Welcome to the Flamingos Class! 



Staff

Teacher: Rachel Hayes

TAs: Nicola Hamnett, Rachel Mitchell, Gareth Phillips and Chloe Connaughton

Mid Day Leader: Jane Lees


Newsletter

Hairy Scary Beast

The theme this half term has been ‘Hairy, Scary Beasts’.  During this time, we have focused on three sensory stories.  The first being, ‘The Little Pigs,’ where we explored: straw, sticks and Lego bricks.  We enjoyed building houses and squeezing the squeaky pigs!  Our second story was ‘Jack and the Beanstalk,’ where we made marks in the chocolate powder ‘mud’ and posted pom-poms down the beanstalk tube.  Our final story was, ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff,’ which involved building a bridge for the goats to cross, using lollipop sticks and plastic cups.

In our ‘Skill-Building’ sessions we have worked hard developing our abilities in: stacking, building, threading, completing jigsaws and manipulating objects into shape sorters. We have also enjoyed our thematic ‘Skill-Building’ sessions that have included: paint stamping with sponges and sticks, making ‘sticky wall houses’ and using scissors to cut out different textured green paper, to create a beanstalk.  In our ‘Respond-Create-Interact’ sessions, we have really engaged with the ‘sensory element’ of the sessions, where we have: banged on the drums using colourful ribbon beaters, shook our rattle drums, made from paper plates and wooden beads, as well as used magnets to move bells around in bottles, to create sounds. 

We have enjoyed our outdoor ‘Being in Nature’ sessions where we have played on the climbing frames and engaged in Intensive Interaction with the adults while using: bubbles, pinwheels, ribbons and feathers. We have also loved our class-based ‘Being in Nature’ sessions, where we have made: nature shakers, explored flower ice-cubes, completed paint stamping with flowers and played with mini-beasts in the sand.  

Our ‘Using Technology’ sessions have focused on ‘technology around the home’.  This has involved: toasting bread, choosing a nursery rhyme to listen to through earphones and the laptop, pressing the fan to make the pinwheels spin and using a whisk to whip cream, which we ate with chocolate brownies.  It was so much fun!  In ‘Sensory Food Exploration’, we explored food link to the story of ‘Goldilocks and the Bears,’ e.g. porridge, syrup, sultanas and dried cranberries.  Whereas, when we focused on the story of ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ we played with: apple pie, biscuits and cream.  What a fantastic half term it has been!  


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

The following activities are suggested as support activities, which you can enjoy with your child and it will reinforce the learning we are focusing on this half term.

The following activities are suggested as support activities, which you can enjoy with your child and it will reinforce the learning we are focusing on this half term.

Communication and Interaction

  • Provide your child with choices throughout the day, e.g. snacks and toys.
  • Listen to nursery rhymes and use props/puppets to ‘bring the rhymes to life’. 

Sensory and Physical 

  • Provide opportunities for messy play, e.g. paint, sand, water and cereal.
  • Explore nature in a ‘fun way’, e.g. make a nature shaker and paint with flowers.

Well-being

  • Help your child to wash and dry their hands.  Can they do it without help?
  • Can they wash their face and brush their teeth?
  • Can they put their coat on and zip it up?

Cognition and Learning


Useful Links


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