Welcome to the Ducks Class! 

Staff

Teacher: Rayann Ball

TAs: Nic Hamnett, Rachel Mitchell and Courtney Collinson

Mid Day Leader: Fakhra

Newsletter

Earth, Wind and Fire

The Ducks have had a fun and exciting half term as we have been exploring ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ as our topic through multisensory activities. Each week, we have been exploring different aspects of Earth, including: Plants & flowers, Sea life, and Planets & Rockets. The children have been keen to get ‘stuck in’ and immerse themselves into learning activities alongside each other. 

During our food exploration sessions, we have been tasting, smelling and touching a range of Earthy foods, including: Potatoes, Fresh herbs, and Carrots. The children have been working hard to develop an increased tolerance of smells & tastes which has been great to see! Some of the children have been developing their fine motor skills during this session by using child-safe knives to chop the veggies. 

This half term, the Ducks have had weekly sessions on the bikes on Jacks Playground. This has been a fun and exciting time which has enabled the children to practice their physical skills as well as learning to transition to an unfamiliar area of school. Although we are at the early stages of learning to ride a bike, it has been a positive experience and we will continue with this next half term 

During our skill building sessions, we have been practicing our fine motor skills through a range of activities including: Filling & emptying, building, and posting. The children have made great progress and have shown a keen interest in the prep for learning activity; this includes using objects to ‘wake up our hands’ such as a vibrating ball, soft feathers, and ice packs. 

The weather has been unpredictable, however this hasn’t stopped the Ducks from ‘Being in nature’! We have been exploring the outdoors by getting changed into waterproofs and visiting the Jungle area. The children love visiting the Jungle area as it offers a calm, quiet and tranquil experience, allowing them to explore independently. We also have access to the texture kitchen which provides an opportunity for the children to access water play, mud play and a range of outdoor toys. This was particularly fun during week 1 when we did planting of fresh flowers and herbs 

A fantastic, fun and happy half term for everyone – the ducks staff team are ever so proud of the children and the progress they continue to make. Thank you to all of our families for helping us to keep your children happy and content in school. 

We hope you all have a wonderful Easter break and we look forward to seeing you all when we return. 

Rayann, Nic, Courtney & Rachel. 

Follow along with this half term’s Signalong video!

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

Below are suggested appropriate homework activities for you and your child to engage in at home. 

Communication

  • Encourage your child to make choices from a given selection. This could be choosing a snack or a favourite toy. Will they reach or guide you to what they want? 
  • Engage in ‘PLAY’ with your child. This includes sitting alongside your child and mirroring their ‘play’. 
  • Engage in ‘Intensive interaction’ by copying their actions and vocalisations during ‘PLAY’.
  • Provide opportunities for your child to request ‘Help’ or ‘Support’ i.e., Allow them to open a bottle or activate a toy; will they bring the item to you to request help?

Cognition & Learning 

This half-term, we will be focusing on Earth, Wind & Fire. You can support your child’s learning by:

Wellbeing 

  • Encourage your child to carry out personal care routines with your support i.e., tooth brushing, hand washing, face washing etc. 
  • Support your child in dressing/undressing themselves in the morning including putting their coat & shoes on. 
  • Encourage your child at meal times and use cutlery, if appropriate. Perhaps they will use a plastic spoon? Maybe you can guide them to use a fork to pick up their food? 

Sensory & Physical 

This half-term we will be focusing on movement during our Physical development sessions and we will be accessing the bikes on Jack’s playground. You can help your child at home by:

  • Visiting the park and using the equipment i.e., balancing, climbing, use the swings. 
  • Listen to some music at home and move your body! 
  • Practice riding & bike or scooter!

Useful Links

This Half Terms Learning Activities Timetable
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