MEDIUM TERM PLANNER
Personal, Social and Emotional
Development
Key activities & starting points:
*Talk about how you have changed and
grown from being a baby. What can you do
now that you couldn’t when you were
small?
*Role play activities centred on the theme
of growth: Garden Centre, Jack and the
Beanstalk role play area.
*Star of the day award for demonstrating
behavioural expectations in the setting.
* Puppet role play to encourage ideas on
how we can help our friends if they are
upset, or what to do if we want a turn
with something.
*Designated tasks during tidy up times,
and special ‘Star of the Day’
responsibilities.
*Identifying feelings in themselves and
others- feelings chart/ feelings flash
cards/ talking about the feelings of
different characters in our stories.
Nursery/Reception
Physical Development
Key activities & starting points:
Topic: Growth
Term: Spring 2 2015
Communication and Language
Key activities & starting points:
*Understand the use of different gardening tools,
* Understand what our bodies need in order for
measuring tapes etc.
us to grow healthy: rest, healthy eating,
*Use a range of tenses to describe what will happen
exercise, and good hygiene. Compare this o what
when we plant a seed, and later, how the seed
a plant needs to grow strong and healthy.
grew.
*Looking at lots of non fiction books on healthy * Use prepositions to describe where the ladybird is
eating and living.
hiding in the garden: in the bucket, under the
*Looking at what happens to our bodies when we
flower pot etc: in, on, under, behind, in front,
exercise (Our heart beats faster, we get hot
next to , between.
etc)
*Use the vocabulary pertaining to growth and plants:
*Watching how an array of minibeasts moves on
stalk, petals, seed, plant, dig, roots, soil etc.
youtube/ espresso clips and then moving like
*Retell the set book stories through role play, story
them: spiders, butterflies, grasshoppers etc.
props and picture sequencing.
Sticky Kids CD: How does a Butterfly Go song.
*Weekly preposition activity/ song: in, on, under,
*Writing with a range of writing tools: White
behind, in front, next to, between
boards and pens, chunky chalks and painting
*Practitioners model how to use ‘how’ and ‘why’
tools. Tracing the trail of a snail, drawing on the
questions and demonstrate how to find answers
legs of spiders and the spots of ladybirds.
through non fiction books and through the
*Tracing and copying their names using the
computer
correct formation of letters.
*Listen to our friends when they’re speaking during
*Copy simple words form minibeast/ growth
carpet times: only the person holding the special
flashcards, holding writing tools between thumb
stone can speak.
and two fingers..
MEDIUM TERM PLANNER
Mathematics
Key activities & starting points;
* Sequence the growth of a seed through
photos. Sequencing the life cycle of a
butterfly
*Separating groups of three or four insects
onto different leaves, realizing that the
total is the same.
*Sorting plats into height order
*Problem solving- how many minibeasts if 1
more / 1 less comes along etc
*Minibeast counting rhymes. Ten Little
Speckled Frogs
*Forming numerals (making price tags,
writing the number of minibeasts/ flowers
they can see on whiteboards.
*Counting out seeds for customers in the
Garden Centre role play area.
*Time: Days of the week song and weather
chart.
*Counting children after register time.
*Making flowers from different shapes.
*Weekly Shape song and recognition games.
*Weekly number song and recognition
games.
*Children measure their heights using
blocks. Display the height chart in the
maths area.
*Ordering by capacity- Water in a bucket.
Nursery/Reception
Literacy (Reading & writing)
Key activities & starting
points;
Core stories;
Week 1: Titch/
Week 2&3: The Very
Hungry Caterpillar
Week 4&5: Jack and the
Beanstalk, Jasper’s
Beanstalk
*Following instructions for
planting a seed.
*Looking at information
texts that describe how to
care for our plants and
seedlings.
*Practitioners model how to
ask ‘how and why’ questions
and use information texts to
find out the answer.
*Drawing the legs on spiders
and the spots on ladybirds,
the petals on flowers.
*Write lists of minibeasts
they see using minibeast
charts (modelled first on
Interactive White Boards.)
*Alliteration games: I spy
with my little eye
*Identifying rhyme and
rhythm in words games
*Oral blending / segmenting
games
Topic: Growth
Understanding the World
Key activities & starting
points:
*RE Focus: Easter and New
Life
*What Do Seeds Need to
grow? Investigate: Put one in
the dark, one no water, one no
air, one with light, water and
air.
*Plant broad beans in
transparent jars and watch
their growth.
*Observe the life cycle of a
butterfly using the caterpillar
garden.
*Use magnifying glassesobserve how things appear
larger.
*Use the internet to find out
more about plants and insects.
*Using the digital microscope
to look at leaves, fingers etc.
*name and use some garden
tools to dig up outside areas.
*Program the beebots to move
around a garden map.
Term: Spring 2 2015
Expressive arts and design
Key activities & starting points:
Role play area: Gardening centre
*Using money to pay for items,
counting out seeds, using plant pots
for role play
*Singing Easter Song: Hosanna/ Tiny
Caterpillar
*Beating out simple rhythms
*Painting sunflowers and drawing
plants to decorate the role play area
*Making/ drawing/ painting spiders,
flowers, caterpillars.
*Variety of textured play
*Experimenting with the different
sounds instruments make
*Predicting what sound an instrument
might make
*Junk modelling
* Large construction blocks
MEDIUM TERM PLANNER
Nursery/Reception
Topic: Growth
Term: Spring 2 2015