Our Half-Term overview is based on “Space and Colour”

Most of the activities in this home learning pack are mirroring what we are doing in school.

In Literacy we are focusing on the stories of:

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?
• Polar Bear Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
• The Blue Balloon

In maths we will focus on sorting according to size, colour or item and then will move onto comparing weights in terms of heavy or light.

In science we will be exploring the senses, focusing on a different sense each week.

As always, if you want some print outs of activities or PECS symbols sent to you please let me know.

Don’t forget to send us your photographs via Twitter or email of all your hard work and the fun activities you are doing at home!

Monday

       

Literacy – Click the symbol – Mark making 

We have been focusing on mark making with different tools in class e.g. pens, chalks, paint and writing in sand. Click the symbol to find some examples of marks you can print off and use with your child.

In school we are mark making in sand and also mark making with chalks on a tuff spot.

Encourage your child to make marks on paper with pens, crayons or chalks.  Encourage horizontal, vertical and circular marks.  Draw alongside or with your child.  You could try to make a picture together.  Celebrate the marks they make and if your child is able encourage them to tell you what they are drawing

 

Numeracy – Click the symbol – Singing hands songs

• Use ppt attached for your child to choose which songs they would like to join in with

Focus on your child being able to make a clear choice of song.
Are they starting to anticipate certain parts of the songs or attempt any signs?

 

Self-care – Click the symbol 

Follow the self-care sheet on songs and activities (most songs are sung to the tune of “Here we go round the Mulberry Bush”)

If your child struggles with some activities e.g. hair brushing, try encouraging them to brush a dolls hair or only try one brush of their hair.

-Promote upper body, facial and oral awareness. Develop independence in self-care activities.
 

Tuesday

         

Literacy – Click the symbol 

We are revisiting the story of ’The Blue Balloon’ by Mick Inkpen this week. (You can also see Louise reading this story below.)

If you have balloons at home, use them to illustrate parts of the story.

Use the pencil control sheets from last week for your child to follow the lines.

Focus on your child being able to broadly follow the line.  Please could you note on the recording sheet if your child needed help with this and what hand they used to hold the pencil.

Use the adjective cards included. Can your child copy what is on the card with their balloon or some play dough or just with body actions?

Focus on your child being able to copy your actions or make their own using the cards as guides.

Create some balloon printing pictures using partially blown balloons and paint.

Numeracy

We are continuing to focus on sorting items according to colour ensuring that the children can sort colours but also are beginning to recognise them and where appropriate make colour choices.

Gather some items from around your house or your child’s toys e.g. duplo, cotton reels, crayons etc.  Can your child sort them into colour groups?

At school the children are gaining confidence in sorting colours.

Try to move your child on by asking them to give you a coloured item when they have sorted (to put in a box).  If they can manage passing you one colour, ask for 2 colours or even 3 e.g. “Give me a red and a blue peg”

Revisit the colour lotto boards from last week (whichever are best suited to your child) for your child to match the pictures from one board onto the other.  You can use the coloured squares to help show a visual prompt to your child when they are giving you colours.

See if your child can copy the Duplo brick colour patterns included.

Begin with your child finding the same colour item that you hold up. Then focus on whether your child can sort colours into 2,3 or 4 different colour groups.  If you held 2 items and asked pick ‘red’ could they do it? 

 

Art 

We are focusing on Chinese New Year this week.  Look the power point on Chinese New Year with your child.

Create a cherry blossom picture using finger painting on the picture.

Create a paper lantern from the template provided and let your child decorate as they want.

Focus on your child making choices of colour and shape for their artwork.

Encourage them to choose where they want to stick items it on the card.

 

Wednesday

             

Literacy – Name matching recognition.

Linking in with Chinese New Year, I have sent home your child’s name in Chinese for them to trace over.

If you have magnetic letters encourage your child to find the letters of their name (they may need their name written out for them to have an idea of letters to find)

Try to encourage your child this week to go round the house and find objects that begin with the initial letter of their name.

 

Numeracy 

We are beginning to explore weight in class – ‘heavy’ and ‘light’.

Look again at the ppt on ‘weighing’.

Encourage your child where able to read or ‘fill in the gaps’ of the repetitive text

Collect items from around the house to sort into ‘heavy’ and ‘light’ e.g. tins, teddies, socks, bricks, a sponge etc. Use the labels provided to sort the items into two piles.

Encourage your child to explore and sort the items

Make a simple set of balance scales out of a coat hanger, string and 2 buckets/bowls.  Hang on a door handle or hook.

Encourage your child to explore which of 2 items is heavier/lighter.  Can your child make the scales balance?

Sensory Science –  Click the symbol

We are looking at the senses this term in science activities. I have included a ppt that has songs about colours and the senses.  Begin by encouraging your child to choose some of these.

This week we are focusing on the sense of taste.

• Have different foods for your child to taste. Can they sort into ‘nice’ or ‘yucky’?
• Give your child some fruit and vegetables to chop up and explore.

Focus on the colour of the food, what it looks like inside, can you see the pips/seeds etc

• Make fruit smoothies at home for your child.
• Cut and stick the food pairs together (sheet provided)

 

Thursday

          

Literacy – (Communication and turn taking skills)

We have been focusing on communication at the child’s own level at school.  Focus on turn taking games with your child. Use activities such as ‘bubbles’, ball runs, a ball to pass to each other, toy cars, building blocks, completing puzzles together etc.  Involve siblings, other family members in the house if possible.

–Focus on taking turns with items e.g. roll the ball to each other, blowing bubbles to one child and then the next.  Use language such as “My turn”, “Your turn” etc.

– Ask your child if they want ‘more’ using signing and words.  Accept attempt at sign, gesture or vocalisation as a request for more.

 

Numeracy – Click the symbol (Number songs) Working on making choices and joining in with songs at child’s own level. Showing anticipation of what is coming next in the song

• Use the number songs ppt for your child to choose songs to sing.
• Alternatively – make up some number box songs with objects/toys from around the house e.g. plastic ducks for 5 little ducks, ‘actimel’ yoghurt pots for 5 green (white!) bottles, teddy bears for 5 in the bed, toys animals for old Mc Donald’s Farm etc. At school we keep the props in boxes but you could use cloth bags instead.

 Focus on your child anticipating an item being taken away/making an animal sound etc.
 Encourage your child to remove the item at the appropriate time

Body Awareness – Click the symbol – Body awareness, anticipation, movement.

• Stretches (if your child has these).
• Make a circuit around your house or garden – use balls, beanbags, table to crawl under etc. as appropriate.
• Use the All About Me topic songs ppt for the children to choose songs to sing and dance along to.

 

Friday

           

Body Awareness –  (Sensory Music)

• Use the ppt attached along with resources suggested to have a sensory communication session with your child. (Due to the fie size this is split into 2 parts)
• Click here for part 1
• Click here for part 2 

Look to develop skills of anticipation, interaction and communication.
 

Numeracy – (Number Activities)

• Use shape sorters, building blocks, threading activities to work with your child at their level
• Collect items from around the house to count together – judge by your child if you need 1-3 items to count or 1-5 items e.g. 1 teddy, 2 spoons, 3 bricks etc. Make labels of numbers 1-5 to match to the set.
• To extend the activity, you could try sorting the items into sets first with your child.
• I have provided some number formation cards for you to try with your child.

Encourage your child to point with you as you count
Can they make a sound/ gesture or anticipate that you are going to say the next number?

 

Relaxing Sensory Activities  – To awaken the senses and develop preferences through exploring different textures.

The children enjoy this relaxing session in the week.  We play calming music (Google – relaxation kids as an example!) and get the foot-spas out for some massage.  Some children like this session to engage in sand play or sensory choose with edible items such as jelly or cereal.  It may just be a nice time to play together with toys of your child’s choice.

This week in class we are exploring Chinese foods in class.  Cook up some rice and noodles for your child to explore.

Can they pick up the food using chopsticks ?(If you have some)

We will also have playdough available in class to for the children to play with.  There are lots of easy homemade playdough recipes online.