- Requests and reminders:
- Please bring in a pair of wellies for your child and leave them on the rack outside the classroom. If it is wet the children are only allowed on the grass with wellies on.
- Please could you make sure your child brings in a coat to school as it is getting colder. As you can imagine in this current time we have to have all the doors and windows open so even indoors is cold! Vests or thermals would also be a good idea.
- If you have any junk modelling boxes, pots and tubes please bring them in as we are running low. After demonstrating the junk modelling techniques this week the children were very keen to have a go!
- Please remember to only wave to your child when they are at the front of the queue.
- Please continue to change your child's book from the book box outside
- Things to do...
- Read to your child everyday. Talk about rhyming words.
- Sing nursery rhymes with your child. Here are some examples:
Five little Ducks went swimming one day -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCyznSQihKY
Ten green bottles sitting on the wall - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak7kedzR8bg
Five Little Speckled Frogs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSC-gHBU_d0
Five Current buns in a baker’s shop - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mi79hRcSXI
- Count everything. For example: ask them to lay the table with 4 forks, 4 knives etc, point out numbers and shapes in the environment.
- Recap the phonics activities your child completed this week. See below.
- Talk about the number 2.
Your child has completed 5 different phonics activities this week. You may like to have a go at these activities at home.
Activity 1: Listening walk
This is a listening activity that can take place indoors or outdoors. Remind your child about the things that good listeners do (e.g. keep quiet, have ears and eyes ready). Invite your child to show you how good they are at listening and talk about why listening carefully is important. Encourage your child to listen attentively to the sounds around them. Talk about the different sounds they can hear. Your child could use ‘cupped ears’ or make big ears on headbands to wear as they go on the listening walk. After your child has enjoyed a listening walk indoors or outdoors, make a list of all the sounds they can remember. The list can be in words or pictures and prompted by replaying sounds recorded on the walk.
Activity 2: Voice Sounds
Show your child how they can make sounds with their voices, for example: ■ Make your voice go down a slide – wheee! ■ Make your voice bounce like a ball – boing, boing ■ Sound really disappointed – oh ■ Hiss like a snake – ssssss ■ Keep everyone quiet – shshshsh ■ Gently moo like a cow – mmmoooo ■ Look astonished – oooooo! ■ Be a steam train – chchchchch ■ Buzz like a bumble bee – zzzzzzz ■ Be a clock – tick tock
Activity 3: Rhythm and Rhyme
Repeat the rhythm. Clap a simple rhythm (clap, clap, clapclap) ask your child to copy. Repeat with different rhythms.
Extension: Use stamping, tapping, instruments
Activity 4: Alliteration
Have some different sets of objects that begin with the same sound. Using the sets one at a time, talk through them with your child. E.g This is a doll, digger, dog and dinosaur. Ask your child what sound they all start with. Can they think of anything else that can be added to the set?
Activity 5: Oral blending and segmenting.
Introduce a soft toy that can only speak in ‘robot-talk’. (Robot-talk is when a word is broken down into sounds. E.g cat in robot talk would be c-a-t)
Ask the soft toy a question – what would you like for tea today?
Pretend the soft toy has whispered into your ear and look puzzled.
Tell your child “he said he would like ch-ee-se” – “Do you know what he said?”
If your child doesn’t help them or even tell them “he said cheese, ch-ee-se, cheese!”
Ask your children to have a go at saying cheese in robot-talk
Repeat with other questions.
What is your favourite colour? – r-e-d
Do you have any friends? – S-a-m, B-e-n,
What do you like to do? – h-o-p, s-k-i-p, j-u-m-p
Encourage your child to ask the toy questions with yes/no answers (e.g. Can you sing? Y-e-s/N-o).
This week we have introduced the number 2.
We showed the children what the number 2 looks like as a numeral. We showed them a semi circle and explained that it had two sides. We showed the children a 2 numicon piece
We asked the children to go and find 2 of things. It can be 2 shoes, 2 pencils, 2 tops, 2 dinosaurs, 2 blocks…. They had to count each set to make sure that there are 2 of everything.
In school the children took part in a range of activities involving the number 2.
How many arms have you got? 2
How many feet have you got? 2
How many legs have you got? 2
How many hands have you got? 2
In school we dressed a bear, counting the clothing items as placed on the bear. He she has a pair of socks (2 socks), a pair of shoes, a pair of gloves, a top with 2
colours, trousers/skirt with 2 colours and scarf/hat with 2 colours.
We introduced and allowed the children to explore techniques for junk modelling. At school we introduced the children to the junk modelling materials. We demonstrated how we can turn a box inside out (so it can be decorated) and showed the children how to attach a tube or box to something else. We also showed them how we cut slits in the end of a tube and then fold the bits back to be able to tape the tube to something. We demonstrated when it is best to use glue and when it is better to use sticky tape. The children then had great fun exploring these techniques.
Using glue.
