Autumn 1

In the first half of Autumn term, our topics cover: 

• We Are All Different (Ugly Duckling)
• Our Body (Funny Bones)
• Autumn/Harvest (The Gruffalo)
• Diwali

During our first half term together we explore a range of areas of learning through talk, play and purposeful activities. Our first topic covers our families and why people within them are important to us, helping us to further our understanding of our wider family members. After reading one of our favourite books Funny Bones, we discover more about our bodies, including skeletons, muscles and why it is important to keep fit and stay healthy, from a young age. We even create out own skeletons from cotton buds, where we include, and talk about, other important and vital organs. The traditional topic of harvest and Autumn leads us to undertake fruit tasting a wide range of fruits from around the world. As part of our expressive arts and design theme, we help children to mix primary paint colours to create the Gruffalo - exploring his features such as his, green warts, purple prickles and orange eyes. During Diwali we created Rangoli patterns and decorated hands with our own henna designs.

Autumn 2 

In the second half of Autumn term, our topics cover: 

• Bonfire Night (My Mom is a Fighter Fighter)
• North & South Poles (Lost & Found)
• Christmas (How To Catch an Elf) 

The half term taking us up to Christmas leads to children to explore Autumn events and the festive period. During these weeks we discuss the importance of staying safe around bonfires and fireworks, then further investigate sounds of the fireworks, colours and even collage our own bonfire scenes with tissue paper. We discuss the 'stop, drop and roll' technique, if we ever encounter fires inside buildings. Experiments around ice is a main feature of this topic, by investigating melting and freezing. The children look at the landscapes, weather and environments for the nature and wildlife, leading them to role-play and discuss the topic further. Christmas is a magical time within our setting, making the classroom a wintery wonderland of activities and discovery. We learn about Christmas all over the world, including different celebrations and traditions. Finally, our exciting Christmas play is performed in front of parents and guardians, cards and calendars are created.