Change To Half Term Topics

[Guest ChunkyMan]

Hi everyone, I am looking to change our half termly topics as we are finding them too specific and limited.

 

Does anyone have any ideas for broader topics.

 

At the moment we do the traditional colour, ourselves, people who help us etc but we are finding them a little stale and restricting. Was thinking more along the lines of rhythm and pattern or something like that??

 

Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

 

Cheers x

[AnonyMouse_64]

Where do the interests of the children lie? That should give you a good starting point as to what is likely to engage them most.

[Guest]

We have just changed our planning to be a bit more fluid. So we have 1 book per half term, which is one of the core books as recommended by our council early years. We decided to use these in our plans as the basis/starting point. We also have a list of other relevant time related themes, such as Harvest, Autumn, Divali, Fireworks etc. We planned the first week (well the third week this term, as we used the first 2 for settling in) using the book as our guide, then observed their interest, and where they have wanted to go with it. We have done This is the Bear, so first week was all about that book, but the children really loved the whole teddy bear thing (didn't really engage with the book that much, but loved the teddy bear), and we have done a whole week this week of bear activities, reading other bear stories such as Where's my teddy. We have had a playdough teddy bears picnic, cut food from magazines to collage onto a paper picnic blanket, sung 5 little teddy's bouncing on the bed and then given the children a bed picture and bear pictures to do what they wanted with. Next week, we are going to make real sandwiches for a picnic, and move a little in the food direction for harvest recall, with vegetable printing, bobbing apples ( a child had done this at her church last week and told us all about it!) etc etc. And this all came from this is the bear and subsequent observed interests!!

 

After half term we will change to a different book to start us off.

 

HTH

[Helen]

Have you discovered the articles on using books as a starting point for activities? You can find them here. Or we have, in the resources area, some topic support articles, which might give you some ideas for topics you haven't thought of, or give you some extra ideas for topics that are a bit stale. You can find those here And finally, if you'd like to find out more how one of our moderators, Sue Ridgway, did away with topics completely, you can read her inspiring article here

[Guest youngrisers]

we use stories as a starter, then gradually move into a season or interest that the children promote. for example this term we have many boys who are keen on giants, pirates and other boy specific topics, so we devised how many stories round fairy tales, nursery rhymes had giants or baddies in them! amazing what a bit of research can do! we started with humpty dumpty and follwoed this through with once upon a time, then continued with jack and the beanstalk and the smartest giant in town now onto goldilocks and three bears guess what book is we are going on a bear hunt! all of this can be linked into the outdoor environment and forest school too! the boys love it! mind you the occasionally dinosaur has crept in too!