Our topic this half term is ‘Brilliant Bugs’. Each week, we will explore a different minibeast and share a range of engaging stories, including 'Minibeast Bop' and 'Mad About Minibeasts'. The children will be introduced to new topic-related vocabulary, alongside the appropriate Makaton signs to support their communication and understanding. They will also take part in regular attention circles and enjoy turn-taking games with their peers. Our attention circles will be sensory-based and carefully linked to our topic, as well as to other areas of learning.  

In Science, we will be focusing on pushes and pulls. During our weekly sessions, the children will have the opportunity to explore a range of hands-on activity stations designed to encourage curiosity and investigation. These will include exploring magnets, rolling different objects down ramps and across a variety of surfaces, and experimenting with cause-and-effect toys.  

Each week, the children will take part in a range of fine motor activities designed to strengthen their hand and finger muscles. These will include posting activities, tracing, threading, and a variety of twisting and turning tasks, all aimed at developing control, coordination, and early writing skills. 

Our weekly story sack sessions will be linked to our half-term topic, helping to bring our learning to life in an engaging and interactive way. The children will be encouraged to sit, listen, and actively participate in the story, whether that’s dancing along to Minibeast Bop or helping to feed The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 

In making, the children will be exploring different colours and materials to create different bugs. Later in the term, they will also enjoy some Easter crafts. During our cooking sessions, we will be encouraging independence when using different utensils and we will explore different foods. They will be making Easter chocolate nests, pinwheels and fruit kebabs.  

Our horse-riding group will continue their sessions this half term. The children have all been making excellent progress, and we are proud of their achievements so far. We look forward to seeing their confidence and skills continue to grow. Our community visits will remain on Monday afternoons. During these outings, we will explore local parks, enjoy woodland walks, and visit supermarkets, providing valuable opportunities to develop independence, social skills, and real-world experiences. 

It’s going to be a lovely half term.  

Lauren