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
Rain and Storms
12 Oct – 16 Oct 2026
Week 35
The lowveld rainy season arrives with real thunder - storm safety saves lives here, and rain science begins.
Well-being
Thunder-calm practice: thunder is loud but far away - count slowly between flash and rumble, breathe, and stay inside till it passes.
Identity & Belonging
How rain sounds at MY house: tin roof drummers, tile whisperers, thatch listeners - compare and enjoy the differences.
Communication
Storm orchestra: fingertips tap (soft rain), palms pat thighs (harder), stamp feet (thunder), then silence (the storm passes) - children take turns conducting.
Exploring Mathematics
Set up a bottle rain gauge outside and mark the level after each rain; count how many spoons of water fill a jar lid.
Creativity
Rain art: dot watery paint on paper and let drizzle (or a spray bottle) blur it; grey-painted cotton-wool storm clouds with wool rain.
Physical & the World
Puddle-jumping course: two-foot jumps into chalk puddles, long leaps over big ones, tiptoe between the small ones.
⏰ Morning ring
- The rains are coming - the land turns green
- Where does rain come from? Clouds drink from rivers and sea
- Storm safety: inside when lightning comes, never under a lone tree
- After the rain: puddles are for jumping, rivers are NOT for playing
📖 Story
'Why Thunder and Lightning Live in the Sky' (West African folk tale) - mother sheep Thunder and her hot-tempered ram son Lightning are sent to the sky; a story about temper. Children stamp the thunder and flash their hands for lightning.
🎵 Song
'I Hear Thunder' (to the traditional tune of Frere Jacques) - first line: 'I hear thunder, I hear thunder'.
🏃 Outdoor
After-rain walk: smell the rain, find puddles, hunt the rainbow; if storming, do the streamer storm-dance under the veranda instead.
💬 Words this week
rain storm thunder lightning cloud puddle wet umbrella
imvula (isiZulu - rain)
mpfula (Xitsonga - rain)
umbani (isiZulu - lightning)
litulu (siSwati - rain)
👁 Watch and record
Storm fear levels (plan comfort for anxious children); recall of the lightning rules; two-foot jump landing control.
🎓 Grade R stretch
Draw the simple water cycle as a circle (sun - cloud - rain - river); measure the rain gauge with cubes and record the number.
📱 Message home to parents
Theme: Rain and Storms. Teach the storm rule at home: when lightning comes we go inside - never under a big tree. Count the seconds between flash and thunder together.
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.
