Miss Somers is the class teacher in Hedgehogs. She really enjoys the creative area and maths. Miss Somers loves to use her imagination to create different models and pictures. In the Spring Term,

Miss Bousfield works alongside Miss Sommers in Hedgehogs. This term Miss Bousfield is really looking forward to enhancing our phonics and introducing new phonic phases and tricky words! Miss Bousfield is also excited to read alongside the children using our sounding out and blending strategy to keep us moving up our book bands. (This is one of many things' hedgehogs are amazing at).  Miss Watson is a teaching assistant working across the two reception classes. Miss Watson is looking forward to getting to know the children. She enjoys maths, music, playing dodgeball and getting creative with paint and glitter. 

Our Spring Term learning in Badgers and Hedgehogs is 'We're going on an adventure!' We will explore the polar regions in spring 1 and the jungle in spring 2.

PSED/RSHE

Our PSED work will be taught through the beautiful book 'Mixed' by Arree Chung. We will explore moderating feelings socially and emotionally, controlling impulses and thinking about the feelings of others. Additionally, we will be working our attention skills and following multi-step instructions. 

 

Communication and Language

Throughout the term, children will be supported to develop spoken language, listening and understanding through the following I can statements: 

• I can play and listen to my friends at the same time and begin to respond appropriately with relevant questions, comments and actions.  
• I can understand who, why, when , where and how.  
• I can have a conversation with my teacher and peers, using some back and fourth exchanges.  
• I can use talk to help work out problems and organise thinking and activities.  
• I can use a range of tenses correctly most of the time.  
• I can connect one idea or action to another using a range of connectives.  

Physical Development

This term we are going to be further developing our gross motor skills in our PE sessions.  We will be learning the early dance skills with Lauren our dance instructor, on a Thursday. Additionally, we will be practising our ball skills with rolling, throwing and catching and our balance in gymnastics.

 

Literacy

In literacy, we begin drawing Club. Drawing Club is a literacy approach, especially 

for young children, that uses drawing as a gateway to boost literacy, language, and creativity by immersing children in stories, tales, and animations, turning pencils into magical tools to bring imaginations to life, develop fine motor skills, and build confidence for writing through fun, story-led adventures. Our focus texts will be' Polars Apart' by Jean Willis & Jarvis and 'Winnie and Wilbur and the Chinese New Year' by Valarie Thomas and Korky Paul.

 

They will participate in a daily Super Sonic Phonics Friends session, kicking off four sessions a week from week three. Each day, our shared reading sessions will bring stories to life, while our reading for pleasure time will foster a love for books! In addition, your child will have access to high-quality reading and writing opportunities within our classroom provision, enabling them to explore their creativity. Every week, we’ll ensure that each child enjoys a one-to-one reading session with an adult. We will also encourage them to understand that print can serve many purposes, name different parts of a book, and start conversations with their peers and adults. We can’t wait to see their vocabulary blossom!

Our author of the term is the wonderful Julia Donaldson. We will be going to the theatre to see The Gruffalo's Child.

 

 

Numeracy

This term, we will continue our numerical journey! Children will develop their understanding of numbers and numerical patterns through daily cool count sessions, where they’ll build number sense, counting fluency, and subitising skills. Furthermore, we will explore mass and capacity, length, height and time and 3D shapes. Our daily visual register sessions using ten frames will also enhance their mathematical knowledge. Additionally, we’re pleased to provide access to a high-quality maths area filled with engaging resources and a weekly maths challenge to inspire curiosity. We can't wait to see their confidence grow as they explore these concepts!

Understanding of the World

The Spring Term will see our children begin an exciting journey of discovery! They’ll talk about special events and times in our lives, explore characters from stories, including historical figures, and share their own customs during various celebrations. Together, we’ll understand that there are other countries in the world and appreciate the beauty around us. They’ll describe what they see, hear, and feel while exploring the outdoors, identify signs of Spring, and learn about seasonal changes. We will be exploring freezing and melting and heating and cooling. Our weekly Nature Detective sessions will provide an exciting opportunity to investigate local wildlife and plants. Let’s embrace this learning.

 

Expressive Arts and Design

In our creative world, the children will explore how to select the correct tools and materials for various purposes from our continuous provision. They'll develop artistic skills through our mini-maker activities which will see us focusing on two amazing artists. In Spring 1, Vincent Van Gogh's swirling skies in his The Starry Night painting  will be our inspiration. In Spring 2, Alma Thomas will be our key artist - where we will explore creating art with different materials.