F2 - Foundation Stage 2

Welcome to Foundation Stage 2 

Our spring topic in FS2 is - 

Do Cows Drink Milk?

Old Macdonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o! Do cows drink milk? What are baby pigs called? It’s time to find out more about life on the farm and the animals that live there.

This term we’ll observe the different farm animals, crops and vehicles. We’ll monitor beans as they grow, noting how they change. In our literacy lessons, we’ll make predictions about stories and try out some farmyard rhymes. We’ll create songs about the farm to sing as we shake our homemade seed shakers in time. In our mathematics lessons, we’ll use an animal ‘baa chart’ to estimate the number of popular farmyard animals, and we’ll use addition and subtraction to help Little Bo Beep count her sheep. Outside once more, we’ll take it in turns to be sheepdogs, sheep and farmers. Can we herd all of our sheep into the pen? Getting creative, we’ll use coloured play dough and clay to create farmyard scenarios, and ‘paint’ farm animals using graphics software. Then, we’ll design and make delicious flavoured breads to sell in our very own farm shop and also make our very own butter!

In numeracy this term we will ensure that children can count reliably with numbers from 1-20, saying which number is 1 more or 1 less than any given number. We will use objects to add and subtract single digit numbers and solve problems including doubling, halving and sharing. We will spend lots of time trying to recognise the number of objects in a group without the need to count them.  We will explore characteristics of shapes and use mathematical language to describe them.

Examples of how to support numeracy learning at home

Incorporate counting in to everyday life (How many steps? How many chips do you have? If I take one away, how many do you have now?) When out walking recognise house numbers, bus numbers etc. and talk about the shape of everyday objects. Find different ways to make 10 using fingers and play simple dice games to support recognising spots and number patterns. Discuss the length of objects and use baking as a fun way to talk about weight. 

In phonics, reading and writing we will continue to recap and learn RWI Set 1 single sounds (e.g. m,a,s,d,t,i,n) and also continue to use Fred Frog to help us blend and segment words to read and write. We will also introduce ‘special friend’ sounds such as sh, th, ch into our reading and writing. We will be mark making independently in many ways and will continue to read and write simple sentences, ensuring that we understand and can talk about what we have just read. 

Examples of how to support literacy learning at home

Children will have their own set of flashcards in their book bag to use at home which will be added to weekly when new sounds are taught in school. Once children can blend sounds to read, children will be sent home with green words and then a school reading book which has been carefully matched with the phonics learning that we have done in school. Please read this at least 3 times per week to develop fluency alongside reading additional books for pleasure. We will listen to children read in school throughout the week so please ensure that children have their book bags daily. 

As a way of sharing the fantastic learning that we do in FS2, I will send photographs and information via Class Dojo. Please use this as an opportunity to talk to your child about what they have done in school.

Remember, you can send photographs through Dojo to support our assessment of your child by sharing any family experiences or home learning. Please add comments where possible, thank you!

Help your child prepare for their project
Farms are fantastic! Why not explore your kitchen cupboards together and talk about where different foods come from? Do you have any local farm produce? You could also visit a local farm or petting zoo and take pictures of each animal to share with the class. Alternatively, take toy tractors, spades and trowels outside to dig together in the mud. Add water to the soil for extra muddiness – don’t forget your wellies!

Please contact me via Class Dojo if you have any further questions, 

Miss Down 

FS2 PE day is Monday - Children can come to school wearing PE kit on this day. 

Please ensure that children have book bags in school daily and that names are written on every item of clothing, thank you. 

EYFS Early Adopter Information for Parents

Reading Expectations in Foundation Stage 2 Presentation 

Information about Read. Write. Inc. (Phonics) sounds and letter formation

To teach our children to read fluently we use Read Write Inc. Phonics. Please see below for further information.