Welcome to the Herons Class! 

Staff

Teacher: Charlotte Harlow

TAs: Kitty Connaghan, Rachel Mitchell and Claire Agnew

Mid Day Leader: Charlene Harding

Newsletter

Earth, Wind and Fire

Hello everybody,

We cannot believe how quickly time is going in the herons class and that we are already two terms through the school year! As Spring has started to appear we have had lots of fun exploring the World around us. 

This half term we have been exploring the story ‘One Stormy Night’ and have loved listening to all the different weather sounds in the book, trying to copy these ourselves with different instruments! We have continued to work hard on our listening skills through identifying different sounds from the World around us and by exploring different outdoor areas. In move and mark we have been practicing zigzags which are really tricky! We have tried really hard to make these using paintbrushes, pens, iPads, in sand and in foam. 

In Maths we have enjoyed both individual and group work. Every child has shown amazing attention skills and we are all working independently through our own maths work at the table – amazing! We have been able to match colours and numbers, continue different patterns and identify shapes. 

In Understanding the World this half term we have explored Earth and Spring! Each week we have explored different things we find in the world around us, like animals, plants, water, sand and soil. We have particularly enjoyed using gardening tools to pot different seeds and plants. As we approach the end of the half term we are starting to explore Easter as part of our ‘I wonder’ sessions; we have loved exploring the bright colours of Spring, baby animals and flowers. Our favourite part has definitely been the chocolate though! 

In our Creative Development sessions we have been exploring the Earth and other planets; our favourite session was choosing colours and then shaking the marbles through paint to make our own planets; very messy!  In Food Discovery we have been practicing our chopping skills; all the children were amazing! We have used chopping boards and child-safe knives to chop lots of different fruit and veg. We have been smelling and tasting these to find our favourite; strawberries were definitely the biggest hit!

We have had lots of lovely opportunities this half term to visit different areas of school. We have loved our rebound therapy sessions and have been working really hard to copy the different bounces. In shared play we have been working on our turn-taking and play skills; the cars are definitely the most popular! We have been able to continue our swimming sessions and have also loved our weekly soft play sessions. It has been lovely for us also to spend some time with the Flamingoes outside on the bikes, with bubbles and enjoying the emerging sunshine!

Have a lovely half term and Happy Easter!

Herons class team 

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

If you are really quiet, what sounds can you hear outside your house?

  • Everything is an opportunity for communication! Give your child lots of opportunities to make choices and requests at home. Please contact me if you would like any symbols to support this. Exchanging symbols is a great step forward in communicating your wants and needs. Make sure you always model the language for them. 
  • This half term we will be exploring the Earth around us – have a go at planting some seeds, explore leaves and flowers outside, make a mud pie!
  • We are practicing our cutting skills in our food discovery sessions; can your child help the adults at home to chop up fruits and vegetables for snacks?
  • What you can see outside? How is it changing with the weather? Flowers are growing, is it raining or sunny?
  • Go on a nature walk – can you find a leaf? A flower? A stone? A tree?
  • Practice writing their name each day – cut up the letters and muddle them up, can they order them correctly?
  • Practice turn taking at home; sharing a toy, a story etc. 

Useful Links

This Half Terms Learning Activities Timetable
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