1. Communication and Language Winter, Snow, Dark Nights and Space
Spring
Communication and Language
Children share fiction books, discussing the characters and events.
Children share non-fiction books discussing the information and how it relates to their own experiences
Children explore and discuss vocabulary of winter through a winter walk, sharing books with a friend, and ice investigations. They look at non-fiction books and discuss hibernation and migration.
Children share fiction and non-fiction books, identifying and discussing their characteristics.
Children share non-fiction books about space and discuss the information they contain. They use non-fiction texts to answer their questions.
Children roleplay being in a space shuttle/space station. They use the associated language to explore their ideas and feelings. They communicate effectively with their peers
Children share their knowledge of space. They become familiar with subject specific vocabulary and use it correctly
Winter, Snow, Dark Nights and Space
Special Events
Winter Walk
Teddy Bears Sleepover
Space Experience
Physical Development
Children make a snowman and ‘biscuits’ from playdough. They use fine motor movements to select the correct number of buttons for their snowman maths and use scissors to cut snowflakes and icicles. They use tools and pincer movement to create a starry night sky picture.
Children construct a den for the bear and make a telescope to view the stars.
Children develop writing and fine motor skills, with lots of opportunities for writing lists, labels and captions.
Children develop fine motor skills through carefully combining construction media, decorating small biscuits and manipulating playdough. Children develop their large motor movements by exploring and rehearsing actions in response to music
Personal Social and Emotional Development
Children discuss what they need to keep warm and comfortable in winter (including clothes and shelter).
Children discuss bear’s experiences. Have they been in a situation where people do not agree on how to behave?
Children agree rules before winter walk. Discuss rules for the bear’s guests to make sure everyone is happy and safe.
Children talk about their ideas about space and extra-terrestrial life. They identify what items will be useful to take on a journey into space and justify their choice.
Children identify what they are scared of and what comforts them when they are frightened. Children identify how to be welcoming to new visitors and know why this is important
Children have conversations in roleplay and small world play, often taking on roles of different people, e.g. commander, alien.

2. Understanding of the World
Mathematics
Children create a snowman picture, counting out the correct number of buttons to match to the numeral
Children take a handful of stars (sequins) and drop onto a night sky. They estimate how many stars there are then check by counting them.
Children use their knowledge of cardinal number to read numbers within the range They reliably count forwards and backwards, sequencing numbers correctly
Children use non-standard units to weigh a variety of objects. They compare and order different weights, using appropriate language.
Children generate criteria to discuss and group familiar pictures of aliens and themselves.
Literacy
Week 1: Discussing signs of winter, using and extending associated vocabulary. Reading words and sentences about winter. Writing captions for photographs based on the sentence structure from the shared reading book
Week 2: Discussing a story and relating it to their own experiences. Understanding that we can get information from books and talking about facts in those books. Writing simple instruction sentences
Week 3: Discussing a story. Sequencing and discussing the events in a story. Writing a list.
Week 4: Talking about a topic using extended vocabulary
Knowing information can be found in non-fiction books. Writing short captions.
Week 5: Discussing and sequencing ideas
Using rhymes to predict words in a rhyming story. Writing extended captions
Understanding of the World
Children create ice pictures, using experience of floating and sinking to select items which will fill their picture
Children compose calm music to sooth the bear.
Children use a range of techniques and media to create a starry night sky picture.
Children discuss how to prepare for a variety of different journeys. Children compare and contrast different locations and use this to discuss what they would need/want to take with them on each journey.
Children discuss how they are similar and different from each other in appearance.
Children identify similarities between themselves and all living things.
Children use technology effectively to complete online drawings, jigsaws and take digital photographs.
Expressive Arts and Design
Children look at icicles or pictures of icicles and discuss how they are formed. They use knowledge that water can freeze to make ice pictures, and use knowledge of floating and sinking to predict what their picture will look like. Children experiment with freezing water in differently shaped containers and then explore ‘freeing’ frozen toys through melting in different places and by sprinkling salt.
Children explore materials that reflect the light or glow in a dark tent using torches.
Children recognise how music and other recorded entertainment can be used to feel calm and safe. They explore winter and night time using the Internet and take photographs of winter features.
Children plan a teddy sleepover party.
Children enhance and develop their ideas, thoughts, and feelings by engaging in retelling familiar stories and taking part in space-themed role-play situations. Children learn songs and poems about space and perform them in front of an audience. They explore the effect of changing the pitch, tone and volume of their voice and adding actions to improve the quality of performances.
Children make original pieces of space themed artwork. They explore the effect of different techniques and use tools effectively to make their own 2D/3D art work in response to space themed stimuli.
Books we will be reading:
The Bears Winter House
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark
Whatever Next
Toys in Space
Here Come the Aliens
Aliens Love Underpants