This half term we have chosen ‘traditional tales’ as our theme to explore with the children. So far we have had Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Three Little Pigs and The Gingerbread Man. The children appear to have really enjoyed these books so far and the varied activities they have taken part in to enhance and embed their learning. A lovely display of the children’s work on these tales has been put up in the setting which is a great visual reminder and talking point for the children. Along with this are the characters from The Three Little Pigs across the ceiling.
Through these tales we are able to expand children’s learning in all seven areas that the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires. These areas are communication and language, physical development, personal social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the World and expressive arts and design. Next week we will be moving on to The Princess and the Pea, where we hope by reading the story daily, the children will become very familiar with it and be able to anticipate what happens next and re-tell the story in their own words.
During the week the children will get chance to construct their own castles with a range of junk-modelling materials. This gives children chance to express themselves as they design their own castles and also for mathematical language to be used as they put their castles together using ‘square boxes’ or ‘ rectangular boxes’ or ‘large or small boxes’.
The children will be able to act out the story themselves using costumes and props provided; playing with other children and negotiating between each other, who plays which part builds self confidence and negotiating skills. Small world toys will also be provided including castles and Prince and Princesses.
The children will be painting their own ‘peas’. They will be mixing their own paint using yellow and blue paint to make green; again this is developing their mathematical skills as they learn colours. As they mix the paint and use the paintbrush to paint, this develops fine motor skills in the children’s hands; this is important in preparing children for writing.
Outside the children will be developing their gross motor skills as they search for the ‘peas' (green balls amongst lots of other colour balls) and put them in the corresponding coloured bucket. As children search for the peas, they are negotiating spaces and distances.
Each day the children participate in rhyme time which corresponds to the traditional tale they have been learning about. Next week it will be ‘5 little peas in a pea pod pressed’. The children will get to hold and extract peas from a pea pod and we will have ‘messy’ play using mushy peas where the children can stir, mix and measure.
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