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
Trees and Fruit of Our Valley
24 Aug – 28 Aug 2026
Week 29
Hazyview is banana country - the fruit economy children see daily becomes food knowledge, sharing maths and pride of place.
Well-being
Fruit-tasting plate: washed banana and orange segments - try, describe, and count segments before sharing fairly.
Identity & Belonging
Fruit trees at MY home: who has a mango, banana or avocado tree? Chart them - our class's own orchard map.
Communication
Fruit-stall role play: describe your fruit to sell it ('sweet, yellow, soft inside') and use polite buying words.
Exploring Mathematics
Sharing maths: how do we share one orange fairly between two friends, then four? Count segments; sort fruit cards by colour and size.
Creativity
Fruit-half printing with orange and lemon halves; giant torn-paper banana and mango collages for the wall.
Physical & the World
Fruit-picking stretch course: reach on tiptoes to 'pick' paper fruit pegged high on the line, squat to place it in the basket.
⏰ Morning ring
- Fruit trees around us: banana lands, mango trees, avocados, macadamias
- How fruit grows: flower first, then fruit
- Ripe or green - how do we know when to pick?
- Fruit is nature's sweets - the healthy treat
📖 Story
'Why Monkeys Live in Trees' (African folk tale) - cheeky monkey and the fruit that got him into trouble. Children supply the monkey sounds at each mischief.
🎵 Song
Original counting-down chant (Five Little Ducks pattern) - first line: 'Five ripe bananas hanging on the tree'.
🏃 Outdoor
Monkey tag around the 'trees' (children as trees holding fruit cards) and a banana-carry relay between knees.
💬 Words this week
tree fruit banana mango orange sweet ripe peel
ubhanana (isiZulu - banana)
isihlahla (isiZulu - tree)
nsinya (Xitsonga - tree)
👁 Watch and record
Fair-sharing understanding (early fractions); taste-describing vocabulary; counting down from five.
🎓 Grade R stretch
Fold paper fruit into halves and quarters and name them; graph the class's favourite fruit and count the winning column.
📱 Message home to parents
Theme: Trees and Fruit. Hazyview is banana country! Point out the banana lands or a fruit tree near you and name the fruits your child eats this week.
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.
