Welcome to the Herons Class!
Staff
Teacher: Kimberley Pattillo
TAs: Claire Mullen, Muna Inam and Rachel Platt
Mid Day Leader: Sam Grundy
Newsletter
Hairy, Scary Beast
The Heron’s have had another busy half term. The children have really enjoyed listening to, and exploring resources related to ‘The Gruffalo’ in our Sensory Story. They have worked hard in ‘Fun with Food’ exploring juice, mixing it and pouring it into jugs and cups. In Respond, Create, Interact the children have been practicing choosing instruments, taking turns and making delicate sounds. We definitely have some budding musicians. Our Creative Development sessions have centered around mark making with paints – the children have made spider pictures, potato prints and lovely handprint Valentine’s Day cards.
Have a lovely half term. Next term we’ll be working through our next topic ‘Food Glorious Food.’
Signalong
At Kingfisher we use Signalong as a part of a Total Communication Approach, we are constantly using core vocabulary with the children to support their language development and then through each of our topics we introduce new signs and language, which extends their vocabulary further. We also have two “Signs of the Week” which helps maintain and extend key knowledge and skills of everyday vocabulary.
Each half term we will be creating a short video showcasing and demonstrating signs relavent for the current term so that you can learn the signs and further this learning at home.
You can view this half terms signalong video below:
Lunchtime
If your child has a school dinner, the school menus can be accessed by clicking here. For children who bring a packed lunch, please remember to provide healthy and balanced options. We are a Healthy School and will be focusing on healthy eating and how children can make healthy lifestyle choices.
How You Can Help at Home
The following activities are suggested as appropriate homework activities which you can enjoy with your child and reinforce the learning we are focussing on this half term –
- • Share picture books and stories with your child – This half term we will be exploring ‘The Jelly that Wobbles’ – This can be purchased off Amazon using the following link, if you want to use it at home: https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Jelly-Had-Wobble-PB/dp/0702305480/ref=asc_df_0702305480/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=394358646404&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=638477628573118214&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046660&hvtargid=pla1350365360832&psc=1&mcid=d519a30e78df36479d60aff034dfa0aa&th=1&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=81876192677&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=394358646404&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=638477628573118214&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046660&hvtargid=pla-1350365360832
- • Share songs and rhymes with your child – We use a site called ‘HelpKidzLearn’ and ‘Barefoot Books’ which can be accessed via YouTube using the following link:
- https://www.youtube.com/user/barefootbooks
- • Give your child lots of opportunities to make real choices. Give your child a choice of at least 2 things, you can use real objects to do this or, if you can, photographs. To stretch your child’s learning make one of the choices something you know your child doesn’t like or want, this will encourage them to really think about what they are choosing
- • Encourage your child to be as independent as possible – help them to tidy up after themselves, undress and dress themselves, feed themselves
- • Give your child lots of opportunities to ‘explore’ and ‘investigate.’ A box filled with interesting toys and safe household objects is an excellent resource. Your child can explore what’s in the box, how the objects feel, look, smell, taste. They can investigate how the objects work and they can do it independently
- • Support your child to do short ‘Skill Building’ activities these could be: – threading beads on a lace, doing an inset jigsaw, building towers with blocks or using stacking toys
- • Provide your child with sensory play activities. There are lots of examples of these on Pinterest
- • If possible, take your child into nature. This could be a muddy walk splashing in puddles, making a snowman, walking in the snow, sledging.