• Autumn 2023 Exploring sounds Around us
• Our First two weeks together...welcome to Pre-School 2023

Welcome back SummerTerm 2024

Our topic for the first half of SummerTerm is 'Minibeasts and the natural world.We have planned lots of lovely learning experiences and are excited to begin the next stage of our learning adventure together. Each week we will explore an information book and learn about different minibeasts, the natural environment and various habitats. Even though we will be learning lots of facts through information texts we will also be focussing on stories that rhyme and in particular those that we can even sing our way thorugh, such as 'Walking thorugh the Jungle...and 'What the Ladybird heard'. We will have lots of fun making up actions and sounds as we say the rhyming phrases in these stories. 

Routines, Reminders & Messages

• Book Bags- your child will continue to bring home a book of choice from our reading for pleasure box. We will always check for news or wow moments in your child's news book, so please feel free to write anything that you would like to share. We will change your child's book every week on their specific book bag day and we will continue to add the details from our story times into their news book so you can see what we have been learning about.
• Phase 1 Phonics- We will continue learning about how to make 'pure letter sounds' with our voices and mouths. To help you at home each week we will attach a copy of the instruction on how to correctly produce each sound and how to make the action with your hands that accompany the teaching of each new sound, it would be wonderful of you could practise producing each sound by following the instructions and then enjoy practising together. Please feel free to share any new words that you may discover togther as we continue to explore alliteration.
• We will also be consolidating initial sounds that w have already leraned and then begiinning to use them in smple CVC words such as sat, mat and cat. We will be practising segmenting CVC words like Metal Mike the Robot. Please  enjoy these activities together when they appear in your child's news and vocab red book. 
• Tapestry -  If you are new to Rode Heath Pre-School then please look out for an email with instructions on how to get started. As always, please let us know if you have any problems..

Our Learning Journey

Week Commencing : Monday 13th of May 2024

'This week we will learn all about worms and butterflies' 

Communication & Language:

This week we will look closely at the different stages of growth that we have seen and begin to use magnifying glasses to look closer as the see; Chrysalides start to form(it takes 2-3 days for the caterpillar to become this) We will talk about the rules to keep our caterpillars safe as they stay in their cocoons. The type of butterfly that we have in school is a Painted Lady...why not have a look and see what facts you can find out about our butterflies.

We will all enjoy the story 'Superworm' by Julia Donaldson and as we read through this story we will practise rhyming phrases and discuss who is the 'baddy' in the story and who is the 'hero'. What will happen to Superworm and who will rescue him?

Physical Development:

This week we will continue to practise our ball skills, throwing and catching, rolling and batting. We will have lots of fun on the field learning to race and skip and hop around. We will also be starting new pencil challenges, choosing a dominant hand to practise making letter shapes to correspond to the letter sounds that we have been learning. This week we will try the letter 'i'. We have been so impressed with everyone's progress with their cutting skills, so using our dominant hand, we will try to hold the scissors using the correct finger positioning, thumb at the top and cut along a straight line. We will choose three pictures, of things that have objects that all start with 'i'...insect, iguana, igloo and many more.

Literacy:

This week we will enjoy the very exciting  story of 'Superworm' by Julia Donaldson. We will focus on the characters in the story and what their actions are. We will enjoy the rhyming parts together and make a Superhero chant with actions for our Hero...'hip, hip hooray for Superworm'.

We will be focussing on moving across the page of a book from left to right and begin to predict how the other minibeasts can save Superworm from the crow and Lizard. We will begin to notice some familiar graphemes in the words in this story, focussing on hearing and saying the letter sounds s, a and t as we spot them. We will continue with Metal Mike challenges this week and start to practise segmenting CVC words such as; pin, ink pit and many more 

Phonics:

This week we will have lots of fun exploring how to make the pure sound 'b'. 'The laughing Sound' Instructions: Lips together and then pop apart. Voices on. 

Try placing your hands like a cup shape as if you're catching a ball. Pretend to throw and catch the ball as you make the b sound.

  Mathematics:

This week we will explore 2D shapes. We will practise saying the names of common 2D shapes and talking about their features. We will explore the properties of a circle, a triangle and a rectangle and learn how to recognise them.

    Understanding the World:

This week we will need to plant out our seedlings that have sprouted such as the mange tout, sweet peas and the carrots and cucumbers. We will explore the fields and forest around us to look for different minibeast habitats. We will care for our caterpillars as they grow and we will learn about the names of different aspects as they change.

   Expressive Arts & Design:

This week we will enjoy learning about symmetry and how to create closed shapes in our painted butterfly pictures. We will role-play with insects and small world minibeast creatures, acting out the Superworm story line and chant. We will create a new Minibeast cafe and serve funny drinks and snacks too!

Our door is always open, please contact us for help at any time.  At busy times, please telephone to leave a message or email and we will respond as soon as we can.