Throughout the year, children will begin to develop their Working Scientifically Skills. This will include: 

• beginning to question why things happen
• closely observing animals, people and vehicles do
• creating simple representations of people, events and objects
• building up a vocabulary that reflects the breadth of their experiences
• beginning to comment and ask questions about aspects of their familiar world e.g. the place they live

 

In Summer 2, children have been learning about Mini Beasts. This includes: 

• Observing mini beasts closely and recreating key features and movements
  Observing how mini beasts and plants grow
  Investigating the effects that different mark making materials have when drawing on a variety of papers and textures
  Developing collaboration and team skills 
  Developing and using vocabulary 
  Asking questions 
  Responding appropriately with relevant comments, questions, or actions
  Exploring the environment and natural world
  Developing sequencing and recounting skills 
  Developing independence when meeting their own care needs by filling up their own water bottle, washing my hands, using the toilet and being safe in the summer sun by wearing sun hats and sun cream
  Learning about being healthy through food choices and exercise
  Making healthy foods 
  Making plans and choosing resources 
  Developing motor skills 
  Creating with loose parts 
  Developing number understanding and sharing 
  Making comparisons between objects relating to size, length, weight and capacity
  Understanding matching, similarities and differences 
  Constructing 
  Creating a bug hotel and continue caring for our little Queen Bee Garden
  Going on a bug safari in the forest area
  Exploring how things work whilst investigating, making predictions, and asking enquiring questions during science experiments

 

In Summer 1, children have been learning about Pirates. This includes: 

• Identifying similarities and differences between people 
• Identifying similarities and differences between cultures and food 
• Identifying features of faces and creating artwork of these 
• Identifying features of places 
• Working collaboratively and sharing ideas 
• Using senses to investigate the environment and recreating sounds and events 
• Developing sequencing understanding 
• Caring for ocean animals and environments 
• Learning about recycling 
• Planting and growing plants, flowers and herbs
• Exploring how things work 
• Developing fine and gross motor skills
• Use one-handed tools and equipment safely
• Using tools for purpose
• Deciding materials to use for purposes
• Creating with loose parts 
• Understanding weight and making comparing the weight of objects
• Understanding quantities of numbers, objects and liquids and making comparisons between these

 

In Spring 2, children have been learning about Farm Animals. This includes: 

• understanding that not all animals are the same
• identifying where some animals live 
• identifying some differences between a farm and where we live in Walthamstow
• knowing what some animals eat 
• respecting and caring for the natural environment and beginning to understand why we need to do this
• exploring the Wildlife Area
• caring and feeding the animals of our school farm
• preparing and caring for a vegetable garden
• observing changes to seed and plant growth
• beginning to record seed growth
• exploring natural materials using their senses 
• exploring how to change the colours of flowers 
• cooking healthy foods using the food they have grown and collected from the farm
• developing dexterity using one-handed equipment e.g. scissors  

 

In Spring 1, children have been learning about Dinosaurs and Celebrations. This includes: 

• Exploring colour and colour mixing: rainbow bubbles in water tray/ colour mixing sensory bottles/ colour experiments with baking soda/free painting
• Spotting, extending and creating ABCABC patterns stick, leaf, stone, stick, leaf, stone/uni-cubes/beads. 
• Describing what they see or are creating during construction play, outdoor hide and seek games.
• Making comparisons between objects relating to size.
• Joining different materials and explore different textures.
• Sand and water games and exploration through play
• Beginning to understand the need to respect and care for the natural environment and all living things e.g. mud kitchen, Wildlife Area, Forest School
• Investigating dinosaurs and prehistoric times, visiting wild life area and observing changes in our natural world. 
• Caring for our farm animals, cooking using eggs.
• Use all their senses in hands-on exploration of natural materials
• Observing change of a dissolving dinosaur egg. Promoting discussion, questioning and recording. “What’s in the egg?”
• Talking about chemical reactions, differences and changes during hands on explorations (creating a volcano using vinegar and bicarbonate, Mentos and cola, skittles and milk colour mixing)

 

In Autumn 2, children have been learning about Celebrating Winter and Our High Street . This includes: 

• Identifying differences between people and developing positive attitudes to these
• Observing changes in the natural world between autumn and Winter 
• Learning respect and care for the natural world (e.g. designing and building bird feeders)
• Talking about differences and changes during hands on explorations (creating a bath bomb/ exploring ice and change of state)
• Learning about Arctic and Antarctica creatures and habitats
• Talk about patterns (stipes on clothes/designs on paper/rugs/fabric)
• Independently, selecting and using activities and resources with help when needed
• Understanding “why” questions in order to explain their thinking about a topic e.g. Why do you think this ice has melted?
• Understanding the importance of hygiene, washing hands before eating and after going to the toilet
• Small world play
• Sand and water games

 

In Autumn 1, children have been learning about Wonderful Me. This includes: 

• exploring the changing of season and their environment with a collection of natural resources from Epping forest
• observing changes in state when making playdough
• learning about hibernating hedgehogs
• exploring the farm and caring for the animals that live there
• collecting eggs from our chickens and using them to make cupcakes
• identifying similarities and differences between themselves and others including their family members
• constructing lots of buildings and structures using a range of materials 

Why don't you try to do some of these activities at home?

• Parts of the body song