Teaching Resources
The Year Programme
43 themed weeks across the four school terms. Today falls in Week 25 — Small Creatures - Insects and Bugs. Every week gives you the ring time, the words, one activity per learning area, a story, a song, an outdoor game, what to watch for, and a message to send parents.
SELECTED WEEK
Farm Animals
25 May – 29 May 2026
Week 19
The animals of children's own homesteads - vocabulary in two languages, animal sounds for phonological awareness, and kindness to animals.
Well-being
Safe-around-animals rules: never tease a dog, stay clear of cattle horns and kicking legs, wash hands after touching animals.
Identity & Belonging
My animal at home: who keeps chickens, goats, cattle? Draw your animal and tell its name and who feeds it.
Communication
Animal-sound guessing: one child makes the sound, others name the animal in English and home language - then swap.
Exploring Mathematics
Egg maths: count stone 'eggs' into hollows numbered 1-6; simple stories - one cow and two goats, how many animals altogether?
Creativity
Build a clay or mud kraal with stick fences; cotton-wool sheep and paper-plate pig faces.
Physical & the World
Animal-walk circuit: waddle like a duck, trot like a goat, strut like a rooster, roll like a pig in the mud patch.
⏰ Morning ring
- Which animals live at your home?
- What each animal gives us: milk, eggs, meat, wool
- Animal babies: calf, kid, chick, puppy
- How do we care for animals? Food, water, shade, kindness
📖 Story
'Chicken Licken' (folk tale) - an acorn falls on her head and she cries 'The sky is falling!' A funny lesson in checking before we panic. Children join the growing line of birds.
🎵 Song
'Old MacDonald Had a Farm' (traditional) - first line: 'Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O'.
🏃 Outdoor
Fox and chickens: chicks line up behind mother hen holding waists; the fox tries to catch the last chick as the line swerves.
💬 Words this week
cow goat chicken pig sheep dog egg milk
inkomo (isiZulu - cow)
homu (Xitsonga - cow)
imbuzi (isiZulu - goat)
mbuti (Xitsonga - goat)
inkukhu (isiZulu - chicken)
huku (Xitsonga - chicken)
👁 Watch and record
Animal vocabulary in both languages; sound-matching skill (early phonics); humane, gentle attitudes in animal play.
🎓 Grade R stretch
Match animal mothers to babies and to initial sounds (c-cow, g-goat, p-pig); count a picture 'herd' in twos.
📱 Message home to parents
Theme: Farm Animals. If you have animals at home, let your child help feed or water them and name each one. Ask: 'What does the cow give us?'
The whole year
14 January - 27 March 2026 (11 weeks, 53 school days; unified national calendar - no separate inland/coastal clusters in 2026)
Myself and My World: settling in, separation security, my body, senses, family and home. Colours red/blue/yellow/green, shapes circle/square/triangle, numbers 1-5.
8 April - 26 June 2026 (12 weeks, 54 school days; public holidays: Freedom Day Mon 27 Apr, Workers' Day Fri 1 May, special holiday Mon 15 Jun, Youth Day Tue 16 Jun)
My Community and the Working World: the people, places, helpers and transport around us, farm life, and winter. Numbers to 10, shape consolidation, positional language.
21 July - 23 September 2026 (10 weeks, 46 school days; National Women's Day observed Mon 10 Aug; Heritage Day 24 Sep falls in the holiday)
The Natural World and Our Heritage: wild animals, small creatures, water, plants, spring, birds, and Heritage Month. Numbers to 10 and beyond, patterns, measurement.
6 October - 9 December 2026 (10 weeks, 47 school days; learners close 9 Dec, educators 11 Dec)
The Wider World, Big Dreams and Celebration: life cycles, storms, sky, sea, money, aspirations, summer safety and the year-end concert. School readiness consolidation for Grade R.
