Curriculum News 

 Spring 2021 Topic – Paws, claws and whiskers

The topic for the next half term is 'Paws, claws and whiskers'.  We will be learning about and looking at different animals with paws, claws and whiskers from domestic pets to mythical creatures.

In line with the Foundation Phase Policy all seven areas of learning will be covered. These areas are:

• Mathematical Development
• Language, Literacy and Communication
• Knowledge and Understanding of the World
• Creative Development
• Physical Development
• Welsh Language Development
• Personal and Social Development, Well-being and Cultural Diversity

As a Church in Wales School your child will take part in daily prayers and learn about stories from the Bible..

This term your children will participate in a variety of learning styles that will include outdoor learning and learning through play; this will be in compliance with both National Curriculum and Outcomes for 3 to 7-year-olds in Wales in the Foundation Phase.

Personal & Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity.

We will discover together the world of animals with paws, claws and whiskers.  We will be finding out how to care for animals as domestic pets, how to save endangered species and looking at mystical beasts and famous famous furry animals such as Paddington Bear and Peter Rabbit.

Our role play area will be an area for social skill development with a Veterinary Surgery and a Pet Shop, here the children can learn to take turns and share and develop an understanding of how to care for animals.

There will also be a 'Cornel Cartref' (home corner) where the children can re-enact looking after babies, cooking,cleaning and act out general family life. In both role play areas children can experience structured and imaginative play whether it is to save the life of a family pet or to make a healthy meal for their families. The children will develop their ability to share with their peers further and they will also develop their friendships whilst working in their learning environment. Circle time activities will have a big emphasis on caring for others, how we can look after others, how we can be kind and thoughtful to others and how we can care for our planet..

Religious Education - Your children will be discovering the world of Christianity through daily prayers, learning hymns and through bible stories.  This term our topic will be leading us to develop further understanding of bible stories featuring animals such as Daniel in the Lions Den and Noah's Ark.  

Language, Literacy, and Communication skills

We will be starting the Read, Write Inc. literacy programme for all those children who will be attending the Reception class in September 2021.  

We will be focussing on language skills by encouraging the children to join in with class discussions, tell news and bring in topic related items to to talk about in front of the class.  There will be a ‘Show and Tell’ on a half termly basis, this will take place on the last Friday of every half term. Your child’s artefact for ‘Show and Tell’ should be carefully chosen to reflect your child’s interests or the current topic.

We will be looking at a variety of different stories ie ‘The Great Pet Sale' by Mick Inkpen, 'I want a Pet' by Lauren Child, 'Dear Zoo' by Rod Campbell, 'Monkey Puzzle' by Julia Donaldson, 'The Gruffalo' by Julia Donaldson (to name a few). We will also be learning a variety of songs and rhymes about pets and animals with paws, claws and whiskers.

The children will be encouraged to start to recognise their names and begin to write their name. They will have the use the writing table in our class through free choice and directed activities, this will have a range of resources and mark making tools on it so the children can experiment and develop their writing skills.  Each week your child will focus on a topic based story and participate in Literacy activities based on this text.     

Mathematical Development – Numeracy skills will be taught through practical activities and play.  In Nursery we will be learning to recognise, write and count numbers 1-20 using a variety of different items, counting bears, pegs, leaves and writing numbers in the sand, paint and shaving foam.

We will also be learning about the different coins via 'The Great Pet Sale' and will be using real money in our role play area.

We will continue to learn and recognise numbers through songs and rhymes learning to count both forwards and backwards from 10.  

Welsh Language Development –The children will be using incidental Welsh daily such as numbers, colours, rhymes, songs and greetings. We will be learning the names of animals with paws, claws and whiskers in Welsh.  We will continue to learn songs and rhymes in Welsh.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World – The children will learn about animals with paws, claws and whiskers, they will learn how to care for different animals, how to keep them healthy and happy.  We will talk about animal protection agencies and learn about how they protect and look after animals who have been mistreated or need new homes.  Once we are back in school we will be having a sponsored 'Cat Walk' around the grounds to raise money for the Brycethin Cat Protection League.

Children will discuss their favourite animals and describe why they like them and, if they have a pet, what makes their pet so special.

Physical Development – Nursery will be taking part outdoor physical activities using the bikes, scooters and outdoor playground to play games.  We will focus on the importance of exercise, how it makes us feel and how important it is for animals.  We will act out different animal movements to music as well as learning a Chinese Dragon Dance.

We will have 1 PE session a week Thursday pm and Friday am for the two different  groups.  The children will not need a PE kit but are welcome to wear joggers and trainers to school on their PE day to make them more confortable.

Creative Development –

The children will make a variety of creative art models with an animal theme. Our topic will lead us to make observational drawings and paintings of cats and dogs. We will make a variety of animal based crafts including finger puppet mice, animal masks and mobiles.

The children will have opportunities to act out songs, rhymes and stories using masks and dressing up clothes.   Every day the children will have the opportunity to take part in a creative activity, whether it is drawing, painting, making, colouring or singing.  

I hope that from this brief summary you gain a feel for the teaching and learning styles we offer in our Nursery class. As a staff we are extremely excited about this topic and we know that our new children are going to relish each and every one of the experiences they meet.

Best Wishes

Mrs Rogers, Ms Hughes and Mrs Knight

Further ways to help your child:

• Please ensure your children have appropriate weather proof clothing which is clearly marked with their names as they will be engaging in the outdoors every day.
• Please could your child have a pair of wellies they can leave in school for exploring the grounds, walks and wet play.
• Please ensure all of your children’s uniform is clearly marked with their names, this is extremely important.
• If clothing is borrowed for any reason we would appreciate it if you could wash it and return it to school.
• Please ensure your child has a healthy snack for morning play time if you are not taking advantage of our provision of fruit termly @ £15 per child.  As we are a healthy school, we do not allow chocolate, crisps or biscuits for snack time, and we don’t allow chocolate bars or sweets to be part of a packed lunch. We encourage the children to drink throughout the day but this should be water, not squash or sugary drinks. Drink bottles and snack boxes should be clearly labelled.
• Please check your children have their red bag with them every day and check its contents on a daily basis for correspondence from school.
• The children in Nursery will be provided with a drink of semi-skimmed milk every afternoon and will only be offered water as an alternative if requested by yourselves; so if your child does not like milk please inform us as soon as possible.
• If your children are away from school at any time, please inform the school as soon as possible and also provide a letter stating the reason.  If we do not receive a letter we will have to mark your children with an unauthorised absence.  Holidays within term time are unauthorised absences and a holiday request form should be completed prior to the children’s absence.  These can be obtained from Mrs Money’s Office.
• If your child is part of the ‘Wrap around care’ scheme please can you make sure you have filled in the appropriate forms (on parent pay) so we know which day your child needs to be walked over to playgroup or is attending ‘After school club’.
• To enhance your children’s learning at home please visit our website to keep yourself updated. 

A reminder for your fridge: NURSERY