The home of the Fox Cubs!
Hello Everyone!!
Hello and welcome to our special page for Nursery, known as the 'Fox Cubs' class! The place where children have lots of fun learning through play!
In Nursery, Miss Harrison is the class teacher, Mrs Rowley, Mrs Tomlinson, Mrs Newton and Miss Teather are the Early Years Staff who will be working with the children throughout the week.
We want your child to be happy and to enjoy learning so if you have any questions or concerns please come and see us!
Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any question no matter how big or small. Email me at foxcubs@coppice.derbyshire.sch.uk I know this year will be another amazing year in our Fox Cubs class with lots of learning and laughter happening!!
Meet the Fox Cubs Team
Miss K Harrison - Nursery Teacher/ EYFS co-ordinator
Mrs L Rowley - EYFS Practitioner
Mrs D Tomlinson - EYFS Practitioner
Mrs S Newton - EYFS Teaching Assistant
Miss K Teather - EYFS Teaching Assistant
Miss A Hill - EYFS Teaching Assistant
Our topic this term is
Winter Wonderland
Here are some ideas to start with and we will continue to add to them as we go through the half term! We base our learning on a book/theme each week linked to our topic. Within this we also follow the principles of 'planning in the moment' which means that the children guide our learning following their interests and so every day is full of surprises!!
Spring 1 - Week 1
Gruffalo's Child
What season are we in? What can the weather be like in the winter? Who is the Gruffalo's Child? What animals does she meet? Where does she live? What can we mark make on the Gruffalo cave walls? What footprints can we see in the snow?
For the first week of the new term we are going to explore one of our most favourite stories - The Gruffalo's Child! We will be learning to retell the story using our story language and talk for writing actions. We will be looking at the different woodland animals and explore how they make footprints or marks in the snow as they travel around the woodland environment! We will then explore making our own footprints in the snow (fingers crossed we will have some in our outside area!). Inside we will explore making different squiggle patterns in different white materials such as pretend snow, salt and cornflour! As we do this we will describe what the different materials feel like!
In the home sweet home area we will recount our experiences of Christmas and we will act these out such as decorating a little Christmas tree, writing letters to Santa, putting presents under the tree and then unwrapping presents, sharing a Christmas lunch with our friends, writing thank you letters and then putting everything away for the New Year!
Spring 1 - Week 2
Snowball
What does snow and ice feel like? How can we make it melt? What does Snowball pick up on his journey? Where does Snowball travel? Which words rhyme in the story?
This week we are going to meet the character, Snowball!! This book is written by Miss Harrison's favourite author, Sue Hendra who created the character of Supertato! In this story Snowball accidently rolls down the hill causing lots of mayhem!! We will find out what he passes as he whizzes down the hall and think about different settings/places that might have visited like Snowball does as he rolls through such as the zoo! As we read the story we will also explore rhyming words and find out which words rhyme!
As we read the story we will explore vocabulary to describe how Snowball gets bigger and bigger. We will also be exploring snow and ice in more detail and learning a wide range of vocabulary! We will think about what we wear to help us keep warm in the winter and explore dressing Snowball in different hats, scarves and gloves! In our cosy home role play area we will have different clothes to practise putting up to help us with dressing ourselves!
Spring 1 - Week 3
Who's Hiding in the Snow?
What are polar bears? What other Arctic animals do we know? What do we want to find out about Arctic animals? Where will be find them? How do polar bears move? What are our senses? How can we use our senses in different activities? Where do penguins live? What other animals live in the Antarctic?
This week we are going to be exploring Arctic animals as well as beginning to look at animals found in the Antarctic which we will explore further next week!
During the week we will explore Arctic animals in more detail and read a range of non-fiction books to find out more information about the animals! We will look at a world map and see where the Arctic is in relation to where we live in Heanor. We will find out what the different animals look like and how some of the animals are camouflaged! This is a big word and we will explore further what this means! When we look at the different Arctic animals we will look at how they move and what they eat. Following on from our learning about footprints in the snow in week 1 we will look at the footprints the Arctic animals make in the snow.
Throughout the week we will also think about our different senses and do lots of activities/investigation to help us understand them further. We will start to learn to predict what we think will happen or what we will find out! These will include making instruments to explore making different sounds and listening to the sounds that they can make!
Spring 1 - Week 4
Penguin Small/Happy Feet
What happened to the penguin in 'Penguin Small'? What journey does Penguin Small make? What does the snowman do to help? What could a snowman wear? How do penguin's move? How are the penguins similar/different?
This week we are going to be exploring penguins! We will watch part of the film of Happy Feet as well as reading the book 'Penguin Small' alongside looking at a range of non-fiction books about penguins. We will find out where the Antarctic is in relation to where we live in Heanor and to the Arctic which we explored last week!
We will explore how penguins move (we will create our own penguin dances!) and what they eat. We will look at how there are different types of penguins and look at similarities and differences. In the creative station we will explore making penguins using a range of materials which we will fasten together. We will also practise printing with potatoes to make penguins using paint!
When we watch 'Happy Feet' we will explore the special talent that Mumble had of dancing! We will think about what our own special talents are and remind ourselves that we are all special and unique!
Spring 1 - Week 5
Frozen
Who are the characters in 'Frozen' and what does Elsa turn everything into? Where does Elsa live? How do the characters travel on snow? How can we make our own ice sculptures? What could we wear or drink to keep warm? What special powers do we have?
Well we couldn't explore the topic of winter wonderland without learning through the film, 'Frozen' which the children really love! We will create our own frozen castle using a range of materials in the creation station! We will look at the settings in Frozen and discuss how they are similar/different to the settings we have explored so far this term! We will make our own ice sculpture using a range of materials into cups and then fill them with water. We will then put these in the freezer and wait for the magic to happen! Once they are frozen we will explore how to make them melt.
As we explore Frozen we will find out more about the different characters - what they look like, how they behave and what they say! In the Adventure Island we will have the Frozen characters so we can create our own narratives!
In the calculation corner we will use the 3D wooden shapes to make our own castle for Elsa and then we will count the different people who will come to live in the palace! In the message centre we will make invitations to invite to the party at the palace!
Spring 1 - Week 6
Chinese New Year!
What happens at Chinese New Year? How do people celebrate? What happened in the race all those years ago? Which animals took part? Which animal is being celebrated this year? What is Chinese food? How can we eat Chinese food?
This week we will explore the festival of Chinese New Year. It is the year of the dragon this year so we will be making different types of dragons - some small ones and one gigantic one that we can will be able to use in the EYFS outside area when we explore dragon dancing!
We will find out what happens at Chinese New Year and why this festival is celebrated. We will watch clips on the interactive whiteboard to see how other children celebrate this festival. We will find out about the great race which was held many many years ago by the animals and that is how we know which order the animals are celebrated in.
We will use our cooking skills to chop and cut a range of vegetables to make a Chinese stir fry which we will then eat for snack. We will share what we like or dislike about the stir fry! We will also explore other Chinese food and share what they are like.
Topic Web
To see the full topic web for this half term please click on the link below
Nursery Spring One topic plan overview - Winter Wonderland!
Knowledge Organiser
To see the Knowledge Organiser for this half term please click on the link below
Nursery Spring One Knowledge Organiser - Winter Wonderland!
Nursery Dates
Here are the dates we have so far for this half term. We will continue to add to them as the half term progresses. Also remember to check your weekly newsletter!
Monday 5th January 2026 - Back to school/Nursery
Thursday 29th January 2026 - Fox Cubs Phonics workshop followed by our termly stay and play - 10.45am - 11.30am
Week beginning 9th February 2026 - Children's Mental Health Week
Tuesday 10th February 2026 - Internet Safety Day
Friday 13th February 2026 - Last day of term
The Early Years Foundation Stage
In Nursery we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage which is organised into seven areas of learning. These seven areas are as follows:
PSED - Personal, social, emotional development (developing self confidence and self awareness, making relationships as well as managing behaviour and feelings).
CL - Communication and Language (speaking, listening and understanding)
PD - Physical development (moving and handling as well as health and self care)
LIT - Literacy (reading and writing)
MATHS - Mathematics (numbers, shape, space and measures)
UW - Understanding the World (people and communities, the world and technology)
EAD - Expressive Arts and Design (exploring and using media and materials as well as being imaginative!)
Our School Values
The whole school will focus on the twelve values during the year whereas in Nursery we will focus on four of these values on a regular basis through the year - co-operation, achieving, respectful and enthusiastic. Our first value this term will be Co-operation. We will cover this in all aspects of Nursery and we will be expecting this to be demonstrated to all members of our Coppice community, it is important that even when we move onto a new value, the old one isn’t lost.
Each week on our Nursery newsletter, Miss Harrison will share which value we are working on in Nursery and what you can work on at home. We cannot wait for you to share how your child has demonstrated the values through proud clouds and on Tapestry! We look forward to seeing our children bright and early ready to embrace the new weekly challenges!
Nursery newsletters
We have a weekly newsletter which will keep everyone informed about what we are doing and what we will be learning about in the future. The newsletter will come home every Friday but we will also put a copy here on our web page.
Parent Partnership
We believe in having a good partnership with parents and carers. Together we can help your child to become a happy and successful learner!
Topic Challenges
Challenges for your child to work on with you during the topic. The children will receive a certificate for completing the challenges if they earn 6 or more points:
1 point — Bring in a book about winter time.
2 points — Practise writing the letters in your name
3 points — Practise putting scarves, gloves on and fastening coats
4 points — Create a winter scene picture using any materials!
Learning journeys
During the last few years we have developed the way that we collect observations about what your child can do during their time in Nursery. Your child will have a gorgeous book called 'My Little Book of Adventures' where we put in evidence of what your child has been learning! As part of this we will be using an app called 'Tapestry' on our iPads to take photographs of your child completing different activities and make notes about what they are doing. One of the best features of this is that we can email you all the evidence we collect! You can also let us know of any 'wow' moments you witness at home. We will be sending home an information letter and permission form for this during the beginning of September!
We also love to hear what your child has achieved at home and so we ask you fill in proud clouds and share them with us!
Proud cloud letter - September 2025
Have a question or concern?
We understand that there are times when you might have a question or concern! We have an open door policy in our school and you are always welcome to come and speak to any member of staff. Alternatively you can ring school on 01773 712840 or email me at kharrison4@ coppice.derbyshire.sch.uk and we will do all we can to help.
Our Nursery
Here is our latest Nursery booklet which contains all the information about our Nursery
Updated version coming soon!
School readiness
Over the year we will be preparing your child for their start in Reception. Is your child ready to start Reception? The following are some of the skills that your child is expected to be able to do as they begin their journey into Reception but remember we have a whole year to prepare them.
Is your child ready for Reception?
Stay and Play sessions
Each term we have a stay and play session so parents, carers and other family member can join us in Nursery to see what we do. The children love showing everyone their classroom and the type of activities we do every day in Nursery. We always end with an activity for both children and adults. This could be a story, a squiggle, a dough disco or a dance! Who knows!! We like to keep it a surprise!!
Our next Stay and play session is Thursday 29th January 2026 at 10.45am!
Helping at home!
There are lots of things you can do to help your child. Below are some ideas of what you can do which are quick and easy and will help your child consolidate skills we have taught in school. If you would like any help or support please ask any member of EYFS staff. We would be more than happy to help with ideas!
Letters and Sounds
Level 1 Aspect 1 (Environmental Sounds) booklet - Ideas for parents to use at home.
Level 1 Aspect 2 (Instrumental Sounds) booklet - Ideas for parents to use at home.
Level 1 Aspect 3 (Body percussion) booklet - Ideas for parents to use at home.
Reading
Spend time sharing lots of books together. Practise holding the books the correct way round and turning the pages in order. Encourage your child to talk about the pictures and to support them in making their own stories using the pictures.
Writing
At this stage the children will be making lots of marks using a range of writing tools such as felt tips, pens and paint. Encourage your child to talk about what their marks mean. As your child becomes more confident in holding writing tools support them in writing their names on invitations and cards.
Nursery Always Skills for Writing
Nursery Literacy non-negotiables
Mathematics
Play board games such as 'snakes and ladders' to encourage your child to count spaces to move their counters forwards or backward. When you are walking as the children to count how many foot steps from one place to another and ask the children to identify different numbers they see on doors or buses.
By the end of nursery your child is expected to be able to recite numbers to 5, recognise numerals 1 to 3, count 3 to 4 objects and make marks to represent their counting.
Nursery Always Skills for Mathematics
Nursery Numeracy non-negotiables
Life skills
Encourage your child to put on and fasten their own coat, to put on their own shoes and to get dressed and undress by themselves. Remind them to wash their hands after going to the toilet and before eating a meal. When eating encourage your child to use a knife and fork correctly.
