Spring 1 

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

• Winter (Elmer in the snow)
• Dinosaurs (Dinosaurs in underpants)
• Africa (Handa's Surprise)

During this half term, the children cover a variety of areas of learning through the use of fiction and non-fiction books. In the Winter topic, children will sort items into categories for hot and cold weather and also looking at ice and how it changes state, including completing an ice investigation as part of our Science lesson. The children will also be making a winter scene picture, using blues, whites and glitter! 

In the dinosaur topic, children will look at names of dinosaurs, what they looked like and where they lived. Children will create their own dinosaur map and even have a go at following a drawing tutorial in order to draw their very own dinosaur! 

After reading Handa's Surprise, children will retell the story using pictures and word mats as prompts. We will look into healthy eating and sorting foods into fruits and vegetables. Linking in with Geography, we will also look at the differences between Africa and the UK. Not just in terms of the places themselves, but also culture, foods, dress etc. Building fine motor skills is an important skill in Reception, so children will also be painting, creating and threading their own pasta necklaces.

Spring 2 

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

• Houses and homes (The Three Little Pigs)
• Plants (Jack and the Beanstalk)
• Life cycles (Chicken Licken) 
• Easter 

During this half term, children cover a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts as part of our curriculum offer. 

During the houses and homes topic, children will talk about materials and their properties and look at this through the story of The Three Little Pigs. We will also be retelling the story using word mats and pictures as prompts. Children will also be dressing up as construction site managers and builders and building their own houses using sticks, straw and bricks. This activity will then follow on through Art and DT, where children will design their own buildings and make them using a range of materials. 

During Life cycles, children will understand how a chick is born and where they come from. We will also read the story of Chicken Licken and name the characters, focussing on capital letters. This will also include looking at animals that live on the farm and singing the popular nursery rhyme - Old Macdonald had a farm!