Welcome to the Toucans Class!
Staff
Teacher: Fran Marshall
TAs: Charlotte Taylor, Joanne Brice, Joanne Ryan and Nicola Meyers
Mid Day Leader: Sam Grundy
Newsletter
Ticket to Ride
Our topic for our final half term was ‘Ticket to Ride’ the children have really engaged with our sensory story The Train Ride. The sound of the train whistle prepared the children for our journey where the children met different animals exploring the wool of the sheep and the feathers of the geese. They enjoyed meeting the ticket collector and handing over their tickets before enjoying a yummy sandwich lunch. The sand and the sea exploration were particularly motivating as the children explored the feel of the sand and soft mist of the salty sea air. The children were fascinated by ‘Grandma’ who they met at the end of the story. Some children were not keen on Grandma, whilst others gave her a big hug.
As part of sensory play, the children had lots of fun exploring the scented playdough and the various cutters and tools, they filled up the diggers with oats and cereals and explored the gloop with bowls, spoons, and spades. The tuff tray story scene gave the children lots of opportunities to revisit our sensory story exploring the wooden train track and other sensory props. Some children enjoyed searching for different animals and matching them to photographs. The children created bridges and other structures using Duplo for the different sized toy vehicles.
Sports Week was a great hit and the children enjoyed taking part in the various physical activities. They loved human skittles rolling on the scooter board and knocking down the large skittles. The children were great at waiting for their turn during hungry hippos, collecting coloured bricks for their team. They were also excited to see their parents and other family members on Sports Day. It was great to see so many family members get involved.
As part of sensory food play, the children made a refreshing lemonade using different juicing tools to juice the lemons, they added sparkling water, sugar mixture and fresh mint. Some children enjoyed smelling and tasting the mint. During Wimbledon the children sliced scones, and from a choice of jam, butter and squirty cream the children chose and spread their own toppings, they had so much fun squeezing the squirty cream! For our sensory story the children made a sandwich to eat on their journey. They chose and spread their own fillings from a choice of jam or cheese spread. We also used the switch activated blender to make our own banana smoothies, the children particularly liked tasting the ice cream before adding it to their smoothie.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our families for their continued support this year, we hope you all have a wonderful summer.
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
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 –
- Read a story book with your child, if possible, focus on stories that centre on making friends, relationships, sense of self and movement for example: sharing a shell, the snail and the whale, the lion inside, what makes me, me? giraffe’s can’t dance, from head to toe…or any story your child enjoys!
- Encourage your child to explore their own movement and how they can make things move from playing skittles, having a kick about with a ball, rolling balls and toys cars or even making marks with different rollers and paint brushes. Can they roll a ball to you? Can they throw or catch a ball?
- Look at photos of friends and family. Do they recognise familiar people? Can they recognise themselves? Look at photographs, images or use a mirror. Do they respond to their own name?
- If possible, take your child out into the community – go to a park or a garden centre to experiences different plants and flowers especially as we go into Autumn, can they notice the leaves falling? Can they collect leaves? Can they see the different colours? Can they name them? Try taking a bike or a scooter, can they travel in different ways? Can they run, jump or skip?
- Encourage your child to help prepare meals. Can they help to wash up? Can they help to cut, chop and stir? Can they help to use different kitchen appliances from hand held mixer and whisk to a blender?
- Play with you child – encourage interaction by using their favourite toys/games/TV shows. Can they accept you into their play? Can they take turns?
- Encourage your child to dress and undress themselves. Can they choose their own clothing? Can they choose appropriate clothes for the warmer weather? Shorts and t-shirt? Hat and sunglasses? Can they help to put on their sun cream?
- Using play, meal and snack times build on their communication skills. Can they make a choice between toys, foods and drinks?
- Encourage your child to brush their teeth. Can the put the tooth paste on their brush? Can they put the brush into their mouth?
- Encourage your child to wash and then dry their hands.
- Encourage your child to help to wipe down/clean surfaces in the home
- Encourage your child to help to tidy away. Do they know where things are kept?
- Practise the key Signa Working thumb hand (palm down, pointing forward) pushes against supporting flat hand (palm in, pointing up).May be directional. Index hands (palms in, pointing forward) make small outward then inward downward arcs, moving from wrists.
- If you and your child are learning from home, please access any of the activities suggested here or on the Medium Term plan, but activity suggestions will be sent each week to help you via Seesaw.
