Garden Room- Big Question - Term 2.1 - What do I know about winter? End of Term Summary 25/26

This half term we have been exploring our Big Question: “What do I know about Winter?”

We began by talking in our Family Groups about what we already knew about winter and recorded our ideas. Using the book Winter by Emily Dufresne, we learned about winter weather, appropriate clothing, animals, and seasonal celebrations.

Throughout the half term, we explored all aspects of winter. On some particularly cold days, we went outside to investigate the ice and snow. We touched it with our hands and described how it felt — cold, wet, hard, and icy. We also noticed the crunching sound it made under our feet as we walked on it.

We discussed the types of clothes we need to wear in winter and sorted different clothing items into winter and summer categories.

After learning about winter weather, we used movement to express our ideas. We thought about how snow, ice, wind, and rain might move and created our own actions to represent them. We then danced to winter-themed music using our chosen movements.

As part of our learning about ice and snow, we explored where ice comes from and what happens when it melts. The children discussed how water becomes ice when it gets very cold. The children handled the ice and talked about how it felt.

We also learned about animals that live in warm places and those that prefer colder climates. We discovered that some animals sleep throughout the winter because there is not enough food available — this is called hibernation.

At the end of the half term, we revisited our initial mind maps and added all the new information the children had learned. The children can now confidently talk about winter weather, the clothing we need to wear, animals that live in cold environments, and animals that hibernate during the winter months.