Nursery

Welcome to the Nursery Class page.....

NURSERY LOCKDOWN CLOSURE INFORMATION

January 2021

We hope you are all keeping well and staying safe.....that is the most important thing! Our aim is also to support you in helping your child with their 'Remote Learning' so this Nursery class page will hopefully provide you with some ideas, resources and inspiration!

Parents - Each week we will be putting a set of activities on this class page which you may like to complete with your child at home.

The activities are set out in a daily format. This might suit some of you better, however you may still prefer to pick and choose those activities that you would prefer to do with your child from different days at different times!

Please remember that the above is only a recommendation. We know that it may not be possible to complete all the activities so please just do as much as you can.

There will also be activities put on 'Purple Mash' for your child and these can be accessed by logging in to 'Purple Mash' and then checking the 2Do's by clicking on the tab at the top of the page. Purple Mash (Mini Mash section) is very suitable for your child to explore at home as a fun, educational website.

If you have mislaid your log in details for Purple Mash please telephone the school and I will contact you with the log in details for your child.

At any point please feel free to contact the school if you have any questions, concerns or worries about the online remote learning or your child. I am more than happy to speak to you on the telephone and I will contact you as soon as I can if you leave a message with the school office.

Mrs Lucas

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We cannot thank you enough for all the support, help, guidance and encouragement that you have given your child during this time of Lockdown. You have all been amazing teachers and educators, whilst being Mum and Dad!....not an easy task at all!

We are all looking forward to seeing lots of happy smiles next week....from children and Parents too! We know they will be so excited to be returning...and starting Nursery too!

One more week.....so here goes!

Nursery Remote Learning -Week Eight -'Space'
(The Final Frontier! Nearly there everyone!)

Monday

Mon	Enjoy playing the ladybird counting, matching and ordering games. There are different ones to choose from so increase the levels as required. https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/ladybird-spots Watch the Jolly Phonics songs and join in with all of the actions. Can you ‘spot’ letters in your name and the names of your family members? https://video.link/w/lwgUb When you are outside talk about our planet and what we have on earth……soil, grass, water, sand, rocks, stones……what do we have in the atmosphere?......air, light, sun, moon, stars, clouds, weather conditions. It encourages observation, curiosity and questions! Listen to the number song ‘ 5 Little Men in a flying saucer’ and join in with the song! You could put 5 toy figures in a plastic or paper bowl and fly them around! Remember to take away one each time! https://video.link/w/OmzVb Watch the CBeebies programme all about Space. It is quite long so you may prefer to watch it in two parts. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000rjgg/maddie-space-and-you-series-1-1-rockets ...................................................................................................................................................................................
Tue	Tuesday Watch the video of ‘Maddison and Felix introducing oral blending. https://video.link/w/x3fUb Collect some objects or toys and see if you can ‘sound talk’ them together using your ‘robot arms’ Try to start with items that contain 3 sounds e.g. cup/hat/box/dog/pan/sock to begin with. Can you make your own martian or alien out of playdough? You might have some things to add such as goggly eyes and pipe cleaner arms. Give them a name too! Try some ‘Space Writing’ by writing your name and other letters on a sheet of tinfoil using a felt tip pen. You can also draw patterns such as zig zags, crosses, lines, loops and circles. Cut out some shapes and create a shape rocket on a piece of paper…… Count how many of each shape you have and write the numbers at the bottom of the sheet. ....................................................................................................................................................................................
Wed	Wednesday TODAY IS ‘WORLD MATHS DAY’…THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES DO HAVE A MATHS FOCUS I.E WEIGHING, MEASURING AND COUNTING AND NUMBER RECOGNITION BUT THERE IS ALSO A PHONICS GAME TOO. Maths Competition Time! Mr Sheeran is holding up a jar of sweets.....how many sweets do you think are in the jar? Please send your estimate to me via email (by the end of Wednesday 3rd March) and there will be a prize for the winner from the nursery class....exact number or nearest of course! Make some ‘Space Rock Cakes’ (Recipe at the end of the weekly plan) and talk about the different ingredients - what they are made from, where they come from, what letter sound do they begin with? Why do we use them in the recipe? Enjoy making your tasty space treats! Play the game below called ‘Count the Yeti’ encourage 1:1 counting during the game, however some children may now be able to ‘see’ how many there are without touch counting….up to 3 or 4 for example. https://www.themathsfactor.com/games/try/?gameid=46&prefix=ZONE&config=IPG_CM_Y1_CA_001,%20support&title=Count%20the%20Yeti%201%20to%2010 Draw 11 rectangles for your child on a piece of paper. They can then add the triangle at the top of the rockets and have a go at writing or tracing over the numbers from 0-10 with one number on each rocket. You may be able to print out a rocket number sheet like the one below if you have a printer at home. Play a phonics game called ‘Asteroids’……write the same letter sound on 2 small pieces of paper and crumple each up into a ball. Do this with pairs of other letter sounds until you have a set of about 12 ‘asteroids’……count down from 10 to 0 and then throw the ‘asteroids’ into the air. When they land the children have to pair up the letters, saying each sound as they open the piece of paper. Suggested sounds to begin with are s,a,t,i,p,n and then move on to c,e,h,r,m,d. .............................................................................................................................................................................................
Thur	Thursday TODAY IS ‘WORLD BOOK DAY - YOU MIGHT LIKE TO DRESS UP TODAY.........OR WEAR YOUR PYJAMAS AND HAVE HOT CHOCOLATE AND COOKIES AND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE STORIES TODAY! WE HAVE THREE STORIES READ BY SOME OF THE NURSERY STAFF FOR YOU TO LISTEN TO TODAY! Mrs McLoughlin is reading a story called 'The Fish Who Could Wish'....what would you wish for? You can tell us next week at Nursery! https://video.link/w/ro1Xb Mrs Rowlands is reading a story called 'Peace At Last'. We are sure that you will enjoy joining in with some of the sounds in the story too! https://video.link/w/fj8Wb Mrs Lucas is reading a story called ‘The Way Back Home’ which is all about a boy who meets a martian on the moon. Do you think they might become friends? https://video.link/w/V9yWb There is an animated version of 'The Way Back Home' below……for a different way of sharing the story. https://video.link/w/rxfUb Draw a picture of the boy and the martian. Have a go at making a martian spaceship or a rocket. Paper bowls or cardboard tubes are ideal for this……bring out the paint, glue and paper and have fun creating! You could cut out some aliens to go in your spaceship too! Make a reading den at home and share stories in there together. Enjoy this online story called ‘My Place in Space’. It is very important to start thinking about our planet and this story explains things in a very clear way. We are learning new things every day about our planet and other planets in our solar system. https://video.link/w/mpgUb .....................................................................................................................................................................................
Fri	Friday FRIDAY FUN DAY! TO CELEBRATE THIS BEING THE FINAL DAY OF ‘REMOTE LEARNING’ YOU CAN ENJOY SOME ‘FUN ACTIVITIES' AT HOME......PLAY SOME GAMES/GO FOR A BUG HUNT IN THE GARDEN/HEAD OUT ON A BIKE OR SCOOTER RIDE/HAVE A KITCHEN DISCO!/MAKE A HEALTHY SMOOTHIE........... HOWEVER I HAD ALREADY PLANNED THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES SO I HAVE LEFT THEM ON HERE IN CASE YOU WISH TO CONTINUE WITH THEM TODAY OR YOU MAY HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED FROM EARLIER IN THE WEEK......IT'S UP TO YOU! You might like to make a 'BALLOON ROCKET' today as that is a fun thing to do....all you need is string, tape, a straw and a balloon. Watch the video below and have a go at home...it really travels faster than you think! https://video.link/w/vtRXb Enjoy listening to and watching the songs about the sun, moon and planets. https://video.link/w/jhgUb Draw and cut out a series of 8 circles of different sizes to represent the planets and see if you can put them in order from smallest to largest and then vice versa. You can then draw a very large circle to represent the sun! Practice writing your name – tracing over, copying under or writing it independently. Play the game ‘Pick a Picture’ (phonics play username is ‘jan21’ and password is ‘home’) Sound out each word for your child and see if they can find the correct picture. Some of the children may be able to recognise the initial sound in the word. We call this ‘chopping up the word’ and use our ‘robot arms’ too! https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources/phase/2/pick-a-picture Space Rock Cakes for Kids to Make Ingredients 100 g Butter unsalted 200 g Plain Flour 2 tsp Baking Powder 75 g Soft Light Brown Sugar 125 g Raisins or other dried fruit 1 medium Egg 2 tbsp Milk Add gradually Edible Glitter (optional) Instructions Preheat the oven to 200C Add the flour and baking powder to the margarine Crumb the mixture with fingertips Add in the brown sugar and raisins and mix Beat the egg and pour onto the mixture Mix together and add a little milk until you have a consistency similar to cookie dough Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper Divide the mix into 6 large or 12 small cakes and space out on the baking tray Cook for 12 - 20 minutes until golden brown Leave to cool Sprinkle with Edible Glitter and Gold and Silver Dust if wished. ENJOY! Not long now and we will all be back at Nursery very soon!

Nursery Remote Learning - Week Seven

'Space'

(Week Beginning February 21st)

Monday	This week is all about 'Space and we will be starting with the story ‘Whatever Next’ where Baby Bear goes to the moon in a rocket! Listen to Mrs Lucas reading the story! You might like to bring your teddy to listen to the story too! https://video.link/w/sHOTb Make a rocket for your teddy by covering a box in tinfoil or shiny paper. You might be able to find a colander and wellington boots to act out the story too! You could make a picnic for all your toys too! Watch and listen to the rocket numbers song. Count forwards and backwards. Talk about the different things that you can see in the video: rocket, controls, astronaut, vapour/smoke, stars, planets, earth, moon, craters. https://video.link/w/fD0Qb Play the ‘Topmarks’ addition game which asks your child to count the total amount. https://www.topmarks.co.uk/addition/addition-to-10
Tuesday	Listen to the story again….this is an animated version. Can you draw Baby Bear’s rocket with Baby Bear peeping out? https://video.link/w/1A0Qb Order a set of number cards from 0-5 or 0-10 (depending on the numbers that your child can recognise)The adult then removes a number card and see if your child can identify the missing number! Look at which number comes ‘before’ and ‘after’ the missing number. Write a set of numbers on small pieces of paper, put them in order and stick them on to a long, thin piece of card to create a number line (see picture below) Encourage your child to point to each number as they count forwards and backwards and then if you wish you could draw and cut out a rocket and attach it to a loop of string or wool to make a moving part! Counting is fun!
Wednesday	Listen to the song ‘Zoom, Zoom, Zoom’ and then see if you can write the numbers from 0-10. You can trace over an adult’s numbers or copy underneath. https://video.link/w/eJ2Qb Watch the video with ‘Maddison and Felix’ which focuses on rhyming words. They are making ‘Silly Soup’……collect some or talk about objects/words that rhyme and see if your child can pair them up……e.g. socks/box, car/jar/star, man/pan, head/bed, chair/bear, space/face, moon/spoon. https://video.link/w/ZLOTb Play the game ‘Grab a Giggling Grapheme’ – This helps with letter recognition……click on ‘All phase 2’ at the start of the game. You can select sets of individual letters at the start if you think this is more appropriate for your child at this stage. https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources/phase/2/grab-a-giggling-grapheme Practice writing your name. Trace over the letters and encourage correct letter formation by putting a coloured dot at the starting point of each letter. Your child can then write underneath or independently.
Thursday	Following on from the rhyming words activity take coloured pencils around the house and see if you can find objects that rhyme with each colour: red/bed/shed……blue/glue/shoe……green/screen……pink/sink……(purple and orange are impossible!!) Write a list of items that you would like to take to the moon for a picnic. Try to think of the initial sound of each item and have a go at writing the list. You can copy over, under the adult’s writing or write it yourself (we call this emergent writing/mark-making). You could draw pictures too! Play the rhyming game called ‘Cake Bake’ https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources/phase/1/cake-bake Watch the video of a rocket launch! How exciting to see this! https://video.link/w/Nl1Qb
Friday	Make some sandwiches for a picnic and pretend that you are on the moon! Have a picnic in your lounge with your teddy bear! Choose your favourite sandwich filling and help to make them! You may be able to print out a 'Colour by Numbers' rocket like the one below if you have access to a printer....or draw a rocket, create your own colour number code and colour it in! Listen to the song ‘We’re Zooming to the Moon’ and join in with the different actions! You have to travel in your rocket, float around in space and drive a moon buggy! You might like to play this song again as there is a lot to join in with! https://video.link/w/yW0Qb Can your child retell the story of ‘Whatever Next?’……use the animated version (see plan for Tuesday) or the book if you have a copy at home, and turn down the volume. Pause the video if required to give your child time to tell you what is happening on each ‘page’……can they remember the key events/ phrases?

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(Week Beginning February 8th)

Nursery Remote Learning – Week Six

Chinese New Year

Monday	Talk about how we celebrate Christmas, New Year and Easter and explain that other cultures have different celebrations. We are going to find out about ‘Chinese New Year’ this week. Watch the Cbeebies video called ‘Preparing for Chinese New Year’ which explores all of the customs and celebrations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8ssHXZ9_qU Make a ‘Lucky Red Envelope’……you can use red paper if you have it or paint/colour an envelope and then decorate it with shiny paper or tinfoil shapes. You might be lucky and find some coins inside!.....or another treat! Play the number game below. You have to put the numbers in order on the Chinese dragon. 1-5 is straightforward, however after that you will need to talk this through with your child as not every number is on the screen when they have to put them in order. It will make sense when you see it! https://www.topmarks.co.uk/ordering-and-sequencing/chinese-dragon-ordering Listen to Mrs Lucas reading a bedtime story....Pyjamas and a teddy will be needed for this! https://youtu.be/dzgocN69xmE
Tuesday	Watch the Cbeebies video all about celebrating Chinese New Year. This looks at events in the local community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cRMRp9-Z08 Following on from the game yesterday……Draw a dragon’s head and then see if you can put a set of numbers from 0-5 and then up to 10 in the correct order to make the dragon’s body…..mix them up first! Try to order them backwards from 10-0 if you have managed to order them from 0-10! Have a go at making a Chinese Dragon Mask! You may be able to print off a template or draw one for your child to paint or colour if you are feeling creative! There are templates on Pinterest and Clipart for example. Listen to the story ‘There’s a Dragon in your Book’ on Youtube. Can you draw an egg and a baby dragon just like the one that hatched out! Don’t forget to write your name on your picture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Tabrkb2aY It is ‘Safer Internet Day’ today. This is something that we would be discussing in school so you might like to share this with your child. Some of the information is for older children but it is aimed at 3-7 year olds and it is never too early to start talking about keeping safe online. A member of staff (IT coordinator) is narrating the first powerpoint/video and the story link is the second one below. https://www.loom.com/share/0af4d01860214789b63dd35c55c2736e https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/detective-digiduck-virtual-assembly-3-7s
Wednesday	Watch the maths video and see what Mrs Lucas is doing today! It is time to make collections and count how many things we have got! Then you can have a turn with collections in your house! https://youtu.be/56BpGleqmMc Have a go at making a Chinese dragon with a paper chain body……it will be a very wiggly dragon! Have a look at the picture below to show how it is made. Enjoy this ‘Cosmic Kids Yoga’ session all about ‘Cracker the Dragon’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NWzS2xziI4
Thursday	Play the phonics game below. It focuses on the sounds that we have been covering over the last few weeks so it is good for revising and reinforcing those sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzUz41TjAmg Listen to the story/song ‘There’s a dragon on the doorstep’ and see if you can remember where all the animals were hiding! (link below) Then play ‘Hunt the Thimble’ (a very old game!) but you can use any small item or toy and your child has to listen to the instructions of ‘cold, warm and hot’ as they get closer to it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arCiAbqpgdo Use a small paintbrush if possible and try to write your name with it. This is how Chinese writing is created. Your child might find this easier if you write their name in large letters with a pencil for them and they can ‘paint’ over the top. If possible, taste some Chinese food! Rice, noodles or prawn crackers are a good place to start! Show your child how the rice and noodles look before they are cooked and talk about the changes to the food after they have been heated up and cooked in water.
Friday	TODAY IS ‘NO SCREEN DAY’ THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL! THE FOLLOWING LIST OF SUGGESTIONS DO NOT INVOLVE ANY SCREEN TIME....IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US ALL TO 'SWITCH OFF' FROM TIME TO TIME SO THAT IS THE PLAN FOR TODAY!......HAPPY 'NO SCREEN DAY' EVERYONE! Make a Chinese paper lantern……decorate a piece of paper first with patterns and then fold in half lengthways. Draw lines from the folded edge and then cut along these to make slits in the paper. Join the two short edges together and add a handle! ADDITIONAL 'NO SCREEN DAY' SUGGESTIONS: Bake cookies/brownies or gingerbread....something tasty! Make a yummy milkshake or healthy fruit smoothie! Have an indoor picnic or tea party and make invitations for your family. Take out your bike or scooter and go for a ride or go on a walk. Collect some natural objects on your walk and create a collage. Play a board game or do a jigsaw puzzle together. Make a 3D model using lego, duplo or empty boxes/containers. Put on some of your favourite music and have a kitchen disco!

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(Week Beginning February 1st)

Nursery Remote Learning - Week Five

Winter Theme

Monday	Listen to the story that Mrs Lucas is reading called ‘Lost in the Snow’. Make sure that you have your teddy bear (or favourite soft toy) with you to listen to the story as well! https://youtu.be/jGzicc-bFPI Draw a picture of your teddy bear in the snow. Can you draw a snowman too? Have a go at writing the words ‘teddy’ and ‘snow’ on your picture if you can. Write over an adult’s writing or have a go at copying the words. Play the teddy number game and count out the correct number of cakes. You can set the level that is appropriate for your child at this time. https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/teddy-numbers Have a quiet time and enjoy watching and listening to the song ‘I’m Walking in the Air’ from ‘The Snowman’ film. Look at the snowy covered land and enjoy the adventures of the little boy and the snowman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVGCLdQYsrk
Tuesday	Watch the video of Madison and Felix which introduces ‘Alliteration’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDX7bYiiBPg Make a pair of binoculars out of cardboard tubes and decorate using felt pens, paint, stickers etc. Play the Alliteration game ‘I hear with my little ear’. Put out a selection of objects (9 is ideal to start with) and ensure that each set of 3 start with the same letter sound. For example you might have socks, scissors and string plus car, cup and cat plus ball, bus and box. Encourage your child to look through the binoculars and you say “I hear with my little ear something that starts with C” and see if they can select the right objects. Over-emphasise the initial sound as you say the words. Have a dance around to the ‘Freeze’ song! It has lots of different actions that you can do with your bodies and see how still you can stand when you have to freeze! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UcZWXvgMZE
Wednesday	Listen to the Jolly Phonics songs on Youtube. Write your child's name on a piece of paper (or they can write it) and see if they can spot letters from their name when they appear on the video. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2wpdvv Make a ‘Name Snowman’……cut out enough white circles for each letter of their first name, plus one extra for the snowman’s face. Write one letter on each circle. Your child can then start by drawing the face and then glue the rest of the circles on a sheet of paper in the correct order of their name from top to bottom. Use a capital letter for their initial and lowercase for the rest of their name. Count how many letters they have in their name! Make some ‘gloop’ using cornflour and water and say that it is like melted snow! I find that a tray works well for gloop……it’s still messy but it keeps most of it contained! They will have so much fun exploring this mixture! The vocabulary that they will use will amaze you…..and also their quiet moments where they become completely absorbed in their play!
Thursday	Draw a large snowman shape on a piece of paper and add features to his face. Then decorate the body of the snowman to give him a coat using writing patterns such as zig-zags, crosses, straight lines, spirals and circles. These writing patterns assist with pencil control, letter formation and letter direction which are important early writing skills. For a more messy writing experience the patterns can be completed in a tray with shaving foam, sand or salt in and the children can use their fingers or a small paintbrush to create the patterns! Have a go at writing your name too! Play the snowman dice game. Draw a large snowman and write the numbers from 1-6 all over his body. You can write each number two or three times. Roll a dice and count the spots carefully then circle that number on the snowman. Keep rolling until all the numbers have been circled! You could have a snowman each and play this game with others in your family! The website ‘Phonics Play’ is now free to parents. The link below may work immediately, however it may require you to change the username which is : jan 21 and the password is : home. This game follows on from the alliteration activity earlier on in the week and the children have to select all the pictures that start with the same letter sound to create a smoothie! Explore some of the other phase 1 games too! https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources/phase/1/super-smoothie
Friday	Make one paper or card board snowman and a set of interchangeable paper hats with numbers written on. You can start with 0-5 and move on to 6-10 if you wish. Place a number hat on the snowman and the children have to count out and place the correct number of ‘buttons’ on to the snowman’s body. You can choose what to use but cheerios, raisins or smarties can be consumed at the end of the activity to represent zero! As the hat is replaced by one of a different number you could challenge your child by asking if you need to ‘add’ or ‘take away’ buttons to create the new number and see if they can adjust the set without having to remove all the buttons and start again. This is quite difficult but you may like to try it…..start with 0-5 though! This is an activity that we have done in Nursery and the children really enjoyed it! It links with alliteration games and activities that we are covering this week. As the music plays you have to complete actions/mimes that begin with the same letter sound eg. J…jump, jog, jiggle, jumping jacks S…stamp, sway, wing, stretch T…twist, turn, tap toes, tickle tummy W…walk, wiggle, wave, wings(flap!) The music is an instrumental track so you can emphasise each letter sound as they move around! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJtLfpfnN3o Make a snowman picture out of cotton wool and/or paint…..or write the initial sound of your child’s name on a piece of paper (make it as large as you can) and they can follow the letter with glue before covering the shape of the letter with cotton wool to create a snowy letter! Enjoy sharing your favourite book together. Look at the title, author and illustrator’s name, ‘blurb’ on the back which tells us about the story and talk about what they think will happen next as you share each page. A lovely way to end the week!

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(Week beginning January 25th)

Nursery Remote Learning - Week Four

Winter Theme

This week we will be thinking about snowmen and other things that we see in the Winter time! I hope we do get some snow so you can go outside, make footprints, throw snowballs and build a snowman in your garden too!

Communication, Language and Literacy:

Listen to the story below called ‘A Dot in the Snow’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvIliH10wTg

After you have listened to the story see if you can remember what happened to the little girl and how did the little polar bear help her?

Draw a picture of the little girl outside in the snow. If you draw a circle around the girl it will look like a snow globe. Can you add some small dots to your picture to make it look like it is snowing!
Snow begins with a ‘S’ sound. Follow the link below and have a look at the picture on the screen. Can you find all the objects that begin with the letter ‘S’?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1652HUK-ONjq-Ey9o6qLDwQL99rO2moP_/view?usp=drive_web

(You may have to copy and paste in to your browser if the link does not open immediately)

Maybe go on a ‘S’ hunt in your house too! I can see a settee, socks, scissors and slippers when I walk around my house!

Watch the short video below and talk about the 4 sounds that are featured in the video. Talk about the sound of each letter and each word as it appears.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf2yf4j/articles/z4ycrj6

Have a go at writing each of the letters. You can write over, under or independently!

There are letter sounds in words and other kinds of sounds all around us too! Watch this episode of ‘Phonics with Madison and Felix’ and this helps the children to ‘tune in’ to environmental sounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71HQW6TxRGw

You could have a go at making a paper plate sound shaker too! (See Other Curriculum Areas for further details)

Mathematics:

We sing a lot of number rhymes in Nursery as they help us to count, recognise numbers and understand early additon and subrtraction........Watch Mrs Lucas in the video below which focuses on the number rhyme ‘5 little monkeys’ and see if you can join in with the singing and counting! Act out the rhyme using your fingers and a soft toy! You could draw 5 little circle faces on paper, cut them out and stick them on to a woolly glove to make finger puppets!

https://youtu.be/c6UyFZDNoYI

Sing along to the number song ‘5 little Snowmen’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTJUGYhjD0c

Draw 5 snowmen in a line and give each one a hat, eyes, nose and mouth. Then write the numbers 1-5 for your child under each of the snowmen and your child can draw the correct number of buttons on each one. You can put cheerios or raisins on first to make sets of buttons! Listen to the rhyme again and cover each snowman up with a piece of paper as each snowman melts. Talk about taking one away each time.

Using playdough or plasticine make 3 balls of dough……small, medium and large and talk about the different sizes. Create a snowman using the dough. Add features to your snowman if you can using beads, small sticks, googly eyes etc.
Play the numberblocks games on Ceebeebies:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/numberblocks-make-and-play

After you have played the games create towers of bricks (duplo, lego or wooden bricks if you have any of these) starting with 1-5 and then moving on to 6-10. Talk about how the towers are getting taller if you count forwards and the towers are getting shorter if you count backwards.

Try this tricky maths challenge! Make sets of Cheerios from 1 to 5 to begin with counting carefully. Then stand a long piece of dried spaghetti in a small piece of playdough, plasticine or blu tack…..then the challenge is to carefully thread the cheerios on to the spaghetti strand! If you complete 1-5 then count out 6 cheerios to thread and so on! Good luck! It can also be a family challenge too!

Other Curriculum Areas:

Watch the video with Madison and Felix (See Communication. Language and Literacy section above). Have a go at making a sound shaker using a paper plate that you can decorate first. Fill it with small pasta shapes, rice or lentils and shake and sing along to your favourite songs!
Have a go at making some fruit ice lollies! Plastic cups will work as well if you don’t have lolly moulds. Fill the cup/mould with some fresh fruit and top up with fruit juice or diluted cordial. Freeze until set and enjoy a tasty treat! A plastic spoon can be inserted to act as the lolly stick if you don’t have any at home. Just insert into the mould before it goes too hard.
Make a winter picture using lots of different materials. Use colours such as shades of blue, silver and white. Paper, card, tinfoil, sweet wrappers, tissue paper, cotton wool, cellophane and wool are some suggestions. You can tear, scrunch, twist and fold the paper before gluing it down. If you have any glitter this could be sprinkled on to create a magical effect!
Practice writing your name as often as you can! ........on pictures/paintings/cards for your family.
Draw an outline of a bobble hat and scarf on a piece of paper and then draw around your child’s hands to make ‘Gloves’. Your child can then decorate these winter accessories using felt tip pens. Try to encourage different patterns e.g. spots, stripes, zig zags, crosses, circles, wiggly lines etc. as this is an important part of early writing development.
Join in with the ‘Snowman Freeze!’ song and do the actions! This is a good activity to do if it is wet and cold outside! Keep moving everybody!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUzPw7qhMlo

You can also keep fit and healthy by joining in with some yoga too! Have fun with this!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/yoga-with-rebecca-and-duggee

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(Week Beginning January 18th)

Nursery Remote Learning – Week Three

Winter Theme

I hope you all enjoyed finding out about Penguins last week!

I have really enjoyed seeing all your work on Purple Mash too and I hope you have all been able to read the messages that I have sent on Purple Mash next to your work.

This week it is time to think about Winter weather such as Ice and Snow and to explore melting!

We will also be sharing stories about animals in Winter time, including a little hedgehog who is wrapped up in a warm hat, scarf and mittens! I hope you have those at home too for when you go out on your walks or for when you play in the garden!

I am reading another 'Winter' story on the video below, all about a little fox cub who asks lots of questions to his Mummy to find out all about Wintertime. I hope you enjoy it!

https://youtu.be/OZTdx6zpP2g

Communication/Language/Literacy:

Listen to the story ‘One Winter’s Day’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBKfbo60jlI

The little hedgehog was trying to make a nest to hibernate in for the Winter. Can you draw a picture of the hedgehog with all his prickles? Don’t forget to draw his hat, scarf and mittens.
Add a tree, leaves, clouds and some snow to your picture too!
Listen to the Jolly Phonics songs and try to write the letters ‘s’ and ‘t’ on some paper. We say “Slither down the snake” when we write the letter ‘s’ and “Down the tower and across the tower” when we write the letter ‘t’.
Draw a snake and a tower on your piece of paper.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2wpdvv

Listen to the 4 sounds represented in this short video………s/a/t/p as this will help your child to ‘tune in’ to sounds. Then play the game below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4fvEl8MIvs

Collect 5 objects or toys in your house that begin with ‘s’ and 5 that begin with t. Mix them up and then sort them by their initial sound asking your child what sound they can hear at the start of each word. You can write the letter sound on paper to put next to each set of objects.

Make a card for someone in your family or a friend. You may be able to deliver it to them on your daily walk!
This is an ideal way to practice writing your name. You can write over, under or independently!

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Mathematics:

Sing the number song and join in with all of the actions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=85M1yxIcHpw&list=PL9upehN5QqdEu_RBWE9PAgFUpnYyGQEIs&index=12

Choose 5 of your favourite toys and some counters/pasta shapes/buttons or other small items. Give each toy 2 counters each. This is called making sets of 2. Count how many 2 toys have if you add their counters together? E.g. How many counters do teddy and rabbit have altogether? Then count how many 3 toys have and so on. (Adding sets is the start of addition).

Hide 5 toys or objects for your child when they have left the room. When they return you have to give directions for them to find each toy e.g. under the table, next to the couch, behind the toybox, in front of the curtain.
They can then try to give the instructions to you using the same language (this is called positional language). Young children find this tricky as they usually just point at the object and say ‘There’ or ‘Here’ !!

Make 2 sets of number cards from 0-10.
Place one set around the house and your child can find them and pair them up with the other set. If they are recognising the numbers see if they can put them in the correct order, or just start with 0-5 if they are still unsure of some numbers.

Make a shape picture by cutting out 2D shapes for your child which they can then glue on to a larger piece of paper. Talk about the names of the shapes and the number of sides and corners. There are ideas on the image below but trains, robots, houses and castles are always popular!

Play the shape monsters game. This helps us to match the shapes and learn the names of the shapes.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/early-years/shape-monsters

Other Curriculum Areas:

Make some ice cubes and put them in different places inside and outside your house in a little dish or on a plastic plate……doorstep, freezer, fridge, kitchen table, by the radiator etc. Look at them after 5 minute intervals and talk about what has changed and why!

Make some chocolate crispy cakes and talk about the chocolate. Look at it before it goes in to the pan and feel how hard it is when it is cold. Ask your child what do you think might happen to the chocolate when it is heated/warmed up? Look at the change from solid to liquid. After the cakes have been made and cooled in the fridge see if they can notice what has now happened to the chocolate!

Science is fun!.......and they are very tasty for tea too!

Join in with the actions with Andy as he goes on an Arctic animal adventure in the snow! Talk about how exercise is really important to keep our bodies strong and healthy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p06tmrxh/andys-wild-workouts-series-1-10-arctic

Build a nest for a hedgehog in the corner of your garden using twigs and leaves (remember that hedgehogs hibernate) or put some food out for the birds.
Join in with this lovely Cosmic Yoga Session all about ‘Pedro the Penguin!’ We have been doing yoga in Nursery so you might remember some of the shapes and movements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSZvMHlw9vs
Paint a winter picture using ‘cool’ colours such as blue and white. You could try mixing blue with a little bit of white to make light blue and then add black to create dark blue. You might like to paint stripes of each colour across the paper as you mix each one………like a paint colour chart effect!

Make some playdough (or you may have some already) and have a dough disco at home! Put on your favourite music and squeeze, pat, press, squash, squish and roll the dough! Wonderful for strengthening our fingers ready for writing and fine motor activities! Here is a song that you might enjoy joining in with at home!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOLR3pQt8zg

Recipe for playdough:
2 cups of self-raising flour (a mug or plastic cup is fine)
1 cup of salt
2 cups of cold water
4 teaspoons of cream of tartar (Tub available in Aldi quite cheaply)
1 tablespoon of oil
food colouring if wished (or ready mixed paint if you have that)

Mix all the ingredients together in a pan and heat gently mixing all the time. Keep stirring until all the ingredients come together and the dough forms a ball. This makes quite a lot of dough and can be kept in the fridge in a plastic bag……it lasts for ages too! You could halve the ingredients if required.

Finally………..A huge ‘Thank You’ to one of our children’s Aunties who is happy for us to share her online video with the class. She is a speech therapist who is reading a story and has some activities for the children too. A lovely opportunity to sit down and listen together!

https://youtu.be/T_oNCJqZruw

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Nursery Remote Learning – Week Two – Winter

Hello Nursery!

We hope you all enjoyed doing the activities about ‘Presents’ last week!

This week we will be putting some activities on ‘Purple Mash’ for you to try at home too and we are sure that you will enjoy those as well!

(Parents: Please contact the school if you have mislaid your child’s Purple Mash login)
When you log in you will see a tab at the top which is labelled ‘2Do’s’ and this will contain your child’s 3 activities for the week. When you finish and save them I will be able to see the completed activity and comment upon them. You can also use this to send a message to me as well)

WINTER THEME - WEEK 2 - 11th January 2021

Parents: Please aim to choose one activity from CLL and Maths per day, however you may wish to choose additional activities from the ‘other curriculum areas’ section if required.

(Please remember that the above is only a recommendation. We know that it may not be possible to complete 3 activities per day so please just do as much as you can)

This week we are going to start thinking about ‘Winter’ as it certainly is getting very chilly outside now with a lot of ice around!

So this week we will be having fun finding out about Winter time and Penguins!

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If you would like to listen to a story all about a penguin....click on the link below.

Mrs Lucas is reading a story and there is also some additional information at the end for parents....maybe sit down with some milk and a biscuit and have storytime!

https://youtu.be/d3gbUusB7-w

CLL - Communication/Language and Literacy:

Watch the Powerpoint all about ‘Winter’ and talk about each slide as it appears. Ask your child questions about the pictures and encourage discussion. Just click 'Download now' on the link when it is opened.

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-t-17185-winter-information-powerpoint

Draw a picture of yourself wearing Winter clothes. Don’t forget to add your bobble hat, scarf, gloves and warm coat! (Parents: You may find it useful to draw a picture of yourself at the same time and talk about different features which will encourage your child to add the same to their picture).
Share one of your favourite story books. Talk about the front cover, title, author and illustrator. Look at the illustrations and talk about what is happening on each page. Can you predict what will happen next and can you recall the story at the end!
Practice writing your name – over, under and independently!
Watch the Jolly Phonics songs on YouTube and try to write the letter ‘S’ saying the rhyme ‘Slither down the snake’ – Write the letter for your child to trace over if required.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2wpdvv

Mathematics:

Watch the counting song ‘5 Little Penguins’ and sing along!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-scENG_uisc

Can you find number 5 around your house? On the remote control? In books? On your toys? Can you do 5 actions……..5 jumps/5 stamps/5 knee bends/5 claps/5 hops/5 blinks etc!
Cut out some small cardboard ‘fish’ – Choose 5 toys and give each toy the correct number of ‘fish’ from 1-5. You can repeat this and increase the numbers to be given to each toy if your child copes well from 1-5. This is called ‘making sets’ and is important for mathematical understanding.
Watch the shape song video and talk about the name of each shape. Can you find any of these shapes in your house?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJxq0kR8yNc

Can you draw some shapes? Start with a circle!

Parents – If you can draw some shapes for your child to trace over that would be very helpful as squares, rectangles, ovals and triangles are tricky!!
Add faces to each shape just like they have in the video!

Play the underwater counting game!

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/underwater-counting

Other Curriculum Areas:

Watch the ‘Penguin song video’ and join in with each of the actions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He5Xu11HBkM

Watch the Youtube video which helps us to learn and find out about penguins. Can you remember anything about a penguin after you have watched it? Make a list of penguin facts with Mummy or Daddy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIo1giiTXCs

Have a go at some penguin crafts! The two links have ideas for creating a penguin in different ways……one with cotton wool and one using handprints!

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/852939616897172600/

https://www.gluedtomycraftsblog.com/2015/04/cotton-ball-penguin-kid-craft.html

Go on a winter walk and look at the changes outside……wrap up in your warm coat, hat and gloves.
Ride your bike or scooter and enjoy lots of exercise and fresh air!

Have fun learning together!

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September Information:

We would like to welcome all our new children and their families to the Nursery Class here at Birkdale Primary School.

We hope that this is the start of a very happy and successful partnership between home and school.

P.E day for some of the Nursery children will be Wednesday.

The children who attend at the beginning of the week (Blue group) or full time ( Red group) will have a P.E session with Mr Murphy on a Wednesday morning.
The children who attend at the end of the week (Yellow Group) will have an outdoor P.E session weather permitting.

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR CHILD IS WEARING TRAINERS/JOGGERS/LEGGINGS IN NURSERY ON A WEDNESDAY......THANK YOU!

We will be adding to this class page as the term develops so please keep checking this page from time to time.

Please look at the Nursery Newsletters as this covers more of the activities that we will be doing in the Nursery this half-term.

It is a very difficult time at the moment for everyone, however we would like to thank you for your continued support. Please remember that you are welcome to speak to a member of staff if you have any questions or alternatively you can send in a note, phone or email the school and Mrs Lucas will contact you as soon as possible.

Some website suggestions are;

www.teach your monster to read.com - phonics games

www.readingeggs.com - phonics games
(30 day free trial available)

www.mathseeds.com - maths games and activities

www.kidstv123 - phonics and maths songs

www.oxbridgebaby.com - traditional stories/nursery rhymes

www.phonicsplay.co.uk - phase 1 and 2

www.busythings.co.uk - all curriculum areas

www.topmarks.co.uk - age 3-5 - literacy and maths games

www.cbeebies.co.uk - numberblocks, alphablocks

www.phonicsbloom.com - phases 1 and 2
www.famly.com - activities to do at home
hungrylittleminds -Department for Education website
www.activeforlife.com - ideas for physical play
www.pinterest.com - lots of indoor learning activities and suggestions

www.twinkl.co.uk - this has a section for parents with some fabulous activities and resources

We also use www.youtube.co.uk to source number songs, alphabet songs and nursery rhymes.

The Jolly Phonics songs on youtube are also helpful to sing along to as we learn these in class to support our phonics activities.

Are you looking for some inspiration for different

things to do at home?

Try some of these websites for ideas.....

https://www.seftondirectory.com/kb5/sefton/directory/advice.page?id=1Vg0VbjhmNY&localofferchannel=0

A list of useful resources from Sefton council.

http://www.thesensoryprojects.co.uk/covid19-resources

This website includes plans for rhyming multi-sensory stories with Makaton and links for music activities. There are also videos on how to learn how to juggle, play boccia and making sensory dough.

https://www.mathematicsmastery.org/free-resources

Some nice English and Maths activities that you can print off at home.

https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/blog/learning-home-packs/

These are free learning packs.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/help-your-child-with-maths

This has some nice links and practical ideas for things to do.

https://www.stem.org.uk/primary-science

We know a lot of you have enjoyed your own projects at home- you could use this website to explore some more ideas for Science.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mvsc

https://www.nhs.uk/10-minute-shake-up/shake-ups

Some nice little PE based activities.

https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/bps-offers-advice-schools-parents-and-carers-help-children-through-uncertainty