Maples Teaching and learning through the year
At Maples, children explore the seven areas of learning in the Early Years curriculum through play and interaction with adults and peers. Children are supported to build relationships with their new friends, to further develop interests from their home life and to learn new stories, songs and ways to be creative.
All children’s learning at Maples is based on the Revised Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum which underpins all future learning by supporting, fostering, promoting and developing children’s development in all areas.
We aim to continue the extremely valuable work you have already put into your child’s early education and look forward to working with you to help each child, at their own pace, make maximum progress during their time at Maples. The nursery day is carefully planned to give the children the opportunity to experience a wide variety of stimulating activities through play situations so that learning will be fun.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Self-confidence and self-awareness
- Managing feelings and behaviour
- Making relationships
We learn to play together co-operatively and constructively
We learn to respect and take care of each other
We learn to do things for ourselves
We learn how to behave in a range of settings
We dress up and pretend to be other people
We learn to express our thoughts, ideas and feelings in circle time
We learn to share and take turns
Communication and Language
- Listening and attention
- Understanding
- Speaking
We learn to communicate with others in a range of ways
We develop a wider vocabulary and descriptive language
We learn to listen to others and take turns to speak
We learn to listen attentively to stories, songs, rhymes and poems and respond to what we hear
We learn to follow instructions and answer questions
We learn to communicate our own ideas and stories
Physical Development
- Moving and handling
- Health and self-care
We enjoy climbing outside on the apparatus in our lovely Maples garden
We use PE equipment like hoops, balls and beanbags to play games
We develop our fine motor skills by learning to tear, cut, sew, and manipulate different materials
We handle tools and equipment effectively, including pencils and pens
We learn to ride lots of different kinds of wheeled vehicles
We learn the importance of physical exercise and a healthy diet and talk about ways to keep healthy and safe
We learn to manage our own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully, including dressing and going to the toilet independently
Young children’s physical development is inseparable from all other aspects of development because they learn through being active and interactive
Mathematics
- Numbers
- Shape, space and measures
We learn to sort, match, order, sequence and count lots of things
We solve problems
We play with the water and learn about capacity
We use scales to measure our ingredients during cooking sessions
We begin to understand the language of position and size
We use appropriate language to talk about size, weight, position, time and money
We recognise, create and describe patterns
Literacy
- Reading
- Writing
We learn about letters and sounds in our weekly sessions
We share books with each other and choose books to share at home
We talk about books and stories and recognise the difference between pictures and print
We use a variety of tools including pencils to make marks
We begin to use our phonic knowledge and understanding to give meaning to marks
We learn about writing our name
Expressive arts and design
- Exploring and using media and materials
- Being imaginative
We sing songs, make and explore music and dance
We love to explore and develop our creativity using a full range of materials
We explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function
We work alongside each other and with creative people
We build pretend homes, space ships, boats, and trains and let our imagination take us on all sorts of adventures
Understanding of the World
- People and communities
- The World
- Technology
We enjoy exploring and becoming familiar with our local environment
We love to examine the insects in our garden
We plant seeds and plants in our garden and learn how to care for them.
Our outside classroom is very important to us; we learn so much and have lots of fun
We like to use the computer to play games and to draw
We recognise a range of technology and select and use it for a particular purpose
We share stories about our friends and families
We investigate why and how things work, using lots of construction kits and materials
Cooking is one of our favourite activities and we enjoy eating what we have made
Last term we focused on ourselves, families and school and progressed onto our community and celebrations. This term we have explored light and dark and fairy tales. We are continuing our regular school trips to the Science Musuem with two very successful trips completed in March. We additionally have had lovely visits from Acton Police and Fire Service to speak with the children about what they do.
Equally, look out for regular class updates and newsletters which are uploaded periodically under the 'Parents' tab on the school website.
Nursery class - Light and dark
Toddler room - Our community and celebrations