Animals are still a hot topic of interest and the children have taken questioning into many avenues of interest. So this month animals are going to be investigated in more depth, including covering lifecycles and following any special animal interests as they emerge.
The activities this month will be
based around the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) areas of learning:
Prime areas:PSED: Talking about and sharing what they know with a group. PD: Music and movement to animal songs and pretending to move like different animals. C&L Learning new language to describe the different qualities of animals and what we have learned.
Specific areas:
L: Using
books as a method of research. Understanding that the text has meaning and is a
source of learning. M: Counting
stages in a lifecycle, talking about size, sorting, comparing. EA&D:
Using media and materials to create animals. Being expressive in music and
movement.
Some of the activities we will be
doing this month to support this will be:
·
Lifecycles. Jenny will be focussing on lifecycles. Looking at metamorphosis,
growing, changing and tracking the growth and changes in the butterflies we
will be rearing.
·
Predators and prey. Matt will be making a story book with the
children on predators and prey. Involving them in writing and illustrating the
book.
·
Food. Shipli will be researching with the children the different types of
food that animals eat. Categorising animals into herbivores, carnivores, etc.
·
Pet gallery. Marie-Claire will be setting up a pet gallery
of the different pets that children have at home. Naming them and encouraging
the children to talk about them.
·
Farm animals. Manjit will be working with the younger
children on farm animals, recognising sounds, images, furs and bringing them
together to make art work as a way of representing what they have learned.
·
Flying animals. Laura will be using paper to create collages
of animals that fly, while talking about all the different types of flying
animals.
·
Dance. Christine H will be leading some dance sessions where the children
can break out some animal moves to music.
What you could do to support your children at home:
· Share
with the nursery any animal research you have done with your child. Send them in with some pictures as props so
they can talk to a small group about what they have found out.
· Bring
in or email a picture of your family pet with some information about it. Breed? Name? Age? Special stories,
what s/he eats, etc.
· Do
you have any visitors to your garden that your child could share with us at
nursery? Birds? Foxes?
The neighbour’s cat? Tell us a story.
· Do
you come from another country with a special animal you are fond of? Share a story with us. Send
in photos, etc.
· Notice
animals in your environment.
Point out squirrels, cats, dogs, foxes, badgers, etc to your children. Name
them. Talk about them and find out more about them.
· Name
animals correctly.
Avoid nick naming things like birdies, doggies, catys, etc. Use the correct
names, Children are learning the language and we need to arm them with correct
labels.
