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
Life Cycles - Egg to Chicken, Caterpillar to Butterfly
5 Oct – 9 Oct 2026
Week 34
Change over time is the deepest science idea a young child can hold - and it mirrors their own growing.
Well-being
Gentle-hands practice: pass a real (hard-boiled) egg carefully around the whole circle without a single bump - fragile things need soft hands.
Identity & Belonging
My own life cycle: share a baby story or photo - 'when I was a baby I...'; order baby-child-adult cards for yourself.
Communication
Life-cycle story wheel: spin, land on a stage, and tell that part using 'first, then, next, finally'.
Exploring Mathematics
Sequence the four butterfly-stage cards and number them; count stone eggs into nests; start a hatching-countdown chart if any family has a broody hen.
Creativity
Washed crushed-eggshell mosaics; sock caterpillars stuffed with paper; torn-paper life-cycle wheels that really turn on a split pin.
Physical & the World
Life-cycle yoga flow: curl tight as the egg, wriggle as the caterpillar, wrap still as the cocoon, burst out and fly as the butterfly.
⏰ Morning ring
- Welcome back! How does a chick grow inside the egg?
- The butterfly's four steps: egg, caterpillar, cocoon, butterfly
- People change too: baby, child, grown-up
- Waiting is part of growing
📖 Story
Original: 'Nomsa the Caterpillar Who Would Not Stop Eating' - Nomsa munches through gogo's vegetable garden and is nearly squashed, wraps herself away, and returns as the garden's best pollinator friend.
🎵 Song
Original to the traditional 'Twinkle Twinkle' tune - first line: 'Little egg upon the ground, soon a chick will peck around'.
🏃 Outdoor
Butterfly tag with scarf wings, and egg-and-spoon races with stone 'eggs'.
💬 Words this week
egg hatch chick caterpillar cocoon butterfly change grow
iqanda (isiZulu - egg)
tandza (Xitsonga - egg)
uvemvane (isiZulu - butterfly)
inkukhu (isiZulu - chicken)
👁 Watch and record
Four-step sequencing without help; vocabulary of change (was, became, will be); careful controlled handling.
🎓 Grade R stretch
Draw and label the four butterfly stages with numbers 1-4; run a days-of-the-week countdown chart to a class event.
📱 Message home to parents
Theme: Life Cycles. If you have chickens, show your child the eggs and talk about hatching. Hunt for caterpillars and butterflies on plants 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.
