Reception

Autumn 2

Why do squirrels hide their nuts?

Into the woods we go! Why do squirrels hide their nuts? Why do hedgehogs hibernate? It’s time to explore the seasonal changes in the natural world during autumn and winter.

This half term, we’ll observe and experience the enchanting autumnal environment, collecting autumn treasures as we crunch through piles of fallen leaves. In the classroom, we’ll sort our treasures into different categories, create land art, and dry and flatten leaves to decorate. We’ll learn about woodland animals and migration through movement and discuss the features that allow animals to survive through winter.

In our literacy lessons, we’ll snuggle up and listen to autumnal stories and write woodland tales.

In mathematics, we’ll thread and count conkers and dried fruit and collect and order sticks of different lengths.

We’ll roll up our sleeves to make a clay owl or hedgehog, autumn-scented play dough, a delicious harvest soup and ‘squirrel muffins’ for our forest friends.

Outside once more, we’ll observe food as it decays over time. How will they smell and feel? As we move out of Autumn we’ll talk about the changes that occur as autumn changes into winter. Can we relate them to our memories and experiences? Hopefully we will get to see some snow!

What can you do at home?

Woodlands are wonderful! Why not explore a local woodland together to build a fairy house using twigs, leaves, nuts and berries? You could also cook some fabulous autumnal recipes such as pumpkin soup or toffee apple cakes. Alternatively, set up a mud kitchen in your garden. What ingredients from the garden can you mix together to create an autumn potion?

Fill a recyclable bag with Autumn treasures and bring it in to school to show your class. We can’t wait to see what you find!

Homework

Reading with your child and your child reading aloud to you at least 5 times a week (please write daily in the yellow reading record book).

Autumn term

• Practise weekly sounds taught in school and the correct formation
• Practise writing your name (capital letter at the beginning and the rest lower case).
• Practise counting objects to 10 with one-to-one correspondence
• Practise counting (reciting) from 1 to 20

Practise recognising numbers 1-5, then 6-10 and matching the numbers to an amount of objects, claps or jumps