Nursery Class – Miss Johnson

Spring Term 2012

Our main topic this term is ‘Down at the Farm’, although we will also be continuing our learning on the changing seasons as the winter slowly turns to spring.  The nursery role play areas this term, both indoors and outdoors will be focused around the farm and will be developed from the children’s ideas and interests.  These will provide opportunities to talk about animals, caring for others, our environment and food, as well as starting to use money in role play.  Throughout the term, the children will learn new skills through play opportunities and will be encouraged to use our entire learning environment, outdoors and indoors.  Later in the term we hope to go on a class visit to a farm!

Personal and Social Development, Wellbeing and Cultural Diversity

This term focuses on caring for others, our friends, family and all the living things in Gods world.  We will be thinking of Jesus as he grew from a baby into a child and then an adult and learning about the good things he did from some of the stories in the Bible.  We will also be thinking about other Bible stories, in particular the story of Noah’s Ark.  The children will be learning about customs and stories linked to Mothering Sunday and Easter.

Language, literacy and communication.

The children will listen to stories on a daily basis, as well as focusing on particular stories about farms.  The children will have the opportunities to re-tell and recall these stories through sequencing activities, creative work and role play. We will continue to learn a range of nursery rhymes.  In weekly sessions, the children will continue to learn phonemes (sounds), which I am sure they will reinforce with you, at home.  Children will be encouraged to further develop early writing skills through a range of mark making activities.

Mathematical development

We will continue to learn lots of number songs and rhymes to help with the ordering of numbers.   We will be focusing on learning to recognise numerals to 5, then 10 and count regularly in everyday activities.  The children will be encouraged to think about the use of money and develop this in their role play.  We will be learning about 2D shapes and making simple repeating patterns.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

We will be continuing to learn about the changing seasons, and using our senses to find out about the changes in the outdoor school environment during spring. We will be learning about farm animals; their names, matching adult animals with the young and learning about food produce from the farm. 

Creative development

The children will have the opportunity to develop creative art skills, incorporating materials found in the outdoors.  We will be busy making craft items for St David’s Day, Mothers Day and Easter.  The children will be learning a range of song with a ‘farm’ theme and exploring different sound sources.  We will be learning and performing a Welsh song for St David’s Day.

Physical development

The children will continue to develop their fine motor skills through cutting, threading, painting, cooking and exploring dough.  We will be trying to develop control and co-ordination and large motor skills of travelling on hands and feet in different ways. The children will also be given the opportunity to develop physical skills in the outdoors through gardening, riding bikes and travelling on the jungle gym.

Welsh Language Development

We will be continuing to reinforce simple greetings learnt in the Autumn term, and encourage the children to use them in nursery.  We will be adding to the vocabulary children already use and in particular hope to learn Welsh vocabulary associated with colours, names and animals.  We will be learning about St David and traditional Welsh symbols and customs as we prepare for St David’s Day celebrations.

There are lots of ways in which you could support your child whilst they are in nursery.

• Encourage your child to try to dress / undress themselves regularly, particularly shoes and socks and putting on their own coats!  This helps them to be independent as possible whilst at nursery.
• Look at a range of books and stories together and talk about them.
• Sing number songs and nursery rhymes together.
• Talk about the sounds we have been focusing on in nursery and encourage your child to tell you about the action / story / song which matches the sound.  Try to spot those sounds in writing in our everyday environment.
• Provide pencils, paper, chalks, paint and crayons for them to experiment and make marks – the early stages of writing!  If your child is ready practise recognising and writing their name.

Children receive a healthy snack each day in nursery.  If you have not already done so, I would be grateful if you could pay this half term or terms snack money to the nursery staff.

If you have not already done so, we would be grateful if you could bring in a pair of ‘wellies’ for your child to keep in nursery for the rest of the year.  These will be used in lots of our outdoor learning experiences.  (Please write your child’s name inside!)

If you feel you could contribute to our topic on farms in any way, through visiting the class to talk to the children, contacts with the local farming community or by sending in relevant resources or photos, I would be very grateful.

Thank you.