The Spring term has come to an end. Our children and teaching staff have had great fun when busy exploring themed curriculum. Let’s have a quick review of what pupils at each year group have learned in the last a few months.
Dear Zoo is the story of a child who writes to the zoo asking for a pet. The zoo sends a series of unsuitable pets, revealed behind flaps of the pages in the form of crates, delivery boxes and packing cases. The animals are all sent back for different reasons, except the last one, a cute dog, which is the perfect pet! Throughout this theme, children were able to learn about animals. They were curious about the habitats where these animals lived, the sizes, colours, textures and key animal names.
We created a zoo in our classrooms and the children had the opportunity to feed the animals, bathe them, walk and play with them as well as take care of them. The children requested to play at the North Pole, as we have polar bears and penguins. We used a cardboard box, toilet paper and glue to make the icy cold environment. We collected leaves, stones, some sand, grass and branches so we could have a natural environment for the animals. Cooking for our animals was a wonderful activity. We used this opportunity to learn the prepositions of ‘in’, ‘on’ and ‘under’. Children loved the idea of taking the animals on a train ride, so we made it happen!
The children enjoyed the responsibility of carrying out small tasks and taking care of the animals. They used sand, water, playdough and shreds of paper to make food for the animals. Playing with bubble bath water was also an interesting activity. The children loved a practical, hands on activity and bathing the animals was a big success!
We had a ‘Bring Your Pet’ day where children could bring their favourite stuffed animals and introduce them to their friends. The fun of bringing a toy ensured that the activity was fun and helped the children to focus and learn. We had amazing support from parents who took their children to the zoo so they could see real animals and learn more about them. Dear Zoo is a brilliant book for learning new vocabulary and for understanding more about the animal world.
