The children will explore the new core book  ‘It’s OK to Be Different’. Throughout the text, they will discuss the similarities and differences and will learn how diversity could be celebrated. The book will support the children to embrace the similarities and differences in the world around them and be proud of themselves and their families. 

Click on the link below and listen to stories online.

www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories 

Furthermore, they will explore the themes of Identity and Diversity through our learning character skills of integrity and relationship. Also, they will continue to show our school’s core values like kindness, respect and collaboration. Children will learn what it’s like to be part of a community and what makes them special and unique.    

The children will practise sounding out and blending sounds into words as well as reading phase 2 and phase 3 tricky words.

 Click on the link below to read the tricky words.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R087lYrRpgY 

Click on the link below to practise phase 3 longer words.

www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources/phase/3/dragons-den 

In addition, the children will continue to explore the zones of regulation, allowing them to discover what each emotion means, what it feels like and how they express themselves when feeling each of them. This will give children the opportunity to share and reflect upon different emotions and enable them to self-regulate effectively.

The children will learn number facts and patterns to 10 and this will include number bonds and number doubles.  The children will develop an understanding of how to solve simple problems through doubling, halving and sharing. They need to plan a picnic for their friends. Then they will share food, plates, bowls, cups and cutlery to give the children a solid foundation in understanding number patterns. They will use their knowledge of doubles and halves to explore odd and even numbers. They will use a range of manipulatives like numicons, cubes and counters to find and make the numbers. 

Practising counting and number skills when out and about will support children’s development and understanding of maths.  

www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/3-5-years/counting 

In art and design, the children will explore different drawing and painting techniques to create fantastic artwork like color mixing and collages.

The children will investigate natural materials like rocks, stones, wood, shells, soil, twigs and leaves. They will use their senses to explore the shape, colour and texture. In addition, they will make simple predictions when comparing objects that can flow or sink in the water.

This term our focus will be gymnastics whereby children will explore moving in different ways including a variety of speeds, directions, footwork and at different heights, such as whilst on the ground or imitating shapes. The children will work on using their bodies to create different actions such as placing their hands on their shoulders, keeping their heads up or bending knees and swinging arms. Please ensure your child has the correct PE kit including plimsolls or trainers. 

During this half term, the children will explore the core text of 'Michael Recycle’ by Ellie Bethel. 

Here is what Michael says about himself "I'm Michael Recycle for all that I'm worth, I'm green, and I'm keen to save planet Earth! A small town somewhere near you is in desperate need of salvation, from drowning in rubbish at the hands of its lazy and wasteful inhabitants!"

As you can see, Michael has a mission to complete, and the children will be joining him. He will help the children to understand that recycling can be fun. He is a new superhero in a sustainable world, where almost everything can be recycled or reused.

The children will use a range of oracy stems to extend their sentences like 'I think...', 'I know...', 'I wonder...' and 'I love...'. They will continue using the talk partners to share ideas and opinions. They will ask and answer questions about their friends, family and people in the community.

In phonics, the children will learn phase 3 sounds. Phase 3 sounds are made up of a combination of individual graphemes (sounds), digraphs, and trigraphs. In phase 3 phonics the sounds predominantly consist of digraphs.  A digraph is the combination of 2 letters, which makes one sound. For example ‘ar’ or ‘ur’.  A trigraph consists of 3 letters, which make one sound such as ‘igh’ or ‘air’.  The children will continue to link sounds to letters, naming and sounding out the letters of the alphabet. 

Click below to practise the correct pronunciation of all the graphemes.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvOuc7cWXxc 

Below are some useful links to practise phonics.

www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources/phase/3 

www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=phonics%20phase%203 

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z2hckty 

The children will continue using the Zone of Regulation to regulate their feelings and emotions. They will discuss what is right and what is wrong. Furthermore, they will continue to listen and take turns when learning and interacting with adults and peers.

This term, the children will explore 2D and 3D shapes and their properties. The children will identify, describe, and compare a range of shapes. They will have opportunities to sort 2D and 3D shapes and use the correct mathematical language to reason their choice. In addition, the children will make links between shapes in the environment and around them. 

We also would like to launch an engaging online interactive platform for children to apply their skills of number bonds, addition and subtraction. The individual passwords and usernames will be stuck at the front of their reading diary for easy access at home.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEtVaPpWSQo 

They will design and make arrangements using 2D and 3D shapes within the indoor and outdoor provision. In addition, the children will create models and they will explore different joining techniques like masking tape and PVA glue.  

They will study artists like Andy Goldsworthy and use their inspirations to create their collages with natural materials. They will create land art as well as self-portraits by applying their observational skills and then using mirrors to draw their faces carefully. 

The children will explore and investigate a range of materials. They will use their senses to describe the properties of materials and different joining techniques to make their models. 

Furthermore, the children will plant flowers, herbs and vegetables to observe changes over time. 

The children will continue learning gymnastics. They will move around, under, through, and over small and large equipment. They will create a sequence of movements and shapes like tiptoes, waddling, walking, running, large steps, skipping, sideways, backwards, crawling, sliding, hopping, rolling, shuffling, slithering, and jumping. In games, they will continue to practise their ball skills like catching, throwing and kicking. 

In Literacy, children will explore the book 'Where's the Elephant?'.They will ask questions about animals that are endangered to find out about their habitats. They will retell the story by acting out, sequencing the pictures and writing sentences with time openers.

Click on the link below to listen to a story:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaS6KYHRDkA 

The children will recall good listener rules. They will take turns to engage in conversations with their peers and adults. They will use speaking frames to answer in full sentences, like 'I know...', 'I wonder...', 'I think...' and 'I like...because'.

Phonics

In phonics, the children will learn phase 3 sounds. Phase 3 sounds are made up of a combination of individual graphemes (sounds), digraphs, and trigraphs. In phase 3 phonics the sounds predominantly consist of digraphs.  A digraph is the combination of 2 letters, which makes one sound. For example ‘ar’ or ‘ur’.  A trigraph consists of 3 letters, which make one sound such as ‘igh’ or ‘air’.  The children will continue to link sounds to letters, naming and sounding out the letters of the alphabet.  

Click below to practice the correct pronunciation of digraphs.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvOuc7cWXxc 

Here  are  some more useful links to practice phonics.

www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources/phase/3 

www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=phonics%20phase%203 

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z2hckty 

The children will continue to share and take turns. They will use 'Make a Rainbow' display to complete daily tasks and challenges. They will speak about healthy food choices and oral hygiene.

Click on the link below for a circle time ideas:

www.famly.co/blog/10-early-years-circle-time-games 

This term, children will explore 2D and 3D shapes and their properties. They will  identify, describe, and compare a range of shapes. They will have opportunities to sort 2D and 3D shapes and use the correct mathematical language to reason their choice. In addition, the children will make links between shapes in the environment and around them. They will design and make arrangements using 2D and 3D shapes within the indoor and outdoor provision.

Click on the link below to learn more about shapes:

www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=2D%20and%203D%20shapes 

In art, the children will explore materials that can be reused. They will create a 3D models using recycled materials. They will investigate the Washed Ashore Project to use plastic bottle tops to create a collage. 

www.washedashore.org/ 

Outdoor Learning

During our continuous provision, children will explore the outdoor area as well as our local surroundings. They will plant seeds, bulbs, and herbs to observe how plants grow. The children will mark-make and write using chalks, and painting brushes dipped in water. They will  create pictures and collages using 2D and 3D shapes. In addition, they will go on shape, letter, and number hunts. We will provide a range of different activities to promote the development of their gross motor skills, balance, and coordination.  

thetutoress.com/blog/2021/9/3/outdoor-learning-essentials-ideas-and-tips-for-all-seasons 

This term, the children will be learning gymnastic. They will be experimenting with moving around, under, through, and over small and large equipment. Finally, they will be creating their own gymnastic sequence. Tiptoes, waddling, walking, running, large steps, skipping, sideways, backwards, crawling, sliding, hopping, rolling, shuffling, slithering, jumping. 

Our new core book is ‘It’s Your World Now!’ The children will explore the global theme of identity and diversity within the book and discuss what makes their reception class special and unique. They will create a whole class short video to explain what ‘being a young learner’ is like. In addition, they will reflect on what are the characteristics of a good learner. They will also learn how to show resilience and perseverance when things are hard and difficult for them.

To hear the story click on the link below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqv5fTpsxsE 

This term the children will revisit phase 2 graphemes. They will link sounds to letters and name the letters of the alphabet. In addition, the children will learn to segment and blend to decode words. This term's tricky words are: I, to, go, no, the, into

To access phase 2  free learning resources, please click on the link below:

https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources   

To hear the correct pronunciation of phase 2 graphemes, click on the link below:

www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/ 

In maths, the children will explore repeating patterns. They will use different colours, objects and shapes to create patterns. They will use a ten frame to visualise the number which is ‘less’ or ‘more’. Furthermore, they will learn how to identify which number comes before or after a given number. In addition, they will practise writing the correct numerals. The children will also begin to explore addition and subtraction through number songs and rhymes.  

To practise counting and recognising numbers with Numberblocks click on the link below:

www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/numberblocks 

The children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places and the environment. They will explore the school's surroundings and find out more about the people who work in the school and their role in the community.

For ideas click on the link below:

www.pentagonplay.co.uk/news-and-info/understanding-the-world-in-eyfs 

The children will learn how to negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others. They will demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing. 

For ideas of fun games, yoga exercises and more click on the link below:

www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/fun-exercises-to-do-at-home-with-kids 

During the first half term, our core book will be ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Throughout the journey, they will explore the main characters, setting and plot of this engaging traditional tale. Then, the children will discuss their favourite characters and they will compare them with the characters from other stories like ‘The Gingerbread Man’ and ‘The Goldilocks and Three Bears’.

www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/eyfs-listen-and-play-traditional-tales/zjjkbdm 

At Forest, we encourage children to use the early oracy stems to support sentence structure, when talking about their feelings, emotions and experiences. The children will use sentence stems like "I like...", "I know..." and "I think...".

www.teachearlyyears.com/learning-and-development/view/confident-communicators 

In phonics lessons this term they will be learning phase 2 sounds. The children will be linking sounds to letters, naming and sounding out the letters of the alphabet. They will learn phase 2 phonemes. They will segment the words into phonemes and blend them to read the word like d-o-g or c-a-t.

To access free learning resources, please click on the links below:

https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources

• Sharing and taking turns 

• Independently choosing activities 

• Communicate their feelings and emotions 

In maths, the children will be exploring repeating patterns. They will use colours, objects and shapes to create a pattern and they will predict what will come next in the sequence. Children will learn to count from 1 to 10 and compare groups of objects. They will match numbers to the correct quantity and begin to write numbers. To practise early number skills click on the link below:  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/numberblocks

The children will explore natural materials to make characters and settings from a range of traditional tales. They will learn how to act out stories and they will use actions to go with  their acting.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=av1ZyVH2Qpw 

The children will explore the woodland surroundings, working with tools and using natural materials to make 3D models and buildings. They will use natural materials like leaves, stones, twigs and conkers to make their creations.

growingtogetherearlyyears.co.uk/blog/natural-transient-art-in-early-years-settings 

The children will learn how to balance their bodies and how to move with control and coordination.  They will use the outdoor provision to climb, run, hop, skip and ride a bike or a scooter.

famly.co/blog/10-gross-motor-skills-activities  

Reading Records

Please check your child’s book bag every day for their reading diary and books. We will be changing books on Mondays.

Milk and snack 

All children will have a daily snack in the form of an apple, a pear, a banana or a satsuma. In addition, all children below 5, will receive a free carton of milk.

• Thursday 5th October - Reading Learning Together Morning (8:50am - 9:30am)

• Wednesday 18th October - Visit to Shirley Library pm 

• Friday 20th October - Show Racism a Red Card (wear something red)

• Friday 20th October - Break up for half-term

• Monday 30th October  - Autumn 2 term beings