This half term, our classroom came alive with the sights, sounds, and stories of autumn and woodland adventures. The children explored seasonal changes, celebrations, and the natural world through a wide range of engaging activities that inspired curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning. From exciting outdoor Forest School sessions to hands-on experiments and imaginative play, the term supported the children’s development across communication, literacy, maths, creative arts, and personal, social, and emotional growth. Every experience encouraged exploration, collaboration, and expression, helping the children build confidence and make meaningful connections with the world around them.

Prime Area: Communication and Language

Our theme this half term was woodland, and the classroom was transformed into a rich, story-filled environment that built children’s language skills through play, exploration, and imagination. The children immersed themselves in woodland stories and autumn topics, developing their listening, speaking, and understanding. Learning included seasonal changes, autumn vegetables, and celebrations such as Halloween and Bonfire Night, giving the children plenty of meaningful opportunities to talk, imagine, question, and describe.

Through key texts including Leaf Man and Percy the Park Keeper, the children took part in discussions, retold stories, and used new vocabulary in role play and small-world activities. Forest School sessions further enhanced their communication skills as they worked together outdoors, shared ideas, and talked about what they discovered. These experiences helped the children widen their vocabulary, build confidence in expressing themselves, and develop a love of exploring stories and the natural world.

Specific Area: Literacy

Key Text(s)

This half term, through We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt and Stick Man, the children explored the signs of autumn and developed their early storytelling skills. They wrote simple sentences, lists, labels, and poems inspired by the characters and settings in the stories. Using their imagination, the children retold familiar tales, created their own stick characters, and designed story maps to help sequence events clearly. They took part in language-rich games that encouraged discussion, prediction, and expressive storytelling.

Throughout these activities, the children continued strengthening early writing skills such as using initial sounds, describing feelings, and recording their own ideas with increasing confidence.

Phonics Focus

The children continued working through Phase 2, practising oral blending and segmenting, recognising letter–sound correspondences, and using their new phonics knowledge to read and write simple CVC words within meaningful story contexts.

Specific Area: Maths

This half term in Maths, the children focused on building a strong understanding of numbers up to ten. They counted, recognised, and represented numbers in a variety of ways, using practical resources and hands-on activities to deepen their understanding. They consolidated their learning through counting objects, matching quantities to numerals, and exploring numbers in fun, meaningful, everyday contexts.

The children also strengthened their early number bond knowledge, beginning to see how numbers could be made and broken apart. Through games, challenges, and problem-solving activities, they developed confidence in comparing quantities, noticing patterns, and talking about how numbers work.

Specific Area: Understanding the World

This half term, the children investigated how potions change by exploring mixing, combining, and observing simple reactions. They looked closely at how materials could change in colour, texture, and form, developing curiosity and early scientific thinking.

The children also explored homes from around the world, discovering the many different ways people live and the features that make each home unique. In addition, they learned about crowns and their meanings, linking them to celebrations and important roles in different cultures.

As part of our autumn learning, the children explored seasonal events such as Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day, learning why these occasions were significant and how people marked them.

Key Questions

Science: How do materials change and why?
Geography: What is a home and is it the same everywhere?
RE: How and why do we celebrate? What times are special to different people and why?

 

Specific Area: Expressive Arts and Design

The children were encouraged to explore and apply their creative skills independently during free play, using a wide range of materials and tools. Their learning focused on discovering different ways to express ideas through colour, shape, movement, and sound. Through hands-on activities, the children experimented with transforming recycled materials, building models, creating artwork, and exploring music and imaginative play.

Key Questions

DT: How can we turn junk into something new?
How can we express ideas through music, art, and design?

Prime Area: Physical Development

This half term, the children focused on building their coordination, control, and strength through a wide range of engaging activities. They took part in games, obstacle courses, and daily movement tasks that supported the development of both fine and gross motor skills. The children explored how to move safely, confidently, and with increasing control, learning to balance, stretch, jump, and travel in different ways.

They also enjoyed taking part in the gross-to-fine motor programme “Squiggle While You Wiggle.” This approach encouraged the children to make big, sweeping movements that later translated into the fine motor skills needed for writing. Through these lively, high-energy sessions, the children built muscle strength, developed rhythm and coordination, and gained confidence in the movements that supported early mark-making and handwriting.

Prime Area: Personal, Social and Emotional Development

This half term, the children focused on looking after themselves and others while developing an understanding of the religious and cultural significance of the Nativity. Through stories, discussions, and role play, they explored themes of kindness, giving, and community. The children learned how to build positive relationships, celebrate differences, and recognise what made each person special.

They also developed strategies for staying safe—both in the classroom and outdoors—while becoming increasingly independent in managing their own needs. Throughout the term, children took part in activities that encouraged cooperation, turn-taking, empathy, and respect for everyone’s rights.

Key Questions

PSHCE: How can we be kind and celebrate each other?
How can we care for ourselves and others?
How can we stay safe?
**How can we respect everyone’s rights?