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
The Sea and Sea Creatures
26 Oct – 30 Oct 2026
Week 37
Most of our children have never seen the ocean - stories and play carry them there, stretching imagination and vocabulary.
Well-being
Water-safety bridge: the sea, rivers and dams all share one rule - we never swim alone, a grown-up must always be watching.
Identity & Belonging
'One day I will see the sea' dream postcards: draw yourself at the ocean and tell who you would take along.
Communication
Under-the-sea small world: a blue cloth sea with stone shells and sock fish - children narrate their creatures' adventures aloud.
Exploring Mathematics
Magnet fishing game: paper fish with numerals and paperclip mouths, caught with a stick-and-string magnet rod - read the number, order the catch 1-10.
Creativity
Paper-plate crabs with wool legs; wave paintings combed through thick blue paint; glue-and-sand drawings.
Physical & the World
Blanket-parachute waves with fish (balls) bouncing on top; swimming-motion races across the 'ocean' yard.
⏰ Morning ring
- What is the sea? Water bigger than any dam, and salty!
- Who has seen the sea? It is far away - we travel there with stories
- Sea creatures: fish, crab, octopus, whale, shark
- Boats and the fishermen who work on the water
📖 Story
'Why the Sea Is Salty' (folk tale) - the magic grinding stone that would not stop grinding salt sank beneath the waves, and grinds still. Tell it with a real grinding stone as the prop if one is at hand.
🎵 Song
'A Sailor Went to Sea' (traditional clapping rhyme) - first line: 'A sailor went to sea, sea, sea'.
🏃 Outdoor
Fisherman's net: half the class joins hands as the net, the 'fish' dart through; every caught fish joins the net until one clever fish remains.
💬 Words this week
sea fish wave shell boat sand crab octopus
ulwandle (isiZulu - sea)
lwandle (siSwati - sea)
inhlanzi (isiZulu - fish)
nhlampfi (Xitsonga - fish)
👁 Watch and record
Imaginative engagement with unseen places; numeral recognition 1-10 in the fishing game; clapping-pattern coordination.
🎓 Grade R stretch
Sort creatures into sea/land/sky with reasons; hunt s-sound treasure words; retell 'how a fish gets to the plate' in sequence.
📱 Message home to parents
Theme: The Sea. Most of us have not seen the sea - dream together! Ask your child what they would pack for a sea trip. If you have any picture of the ocean, show them.
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.
