Fair Hill Nursery Unit
kandrews224@c2kni.net
Welcome to Fair Hill Nursery ππ
We are delighted that you have accepted a place for your child at Fair Hill Nursery Unit and we would like to welcome your family and child to our Nursery Unit for what we trust will be a happy start to your childβs education.
As we move forward and readjust towards the start of what will be a new and different academic year, we would like to assure you that the safety of your child and of our staff is our top priority. We are working hard as a staff, following the latest Department of Education guidance, to develop and implement a safe working environment for a phased reopening for our new Nursery intake. We are looking forward to meeting you and your child as you begin an exciting learning journery with us at Fair Hill Nursery.
Induction to Pre-School
Supporting Transitions to the Pre-School
Online Training for Parents.
Parents please click on the following red EA link below to watch the 3 short Stepping Stones to Pre-School videos. These can be found by scrolling to the middle of the EA page .
Parent Support and Advice
Please find links below to a number of parent support materials and resources you may find useful.
How to help your child overcome Anxiety
Our Last Home Learning week πππ
At Fair Hill Nursery We Kept On Smiling! ππππ
Hello Everyone, this is the end of our Nursery Home Learning journey and this week it is all about Happiness and Celebration. We are going to celebrate how absolutely brilliant each and every one of you has been. It has certainly not been easy for you all to understand why, so suddenly, we had to stop coming to our Nursery, stay at home and not be able to see our friends and some of our family that we all love. We have all missed each other and I have certainly missed all of you.
From our very first week together, away back at Easter Time, I asked you all to Keep Safe and Keep Smiling. That is certainly what you all did! Together you all faced these challenging times with great big smiles and lots of positivity. You kept on uploading your home learning fun for me to see. I am so sad that I was not able to be with you to teach you all these things but I know that it was very important that we did what we had been told to do in order to be able to keep everyone safe at home. I was so proud and happy to see you all learning at home with those great big smiles.
I want you all to turn up the sound and celebrate along together as you see some of my favourite Smiles.
Enjoy! πππ
Make sure you have turned on the volume at the bottom of the video
click on video below to play
I am so happy that I will be able to see you all on Wednesday morning in the Nursery Garden to say goodbye to you before your Summer Holidays. I know what absolute STARS you have all been!! Because we have not been able to put any marbles into our Nursery jar while we have been at home, Sid has a very special Planet Space Marble for you all to put into the jar on Wednesday.
Kiska has put in the first marble for us. I think she deserves one for her great Home Learning that she has been doing along with us.
Together we will all be able to fill the jar to the top and because we will be able to get it to the top Sid and I have something very special for you all.
These little Bears are waiting for you all in Nursery. They have been having some fun playing in our Nursery but they are all a little lonely and would all love a new home to go to! Each of you will be able to take your very own special little Nursery Bear home. Can you look very closely and find your Bear??
I will show you my Bear. He has a very special Rainbow on his back. π
On Wednesday you will be able to say goodbye to Sid before he goes back to his home on the planet Saturn. Can you all remember why Sid came to our Nursery??? Will we tell our grown upsβ¦..
Sid was a little Alien who had started Space School on Saturn. However, Sid was very sad because the other little Aliens would not listen to their teacher and did not learn all the very important school rules. This made Sid very sad, but then Sid heard all about a Planet far, far away called Earth. On earth there was a little Nursery School called Fair Hill Nursery. All the children listened so well to their teacher, knew all about their rules and how to share and be kind. So Sid came to join our class to learn and have lots of fun with us.
Sid has learnt so much from you all and now it is time for him to go back to Saturn. All his little Alien friends have now learnt their important Space School rules before they all go on to their next Space One class. Just the way you are all going to Primary One.
ππππππ
Sid is a little sad that he will not be going to Primary One with you. However, Sid knows what absolute SUPER STARS you all are!! So, he will be really happy that when he looks out at the stars in Space, he will be able to remember and think about you all.
Boys and Girls, I, like Sid will be sad not to be going to Primary One with you but the great thing is that I will be able to still see you all playing outside every day. I can look out of the big Nursery windows and see you all. You will be able to wave and shout βHelloβ to me and Mrs Boyd every day and when weβre outside you will be able to stop and talk to us.
ππππ
I know that a lot of you have, like Sid and me, been doing lots of planting and that lots of you have planted your own sunflowers at home. Sid wants to show you how big they have grown!!
Boys and Girls - You are all like these Sunflowers and have grown so much and will continue to grow and learn lots of new things. I hope that over the Summer you will enjoy watching your Sunflowers grow and change and be able to think about your time at Fair Hill Nursery. I know that when I look at mine I will be thinking about you all.
This week Kiska and I went on our last Nursery Home Learning walk. As we walked, we thought about all the fun things that we have done and seen together while being at home. This week on your walk think about all the things you have enjoyed doing at home together.
This week you could look back through our webpage at all our fun learning activities and choose some of your favourites to do again.
Parents β Please remember that your young Nursery Child must experience lots of repeated opportunities to engage in play based learning. Repetition at this age is essential for their continued development.
Before we go, I have three last little videos for you to watch. The first one is from our lovely friend Mr Hullaballoo. If we had been able to still be in our Nursey Class, Mr Hullaballoo would have been coming to tell us the story of βGoldilocks and the Three Bearsβ. The lovely thing is, he still can, and you can all enjoy it together at home.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
While We Cant Hug
The second video is a little story for you to watch, it is called βWhile We Canβt Hugβ. I am so pleased that we will all be able to see each other again and that we can now go out a little more to see our friends and family. It is very important that while we can now do these things, we all still have to be very careful to try not to spread the Coronavirus.
It is very important that we do not hug or touch our friends that we have not seen. On Wednesday when you come to the Nursery Garden, we will not be able to hug or touch each other. So instead of giving me a big hug when you come, I want you to watch this little story with mum or dad and think about what you are going to do!! Maybe it will be a silly face, a wiggle of your bottom, a little dance, or a Super Star Jump! I will have a special hoop for you to stand in to do this, and I just canβt wait to see what you do!!!
π π ππ
The last video is a video of a little boy that I saw recently. When I saw him it made me think of all of you. This little boy is going off to school just like you will all be doing. If you listen the little boy is saying some very important things.
Did you hear them?? Boys and Girls, I want you to grow up and remember these important things as you do.
Each and everyone of you is SMART, LOVED AND CAN DO ANYTHING if you put your mind to it.
Boys and Girls this is only the beginning of your journeyβ¦. Keep looking for rainbows, keep smiling and, very importantly, in a world where you can be anything, please
Be Kind.
ππ
All my love,
Mrs Andrews and Sid.
PS β We canβt wait to see you all on Wednesday!! π
Dear Parents,
I would just like to thank all our Nursery families. Your continued support throughout both, our time at Nursery, and our recent Online Home Learning journey has been amazing. I do hope that you have found the Nursery Webpage useful and that I have been able to continue to support you and your childβs learning and development through play.
I would like to wish all our families the very best for the future and I do hope that you all have a lovely Summer.
Warmest Regards,
Kim Andrews
Keep Safe and Keep Smiling!ππππ
Parents please see section Starting Primary School on our Main School Home Page for some useful support resources to help with transitioning your child to Primary One.
Fair Hill Nursery Unit
kandrews224@c2kni.net
Home Learning Through Play
Home Learning Through Play
Dear Parents
It is hard to believe how much our lives have changed in a few short days and how as a community we find ourselves facing a great deal of uncertainty and change. Every household now finds themselves experiencing a great number of unprecedented challenges.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our families the very best for the months ahead and I will look forward, with hope, to the time when we can all be reunited again.
A Note to the Children
βTo my wonderful Nursery Class of Girls and Boys, Iβm missing you all very much. Iβm missing singing our "Good Morning" song each day, talking about the weather, reading you lots of stories and having lunch each day with you all. Also, I very much miss us all playing together and being able to see the clever things that you can all do with your friends. I hope that you are showing your family how good you all are. Perhaps you could teach your family some of the clever things we can do in Nursery. Maybe you could have a go at teaching your family our βTidy Upβ song and show them how to do the actions and beat the music. Iβve given your parents a "Magic Button" (see routines section) to press so that you can hear our song in your home. Maybe your Mum or Dad could send me a photo of some of the great things you are doing at home. That would put a big smile on my face. I hope it will not be long until we can get back to Nursery and see each other again.
Lots of love Mrs Andrews"
Over the coming weeks and months I hope to use this webpage to help to support you and your child to continue to learn and develop through Play.
Please use this special time to enjoy Playing alongside your child. Playing is one of the main ways in which children learn and develop and is an integral part of the Preschool Curriculum.
The Preschool Curriculum is everything that the child experiences and through Play and sensory experiences children are provided with opportunities to develop and acquire:
β’ Skills
β’ Concepts
β’ Attitudes
β’ Values
β’ Knowledge and understanding
The Preschool Curriculum is set out under the following 6 areas of learning
β’ Personal, Social and Emotional Development
β’ Language Development
β’ Early Mathematical Experiences
β’ The Arts
β’ Physical Development and Movement
β’ The World Around Us
It is important to remember that within Nursery children learn holistically and do not divide their learning into βsubjectsβ. Learning at this age must be a fun experience and is about doing things with them that they enjoy. Please remember that children develop in their own ways and in their own time. Try not to compare them to other children and please donβt push your child too hard!
I hope that you and your child have been enjoying some of the practical Play activities already provided to you in your Nursery Home Learning Packs. Although you were also provided with a number of additional printed sheets please only use these if your child is interested and wishes to complete them, please do not force your child. I would advocate that you should allow your preschool child time to Play as much as possible and resist from teaching them in any formal way as this is not age appropriate. Instead Play activities should take place both indoors and outdoors. Children should be provided with opportunities to sing, dance, move, run, jump, climb, throw, kick and catch a ball, hear stories, count, mark make, draw, paint, create and to build and construct with toys etc. Try to restrict screen time with your child.
Springtime Home Learning Ideas
Springtime Home Learning Ideas
In the link Spring and New Life I have attached my current Spring and New Life topic planner. This sets out the variety of activities both indoor and outdoor we would have been carrying out in Nursery linked to our present topic. This is to give you an idea of some activities you may wish to enjoy with your child. Please do not feel that you βhave toβ complete all of these, by no means is that what is intended. I will continue to upload our new topic planners in the coming months.
I appreciate that a lot of activities may require specific resources so please only do what you can or adapt the activities to suit resources that you may have available at home.
Please feel free to send me some photographs of your Home Learning Activities. It would be lovely to see and share some of these through the website from time to time.
Please email them to: kandrews224@c2kni.net
Set Up a Story/ Listening Corner
Why not set up a Story/ Listening Corner in a quiet area in your home with cushions, soft blankets and cuddle up together and share the activities below.
Here is a Jo Jingles session on Springtime to enjoy with your child from YouTube. Click on the bottom right icon to expand the screen to full size. To join in you need two plastic bottles and a wooden spoon!
BBC School Radio - Listen and Play - Springtime episodes.
Five Little Ducks
Funny Bunny
These episodes last about 15 minutes and are divided into sections:
listening activity
song
story
You may need to download BBC IPlayer to your device to view
Speaking To Your Nursery Child During This Difficult Time
While your child may not fully understand what happening in the world around us at this time, or in fact be oblivious to the situation, they may still feel unsettled by changes in routine, or pick up on the fact that people around them may be anxious.
Below is a link to an interview with Doctor Ranj, who spoke last week on This Morning about how to speak to and answer your childβs questions. I think this is a very helpful watch.
Unicef has also provided advice on how to help your children deal with the many emotions they may be experiencing.
click link below.
I Miss My Friends and Family Story
I have included a link to a Covid-19 story βI Miss My Friends and Family.β This may be something you might like to read and share with your child in order to help them understand our present situation. I will leave that up to you!
Activity - Making A Worry Doll/Feelings Doll
This is a very simple activity you may like to do with your child which will help them to explore and discuss how they are feeling. It doesnβt always have to be a worry your child tells the Doll, it could, instead, be something positive about their day, something they have enjoyed doing thatβs made them feel happy!
Healthy Helping Hands
Here are some ideas to help you explore the important topic of Handwashing with your Nursery child and help to make keeping clean fun. If you have some pepper at home why not let your child try out this fun germs experiment to show how soap keeps germs away.
Read the following Handwashing with Rufus Storybook and learn Rufusβ hand washing song.
Click on the image below to open website and scroll down to Storybook PDF section.
Hereβs another song to sing along to when washing your hands, you might know the tune!
βsorry I couldnβt resist!β
Saying Thank You with our Hands
You and your family may have been clapping for our NHS workers on Thursday evenings at 8pm. Why not use the following pictures to help explain that we can use our hands to say βthank youβ by clapping for all the important people who are helping us at the present time. The children should know all about these kinds of people from our recent People Who Help Us topic.
Use the Nursery pictures to remind your child about Lydiaβs mum the Nurse, Willβs mum the Radiographer and the Ambulance Technician who came to talk to us about the very important jobs they have helping people when they are sick.
CLICK ON THE PHOTOGRAPHS TO OPEN IN LARGE SIZE
Setting a Daily Routine/ Timetable is Key
I think that in our current situation having a regular routine for our day is extremely important and something we should all be trying to do. Keep to your routine as best you can during the week and make your weekends as different as you can and a little more relaxed.
At Nursery the children follow a very clear and consistent routine which structures their day, Iβm sure youβve seen our visual timetable and red arrow on our door. This helps the children to develop confidence, independence and helps to reduce stress and anxiety as the children know and understand what is expected of them, which in turn helps to manage negative behaviour.
It is import that you try to create your own daily routine with your child. Make this a fun experience and create times of the day that your child will look forward to. Try as best you can to follow this routine Monday to Friday.
Use the Nursery Timetable photo as a way to discuss creating and setting up a home routine with your child. Think about what things you could include in your home routine. We have now been given a new pace to life and lots of time to help our children do so many things for themselves as we are not rushing to get out the door! Promoting their independence must be key at this time!
Some ideas to include could be:
Getting Dressed, Breakfast β (let them pour their own milk, pouring out cereal, buttering toast, washing up their cup and bowl in the sink or a basin), Brushing Teeth, Weather discussion and naming the day of the week, Painting, Indoor Play Activities, Outside Play Activities, Going for a Walk, Handwashing, Lunchtime, Story, Calling grandparent on the phone, Songs and Rhymes, TV, CBeeies, Tidy Time, Yoga, Dinnertime, Bedtime Story. Donβt include your entire day into the routine, perhaps just focus on 6-8 each day and please remember to let your child be as independent as possible. You can help your child to draw or make their own visuals for each part of the day and make an arrow for them to move. Display your Daily Routine/ Timetable in one of the main rooms in your house, like the kitchen or living room.
It is also important to remember that there can be flexibility in your routine. Spontaneity and creativity are also just as important in your childβs life.
It can be helpful to warn your child in advance that an activity is going to finish. Using a 5 minute countdown can be very helpful, you could try:
β’ Displaying the numbers 1-5 on some paper for the children to see and remove a number after each minute.
β’ Use the timer on your phone.
β’ Use an egg timer if you have one.
Before every Tidy Time the children sing our action song. Sing it with your child and get them to teach you the actions and tune, they know it very well!
Tidy Time Action Song
βStanding up tall, point your fingers to the wall.
Arms out wide and down by your side.
Hands on your shoulders, and march like a Soldier.
Hands on your belly, and wobble like jelly.
Hands on your toes and blow your nose.
Hands on your knees and tidy up please!!β
Magic Button
The children have to try and beat the music and have tidied up and sit down before the music stops. Why not give it a go! I hope it works as well for you at home as it does for us in Nursey!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy Birthday Lincoln for the
17th March
Happy Birthday Harley
for the 21st April
Happy Birthday
Hollie-May
for the 19th May
Happy Birthday Isaac
for the 24th May
Happy Birthday Leah for the
3rd April
Happy Birthday Bella for the 5th May
Happy Birthday Will
for the 19th May
"Boys and Girls Iβm sure you would all like to wish.........
Happy Birthday. You could Draw a Birthday cake with 4 candles on it for ....., and sing Happy Birthday to ..... in your house. Donβt forget to give 4 claps at the end!"
Physical Development and Movement
Add Cosmic Kids Yoga to Your New Daily Routine
Why not try Cosmic Yoga for kids and make it a part of your child's new Daily Routine. There are a number of different ways to access this. See link to introduction video opposite.
YouTube has an archive of videos for you to try or connect through the website,
See link below
Select Tab - Watch Episodes
Select - Length - Under 10 or 15 minutes
Select Category
Choose from a slection of Stories, Mindfulness, Yoga, Relaxation or Dance.
This is a fun way for the whole family to relax, keep fit and for the children to develop their coordination and Gross Motor Skills. Have a go at practising some of the moves using the link below.
Here is an On The Farm session to use
READ, READ, READ and then READ SOME MORE!
Spending 10 minutes a day reading together helps your childβs social & emotional skills and strengthens their bond with you. Use your Reading Corner that you have set up in a quiet area in your home and enjoys lots of stories together.
Reading aloud with your child is an important part of their education, it teaches them how to speak fluently, listen carefully and eventually the ability to read by themselves.
Some tips for reading with your child at home
β’ Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with them and make βStory Timeβ a favourite part of your daily routine.
β’ Let your child pick out his or her own books. Letting your child read what interests them helps reading become a fun experience.
β’ Say our Nursery Story Rules. The children should be able to show you our actions for these using their thumbs up and hand signals for: "Good lookingβ βGood listeningβ and βGood sitting.β
β’ Show them the cover. Talk about what they think the story might be about. This is a great way to engage their interests and develop imagination. Mention the author and illustrator and talk about what he/she does.
β’ Follow the words from left to right with your finger. This helps children understand that printed word has meaning.
β’ Ask your child questions as you read β children at this age can be easily distracted so asking questions helps to keep them interested. Discuss whatβs happening in the story and point out things on the page. Ask your child questions such as: βWhat do you think will happen next?β or βWhat is this?β βHow do you think the girl is feeling?β can they predict the ending?
β’ Make it engaging and try to bring the story to life. Use different voices and even actions.
β’ At the end of the story ask them what they liked or disliked about it and explain why.
β’ Let your child read the story to you. Encourage your child to use the pictures to tell you the story in their own words, holding the book and turning the pages themselves.
β’ Read it again and again and again β children will want to hear their favourite story over and over! This is beneficial to them.
β’ Also remember reading material and printed words and letters are everywhere in your house and outdoor environment. Read and point out what it says on food packaging, cereal boxes, bubble bath bottles, magazines, road signs etc.
β’ Listen to stories online if you can. YouTube is a great resource for this.
I appreciate that I have provided quite a lot of information for you to look at and I hope you donβt find it too overwhelming. These are simply ideas and you can take from them those you may wish to use. I will continue, as best I can, to update the webpage with practical ideas and support for you to use.
Appreciate the small things, enjoy your loved ones, if you're lucky enough to have them with you, and over the coming weeks choose to see the positives, because there are lots! You're doing a fantistic job and your little Nursery children are a creit to you all. Something I'm very sorry i didn't have the oportunity to tell you at our Parent Interviews.
For now, most importantly, look after your family and keep safe.
Thank you for all your continued support,
Kim Andrews
NURSERY HOME LEARNING
"Boys and Girls I am loving seeing what you are getting up to at home. It really has put a big smile on my face seeing some of your photographs".
Use the photographs to help develop your childβs Language Development. Encourage conversations about what their Nursery friends are getting up to at home.
Click on the photographs to open in large size
Keep sending them in. Lots of great home learning going on!
And Keep Smiling!! ππ
π HELLO EVERYONE π
Boys and Girls I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and didnβt eat too many Easter eggs! I am sure you have all been enjoying the lovely sunny weather and have been getting lots of exercise playing in your garden.
I have been enjoying being in my garden and have been taking my dog Kiska for a walk each day. She has been helping to keep me company, as I am missing you all very much. Although at the moment we canβt be in our Nursey doing lots of things together, I thought that you could all have a look each week at the Nursery website. Then we can still do some fun things together. Your mum or dad could send me a photograph and we could all see one another from home. Just because we canβt be together at the moment, it doesnβt mean we canβt keep learning and having fun together!
Kiska and I have been having lots of fun in the sunshine learning all about our shadows. Do you know how a shadow is made? Can we see them every day? Maybe you could make some shadows and have some fun with your own shadow.
Parents β Make the most of the sunshine this week and help your child to explore the topic of light and shadows. Explain to your child that shadows are made when an object, animal, person, plant blocks light as light canβt pass through it. Why not experiment with opaque, translucent and transparent objects you have at home and see what happens when sunlight hits them. Look at shadows at different times of the day and discuss how the position of the sun in the sky affects the size of our shadows.
Shadow Activities
Shadow Drawing β This can be done on paper or if you have some chalk why not find a part of your garden to use.
Play Shadow Tag β You have to step on another players shadow in order to βtagβ them.
Dance with your Shadow β Put on some music and make your shadow move.
Why not play musical shadows and listen very carefully for the music stopping and donβt let your shadow move!
Make a Human Sundial β Stand in the same position and trace your shadow at different times throughout the day. Make sure you find a part of your garden that the sun shines on all day.
Make shadow puppets at bedtime β Use your hands to make your puppet talk and tell a story before bed.
Play listening activity βShadow Saysβ (βSimon Saysβ) β This is an excellent activity to encourage your child to listen and respond to the instructions you have given. Make sure that you are playing the game in an area which has few distractions. Ask your child to listen carefully for the instruction, e.g. βShadow says, βput your hands on your headβ.β Once your child is able to follow single instructions like this, you can see if they can listen for two instructions, e.g. βShadow says, βclap your hands and stamp your feetβ. Then try three instructions βwave your hands, hop on one foot and then sit downβ.
Sing the shadow song See My Shadow
(Sung To: βFrere Jacquesβ)
"See my shadow, see my shadow
Move this way, move this way.
See it do what I do, see it do what I do.
It follows me, it follows me".
Watch and enjoy Peppa Pig
Shadows episode
Can you guess whose shadow this might be??
Go on a Yellow hunt this week and see what things you can find.
This Month in Nursey our colour table would have been Yellow. Although we canβt look for yellow things in Nursery, we can still all have a look for yellow things in our own homes or when we are out for a walk.
Here are some of the yellow things Kiska and I have found when out on our walks.
Did you guess who it was?...... I bet you did!
Yes⦠its Sid! Sid was feeling very lonely in Nursey all by himself, so he has come to live with Kiska and me until we can all get back to Nursery.
Sid has been playing with his shadow. He has also met his new friend Kiska.
Exercise with your Hands and Feet
One for all the family to try!
If you have some chalk here are a few outdoor games to play using your hands and feet. If you donβt have any chalk you could use some pages of paper, pencils and your masking tape. Use your masking tape to stick the pages to the floor and try it inside your house. Sid has been helping with this game.... however he's not very good at this one as he's is missing a few important body parts..!!
Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd
Travel the World Without Leaving Home!
In Nursery at this time of the year we would normally be focusing a lot of our learning and discussions on Animals of the World and their Young.
Why not use the amazing website EXPLORE (click link) and itβs live webcams as a way to explore what our wonderful Planet has to offer. Use the large number of webcams to help to develop your childβs Knowledge and Understanding of Natural World and itβs Animals.
Simply use the animal tool bar at the top of the page and help your child to navigate through the large selection of live animal cams. This is a great activity for all the family to enjoy.
Activities and Pre- School Curricular Learning Opportunities
Language Development
Support your child to name and identify the different animals and help them to learn the names of their young. Use the Animal Word Mats below to help learn the different names. Click on links below.
Listening activity - Guess the Animal
Make the sounds of the animals in the picture, use the Farm Animals Word Mat above and see if your child can point to the correct animals. Try a practice one first, so your child understands the rules of the game. Reverse the roles, getting your child to make the noise while you point.
Stories
Read and enjoy listening to the story Rumble in the Jungle
Click on Photo below
Why not settle down together and listen to the story
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
By one of my most favourite and Best Selling, Northern Irish, Multi Award-Winning Author and Artist Oliver Jeffers.
This story has been made into a 30minute film narrated by Meryl Streep and is available on Apple TV.
Click Photo below to See trailer
Why not order this story, or any of his brilliant stories, for your child to enjoy at home. Some of my favourites are Lost and Found, How to Catch a Star and The Way Back Home.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Talk about how some animals live on land, some in water, and some live on both. Discuss the difference between Wild Animals, Farm Animals and Pets.
Use the World Map and Animal Word Mats to show your child where these different animals come from.
Enjoy Mr Tumble Something Special episode Animals
Please be aware that some of the YouTube/ Internet links may direct you to other online content. Please supervise you child at all times when they are viewing/ accessing any online resources.
Mathematical Development
Help your child to sort and group the animals based on where they live: land, water, or both. Use any toy animals your child may have.
Count the animals, identify what colours the animals are, discuss what size they are, big or small? How may legs do they have? Can they fly?
Sing and count down from 5 with the finger counting song β5 little Monkeysβ
Click on image opposite
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Talk about which animals are your favourite and why? Discuss how different animals can make you feel. For example, A kitten, puppy, lion, shark, or bear.
The Arts
Sing and act out the song βSlippery Fishβ β your child should be able to teach you the actions, this was one of our favourites!
Draw, paint or make one of the sea creatures in the song.
Physical Development
Play Animal Circuits
Click on photo opposite
Home Learning Activities
Hello Boys and Girls, I hope you have all been keeping safe, having lots of fun at home and very importantly, remembering to keep washing your hands with lots of soap and water. Sid, like us all has been keeping clean too. We all know that Sid hasnβt got any hands, so he has been making sure he keeps his whole body nice and clean. He has been having lots of bubble baths.
Sid has been having so much fun with the soapy bubbles that he has made a Bubble Sock. He has been learning how to make Long and Short bubbles. Why not have a go and see if you can make your own Bubble Sock and lots of different Long and Short bubbles like Sid.
How To Make
All you need to do is cut a plastic bottle in half, make sure to get some help with this. Then put a sock over the end of the bottle, use an elastic band to help to hold it on. Dip the sock end of the bottle into some bubble mix, you can add some food colouring if you have some, then blow your bubbles through the top of the bottle.
Bubble Socks
Parents, use this activity to help to develop your childβs Mathematical experiences and support them to use and understand language associated with Long and Short.
Creative Development
Parents - Why not create a piece of βLock Down Artβ with your child. You could frame it, then in years to come your child can remember this important time in their history. When the world needed us to Stay Home and Stay Safe.
Beautiful Bubbles β Sid has made some beautiful rainbow pictures with bubbles. All you need is some washing up liquid, paint or food colouring, a straw, paper and some water. Blow your bubbles and use your page to catch the bubbles then let them dry.
Explore the Mathematical Concept of Pattern
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Parents - Patterns are all around us, from the clothing we wear to the repeating patterns found in nature and everyday routines. A pattern is only a pattern if it is repeated twice. Basic Mathematic Pattern Skills in pre-school set the foundations for more advanced concepts later on such as Times Tables, Addition and Algebra . Children need opportunities to observe and talk about similarities and differences in objects. Take time to notice and identify everyday patterns with your child throughout your days together. Soon, with a little guidance, your child should be able to find patterns everywhere.
Many patterns can be found in fabrics used to create clothes, bedding, curtains and socks.
Many shoes have a pattern on the bottom of the soles. Notice the tracks you make when walking through mud or water.
Nature provides patterns in flower petals, gardens, and the prints on some differnt animal's coats.
Why not look back at last week's Animal Word Mats and Webcams to see if you can spot any Animal Prints with your child.
Give your child lots of opportunities to observe, create and extend patterns in daily life.
Sid is a great example of a Two Colour Repeating Pattern. Use everyday objects, toys and even foods to create repeating patterns. Start with two objects then move on to a three object pattern, if your child has grasped two objects.
Boys and Girls one of Sidβs favourite things to do is to make PATTERNS. Can you find the special pattern on Sid?.........Yes thatβs right Red, Yellow, Red, Yellow.
Sid has been having lots of fun this week finding and making patterns. Have a look at some of the patterns he has made. Can you help him? Tell Sid what comes next in the patterns he has made.
Dandelion, Daisy, Dandelion, Daisy.....?
Dandelion, Daisy, Dandelion, Daisy....?
Green Leaf, Pink Leaf, Green Leaf, Pink Leaf, Green Leaf........?
Heather, Leaf, Heather, Leaf, Heather.......?
Pink Leaf, Daisy, Green Leaf, Pink Leaf, Daisy, Green Leaf ..........?
Dandelion, Heather, Leaf, Dandelion, Heather, Leaf.........?
This week have a go, at home, to make some patterns. Think about all the different things you could use like toys, Duplo blocks, food, household items, paints/ colouring on a page, printing with items or even making a pasta necklace! Paint some tube pasta first, you could use two or three colours then thread them onto some string.
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We found some Coloured Clothes Pegs and made two and three colour Repeating Patterns
Use the following link to practice some Shape Patterns
Click on the photo opposite
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Parents- Although I have added two online links to Maths websites, for you to use. I would again advocate that learning experiences in Nursery should be through,
Practical Play Based Activities.
Language Development
Parents β Help to support Pattern Vocabulary when observing and describing patterns with your child. Model language such as β Zig zag, loops, curves, wide, narrow, thick, thin, straight, twist, long, short, circular, repeat, start, finish, middle, next, beside, end, between, same, different.
Physical Development
Action Patterns β Make physical movements to patterns. e.g. Jump. Hop. Jump. Hop. Run on the spot. Star Jump. Body roll. Run on the spot. Star Jump. Body roll. See how many different action patterns you can come up with.
Musical Development
Explore pattern in sounds and rhythm. Use any instruments you have or why not make a simple shaker with a bottle and some rice and some pots and pans and a wooden spoon. Shake, tap, tap Shake, tap, tap Shake. Start by making a pattern and get your child to copy. This is also a great attention and listening activity.
Enjoy the Action Song
One finger, one thumb, keep moving
Follow the pattern as it gets longer with each action.
Shape - Oval
This month our shape in Nursery would have been Oval. Ovals are quite tricky to find! Here are a few we have managed to find. Remember an Oval is different from a circle because it looks like it has been stretched out and has two long sides and is curved on both ends. See how many you can find at home.
Parents β Squashed circles
Use a toilet/ kitchen roll tube to help show how an oval is different to a circle. Gently squeeze the tube end, now the circle is an oval. Tape around the end or use an elastic band or hair bobble to keep the shape in place. Dip the ends into paint and make patterns with ovals and circles.
Sing Oval Song
(Sung To : "Frere Jacquesβ)
This is an oval, this is an oval.
How can you tell? How can you tell?
Itβs long on two sides
And short on two others.
Itβs an Oval. Itβs an Oval.
Personal Social and Emotional Development
Exploring Feelings
This week Sid has been talking about his feelings, which is a very important thing to do. This week Sid has been having lots of fun but sometimes he has also been feeling a little sad, as he has been missing you all and his special home up in Space. We all know that Sid loves Space and the Planets. Can you remember the name of the planet that Sid comes from?....(Saturn, the one with the rings). So to help make Sid feel happy we decided to look up to Space before bedtime. We saw lots of stars in the sky, they looked like star patterns!β¦β¦ and we even saw the Plant Venus! This made Sid feel happy. Can you see the planet Venus in the photograph, it looks like a very bright star. Maybe you could look for Venus with your mum or dad on a clear night. You need to look in the direction of the West.
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We also thought about some other things we could do to help make Sid feel happy. We decided to have a Space Story and do some Cosmic Kids Space Yoga, this really helped Sid. Now Sid knows that talking about your feelings or anything that might be bothering you is really important, because then together we can help each other to feel a little better.
Story Time
Hey- Ho to Mars we'll Go!
Here is a very special story for you to listen to. It is all about space and the lady reading the story is a real Astronaut and she is reading it from space! Sid was so excited to hear this story.
Some items to add to your Shopping List for Home Learning
Plain Flour
Corn Flour
Food Colouring
Baby Lotion
Broad Bean Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Kitchen Roll
Clear Plastic Cups or Clear Food Bags
Small Plastic Planting Pots
Chalk
Shaving Foam
Clothes Pegs
Home Learning Ideas for Week Beginning 4th May π
Hello everyone, I hope you all had a fun week and were able to find and make some patterns at home. Hopefully you also managed to find some oval shapes and got to explore how to make lots of different bubbles.
Today is Monday and we have now moved into a new month called May. I know how every morning in Nursery we all really enjoyed looking together at our calendar. Learning the days of the week, the month, what time of year it is and talking about the weather each day.
So that we can all still learn about the weather and the days of the week, I have taken a photograph of our calendar for you to look at in your home. I thought that each morning you can look at the photograph. Point to it and say the correct day, month, season and tell the weather.
Here is a fun, Days of The Week, song for you to sing and clap along to each day.
You could even have a go at making your very own calendar. Why not look at the days of the week and colour them the same as our nursery calendar. Every day you can move your own arrow to the correct day and tell the weather.
I have attached some resources to help you to do this.
Click Links
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This week, on our walks ,Kiska and I have seen lots of things. Here are some of the things we got to see.
A Yellow Oval.
A Friendly Baby Lamb.
Baby Calves.
A Beautiful Rainbow.
When we got home and told Sid all about the beautiful rainbow we had seen on our walk, Sid had an idea to make a Rainbow Number Puzzle. Why donβt you have a go at making your own Rainbow Number Puzzle just like Sid. Here are some photos to show you how you could do it. As you can see Kiska was very tired after her walk!!
To keep it from ripping, stick your page onto the back of some card, like a cereal box or shoe box. If you donβt have a printer you can just paint your own rainbow onto the card. An adult can help you to draw the outline shape, rule the lines, write the numbers and cut it out. Your job, once itβs made, is to try and put it back together using the numbers to help you.
I hope at home you have been learning the names of all the baby Spring animals. Here is a little song to help you learn the animals.
Matching Animals and their Young Activity β Cut out the pictures and match the animals.
Parents - Iβm not quite sure if this activity was already in your home learning pack! Apologies if it was.
Play βWhat Baby Animal Am I?" - This is a great activity for extending language, developing listening skills and developing your childβs knowledge and understanding of the world.
Describe the features of the baby animals to your child and let them guess which baby animal you are. Once your child understands the rules, reverse the roles getting your child to describe the baby animal to you. e.g. I am a baby animal; my coat is black and white and I make a "moo" sound. Who am I? I am a baby animal, I grew in an egg, I swim on water and I make a "quack" sound? Who am I ? etc.
Song - Sing "Old McDonald" but instead sing the song using the Baby Animals Names.
When I was a Baby β How we have grown and changed?
If we had been able to be in our Nursery, I would have asked you all to bring in a baby photograph of yourself this week. The fun thing is, we can still all do this together! Look together with Mum or Dad and find a baby photograph of yourself. Look at the photograph and talk about how you have changed. Think about all the things that you can do now that you couldnβt do then.
Why not send me a photo of you holding your baby photograph and I can put it onto our Nursery webpage, so that we can all see how you have changed.
Have a look at these Baby Photographsβ¦.Can you guess who they are??........How have we changed and grown? What is different about us??
Story
When Will it be Spring?
Some questions to ask your child to check their understanding of the story.
What is the name of the little bear?
What did Alfie see the second time he woke up?
What did Alfie actually see when he thought he saw butterflies?
Why do you think Alfie was sleeping when Spring had come?
What things can you see, now that it is Spring?
Click Links
Parents- Fine Motor Development, why it is so important in Pre-School and developing Scissor Skills
Fine Motor Skills involves the use of the small muscles in the hands, fingers and wrists.
The development of fine motor skills is essential for pre- school children as they will rely on these small muscles, to be able to do key tasks, later on in school and everyday life. These include holding a pencil correctly, writing, using scissors, IT skills, self care such as eating, using cutlery, opening lunch boxes, cleaning teeth, toileting, getting dressed, tying shoelaces, and doing up zips, buttons and belts.
At Nursery the Pre-school curriculum focuses on the development and strengthening of these small hand muscles. Children must build up their hand strength first, before they can move on to the more complex skills of pencil control, writing and using scissors correctly. At Nursey children experience a wide range of activities which support the use of these small muscles. It is important, that at home, your child is still developing these skills.
This week I have provided some activities to help to develop the complex skills of using scissors. Like learning to read, we teach our children in stages. Learning to use scissors is just the same. We cannot expect a child to use scissors, if they have not developed the hand strength, hand eye co-ordination and the bilateral co-ordination needed to turn a page and cut at the same time.
Bilateral co-ordination - ability to co-ordinate both sides of the body at the same time.
Activities - Disco Dough
Play dough is an excellent tool for developing hand strength. Making playdough together with your child is an excellent activity to do. Why not have a go at making your own or you can also use bought play dough. Here is a simple recipe we use in Nursery. If you donβt have cream of tartar, you can still make and enjoy playing with play dough but it will not keep as long.
Recipe for Play Dough
3 cups of plain flour, 1 cup of salt, 3 teaspoons or sachets of cream of tartar, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 3 cups of water that has just boiled, add a few drops of food colouring and mix.
DO NOT let children handle until dough has cooled.
This makes quite a large amount of dough, simply half the quantity for a smaller amount.
Once you have your dough get your fingers involved in some Disco Dough! Use the following video links and join in with the actions, lots of rolling, squashing, squeezing, pinching and splatting.
Spray Bottle Shapes - Help to develop hand strength and shape recognition. All you need is some chalk and a spray bottle with water. Simply draw some shapes onto a fence or wall then call out different shapes. Your child has to spray water at it until the shape disappears. Make sure to try and use one hand only!
Clothes Pegging Activities- Attach clothes pegs to a tray, box , something that has a lip or even the curtains. If you have a clothes rack why not get your child to peg up some washing or socks. This is a great activity for developing the three finger pincher grip which is needed to hold a pencil.
Paper Ball - Using a piece of paper/magazine/ wrapping paper. Get your child to scrunch it up into a ball, using only one hand, no shaking or using the rest of your body. Stay as still as you can. Then see if they can use the same hand to try and open the ball of paper up again. Repeat this with the other hand.
Tape Rescue β Use a tray, piece of card or even a tiled floor. Get your masking tape and tape down some items then get your child to free the items/toys. The smaller and flatter the objects the harder the activity.
Tweezers and Tongs- Get your child to pick up and move objects. This is exercising the exact muscles needed to open and close scissors. If you donβt have tweezers that your child can use, use some salad tongs as these are great for this activity and easy to pick up in Tesco!
Cutting Playdough- As they cut the dough, they can feel the resistance needed to open and close the scissors, something that paper doesnβt do.
Kitchen Roll Hairdresser β Use your old kitchen/toilet roll tubes, make a fringe around the top. This will create fun characters for your child to give a haircut to.
Making a Cutting/ Snipping Tray- Collect a variety of materials in a tray or box that your child can then use to snip and cut.
Use your cut up scraps to complete the following 1-10 counting cut and stick activity.
Pre-School children can find holding scissors correctly very difficult. Their natural reaction when given scissors is to hold them downwards. A simple way to help them, is to put a small face on their thumb or finger. You could use a felt tip, nail polish or use a simple sticker. Another idea, if your child is not keen on having something on their thumb, is to put a piece of coloured tape around the thumb hole on the scissors.
Sid has been practicing very hard at holding his scissors the correct way up! Well done Sid.
Cutting Lines β Start with cutting straight lines then progress your child onto curved lines, then zigzag and castle shaped lines. These are very easy to draw onto paper.
The following photographs show a simple activity that will help your child to hold and cut their page at the same time. We used some old Christmas wrapping paper. Tape your sheets onto the side of a table or chair. Your child can then sit on the floor in front.
ππͺπ‘πΊShapes and Sid β€π΅π¨πΊ
Boys and Girls - We all know that Sid is not very good at knowing his shapes and you always have to help him to get his shapes right! To help Sid learn his shapes we decided to make some Shape Puzzles. This week why not have a go at making your own Shape Puzzles. You could use some old card or stick your pages onto some card. A grown up can help you to draw the shapes and you can colour them in. To make the game fun, get a grown up to help you cut your shapes up. Mix up all the pieces and see how quickly you can put them back together. A grown up could time you.
Parents - When you are looking at shapes with your child remember to point out how many sides and corners they have. Discuss if the sides are all the same length. Use your laminated white board and pen from your Home Learning Pack and get your child to draw lots of different shapes.
Guess the Shape
Draw a shape slowly, describing it as you draw. Your child has to try and guess the shape before you have finished. E.g. I have two long sides and two short sides, I have 4 cornersβ¦β¦..I am a??
Sid and Kiska have been trying to learn their shapes outside. I think they need some helpβ¦can you help them? Look at the dice, have they found the correct shape? Can you point to the shape they SHOULD be on. Maybe you could play this game at home. You could use an old square tissue box and cover it with paper to make your dice. If you canβt make a dice someone could call out the shape for you to stand in. You could also practice your throwing skills and throw a ball or some rolled up socks into the correct shape.
Click Link
Go on a Shape Hunt - See how many shapes you can find at home this week.
I hope you all have lots of fun having a go with this week's activities. Keep sharing your Home Learning photographs for us all to see.
kandrews224@c2kni.net
Parents please note that due to limited space on our website, printable links will be removed at the end of each week.
Shape Song
Keep Safe and Keep Smiling! ππππ
Home Learning Ideas for Week Beginning 11th May π»π³πΌ
Hello everyone, I would just like to say a Massive βwell doneβ to all the Boys and Girls and grown upβs, for all the fantastic Nursery Home Learning that is going on!! I am so proud of you all. Keep up the great work and keep sending in your photographs for us all to see.
Topics
For the months of May and June our Nursery topics would have focused on the themes of Growing, Minibeasts and Bears.
Parents - In the following links Growing and Minibeasts I have attached my Nursery Topic Planners. As with my previous Spring Planner these set out the learning activities both indoors and outdoors that we would have been carrying out. I have provided these to you as merely a guide and to help to support your discussions with your child through your Home Learning journey. I will continue, as best I can, to provide practical play-based learning activities for you and your child to enjoy at home.
Please remember these are just ideas to try to help support you. By no means do I expect families to use or complete every activity. We are all doing our very best in the circumstances that we find ourselves in. I can fully appreciate the difficulties of Home Schooling within families and please do not put pressure on yourselves! Playful, hands-on games are the most effective for the way young Nursery children learn.
Learning in Pre-School is everywhere and being creative and using what you have around you in your home to spark curiosity will all help to develop and extend your childβs learning.
Growing and Change
Thank you to Bella, Paige, Hollie-May, Harvey and Kruz for sending in your baby photographs. We can definitely see how much you have all changed. I hope you all had the chance to look at and talk about how much you have all grown.
Can you all think about what important things we all need to be able to grow??
Have a little talk with a grown up about this and see how many you can think of.
Every living thing on earth, including us, is growing and changing. Spring time is one of the best times of year to see some wonderful examples of growing.
I have been watching, while I have been at home, how a lovely tree in my garden has been growing and changing. Can you see how it has changed?
William and his Mum found some Spring Frogspawn.
Do you know what Frogspawn is and what it grows and changes into?
Use this picture to help you and learn the different names.
Sid and I have been very excited as we have been watching some baby birds in our hedge. Can you see how they have grown from eggs in the nest, into little chicks then into birds.
What do you notice about the chicks?
Do they look the same as a mummy bird?
How are they different?
When they are little chicks can they fly?
What important things does the mummy bird have to do to help them to grow?
Here is a little story called the Ugly Duckling, you might know the story. This is a very special story because the music in the story is called Swan Lake. This is a very famous piece of music that people ballet dance to. Maybe you could watch the story then play the music back and pretend you are a baby bird growing and changing. Listen to how the music changes, from slow to fast and loud to quiet. Have a go at moving your body in time to the music.
Planting a Sunflower Seed
Sid wanted to learn more about growing so we decided to plant some seeds and watch how they grow.
Do you know what a seed needs to grown?
If your Mum or Dad can get you some Sunflower seeds, have a go at planting them. We decided to plant a sunflower seed in some soil. Have a look at all the things you need to plant a seed.
Soil, a pot, seeds and some water.
When we woke up the next day Sid was sad because his seed had not grown. Do you think your seed will have grown by tomorrow?? Why not?
Hear are some videos that Sid watched to help him learn about planting seeds.
Bean Seed Experiment
To help Sid to understand that his Sunflower seed was growing and changing slowly in his pot we decided to do an experiment. You can do this with us.
All you need is a clear plastic cup or food bag (you could use a glass if you are very very careful!) some kitchen paper or cotton wool and some water.
Make sure to place your bean seed somewhere where it will get lots of light. Keep your kitchen paper damp each day (donβt add too much water). You can tape your food bag to your window, make sure the bean seed is facing outside.
Do you know what foods come from seeds? Can you think about any food/fruit that has seeds in them? Maybe this week you could a have a look and see if you can find some different seeds at home.
Listen and Play - In My Garden
Click the following picture link to listen to this 12 minute session which is made up of a:
β’ Listening Activity
β’ Song
β’ Story
β’ Action Rhyme
You can skip through to play the different sections individually. Just move the timer along at the bottom.
Click Image
Physical Development - "The beans game"
Ask your child to βstompβ and βstampβ around like Mary in her garden. (This is ideally played outside or in a large space as it provides great opportunities for lots of action and movement).
Children initially run, skip or hop around. Children make different shapes and movements as you call out each different bean:
β’ String beans β stand up tall and thin.
β’ Broad beans β stand up in a wide star shape.
β’ Runner beans - run around.
β’ Jumping beans β jump around.
β’ Chilli beans β shiver and shake.
β’ Jelly beans β wobble.
β’ Baked beans β star shape but flat on the floor.
The Colour Green
This week have a look at home for the colour Green. See how many things you can find. Sid and I have been discovering that the colour green is everywhere in our garden.
We have been looking at all the different shades of green.
Dark green, light green, mint green, bright green. Have a look in your garden or when you are out for your walk to see how many different shades of green you can see.
Have a go at making up your own Green colour Song, just like we do in Nursery. Sid made up this Green Song.
Green Song
(Sung To :βFrere Jacquesβ)
What is green? What is green?
Can you tell? Can you tell?
Grass and the trees. Grass and the trees.
Frogs as well, frogs as well.
Click Link to Song
Creative Development and Mark Making β Cornflour Paint
Sid and I have been having lots of fun outside exploring colours and painting with some Cornflour Paint. All you need to do is mix some Cornflour into water then add some paint, food colouring or grated chalk. We used food colouring and some paint to make our colours.
When we made our yellow sun we painted on a face with blue paint. Can you see what happened to the blue paint???.......it turned into our colour GREEN!
Have a go at seeing if you can do some colour mixing to see how the colour green is made.
Mathematical Development
Teaching Counting and Number Recognition to Pre-School
Parents - I have attached the following short video for YOU to watch to help support your childβs counting skills.
Click on the Images Below to play the online games with your child
Click on Link Below to Sing these Finger Counting Songs
Parents - Here are some activities to help support Number Recognition.
Remember numbers are all around us and they provide us with lots of opportunities to develop number learning. Your house number, numbers on your car number plate, numbers on a clock.
Boys and Girls - This week Sid has been working very hard at his counting and learning his numbers. Sid made and painted some of his own numbers to play with. Maybe you could have a go at making some of your own numbers to help you. You could print them out and stick them onto some card or you could paint them onto some card.
Can you point to all the different numbers and help Sid to put them in order.
Making a Dice
We used an old box, you can draw out a cube net, however I found using 6 individual squares just as easy! Use your tape to tape them together. Once you have your dice you can use this for lots of different number and counting games.
You can roll the dice and count the spots. Go on a number hunt for that number. Can you represent that number using fingers, toys, jumps, claps etc?
Here is a link to an online dice you could also have fun playing with. Click the Dice to Link.
Here are some of the games Sid, Kiska and I played with our dice.
Spray Bottle Numbers - Can you spray the correct number?
Throw and aim your ball at the correct number
Kiska had lots of fun with this game. However someone was very naughty with our ball after the game!!
Matching Numbers to Quantities
Using Clothes Pegs - This is also a great fine motor activity to help develop the tripod grip for writing.
Someone was also getting a little silly and not doing their "good listening" when he was playing this game!! Boys and Girls I donβt think Sid and Kiska will be getting any marbles in the jar! What do you think??
Making your own Number Wheel β Have fun making your own 1-10 number wheel. Use your number pegs and peg them onto the correct matching section of the wheel. A paper plate works really well for this.
Click Link
Counting Sorting and Matching the correct quantity of items with the correct number
Children need lots of opportunities to do this.
Playing Hopscotch - Call out the numbers as you jump. Remember itβs one foot, two feet, one foot. This is a tricky one!!
Parents - Remember repetition at this age is key and children need lots of opportunities to develop counting and number recognition.
Click Image
CBeebies - A bedtime Story
βThereβs a Tiger in the Gardenβ
Read by Tom Hardy!! β This is definitely one for all the Mummies!!! Enjoy I know I did!π
I hope you all have fun with this weekβs Nursery Home Learning activities.
Keep Safe and Keep Smiling!ππππ
Home Learning Ideas for Week Beginning 18th May ββπ
This week I am going to start with some Important Pre-Writing Advice for Parents
Parents - As I previously highlighted with learning to use scissors, learning to write is also a complex process for young children. At Nursery learning to draw, paint and mark make are all the early stages of writing.
The process of learning to write involves the combination of both, gross motor and fine motor physical skills, alongside what we call, the pre-writing skills.
Children must first develop the appropriate upper body strength in their shoulders, arms, back, neck and core, as well as the hand and finger strength and dexterity needed to hold and use a pencil with a tripod grip.
Pre-school children will learn to draw and write at their own pace and stage of development. By this point in Nursery some children may be holding a pencil with a developing tripod grip to draw. Some may even be starting to copy or write the letters of their name, while others may still be at the early mark making stage. All of which are totally fine, and I strongly recommend that you do not push your child, as they must be allowed to work at their own level. Drawing, painting and writing activities should be FUN and STRESS FREE! While at home please try to provide your child with lots of opportunities to help support and develop a love of drawing and mark making. Building your childβs confidence is crucial. Encourage all their attempts on their drawing and writing journey.
At Nursery we do not formally teach children letter formation. We focus on the development of physical skills, and encourage opportunities for drawing, mark making and pre-writing skills. Every day in Nursery children are involved in these kinds of mark making and physical activities. I cannot highlight enough how important it is for your child to be completing these kinds of activities at home, as they all contribute to developing your childβs ability to write. Spending 5/10minutes a day on these kinds of activities will be so beneficial in preparing your child for Primary One.
The Building Blocks of Writing
Click Image to Enlarge
Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills that a child needs to develop before they can effectively learn to write and form letters.
This week I have included a number of physical development and Pre-Writing activities for helping to develop early writing skills and pencil grip.
Pre-writing Strokes and Lines
Children need lots of repeated opportunities to form and master the following strokes and lines before they can effectively write and form letters. The following photographs show the developing sequence of these lines and strokes.
Very simply draw out the strokes and make your own set of Pre-writing Stroke Cards. Use a different coloured dot at the top or side of the card to show your child the correct side/ position they should be starting to write from. These cards can then be used with your child as a guide to support lots of different pre-writing activities.
Pre- writing Stroke Cards
Click Image to see in Large
You can use your laminated page from your Home Learning Pack, paper, paint, shaving foam, dough, water with a paint brush, or even have a go at making your own squishy bag!
Supporting the Tripod Grip
Using cotton buds to paint and dot, lifting small objects such as stones buttons or coins, drawing with small broken crayons, threading with laces and using clothes pegs to lift and move objects are all very simple activities that you can do with your child at home. These fun activities will all help to develop the three finger tripod grip.
I have also provided a link to this video and song along with the Crocodile Trick for you to try with your child.
The Crocodile Trick
One
To teach the correct way to hold a pencil, you can have the child pretend his/her dominant (writing) hand is a crocodile. Open and close the crocodileβs mouth β and show that the crocodile is hungry and wants to eat the pencil!
Two
Now that the crocodile is holding the pencil in his mouth, place the pencil on the bottom jaw of the crocodile, and close the crocodileβs mouth on the pencil.
Three
As the crocodile eats the pencil, he doesnβt like the taste of the pencil, so he puckers his lips. (Show your children what it means to pucker your lips!)
He puckers his lips and curls his jaws in the shape of an βoβ β and clenches the pencil in his teeth.
To The Nursery Boys and Girls
Hello Boys and Girls, this week Sid and I have been very busy. When we were planting our sunflower seeds, Sid found some Minibeasts!! Can you see what minibeasts he found??......
Sid was very excited to find some snails. He decided that he would like to learn more about Snails and Minibeasts. He also wanted to learn how to use his pencil to draw a spiral shape, just like the snailβs shell. A spiral is very tricky to draw so we have been doing lots of fun activities to help to get better at drawing, writing and holding our pencils.
Have a look, with a grown up, at all the things we have been doing and see if you can also have a go at doing some of them with us.
Making a Snail β You have to use your first three fingers to lift and place small stones onto a spiral shape to make your snail. This is quite tricky because you can only use one hand! A grown up can help to draw the large spiral shape on the ground with chalk or onto a page. Make sure that the stones cover over all the lines of the spiral. We donβt want to see any coloured lines! If you donβt have any stones, you could do this activity with buttons or some 1p and 2p coins.
Play Dough Spirals β Use all your fingers together to roll out some very long pieces of dough. Then twist them into a spiral shape.
Make your own Lacing Cards βWe used cardboard from an old shoe box. A grown up can help to cut out the shape and make the holes with a pencil. Sid wanted to make a snail spiral shape and some straight lines. You need to use your fingers and eyes very carefully to thread and follow in and out through all the holes.
Parents - If you donβt have any shoes you can take laces from! I got these coloured laces, very cheaply and quickly, from eBay and Amazon. This really is a fantastic activity for getting the thumb, index and middle fingers working together for the tripod grip. It also develops hand eye co-ordination, visual tracking and concentration.
Copying our Pre-writing Strokes
You can use your wipe board or some paper and your pre-writing stroke cards.
Why not have some fun and try using some shaving foam, water or even your dough to make them.
Draw a Rainbow Ladder
Parents - Draw the two back vertical lines and the two sets of coloured dots for your child. Your child then has to match the two coloured dots by drawing a horizontail line across their page from right to left.
Getting Dotty with Cotton Buds
Very carefully hold your cotton bud to dot all the dots!
Can you follow the lines on your Rainbow Ladder and turn it into a dotty ladder??
Parents - I have included a link to the Alphabet Letters and Dragon. Holding and using a cotton bud to dot and paint, encourages the use of the thumb, index and middle finger.
Lift and Move Small Objects with Pegs
Can you, very carefully, use one hand and your fingers to lift and place the stones onto the letters and numbers? Can you carefully lift and move the pasta from one bowl to the other?
Parents - Set these simple activities up to make sure that your child is also having to cross their midline as they move the objects.
What is crossing the midline? Imagine a line going down the middle of your body. Whenever your arms or legs cross that line to the other side of your body, that is crossing midline. This skill is important for all kinds of skills in child development, including reading, writing, and many other gross motor skills.
Making a Squishy Bag β With some help from a grown up have a go at making a squishy bag to practice your lines, letters, numbers, shapes and drawings. You can use your finger or a cotton bud.
Parents - Mix approximately one cup of plain flour with 6/8 tablespoons of water and some food colouring. (Amounts will depend on the size of your food bag) Mix the mixture together until it forms a thick consistency. Then spoon into the bag. You do not need a lot of mixture, just need enough to form a thin layer in your bag. Too much mixture and your child will not be able to form their marks. Close your bag and tape down onto a tray or table.
Disco Dough
Here are two more fun Disco Dough videos for you to get your fingers and hands moving and strengthen those important hand muscles.
Gloop
Boys and Girls - I know how you all love playing with our slimy Gloop in Nursery. Have a go at making some at home.
Parents - This is a fantastic sensory resource to use and explore. This not only helps to develop hand strength it also provides lots of opportunities for language and early science as children explore this strange mixture. Mix together corn flour, water and some food colouring in a bowl. Add your corn flour first then mix in your water until you have a consistency that, when manipulated with your hands, will form a ball. However once you stop rolling it, the mixture will suddenly start to melt. If you have a shallow tray or large bowl give your child a spoon and have fun together exploring and investigating this strange mixture.
Ball Catch
Have fun making your own ball catcher. Use only one hand to catch your ball!!
Parents - We added rice into our balloon for weight, then blew it up slightly to make the small ball. This is a great activity to develop arm and shoulder strength, along with crossing the midline and developing hand eye co-ordination.
Music and Movement
Moving and Tapping your Sticks to the Music
Boys and Grils - do you remember using the claves in Nursery to tap out a rhythm or tap to the beat of the music? Find something at home or outdoors that you could use instead. For example, two sticks, two spoons, two pens/pencils. Even kitchen rolls tubes might work! Use your pretend claves to join in with some of the music below.
Parents - Lots of crossing the midline with this activity.
Handwriting Worksheets
Parents β I would only recommend using these, if your child is using the correct tripod grip and has the developed hand eye co-ordination to stay within the small lines. Handwrting worksheets are not part of the Pre-school curriculum. Instead practicing daily, some of the above activities will be much more beneficial for your young Nursery child.
ππ·ππ
After all our hard work Sid decided he would like to learn some interesting things all about Snails and Minibeasts.
Parents - Use the following Stories and Minibeasts Information to help to support your childβs knowledge and understanding of our Minibeasts topic.
Story
Norman The Slug With The Very Silly Shell
Story
The Snail and The Whale
Bug Hunt
This week go on a Minibeast Hunt and see how may minibeast you can find.
Listening Activity
Listen and Play β Huggy Bug
Click the following picture link to listen together, along with your child, to this 12 minute session which is made up of a:
β’ Listening Activity
β’ Song
β’ Story
β’ Action Rhyme
Click Photo to Link then Click on the Speaker Icon to hear
Snail Art πππ
Why not have a go, this week, at making some of your own Spiral Snail Art.
Physical Development and
Movement Session
Andy's Wild Workouts - Undergrowth
Click Photo to Link then Click
Watch Now Speaker Icon
CBeebies - A bedtime Story
βUnder the Same Sky β
Read by Tom Hardy ππ
I hope that you all enjoy this weekβs Nursery Home Learning activities. Keep sending in your Home Learning photographs.
Parents - Monday 25th May would have been a Bank Holiday from Nursery. Next weeks Nursery Home Learning will be online from Tuesday 26th. Enjoy your long weekend off!
A Little Something for the
Bank Holiday!
Something you might like to enjoy, with your child, on Bank Holiday Monday is the BBC iPlayer 25 minute Animated version of one of this weekβs stories The Snail and the Whale. Enjoy!
Click Photo Link to BBC Page
Parents please note that due to limited space on our website, printable links will have to be removed at the end of each week. To keep a copy please save these to your device, print out or forward these to your personal email.
Keep Safe and Keep Smiling!ππππ
Home Learning Ideas for Week Beginning 25th May π»πΏ
Hello everyone, I hope that you are all well and had a nice Bank Holiday. I really hope that you had some fun with last weekβs activities and that you have been practising getting your fingers ready for learning to write lots of new things in P1! I also really hope that you enjoyed learning some more interesting facts about minibeasts! Did you manage to find any in your garden like Sid did??
Sid and I have been very excited to show you this week what has been happening to our sunflower and bean seeds.
Click on All Images to Enlarge their Size
Can you remember which seed is the sunflower seed and which is the bean seed??
We have been looking after them very, very carefully and making sure that they have all the important things that they need to grow. Can you remember what important things the seeds need to grow??
We have been giving them a little water each day and making sure they have been getting lots of sunlight on our windowsill. We even had to put them inside into our garage at night time because we have had some changes in the weather. Jack Frost was out for a few nights and then we had some very stormy winds and we didnβt what them to blow over.
Have a look at our photographs. Look very closely at how our bean seed has been changing and growing. Can you see the roots pushing downwards and the little shoot starting to push its way upwards as the leaves start to grow.
Can you see how our bean seed has now grown and changed into a Beanstalk! It has been growing taller and taller and getting bigger and bigger each day. Sid said it was growing into A Giant Beanstalk because it was nearly as tall as him!!
We are going to move our beanstalk from the cup and plant it into the soil, which it will now need to be able to grow taller and to grow some real beans for us to eat!
Have a look at how our little sunflower seeds have been growing under the soil in their pots. They have now pushed their shoots through the soil and have started to grow a tall stem with leaves just like out bean stalk.
I know that some of you have been doing some planting at home which is great, and you will have to let Sid and me know how yours are growing and changing over the next few weeks. If you havenβt had a go yet at planting some seeds then why not plant some this week at home. If we had been in our Nursery we would have been planting and learning all about sunflowers and beanstalks together and we would have also been having some lovely stories from up on my high shelf in the quite room about seeds. The great thing is that we can still hear some of these stories together!
Stories
This week Sid has chosen some special stories all about Beanstalks and A Tiny Seed. Watch and listen to this weekβs stories with a grown up and have fun talking about the stories and having a go at some activities about the stories.
Jack and The Beanstalk
Parents β Here are some questions for you to use to discuss the Jack and the Beanstalk story with your child.
After the story has been read, ask your child to tell you what happened.
Ask your child the following questions: How did Jack get the beans? What happened to the beans?
Where did the Giant live? What did Jack find when he went into the Giantβs home?
Ask your child to think about climbing a beanstalk. What else could be found at the top of the stalk?
How do you think Jack felt when he saw the Giant? How did the Giant feel when Jack tried to take his harp?
Ask your child the following question: Do you think Jack and the Giant could have become friends if something different had happened in the story?
Give your child blank paper or use your wipe board and invite them to draw a picture of themselves climbing a beanstalk. Ask your child what they hope to find at the top?
Talk about the word Giant. Discuss other words that have similar meanings: big, large, huge, tall, enormous. Invite your child to look for things outside that are huge, tall, enormous etc.
Here are some Jack and The Beanstalk activities for you to use
Click Links
Here is another of Sidβs stories for you to watch and listen to.
Parents βAs with the questions above think about and discuss The Tiny Seed story with your child afterwards.
The Tiny Seed
Here are some Sunflower Activities
Click Links
Boys and Girls - Here is a very special video for you to watch to see how, over a long time, a bean seed grows and changes. It took 25 days for it to grow that tall! Can you see all the roots getting longer and the shoot pushing up into a big stem which starts to grow all the leaves? Sid is very excited to see if his beanstalk will grow that tall.
Parents - Talk about and discuss the words bean, seed, root, sprout, and leaf. Point these out to your child. Get you child to draw or paint a picture of a flower or a beanstalk with all its parts, including the roots.
Here is a fun Number and Counting Activity for you to do with your dice.
Use your dice to have a go at drawing the correct number of leaves onto your beanstalk. Use a page or your wipe board to draw your beanstalks first.
If you didnβt get to make a dice maybe you could look back and have a go this week at making one. Or an adult could tell you the number of leaves to draw or you could write the numbers 1-6 on some paper and turn them over like a game. You donβt have to make it a beanstalk, you could draw 6 flowers onto your page and give them each a different number of petals.
We also have a lovely Growing Song for you to enjoy. Watch and sing along to the words.
Boys and Girls here is one of my favourite stories from our Nursery. It is called Jim and the Beanstalk. Watch and listen to the story.
Questions for discussions - Can you remember all the things that Jim did for the Giant? Was the Giant kind to Jim at the end of the story? How did the Giant say thankyou to Jim?
Jim and the Beanstalk
Story
Water Play
Parents β Through Water Play Preschool children are learning lots of important Mathematical learning and concepts. The simple process of Water Play enables children to experience and develop their Mathematical learning in the areas of number, shape, space, measures, size and quantity, sequencing/ time and relationships, along with developing the appropriate early mathematical language. As children lift, move, pour and transfer water into different containers and bottles they are also developing their important hand/ eye co-ordination and their gross and fine motor skills.
Boys and Girls - Sid and I have been using a cup of water to water our seeds each day. When I asked Sid to fill the cup Half Full, just as we can all do with our Snack and Dinner cups in Nursery, Sid filled it too full and we all know what happens when we fill it too full... the water spilt all over the ground!
To help Sid understand about filling his cup Half Full, we decided to do some learning just as we do in our Water Tray in Nursery.
I know how much you all love pouring and filling with our bottles in Nursery, I thought that you could all have a go at home, like Sid, at filling and exploring with some different shaped and sized bottles and containers.
Why not look in your home for some clear bottles and containers. You could then use a basin, bucket or even the kitchen sink or you could have lots of fun during your next bath time!
Here is what Sid and I did.
Parents β Encourage and develop language and learning related to capacity (how much a container/bottle can hold) using mathematical vocabulary to compare different amounts, Full, Empty, Half Full, Nearly Full, Nearly Empty. Why not hold a pretend Tea Party using different sized containers. Give lots of opportunity for your child to explore pouring and filling. Model using capacity related language e.g. βI would like my drink full to the top please. I would like it half-fullβ.
Boys and Girls - Can you click on Sidβs photograph and point to which bottle or container is:
Full
Half Full
Empty
Nearly Empty
Nearly Full
Full
Nearly Full
Half Full
Empty
Matching and Fine Motor Activity
Can you match up and screw on all the correct lids onto your bottles.
Floating and Sinking
Boys and Girls- Can you see what happened to these two different bottles when Sid put them into the water?
Why do you think that this happened? ..............One of them floated on the top of the water and one sank to the bottom.
Sid decided to look for some more things that would Float and Sink
What happened to the Balloon?
What happened to the Spoon?
Why did this happen?
What happened to the Lemon?
What happened to the Scissors?
Why did this happen?
Parents β Encourage and develop language and learning related to Heavy/Light and Float/Sink. Have a look with your child at home for some items that you think will float and sink. Gather together and then have a guess before you put them into the water. Compare the weight of different objects by holding one in each hand. Q) Which feels heavier, which feels lighter? What do you think will happen when we put this object into the water?
Recognising our Names and Listening for Beginning Sounds
Boys and Girls- If we had been in our Nursery now we would be taking away our Animal Name Symbols, that you put up on our board to register each morning. Instead we would just be using our names to look at and learn. When you go to P1 you will be learning all about writing, spelling and reading your name. Sid and Kiska have been very busy this week learning how to get the letters in their names into the correct order. This is called spelling your name. Here are some things you could make and do, like Kiska and Sid, to help you to recognise and learn your name.
Matching the Letters
Once they had lots of practice at matching the letters of their names they had a go at doing it without their name cards. Well done Sid and Kiska! I think you will both be getting a marble in the jar for that great work!π
Here is another way you could learn your name. All you need is some card and clothes pegs, a grown up can help you to make the name card and write the letters. Practice matching the letters first then once you are good at matching them, turn your card over and have a go at making your name yourself on the other side.
Beginning Sounds
Parents β In Nursery we do not formally teach Phonics, this will start when your child enters Primary One. In Nursery we start to introduce children to hearing beginning sounds through lots of Songs, Stories and Rhymes. All of which are an important part of the process of learning to read. At Nursery children are involved in lots of Active Listening Activities through Music and Story. These are just a few activities that you could do with your child to help them to hear words that begin with the same sound.
Boys and Girls - This week Sid has also been learning to hear words that begin with the same sound. He has also found some things that have the same sound as the first letter of his name. The first letter of Sidβs name is called S and it makes a "S s s s s" sound. Here are some things that Sid found that begin with the same "S s s s" sound as his name.
Maybe you could find some different objects at home and say the sound that they begin with.
Then maybe, like Sid, you could find some things that have the same sound as the beginning of your name.
Parents - To help to support your child to hear the beginning sounds, put some toys/objects in a bag and pull one out at a time. Emphasise the first sound of the name of the toy/object by repeating it, for example, βc c c c β carβ, βb b b b β boxβ, βch ch ch ch β chipβ
Play I Spy β Parents then use the objects from your bag to play I Spy. When playing the game again use the sound the word starts with (not the letter) e.g. I spy with my little eye something beginning with βc c c cβ.
Click Link
I Spy link Activity β You could also use the colour of the object to give the clue e.g. I Spy something that is Pink and begins with a "P P P"
Parents - Here are some Early Sound Action Songs for you to use and enjoy with your child to explore early sounds and letters. Get moving and have some fun together doing all the actions!!
ABC Action Song
Bean Bag ABC
If you donβt have a Bean Bag you could use a piece of cloth or material. An old face cloth would work well.
Walks With Kiska
Boys and Girls - This week when Kiska and I were on one of our walks we met a very strange Animal!!
When we came back home and showed Sid who we had met, he said it was an "Alien Animal from the Planet Mars!"π
What do you think ?? Do you think it was an Alien Animal from the Plant Mars??
This week see if you can find out what kind of animal it is and where this animal comes from. What does it eat? See how many interesting facts you can learn about this animal?
Maybe you could have a go at drawing the animal. It has very funny shaped ears that look like bananas!
Some Clues to help β Use your Animal world map to help you.
The type of animal it is begins with
a βL l l l l β sound!
World Animal Map
CBeebies β A Bedtime Story
Don't Worry, Little Crab
Read by Tom Hardy
Click Photo Image to Link to BBC Page
I do hope that you all enjoy this weekβs Nursery Home Learning activities.
Please keep sending in your Home Learning photographs.
kandrews224@c2kni.net
Parents please note that due to limited space on our website, printable links will have to be removed at the end of each week. To keep a copy please save these to your device, print out or forward these to your personal email.
Keep Safe and Keep Smiling!ππππ
Home Learning Ideas for Week Beginning 1st June π¦ππ₯πββοΈπββοΈ
Hello everyone, I hope that you are all well and had a lovely week enjoying our Nursery activities. Did you manage to find out what kind of animal Kiska and I met on our walk???
Today is Monday and we have now moved into a new month called June. June is a very special month because it is the first of the Summer months. We have now moved into a new Season, so on our Nursery calendar we need to move our arrow from the Spring Flower to the Summer Sandcastle.
Can you have a look and see how our Nursery calendar has changed. Our Summer Months are also a different colour. Can you see what colour they are?
June, July and August π π
Sid is very excited now that it is the Summertime. He has been enjoying sunbathing in our lovely summer weather. Iβm sure you all have been enjoying the summer weather at home. When it is very sunny and hot, we need to be very careful and protect ourselves from the sun. Do you know why we need to be careful? Can you see what Sid is using to protect himself? Can you think of anything else Sid could wear or do to help protect himself?
βββπ
Can you look at our Nursery photograph and remember what time of year this was when we were in our Nursery? What season was it? Have a talk with a grown up about how that season is different to the Summertime. Think about how the weather, our clothes, and our food is different.
Here are some Summer Activity links for you to do this week.
Parents β Use these to help to discuss the topic of Summertime with your child.