Spider Module
Welcome to this SAMPLE of the Home Page
for
NCF Spider Module
Autumn Term
Junior Age 3 - 4 years
Only one theme is included in this sample, but there are ten for the whole term.
Free play
1. Have a table or tray of autumn leaves for the children to explore. Provide an ice-cream carton they can crumble crisp leaves into.
2. On the drawing table provide only crayons in autumn colours.
Routines
1. Cut out leaf shapes from red, yellow and orange paper (include brown if you need four groups) or print the coloured leaves in the attached PDF. Put the leaves in a bag and have the children take turns to pick a leaf and get into groups or lines accordingly.
Mathematics
Worm and apple number match
Make 5 or 6 red apples from card. Write a number from 1 to 6 in the centre of each apple (or print the attached PDF and paste the apples down onto scrap card). Make a vertical slit either side of the number, big enough for an ice-cream stick to slide through. Make 6 worms from green ice-cream sticks by drawing on a face with a black marker on one end of the stick. On the other end make dots 1 - 6. The children count the dots and find the apple with the corresponding number on it. If they are correct the worm can eat the apple by sliding the stick through the slits.
Language
Choose a tune
Cut 5 or 6 autumn leaves from coloured card (or print the attached PDF and paste them down onto card). On the back of each leaf write the name of a fun action song. Choose songs that have some relation to the theme, e.g. a song about leaves, trees, the wind or scarecrows. Call up a child to come and pick a leaf and then sing the song that is written on the back.
Poster tasks
1. Join the dots on the number 2 and colour in the leaves.
2. Colour in the autumn tree.
Drawing tasks
1. Draw some autumn leaves.
2. Draw using only autumn colours.
Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmitt (Read Aloud) -Fall Story for Kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xwhcORTC1k
Fall Stories for Kids: WE'RE GOING ON A LEAF HUNT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5p-fuvUYBM
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn | a Fall Book for Kids Read Aloud
Seasons Song for Kids ♫ Autumn Leaves are Falling Down ♫ Fall Kids Song ♫ by The Learning Station
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyJIfdA71Lc
Orange, Yellow, Red and Brown - Seasons Songs for Kid - Kids Color Songs - By The Learning Station
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co-gRUgMSfI&list=PLS7VFk2C7ipaNl0Du-PXER4uBgQ1v-fpz
Why Do Leaves Change Color? | Original Kids Song from Treetop Family
Art activity
Paint and print autumn tree
Paint the underside of each child’s arm, their palm and fingers and press down onto white paper to make a tree trunk and branches. Put out paint in autumn colours on an old tray. Give each child a piece of foil to crumple up into a ball. Dip the foil ball into the paint and print to make leaves for the tree.
Art activity
Food colouring leaves
Draw a few leaf outlines on a white piece of paper for each child. Use a thick brush to paint the paper with water. Dilute red, yellow and green food colouring with a little water. Use medicine droppers to drop the colourful water onto the leaves. Watch how the colours run and mix. When the leaves have dried, cut them out.
Art activity
Autumn leaf hedgehogs
Using the template in the attached PDF, make a hedgehog out of thick card for each child. Cereal boxes would be perfect. Paint the hedgehog brown and leave it to dry. Collect autumn leaves and paste the leaves to the hedgehog in layers so that the tops stick out like spikes. Paste a small brown pom pom on for a nose and a small wiggly eye or draw an eye and a mouth.
Day 3
Teacher-directed concrete activity
Counting cards
Make copies of the counting cards in the attached PDF. Sit in a circle in small groups. Give each child 3 blocks. They each choose a card and count out the correct number of blocks and place them on top of the leaf shapes. Rotate the cards. Alternatively, give each child one of each card and 6 blocks and have them complete all the cards.
Day 3
Teacher-directed activity
Memory game
Make a memory game using the pages in the attached PDF. Play in small groups and discuss how many there are of each leaf as you play. Place all the cards face down on the table. The children take turns to turn over two cards. If it is a matching pair, they keep them. If not, they turn the cards over again. Alternatively, you can sort the cards into pairs, and then give one of each to the children and lay the other one face down on the table. The children take turns to turn over one card to find the matching card for the one they hold.
