Early Years Foundation Stage
A warm welcome to all our children and families.
The curriculum we follow is called the Early Years Foundation Stage. This can be read here.
Information for parents and carers
- Please read our 'Settling into Lyndhurst' guide to get you started.
- You can find information about the EYFS curriculum and provision from birth to 5 at this website http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/
- What to expect in the Early Years Foundation Stage: a guide for parents is also helpful if you'd like to know more.
- 'What to expect, when?' will tell you which learning and development stages the children go through from birth to five. It will also give you ideas and tips for how to help your child with their learning at home and may be particularly useful if your child has younger siblings. Read it here!
- Here is a list of free activities that parents and carers can do with their children at home. It can be read here.
- Choose your child's next book from this great list of recommended reads: Recommended Books for Reception
Spring 1
It has been an exciting half-term exploring our topic ‘Do all heroes wear capes’. We started by thinking about what makes a hero – what do heroes do? As well as naming many of the Marvel and DC superheroes, the children told us that heroes are people who help others. We then thought about who the heroes are that help us every day. Over the half-term we learnt about vets, doctors, nurses, builders and firefighters, amongst many other professions. We were very lucky to have veterinary nurses, firefighters, a police officer and a nurse come to visit us over the last few weeks. Before each visit, the children thought of interesting questions they could ask to find out about the different jobs. When the firefighters visited, the children listened to 2 of the firefighters tell them all about their jobs and how they trained to become firefighters before going outside to see the fire engine. Everyone got to climb inside the truck, use the hose to clean the engine and even heard the siren. Our topic will end with an amazing day when we all dress up as what we want to be when we are older (adults included!).
Over the half-term we have been developing our painting skills while learning about primary colours. The children explored how to mix the primary colours to make other colours. They then made their own superhero capes, thinking about what colours to use and designing simple, effective symbols.
We had a great time at the beginning of the half-term when Rob and Graeme came in to lead Bikeability training on balance bikes. All the children developed their skills over the week and by the end they were lifting their feet to glide in and out of cones and down small ramps. Our PE has been gymnastics; the children have explored how to safely use the equipment in the hall, challenging themselves each week to explore the benches and agility tables.
The children have continued to enjoy free flow where they are able to explore their learning in the classroom or in the different areas. We are very lucky to have the corridor, front playground and courtyard where, amongst many other activities, the children can have fun in the mud kitchen, investigate moving water, plant bulbs in our garden and role-play.
Next half-term (Spring 2) our topic will be 'Can you tell a story?' We will explore traditional tales, exciting stories and nursery rhymes. We will look at the different sorts of characters we meet in stories and what we think about them. We will focus on new and exciting vocabulary that we can use in our own speech. We will continue to listen to different music, thinking about how it makes us feel and joining in with singing different songs and rhymes. The children will also explore playing different musical instruments including boxed glockenspiels.In our maths work we will continue to: explore the composition of numbers to 10; develop our counting skills; compare numbers and subitise. We will also begin to explore length and height, 3D shapes and patterns. We will explore Spring in our artwork and continue to develop our modelling skills by creating castles and beanstalks. Our PSED focus this half term is ‘Healthy Me’, we will be learning about all the different things we can do to keep ourselves fit and healthy such as exercising, the food that we eat, getting enough sleep, keeping clean and how to stay safe if a stranger approaches us.
Every Friday we will be going outside for forest school where we will explore the world around us and, alongside many other exciting activities, have time in the mud kitchen (send your child in suitable clothes for the weather that you don’t mind getting messy!).
We have a very active half term ahead as PE this half-term will be street dance led by Kerry from Wannado Street Dance. This will be on a Thursday for all classes.
As we continue to grow together as a class we will make sure we are considering the feelings of others around us as well as our own feelings when making decisions. We will support each other to face new challenges in our learning encouraging each other to persevere if we find things tricky.
Each week we send home an email with information about the phonics we have been learning in school. Every other week we will send home a key maths skill that the children are developing with ideas for ways to support your child with their learning at home.
We will continue to cook with the children this half-term. Please remember your child will not cook every week – they will cook once over a 3-week cycle. You filled in forms to tell us about any allergies or special dietary needs when your child started in September. We will ensure we provide for every child based on this information; please let us know if there are any changes or any further information we need to be aware of.
Please note Spring 1 half-term:
PE day for all classes will be Thursday.
Please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on a Thursday.
Phonics
In phonics, we are following the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds phonics scheme.
You can find some phonic games to play with your children on these websites:
- http://www.familylearning.org.uk/phonics_games.html
- https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/InteractiveResources.htm (select phase 2 or 3)
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/the-alphablocks-guide-to-phonics
Other helpful websites:
Find some counting games here: www.familylearning.org.uk/counting_games.html
Or here: ictgames.com/counting.htm (look out for the YR games)
Keep an eye out for log in details for Purple Mash and Espresso - they will be stuck into your child's communication book in the next few weeks. These websites are great for home learning and to support your child in Literacy and Maths skills.