Swing Gate Infant School and Nursery

**This week our learning theme is … ‘boats'**

 

Welcome to Voles Class (EYFS Unit)Image result for vole silhouette

 

Teacher: Mrs Hardwick  
 
Early Years Practitioner:


Mrs Ray

Mrs Clarke 

Miss Hardwick

Mrs Gardener

Welcome to the spring term in the Nursery class 

Our learning theme for each week is guided by the children.

Week beginning 10.2.25

The theme this week is - ‘Boats'

white sail boat on body of water during sunset

These are some the things that we will be learning about and exploring.

Monday

Today we are going on a walk to the canal. Thank you to those who have volunteered to come with us as without your support we wouldn't be able to go. Otto asked “How do boats move?” Freya asked “How big are boats?” Sophia asked “How do boats go in lifts?” So we are hoping to see some boats moving and we are going to look at the lock (making links to Sophia’s question about lifts. We will also focus on the size of the boats. (We might even see some boats with bicycles on (Jasper asked “How do boats carry bicycles?”

Tuesday

 Thea asked “How do boats move and fly?” So today we will watch a video about a flying boat. Then we will watch it again and will encourage the children to use interesting words to describe what they can see (for example, glide, enormous, creak, swiftly, rotate, peering, soundlessly) adults will say this back, clarifying the meaning in case others are unsure. Then we will show the children the book covers that we have created  - the author’s name is blank. The children will need to use their name cards to write their name in the ‘author slot’. They need to use the pinch and flick technique and we will model an appropriate grip. Then we will ask them to create an illustration for the story, they might even talk about what might happen next and where the turtle takes the man. Adults to scribe children’s comments about their illustration, encouraging use of interesting vocabulary.

Wednesday

Ivy asked “How do boats carry owls?” Wilf asked “How do boats carry cargo in a box?” We will begin by looking at a video of how shipping containers are loaded onto container ships. We will talk about the variety of things that they carry. We will discuss whether the children think that owls could be carried like this or would they go in a different type of ship? Then we will introduce our container ships and boxes and explain that the children need to act as if they are working in an office recording how many containers are on each ship. We will show the children numerals to five and talk about these. We will practise recording these on whiteboards, looking at how they are formed and using the pinch and flick technique to pick up pens. Then adults will place a group of boxes onto our container ship. We will ask the children to think which numeral matches the group of boxes, once we have agreed this then the children will need to record that numeral on their whiteboard.

Thursday

Arthur and Ivy were concerned about boats going into whirlpools, Million and Bertie were concerned about how boats break. Today we are going to challenge the children to create a boat using junk modelling and natural materials. Their boat needs to be able to carry a small passenger, it needs to float and hopefully it’ll be strong enough to cope with our classroom whirlpool and not break! The children will need to decorate their boat, add a mast, and add flags and sails if they wish. To begin we will look at pictures of home made boats and then the children will be able to explore and select the materials that they wish to use. They will need to think about how they decorate it and how they join pieces, also about which tools they need to use. Once they are happy with their design and constructions we will test them out in the ‘whirlpool’.

Friday

PE - We will be changing for PE as usual today. PE kits will also be sent home for half term. This term PE will be taught by Superstar sports. Today the focus of learning will be to continue to explore different ways of using hands to move with a ball. The children will continue to explore different ways of rolling, pushing and bouncing a ball with a partner. They will learn the meaning of the word defender and what this means when playing games.

The children will also be able to explore placing and carrying cars on boats - this is linked to Fred's question “How do boats carry cars?” and Henry’s question “How do boats carry cars in my sink?

Shared reading; Friday 14th

Word aware words:  creak peering

The poem this week is;  a little house

Our counting song: 5 little boats

Show and tell: boats (facts, toys or pictures)

Class letter: click hereFree Cartoon Letter Cliparts, Download Free Cartoon Letter ...

Home Learning links

What the children say... 

We ask the children about what they’d like to explore, play with and learn about over each week. All ideas are interwoven through planning. 

The children also have the opportunity to discuss what they would like for role play - we will be changing from the spider house.

Effective Questioning Techniques - IEEE-USA InSight

Other areas of learning in Nursery include....

Physical

PE day is on a Friday for this half term.

Please can all children have a named PE kit in a bag.

Computing brown and white long coated small dog wearing eyeglasses on black laptop computer

Throughout the year we will be planning open-ended activities in a technology rich environment to enable the children to have opportunities to explore, tinker and develop their ideas through active learning. We will provide a range of simple technology resources, these will be available for children to explore through their play and during adult led activities. The resources will include real, play and safe/defunct devices to support children’s understanding of technology in the world. We will promote safe and careful use of resources and understanding of who to tell if any use of technology makes them feel uncomfortable.

Other experiences will include

  • exploring programmes and games which require drag and drop skills
  • looking at different uses of technology in
    school and at home
  • using chromebooks, iPads and Mini
    mash (on Purple Mash).

 

RE 

RE will be explored partly through short periods of Adult Directed Activities which highlight key festivals, figures, celebrations, religious symbols and religious vocabulary with reference to children’s own experiences and also through the children's own Child Initiated Play.

This half term we will focus on 'What celebrations do I know about and celebrate?' We will start with what children may know or understand about the 1st January being a time of celebration for many. It makes the point that Christmas is Christian in origin, but New Year is secular. The sessions then look at Persian and Chinese New Year to give the children an understanding of different cultures and celebrations. It then moves on to Holi (A Sanatani Festival) and how this is celebrated now (not the original story). 

 

 

Swing Gate Lane, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 2LJ

01442 863913

admin@swinggate.herts.sch.uk