Hummingbird Class

Summer 2  

Under the sea

As the year draws to a close this last half term our topic is Under the Sea. We shall be learning about all the creatures we can find in and around the sea. This topic lends itself well for plenty of lovely art and craft activities making fish galore!

This science based topic allows us to spend time having lots of fun with water in many ways. As sand and water play works alongside each other so well, we shall be messing around with sand too, learning as we play. We shall be experimenting with objects that sink and float, and hopefully finding some surprises along the way. We shall be attempting to make boats, and trying to make sure they don’t turn into submarines! The children will explore a variety of resources in water to see if they dissolve and we shall be making billions of bubbles, big and small!

We have two stories for this half term, the first being “There was an old lady who swallowed the sea” and the second being a story which explores emotions and is about a fish who is looking for a friend to make him happy created by Emily, one of the TA’s in Hummingbird class. The children will also a be watching a story called Hooray for fish, click the link to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C2vlVHVnes&t=195s

Maths will be, as usual, focused around the topic so we shall be looking at big and little fish, finding the heaviest treasure, exploring bottles of water and comparing full and empty, heavy and light. We shall be doing some counting using fish and making groups of fish, and making fish using shapes.

Cookery this half terms is focusing on biscuits of all flavours, we shall be focusing on the skills of kneading and making shapes using biscuit cutters.

The songs for this half term are

Slippery fish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl-dDP2LeLs

Counting fish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc0geOxHFYU

A hole in the bottom of the sea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Qn2bcZRTo

A busy but exciting topic!

Our favourite videos and songs

Here are some of our favourite videos and songs that we have been learning about for you to enjoy...

Summer 1

To Market To Market

This half term we are learning all about markets, fruit and vegetables and shopping. Our trip for topic will be a visit to the busy market in the centre of Milton Keynes. We have set up a role play market in one of our rooms and will be trying out our shopping skills; making shopping lists, counting and weighing fruit and vegetables and using money to pay for them.

Our story this half term is a combination of “To Market To Market” by Anne Miranda,

and “Don’t forget the bacon” by Pat Hutchins.

In science we will be looking at plant growth. We shall be planting a variety of seeds and watching them grow. The children will learn to label parts of the plant and explore plants by pulling them apart and sorting the parts. We will produce a plant book where the children will take photographs of the seeds as they grow.

Some children will be learning about healthy and unhealthy food and will sort them into different groups. We will make some healthy plates to help the children learn about food that is good for them.

Computing this half term is all about making marks. We are using two programs to help the children improve their mark making ability. For those who are able, we will use 2paint which allows the children to form letter shapes and overwrite their names and other words and lines. For the other children we will be using a variety of effects on the Busy Things website. This program makes different noises for each pattern and so keeps the children interested for longer periods of time. We will be encouraging the children to make side to side and up and down marks, as well as circles, bumps and scoops!

Expressive arts is a lead up to the great Richmond Hill festival in the summer, the children will be preparing for their performance by practicing the dance and creating costumes to wear.

Spring 2

This month’s topic is all about travel.

We will be spending each week learning about different vehicles; construction vehicles, bikes, buses, cars, trains and boats. We will explore make things move in different directions (forwards and backwards) in different ways (fast and slow) and will play with toy vehicles in a variety of small world setups.

In maths, cars will be used for counting, sorting, number matching, lining up like a traffic jam, using big and small cars, creating cars using shapes and many more activities.

Science will involve learning about force; pulling, pushing, magnetic force, gravity and friction. We will have fun exploring using these forces with our toys as well as listening to stories. Some great ones are available such as “Duck in a truck” and “the Enormous Turnip”.

In literacy, we have a new write dance where the children will learn to draw a car. Fine motor activities continue to have an emphasis on pincer movements to help the children develop muscles to use a pencil effectively. Our story sessions this half term begins “The Journey Home from Grandpa’s House” and will lead on to “The Naughty Bus”.

To help the children, parents encouraged to take them on bus and train journey’s, if you would like to see some boats there are local canals nearby where you can find colourfully painted barges.

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Spring 1

The Gruffalo

This half term we are using The Gruffalo as our topic base. We shall be reading the story in literacy and using the characters to create mark making patterns in write dance. In listening time we are going to try and mimic the sounds some animals make and we might even be able to make a noise up for the Gruffalo.

Science will follow the same lead and week by week we shall be learning about different kinds of animals; mammals, birds, insects, fish as well as plants. We shall explore their habitats and see if we can make some ourselves.

In cookery we are making different kinds of Pizza. As we have already made bread the children will be very used to making the dough, and each week we shall be adding a different topping. Hopefully the children will taste their pizzas in afternoon snack.

We shall be learning three new songs this half term, in circle time we are singing Tommy Thumb, in literacy it is the Gruffalo Song, and in dance it will be Head to Toe by Eric Carle. You can find links to the last two songs below.

PE this term is focused on dance and the children are learning to dance using ribbons to some Disney songs.

Autumn 2

Where is Bear?

This half terms topic is “Where is Bear?” The topic will see our bear who is called Barnaby, travel to different countries exploring their food, culture and art. We will role play packing for a holiday, getting on an aeroplane and Bear’s birthday party.

Our story for the first part of the half term is “Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson. Then for the last few weeks we shall be reading “Hansel and Gretel”.

In circle time we are beginning to learn about emotions, how them make us feel and an appropriate way to communicate how you feel. The children will learn the sign and the symbol for each emotion so that they can express themselves in their chosen way. We shall be using the Super Simple Song “If you’re happy, happy, happy."

This half terms science topic is Ourselves. The children will explore their senses and label parts of their body. Some will copy adults to point to different parts of their faces. We shall be using some songs to help us learn including “head, shoulders, knees and toes.”

This half terms topic is “The Jobs that People Do”.  This is a fun topic with plenty of opportunity to play pretend and role play a number of different jobs. Included in this is Doctors and Nurses, Restaurants and Chefs, Hairdressers, Postman, Fireman, Policeman and Shop Keeper. Role play provides fantastic opportunities for communication, interaction, counting, turn taking, and many more occasions for learning .

Our story this half term is all about change and growing up and what we could potentially be when we are older. It follows a boy who asks a rain drop, a caterpillar, a seedling, and a chick what they will be when they grow up. However, the boy decides, like most children, that he wants to be just like his dad!

In cookery this half term we are focusing on baking bread – mostly rolls, creating a variety of shapes and creatures.

Have a look through all the pictures of the children keeping busy so far this half term!