Spring Term - Our topic this term is 'Pirates'

Ahoy, matey! Get ready for an exciting adventure on the high seas as we dive into the world of pirates! In this Spring term, the children in EYFS will embark on a treasure hunt to learn about famous pirates, their adventures, and how they lived. The children will discover where pirates sailed, the different kinds of ships they used, and what it would be like to be a pirate on a grand adventure. This topic will be launched with an exciting pirate adventure.

In Understanding the World, the children will learn about some of the most famous pirates in history, like Blackbeard, and Anne Bonny. Who were they? What were their adventures like? Did they really bury treasure, or is that just a myth? They will discover fun stories about these pirates and their daring deeds. They will learn about the ships pirates sailed on, like the “Jolly Roger” and other famous pirate vessels. How did pirates use the wind to sail across the seas? What did a pirate ship look like? What jobs did pirates do on board their vessels? What did pirates eat? What did they wear? Did pirates have their own secret language? They will explore the daily life of a pirate, from treasure hunts to working on a ship and living on the sea. Pirates sailed to many different places around the world, from the warm Caribbean seas to the cold waters near the North Pole. The children will learn about some of the hot and cold places pirates visited, like the tropical islands in the Caribbean or the icy shores of the Arctic, and think about how pirates had to deal with different weather conditions as they sailed around the world.

Pirates are famous for treasure maps! Children will make their own treasure maps and learn how to use the compass points to provide directions, as well as locating hot and cold places on globes, maps and in atlases.

We will begin to explore materials and their properties – exploring properties through practical activities, and thinking about why particular materials are suited to particular jobs. They will carry out an investigations to find out which material would be best for a job – answering questions such as ‘Which material would be best for a pirate’s sail?’ or ‘What material would be best for a pirate’s treasure chest?’.

Expressive Art and Design sessions will focus heavily on colour mixing and the colour wheel, with a focus on the works of Kandinsky and how he used colours. A shorter art unit looking at Anthony Gormley’s ‘Field for the British Isles’ will give children a chance to mould and explore with clay.

This term, the children will be learning about how to keep themselves safe and healthy – learning about e-safety and healthy relationships in PSHE, engaging in dance and gymnastics sessions in PE, and a DT project all about designing and preparing healthy fruit and vegetable snacks.

The topic will draw to a close with a pirate themed picnic, including the fruits of their DT labours!