Dear Parents/Carers,

We would like to welcome all the children, parents and carers to Harlyn and we are looking forward to an exciting year ahead.

Child-initiated play

In Nursery, we place great emphasis on learning through play. Within our Nursery there are different areas to encourage different types of play. The play activities link to the topics which we will cover this term. Your child will be exposed to a range of free-play and adult directed activities.

Literacy

Our daily phonics session encourages sound recognition and we practise mark making and letter formation by drawing the letter in the air, in sand, painting or using a pencil.

We will practise name recognition and writing. The children will be able to practise their early literacy skills by mark-making in various ways using pencils, chalk and even fingers in shaving foam, on a variety of surfaces. At this stage please focus on lowercase letters (except at the beginning of their name).

We will develop the children's interest in text by reading to them daily and making a variety of reading material available to them. We will sing songs and action rhymes to help them to consolidate their learning.

Things you can do at home to support your child:

· Help your child practise recognising and writing the letters in their name.

· Mark making and practise letter formation. This could be by drawing the letter in the air, in sand, painting or using a pencil.

· Take your child to the library.

· Share books, discuss the story and characters.

· Help your child to count how many times the sound of the week appears on a page.

· Find objects at home that begin with the sound of the week.

Mathematics

We will develop your child's interest in numbers and shape by providing opportunities to count using a variety of toys and natural items. Children will be encouraged to form numbers on paper or by using play-dough to mould the digits. We will sing many songs and action rhymes involving numbers too. We will also be learning about positional language by playing hide and seek with toys around the classroom.

Things you can do at home to support your child:

· Informally point out numbers around them i.e. on clocks, calculators, remote controls, buses, phones etc.

· Practise number formation in the air, in sand, painting or using a pencil.

· Count steps, coins, family members and places at the dinner table.

· Find shapes in the environment, e.g. on road signs or houses.

This half term our topic will be ‘Nursery Rhymes’.

Week beginning	Sound of the week	We will be learning about…
3rd September	-	Nursery Previews and settling in.
7th September	-	Humpty Dumpty Rules and routines and making friends Singing and sequencing Humpty Dumpty Shape printing
14th September		5 Currant Buns Counting and recognising numbers Decorating currant buns Hearing and recognising sounds in name
21st September	s	Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Making and decorating stars Counting Hearing and recognising initial sounds
28th September	a	Incy Wincy Spider   Rhyming and sequencing rhyme Making spider biscuits Counting Different types of weather
5th October	t	Teddy Bear Teddy Bear Repeating patterns Following instructions to make sandwiches Decorating teddy bears
12th October	p	Miss Polly Had a Dolly/5 Little Monkeys People who help us – doctors and nurses Counting and recognising numbers Features of faces
19th October School closed on Friday 23rd October.	i	Diwali Celebrating religious festivals Shapes and colours Rangoli patterns

Please send in your child’s book bag on a Wednesday only so that we can change their library book. Please also remember to provide a change of clothes in their named PE bag which we will keep at Nursery on their peg. Please ensure that all of your child’s uniform, book bag and PE bag are named and send in a named filled water bottle each day.

Lunches: If your child is staying for lunch please note that we are a healthy school. Please DO NOT send in fizzy drinks, chocolate bars, sweets or whole nuts. Grapes, olives, cherries and cherry tomatoes must be cut in half.

For example, please send in:

· savoury option such as a sandwich or filled wrap

· fresh or dried fruit and/or vegetable

· a bottle of water

· savoury biscuits, cheese pieces or yoghurt.

Please note that we do not have facilities to heat up food or keep it cool.

 

Nursery is closed for the half term break from Friday 23^rd October. Nursery reopens on Monday 2^nd November. If you have any questions please feel free to ask any member of the Nursery team or email nursery@harlynprimaryschool.co.uk.

Many thanks, The Nursery Team

• Best Start In Life Advice