Home Learning Opportunities

20^th April-1^st May 2020

Here are our recommended activities for this week which are linked to our story of the week above. Hope you enjoy 😊

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

1. Farm animal play- Set up some animals and a farm (if you have them) and play with your child encouraging them to take turns with you or a sibling, whilst using the toys. You could even get creative and make your own farm using toys or resources you have available in the house. E.g. cardboard or wooden blocks.
2. Animal feelings game-At this age, your child is beginning to be aware of others’ feelings and may look concerned if another child is crying etc so this is a great game to play with them. Show your child the cards and ask if the animal looks happy or sad? Try to encourage them to repeat those key words so that they are able to recognise these emotions. You could ask them direct questions, such as, “Which one looks happy?”

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XVd9bwOZdvWWrRjllIGbyl9nKlT8DYn4/view#

Mathematics

1. Sorting Activity- Using three different types of toys, for example, Lego, animals and happy land people, encourage your child to sort them into three different piles. Use language such as “Where does this go?” This will help them to begin to organise and categorise objects. The key is to see if they can match the toys to the correct pile.

   2.Animal structures- Using lego, help your child to make an animal -they could make a ladybird, sheep, cow         or chicken!

  3.Counting songs- Sing some of your child’s favourite nursery rhymes whilst teaching them how to count.           Some of these include ‘1,2,3,4,5, once I caught a fish alive’, ‘Five little speckled frogs’ and ‘Five little ducks.’

Literacy

1. Reading the story of the week- if you have a copy of the book, this will be great to share and read with your child. If not, there is an interactive version available on YouTube (see link below.) This book includes lots of animals and the sounds they make, so ask your child to see if they can repeat the sounds and maybe do some of the actions of the animas too.

https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=what+the+lady+beard+heard+interactive+story#id=3&vid=fb773c84941b002f33a6b1c9207eccb6&action=click

2. Animal role play- whilst reading the story, you could act out some of the animal noises using some teddy bears or soft animas you have around the house. See if your child can join in. This will engage your child and help them to love story time as much as we do.

3. Words of the week- our words of the week are ‘Ladybird’ and ‘Flower.’ Encourage your child to say these words and you could also use pictures to help them identify what they are. You could even try to find them in the garden or out on a daily walk.

Understanding the World

1. Minibeast hunt- Explore your garden or a wooded area to see which insects you can find.  See if you can spot a lady bird or butterfly 😊. Maybe, even try to catch one in a plastic tub so you can investigate it further. Name the insect with your child and see if you can count how many legs it has or what colour it is.
2. Music play- Using toy instruments or pots and pans, see if you can start a band in your garden. In Nursery, we teach an activity called ‘Steady Beat,’ where we use buckets (or pots and pans would work) turned upside down so the children can tap and hit them along to a beat. See if they can copy you tapping out a beat. See if they can use their different body parts such as feet, elbows or fingers. Doing this along to your favourite songs is great fun!

  3. Tidy up time-After all of that fun, ask your child to help put away their toys as this helps them to                remember where things belong. It is also great for their listening skills and helps them to follow routines          and boundaries.

Communication and Language

1. Farm Animal Game-Using farm animal toys or pictures see if your child can identify the animals and the sounds they make. Ask questions such as “Where is the sheep?” and “What sound does it make?”

2. Listening game-Using the video link below ask your child to listen to the sound of the animal and see if they can tell you which animal it is.

 https://youtu.be/o0MlkoMizmY

3. Word game- Encourage your child to start to put two words together such as ‘big sheep’ or ‘little chick.’ You can do this throughout the day or whilst playing with them.

Physical Development

1. Handwriting practice- Inside of our story, the ladybird leaves a wiggly trail behind her and this is what you and your child can attempt to draw. Wiggly, straight, zigzag lines and circles provide good practice for writing in the future and help your child to perfect their pencil grip.
2. Animal poses-See if your child can act out different animal poses and movements whether it be monkey actions or being an elephant. This will help your child to be able to move in different ways and support them becoming steadier on their feet.
3. Fancy dress-If you have any fancy dress costumes, this would be a perfect time to encourage your child to start to dress themselves or help with putting the costumes on. They love to dress up in Buttercups’ class and have lots of fun.  

Expressive Arts and Design

1. Sheep collage- Collage is a great activity to help your child enjoy the marks they make and to become creative. See if you can draw a sheep, then use cotton wool for the fur and googly eyes (if you have them.) Allow your child to use the glue stick and glue on the cotton wool themselves.

https://activitybucket.com/creative-crafts/cotton-wool-sheep

https://fromabcstoacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Cotton-Ball-Sheep-Printable.png

2. Painting a fence- Buttercups love this simple outdoor activity where they have a small pot filled with water and a paintbrush. They paint the fence or a wall which will help them with their fine and gross motor skills.

3. Dancing to music-This can be done inside or out. Part of this learning objective is that they are able to move their whole bodies to music that they like. So, put on some favourite tunes or sing some nursery rhymes (such as Old MacDonald) and have a good boogie!