Welcome to the Penguins Class!
Staff
Teacher: Rebecca Green
TAs: Katie Robson, Rachel Earnshaw, Macey Scantlebury and Sophie Wright
Mid Day Leader: Paula Wright
Newsletter
Food Glorious Food
What a quick half-term! We’ve been very busy this half term accessing shared areas and having lots of fun in our learning sessions.
Our half term has been all about ‘food glorious food’, and we’ve had many opportunities to explore foods through play and snack time. Children in group 1 have been using their senses to explore a variety of foods during sensory food play. This has included honey, lemons and limes, olives, dark chocolate, cheese and crackers. In group 2, we have been practising our cutting skills and have started off cutting Play-Doh ready for using child-safe knives to cut up various fruits and vegetables.
In our physical development sessions, we have continued exploring movement in different ways using equipment such as tunnels, hoops and bean bags. We have also been accessing areas around the school to support this, including our texture kitchen, soft play, and swimming. Group 2 has explored their love of books in the library.
Group 1 enjoyed well-being sessions and explored Developmental Movement Play(DMP: Jabadao) and Intensive Interaction. Children have shown lots of communication and interaction during these sessions.
Our group 2 ‘I Wonder’ sessions celebrated Holi, Easter and Eid-ul-Fitr this half term. We have been busy exploring bright colours, using tools with paint, decorating polystyrene eggs, and more.
We hope everyone enjoys their holiday and the children get plenty of rest ready for the next half term when we have even more fun with ‘The World in our Town’! Please send us any photos of things you get up to in your local area, whether it’s a walk to the shops, a walk in the woods or enjoying the play area in your local park.
Remember, if you need anything, we’re only a message away!
Thanks,
The penguin team
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.
Click play to watch this half terms Signalong video!
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
We want homework to be fun and easy to do. The following activities are suggested as appropriate activities you can enjoy doing with your child.
Encourage independence
Allow your child to dress and undress themselves. Help them to understand how to undo buttons, pull up and down their zip and fasten the Velcro on their shoes.
Support and challenge me
Play with your child and talk to them, commenting on what they are doing and encouraging them to communicate and request an item, whether that’s eye contact, hand movements, signing or simple phrases such as ‘more’ and ‘help’.
Visits
Take your child to places which include lots of movement and self-help skills such as; trampolining, soft play centres, swimming and Summit Up (climbing centre).
Summer 1 – The World in Our Town
Here is how you can support your child’s learning at home during our topic.
- Go for a walk in your local town and communicate what you can see. What sounds do they make?
- Teach your child how to cross the road safely – use visuals to help their understanding
“Stop!” “Ready…” “…Go!”
- Visit their favourite places
Whether that’s the park, play centre, local farm, shop, library … there’s plenty to choose from!
Please send us photos on Seesaw of what you have been up to so the children can look at their family photos and share them with each other.
