“Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension” EYFS Statutory Framework, 2021
INTENT: To offer the children a breadth of experience, linked to the community within which we live, to deepen their understanding of the natural world, their families and communities.
IMPLEMENTATION: Children will be exposed to the rhythms of the year, through the enhanced provision within the environment, opportunities outside and in weekly Forest School sessions and through adult-led activities. During their Reception year, children will continue to build upon their existing knowledge of rhythms of the year and have daily opportunities to explore the natural world outside, following their own interests. Children will learn about different beliefs through sessions planned from RE Today and talk about current events impacting the wider community through Picture News.
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Rhythms of the year/adult led activities.
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Nursery and Pre-School
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Reception
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Autumn 1
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- Settling in/rules and routines
- Families (When I was a baby)
- Cooking
- Autumn/Harvest
- Forest School: rules,
- Autumn equinox
- Book suggestions: Peepo, Each Peach Pear Plum
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- Harvest
- Autumn walks and discussions - describe what we see, hear and feel outside and understand the effect of changing seasons on the natural world around them
- RE: What makes people special?
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Autumn 2
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- Children In Need
- Anit-bullying/Odd Socks Day Remembrance Sunday
- National Tree Week
- World Nursery Rhyme week
- Light/dark
- Fireworks/Diwali - Diwali (Festival of Lights)
- Christmas books/stories
- Cooking
- Forest School
- Winter solstice
- Book Suggestions: The Things I Love about trees – Chris Butterworth, Tree full of wonder – Anna Smithers
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- Remembrance - understanding the past
- Firework night and historical context
- RE: What is Christmas ?
- Children in Need- whole school fundraising. Talk about the needs of our community
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Spring
1
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- Lunar New Year.
- Valentine's Day
- Cooking
- National Pizza Day
- Big School’s Bird Watch & bird nest week – bird activities, non-fiction books, feeding the birds, providing nesting materials
- Forest School
- Seasonal changes
- Book suggestions: The Winter Tree – Stuart James, The Wind Blew – Pat Hutchins
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- Lunar New Year- recognise some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries and how different people celebrate.
- Valentine’s Day and cards
- RE: How do people celebrate?
- Freezing water and melting. Describe what we see, hear and feel when outside
- Compare environments (polar to UK)- recognise some environments that are different from the one in which they live. Maps and globes.
- Winter walk - describe what we see, hear and feel outside and understand the effect of changing seasons on the natural world around them
- Beebots direct across snowy map- draw information from a simple map
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Spring
2
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- Book suggestions: Open wide, what’s inside. Topsy & Tim Go to the Dentist, Tusk trouble –Jane Clarke, My Wobbly tooth must not ever, never fall out – Lauren Child, Alan’s big scary teeth – Jarvis, To Be A Star –HiFiveKids
- Shrove Tuesday
- Planning the EYFS allotment planting
- World Book Day
- British Science Week
- World Poetry Day
- Mother’s Day
- Easter
- Passover
- Earth Day
- Forest School: rules.
- Seasonal Changes: seasons come, season go
- Book suggestions: Grandpas Garden – Stella Fry, Ten Seeds – Ruth Brown, Planting a Rainbow – Lois Ehlert, The Tiny Seed – Eric Carle
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- Shrove Tuesday- recognise that people have different beliefs and celebrate special times in different ways
- Mothering Sunday and cards - recognise that people celebrate special times in different ways.
- RE: What is Easter?
- Bog Baby links to respecting wildlife
- Spring- describe what we see, hear and feel outside and understand the effect of changing seasons on the natural world around them.
- Pond dipping.
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Summer 1
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- Deaf Awareness Week
- VE Day
- Sunflower planting/allotment tending
- Forest School
- Seasonal changes
- Book Suggestions: Rosa and the big sunflower experiment, The little gardener – Emily Hughes, Bloom – Anne Booth, It Starts with a seed – Laura Knowles. Titch – Pat Hutchins
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- Growing plants
- RE: What can we learn from stories?
- Floating and sinking experiments
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Summer 2
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- Child Safety Week
- Healthy Eating week
- Father’s Day
- Forest School rules
- Summer Solstice
- Seasonal Changes: Sun – Sam Usher,
- Book suggestions: Oliver’s Fruit Salad, Oliver’s Milkshake,
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- Father’s Day
- People who help us- learn and compare
- Sorting old and new
- RE: What makes places special?
- Summer- describe what we see, hear and feel and understand the effect.
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IMPACT: Nursery & Pre-School will develop a respect and deeper knowledge of their local environment, the links with their family and an understanding of special events that happen nationally/worldwide. We will monitor the impact to ensure children are ‘on track’ in the developmental age band 3 -4 years. Children in Reception will be able to make links between new learning/observations and their own experiences, talking knowledgably about topics of their interest.
