Class News

Easter Holiday Ideas….

Happy Easter! We know that it’s the Easter break, but in these unprecedented times we thought that we’d continue to post some ideas of activities that you can do at home, if you choose to do so. Some of these are Easter related and others are ideas that you can continue after the Easter break.

This will be the only post for the two week Easter holidays. During this time, you can still email your child’s class teacher, although they may not respond as quickly as they have been doing.

The most important message this Easter is to have fun as a family. Read together, play outside, bake, garden, watch a movie, sing and dance. Make the most of this time together.

Easter Holiday ideas

Here are some links to a cbeebies programme called “Let’s celebrate” it show children celebrating Easter along with a child friendly reference to the Eater Story.

https://youtu.be/-qVW9IjhIlU – preparing for Easter

https://youtu.be/StlJgYF-Ki8 – celebrating Easter.

https://youtu.be/jzzr9ogygwA – The Easter Story

Watch the Cbeebies Easter programmes -Talk about what you watch with your child. Have you done any of the things that Toby has done to prepare for Easter? Have you seen any baby animals, see if your child can remember the names of the young animals from two weeks ago? Have you seen any spring flowers in the garden? Talk about their names and colours. Can the children remember painting the daffodils for their Mother’s Day cards?

Here are some activities that you may like to try over the Easter holidays.

Make an Easter egg picture? Cut out some egg shapes from paper and ask your child to decorate it. The patterns we use in Nursery for mark making are zigzag patterns, wave patterns, horizontal lines, vertical lines and circles.

Easter egg hunt – Can you child help you to think of some clues for the Easter egg hunt? Can you write their instructions for the rest of the family?

Decorate an egg – Make a hard-boiled egg and allow it to cool down. Ask your child to decorate it using coloured pens. Use a slide or create a ramp with a large box propped against a chair. Whose egg rolls the furthest?

Counting eggs – Sing the song together. Count the eggs as they hatch. Count carefully counting to each egg as it pops.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-hickety-pickety-my-red-hen/zvymd6f – Hickety Pickety my red hen.

Counting ducks – We enjoy singing this song at Nursery. Each time a duck is lost count how many are left. Use each finger to represent a duck.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p038jj3r – 5 little ducks

As always stay safe and have fun. Let’s hope that the sunshine returns!

To download the Easter Menu, please click here

Home Learning Heroes- Week 2!

Take a look at this special video of L’s past two weeks. He has been looking after butterflies. He saw a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis, helped look after them and released them into the wild. I wonder if your child can tell you what happens before a butterfly makes its chrysalis? What is it before it is a butterfly? What is it at the very start?

If you would like to make it onto the ‘Home Learning Heroes’ wall next week, please keep sending in your pictures, questions and comments:

stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org

Ambition

Mya has written her own poem all about ambition. It was a home learning task this week and it was a writing challenge set by Leeds United! If you didn’t get chance, then you can take another look at what the challenge involves here. 

3 April 2020: Home Learning

Music time!

Did your child make their own actions to the new spring song? Can your child see any signs of spring in their garden?

Literacy Activity

Use the laminated letter formation sheet handed out at parent’s evening and your whiteboard pen to practise writing each letter of the alphabet.

Letter formation

Letters that are often difficult are s,b,d,e and a. Encourage your child to practise these!

Maths

Doubling! When teaching your children to double we talk about adding the same amount again. Here is a fun doubles song your child may enjoy singing.

If you have any questions we are here to help and will respond to emails in school hours.

Enjoy family time this weekend! Don’t forget to send pictures of any activities you have enjoyed together.

Have you learnt something n

Happy Friday – you’ve made it to the end of another week of home learning.

How have you found it? What have you found the hardest and which has been your favourite part?

We’ve loved receiving emails from your grownups and seeing all the things you’ve been doing.

Before we finished a few weeks ago, Miss Beatson gave the staff the challenge to learn something new. A long time ago, I started to learn the piano but I definitely haven’t practised in a long, long time!

So my challenge to myself is to learn to play the piano better – this was day one of me practising and this is day two – hopefully getting better! Now, it didn’t just take two videos to improve… there were lots of videos and lots of practise in between…

Don’t forget to email us with the things you have been doing and learning – we love receiving them.

beckyrowley@spherefederation.org / kerensawelsby@spherefederation.org

Brain Breaks!

We have used imoves at school during PE sessions and in the classroom. There are some great resources to use and they are now free to use at home. I particularly like the Active Blasts when I need a break from my laptop! I enjoy getting up on my feet and following the routines. I have also liked using  the Mindfulness resources especially during these uncertain times. These videos relax my body and block any negative thoughts entering my mind. Take a look at their website and try some of the videos at home – I am sure some parents will have a go too!

We hope you are all staying safe and enjoying your home learning tasks.
Remember…

2 April 2020: Home Learning

Phonics Activity: Phoneme spotter story- draw a circle around every use of the phoneme ‘ure’ (see page 21 of your home learning pack) How many times did you spot it?

Phonics

Did your child enjoy reading the phoneme or tricky word spotter story today? If so, there are plenty more on Twinkl. Just search ‘Story spotters Phase 3’.

Twinkl are offering parents and carers free access to thousands of resources, so you can select your own activities based on your child’s interests too.

“Setting this up is really easy to do – go to www.twinkl.co.uk/offer and enter the code UKTWINKLHELPS”

Literacy

Was your child able to draw a story map? Please email photos or comments to:

stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org

Here is an example of what your child’s story map may look like.

Maths

Did your child find the missing numbers?

In Foundation 2, we focus on numbers to twenty throughout the year to get a depth of understanding of what the numbers really mean.

If you have any questions we are here to help and will respond to emails in school hours.

Roman Mosaics

Hi children,

We looked at making our own Roman mosaics, but sadly didn’t get the opportunity to do so in school. So Mrs Cairnes and her son decided to make some of their own at home. Has anyone else had a go at creating a mosaic?

Foundation’s Rainbows

Inspired by Leo’s kind gifting of rainbow paintings in his neighbourhood, Foundation have been sending in their rainbow creations-a sign of hope and positivity.

We hope Foundation’s rainbows bring happiness and smiles to your day!

The dreamgiver

Hi children,

How did you get on with your dreamgiver task? Don’t forget to share any pictures with us all. Here’s Leah hard at work creating her dreamgiver!