Author: Mr Roundtree

Our weekly message (02 October 2020)

This week, we’ll kick off with two thank you messages…

Thank you to so many of you who responded to Monday’s message encouraging you to wear a face mask when dropping off and collecting your child from school – it was really good to see the positive response to this so quickly. We’ve tried as best we can to manage the movement of people in and out of school – we’ve got staggered start and end times, for example. Even so, there are still times when there are lots of adults nearby. Wearing a mask can help protect the wearer, and others around. We encourage you to wear a mask when you drop your child off at school and when you collect them at the end of the school day.

Thank you for helping to keep our attendance so high. For the month of September, our attendance rate was 96.8%. The figures don’t include children absent due to the virus (the Department for Education doesn’t require this); nevertheless, this figure is still really encouraging – please keep it up.

Talking of attendance… There’s so much information (and misinformation!) all the time about whether your child should be attending school. The government has produced this letter about when you should book a test for your child.

In addition, here’s a guide from Leeds which might help to support you when deciding if your child should be at school or not:

And linked to attendance… This BBC article about self-isolation is worth a read. It helps to explain self-isolation. The last section is especially useful – it explains the rules for schools:

If someone in a school tests positive, they must be sent home to self-isolate for 14 days. The school will then contact their local public health protection team, who will advise on who else should be sent home. Anyone who has been in close contact with the person testing positive, will be advised to self-isolate for 14 days from their last date of contact.
Sadly in one of our Sphere Federation schools, we’ve had to send a small group of pupils home based on a Covid-19 incident. Thankfully, the advice from the Department for Education (no longer the local health protection team, as stated in the BBC article) was clear and helpful.
If your child does have to stay at home whilst waiting for a test or to self-isolate, you can access home learning for them.

Graphic showing how a family should self-isolate in the same house

Mask up

This morning was the first of the autumn/winter season when I had some frost on my car windscreen. It was also the first morning standing at the gate that I noticed water vapour from my breath (read this article with your child about ‘seeing’ your breath on a cold morning).

It’s that second observation that made me think even more about the importance of wearing a mask, even when outside if there are other people nearby.

The water vapour from my breath seemed to spread quite a distance. If that’s the case, the virus might also spread quite a distance as we breathe.

I’m not making any scientific conclusions about coronavirus here. What I am doing is encouraging you to consider wearing a mask as you drop off and collect your child.

At school, we’ve tried as best we can to create some one-way systems. Even so, there are still times when there are lots of adults nearby. Wearing a mask can help protect the wearer, and others around.

Week beginning 28 September 2020

Hi everyone

We’re really missing you in school and we can’t wait to have you back. We hope you’re managing to stay happy, healthy and safe while you’re not with us here in school. You are still very much a part of our school community so please get in touch with us. Your class teacher’s email address can be found at the bottom of this post.

Maths

This week’s maths learning is linked to place value.

Year 3 children use these resources:

Year 4 children use these resources:

You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.

Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. If your child is in Y3, we’re concentrating on the 2s, 5s and 10s times table. If your child is in Y4, we’re concentrating on the 3 times table. Email the class teacher if you need your child’s login and password details.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)

Spelling

Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. Your child should complete one task each day.

  • Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text, like a website linked to our science topic of Living Things and their Habitat.
  • Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies guide. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
  • Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
  • Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
  • Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.

(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)

Reading fluency

This is the text we’re using in class this week to build up fluency skills. You could also check out this video for a tribute to Jane Goodall for some more information.

In school, we generally follow this sequence:

  • Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
  • Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
  • Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
  • Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
  • Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.

(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)

Reading comprehension

Day 1: We’ll be using this ‘RIC’ text in class to practise comprehension skills. RIC stands for:

  • Retrieve: finding information in a text
  • Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
  • Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read

Day 2: Agree with your child three words from any text they’ve read which they’re less familiar with. Your child should find out what they mean (eg by checking an online dictionary or simply discuss with you) and how to use them in sentences (both when speaking and when writing). Challenge your child to write a sentence with each word in, or to drop the words into conversations at home.

Day 3: Read this article from First News, a newspaper for children, and complete the activity.

Day 4: Read your fluency or RIC text again. Next, do one of the following:

  • Your child could list at least ten facts they’ve read in the text. (If it’s a fiction text (a story), then the facts would be based on the story, like ‘Harry Potter picked up his broomstick’, rather than actual facts from the real world.)
  • Your child could create questions and answers for what they’ve read. (For example, it could be a TV or radio interview based on what they’ve read.)
  • Your child could create their own ‘RIC’ questions.
  • Your child could draw and label a character or setting that they’ve read about.

Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this sheet.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)

Writing

Activity 1: Your child should practise skills they’ve learnt recently by using the following sequence:

Task 1:

  • define adverbs (BBC Bitesize can help if you’re unsure)
  • list different examples of adverbs
  • find and highlight adverbs in this text which we’ve read in class (or in a book you’re reading at home)

Task 2:

  • write sentences, each with a different adverb.

Task 3:

  • write a short piece of writing about making something (a sandwich, a paper plane, a Lego toy – anything you like) using lots of adverbs.

Activity 2:

Children should write six sentences about a picture or photograph you choose. Your child should remember capital letters, finger spaces, joined up letters (use our handwriting guide to help, paying particular attention to tall letters and letters that go beneath the line), and a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?) to end the sentence. Encourage interesting words to make their writing more interesting.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)

Topic

This week’s topic learning is linked to our class novel and is all about art.

In school, we’ll start by finding out about watercolour painting. Read this text and answer these questions.

Then, if you have some, have a go at using some watercolours. There are loads of guides and videos online if you need some help. If you don’t have watercolours, don’t worry. We just want you to practise your art skills. You could do this by practising colouring (and even blending colours) using coloured pencils. If you have some poster paint, practise mixing this to make a range of colours. If you only have a pencil, that’s fine, too. Practise shading or draw yourself as though you are going to be in a picture book.

(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)

Science  

We’re learning about living things and their habitats. This week, we’re focusing on how we can classify animals.

This BBC Bitesize lesson will really help to support learning at home.

(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)

Please do get in touch, our email address is stjamesy3y4@spherefederation.org Both Mrs Welsby and Mrs Rowley will check this email address and one person will reply.

 

 

Our weekly message (25 September 2020)

When the Government planned their guidance for the full return for schools in September, it was on the basis that Covid-19 would be contained effectively, with their Test, Track and Trace system up and running effectively. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Schools across the country are having to close bubbles far earlier than had been anticipated. This week, the BBC news site reported that ‘The number of schools in England sending home groups of pupils because of Covid-19 incidents has quadrupled in a week’. We’ve been fortunate enough not to have to do this yet, but I suspect it may only be a matter of time before we do. (In fact, the National Schools Commissioner predicted yesterday that partial closures ‘will continue until we have a vaccine’.)

Just as important are the numbers of individual children who are staying at home to self-isolate. If the testing service was working better, this wouldn’t be too much of a problem, but sadly we’re seeing children absent for four or more days while they wait for test results – all negative so far, thankfully, but the wait is just too long. That means we’re having to rush ahead with home learning provision.

Our new home learning page sets out learning for the week ahead. New content will be published by 08.30 on Mondays. The teacher isn’t available to prepare recorded lessons because they have a class to teach in school, so we’re using a mix of learning activities that are linked to what’s happening in class:

  • online lessons such as those from White Rose Maths (which we often use in class, so the teaching and learning should be very familiar), Oak National Academy, and BBC Bitesize
  • activities and ideas that link to some direct activities in class
  • some more general activities that will be familiar to your child, such as ‘RIC’ (retrieve, interpret, choice), reading fluency and Time Tables Rock Stars

Like you, we’re learning about the process as we go along. Things aren’t perfect but we’re trying hard to get things right as quickly as we can.

A free school meal while self-isolating

Your child is entitled to free school meals for two circumstances:

  • for financial reasons, or
  • your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 and are therefore entitled to universal infant free school meals

In either situation, your child can have a free ‘grab bag’ lunch provided whilst they’re isolating at home – you just need to make sure you can collect the lunch from school. Please let us know if you want to do this.

More guidance about Covid-19

Public Health England has produced a letter for parents which explains when a person requires a coronavirus test and what the symptoms of coronavirus are. The intention of the letter is to help prevent children being taken out of school unnecessarily and answer some of the questions parents may have around testing.

Last week, we provided you with this information already: this guide sets out nine different scenarios if your child, or someone in the household, has symptoms of Covid-19. The guide tells you what you need to do and when your child should come back to school.

25 September 2020

This week, please learn the following spellings ready to be tested on Friday 02 October. There are many ways to practise these, for example:

  • Rainbow write (write them in many different colours)
  • Speed write (how many times can you write a word in a minute)
  • Pyramid write (write one letter, then two, then three etc till you’ve written the whole word)
  • Look, cover, write

 

again after Christmas clothes
sugar sure water father

 

25 September 2020

This week, our homework is Talk Time: I can use the 8Rs to help me learn.

In school, we use the 8Rs for learning: ready, responsive, risk-taking, responsibility, resourceful, resilient, reflect and remember.

We’d like the children to discuss what these words mean to them. Below is a list of questions that might help with your discussion.

  • How do the 8 Rs help you in school?
  • When have you used the 8 Rs outside of school?
  • How could you explain the meaning of each word in the 8 Rs?
  • Which 8 R do you think you use the most?
  • Which 8 R could you use more often?
  • How could you use the 8 Rs at home?

Homework should be completed by Thursday 01 October 2020 and will be reviewed / celebrated in class. Please send any completed homework to Mrs Rowley ( stjamesy3y4@spherefederation.org )

 

Times tables

 If you want some quick fire practise, head to https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button .   Use the sheet to practise the times table you’ve been given.

 

Super scientists

This week, we have started our topic “Living things and their habitats”.

We started learning about classification – we sorted ourselves into different groups such has fair hair/dark hair, has a pet/doesn’t have a pet and has a cardigan on/has a jumper on/has just a t-shirt on. We loved running around and classifying ourselves into groups in the hall.

 

We then used this knowledge to classify animals into our own groups. We had groups with legs/no legs, reptiles/lives in water/lives in the forest/lives on land.

Our two new vocab words this lesson were invertebrae (doesn’t have a backbone) and verterbrae (has a backbone). So we then sorted our animals into these two groups.

Week beginning 21 September 2020

Maths

This week’s maths learning is linked to addition for year 5 and ordering and comparing numbers for year 6.

Year 5 children: These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class. The worksheets and answers for each lesson are here.

Year 6 children: These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class. The worksheets and answers for each lesson are here.

You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.

Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. We’re concentrating on the 2, 5, 10 times tables. Email the class teacher if you need your child’s login and password details.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)

Spelling

Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. Your child should complete one task each day.

  • Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. (You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text.)
  • Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies guide. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
  • Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
  • Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
  • Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.

(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)

Reading fluency

This is the text Year 5 could use at home this week to build up fluency skills.

This is the text Year 6 could use at home this week to build up fluency skills.

In school, we generally follow this sequence:

  • Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
  • Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
  • Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
  • Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
  • Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.

(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)

Reading comprehension

Day 1: Year 5 children could use this ‘RIC’ text in class to practise comprehension skills (See the fluency text above). Year 6 could use this ‘RIC’ text in class to practise comprehension skills.

RIC stands for:

  • Retrieve: finding information in a text
  • Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
  • Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read

Day 2: Agree with your child three words from any text they’ve read which they’re less familiar with. Your child should find out what they mean (eg by checking an online dictionary or simply discuss with you) and how to use them in sentences (both when speaking and when writing). Challenge your child to write a sentence with each word in, or to drop the words into conversations at home.

Day 3: Read this article from First News, a newspaper for children, and complete the activity.

Day 4: Read your fluency or RIC text again. Next, do one of the following:

  • Your child could list at least ten facts they’ve read in the text. (If it’s a fiction text (a story), then the facts would be based on the story, like ‘Harry Potter picked up his broomstick’, rather than actual facts from the real world.)
  • Your child could create questions and answers for what they’ve read. (For example, it could be a TV or radio interview based on what they’ve read.)
  • Your child could create their own ‘RIC’ questions.
  • Your child could draw and label a character or setting that they’ve read about.

Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)

Writing

Activity 1: This video lesson about relative clauses from Oak Academy links to some of the learning that we’ve been doing in class recently. Watch the video and write some of your own sentences using relative clauses.

Activity 2:

Children should write six sentences about a picture or photograph you choose. Your child should remember capital letters, finger spaces, joined up letters (use our handwriting guide to help, paying particular attention to tall letters and letters that go beneath the line), and a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?) to end the sentence. Encourage interesting words to make their writing more interesting.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)

Science   

We’re learning about classification. This BBC Bitesize lesson will really help to support learning at home.

(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)

Week beginning 21 September 2020

Maths

This week’s maths learning is linked to place value.

Year 3 children: These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class. The worksheets and answers for each lesson are here.

Year 4 children: These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class. The worksheets and answers for each lesson are here.

You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.

Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. We’re concentrating on the 10 times table. Email the class teacher if you need your child’s login and password details.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)

Spelling

Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. Your child should complete one task each day.

  • Day 1: Read the words aloud and think of which words are trickiest. Find out what a word means if you are unsure.
  • Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies guide. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
  • Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
  • Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
  • Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.

(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)

Reading fluency

Use this text at home to build up fluency skills.

In school, we generally follow this sequence:

  • Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
  • Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
  • Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
  • Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
  • Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.

(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)

Reading comprehension

Day 1: At home, try using this ‘RIC’ text to practise comprehension skills. RIC stands for:

  • Retrieve: finding information in a text
  • Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
  • Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read

Day 2: Agree with your child three words from any text they’ve read which they’re less familiar with. Your child should find out what they mean (eg by checking an online dictionary or simply discuss with you) and how to use them in sentences (both when speaking and when writing). Challenge your child to write a sentence with each word in, or to drop the words into conversations at home.

Day 3: Read this article from First News, a newspaper for children, and complete the activity.

Day 4: Read your fluency or RIC text again. Next, do one of the following:

  • Your child could list at least ten facts they’ve read in the text. (If it’s a fiction text (a story), then the facts would be based on the story, like ‘Harry Potter picked up his broomstick’, rather than actual facts from the real world.)
  • Your child could create questions and answers for what they’ve read. (For example, it could be a TV or radio interview based on what they’ve read.)
  • Your child could create their own ‘RIC’ questions.
  • Your child could draw and label a character or setting that they’ve read about.

Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this sheet.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)

Writing

Activity 1: Your child should practise skills they’ve learnt recently by using the following sequence:

Task 1:

  • define what a verb is
  • list different examples of verbs
  • find and highlight verbs in this text which we’ve read in class (or in a book you’re reading at home)

Task 2:

  • write sentences, each with a different verb.

Task 3:

  • write a short piece of writing about where you would go if you could fly, using lots of verbs.

Activity 2:

Children should write six sentences about a picture or photograph you choose. Your child should remember capital letters, finger spaces, joined up letters (use our handwriting guide to help, paying particular attention to tall letters and letters that go beneath the line), and a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?) to end the sentence. Encourage interesting words to make their writing more interesting.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)

Science   

We’re learning about living things and their habitats. This Oak Academy video lesson will really help to support learning at home.

(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)

Week beginning 21 September 2020

Maths

This week’s maths learning is linked to place value and counting.

Year 1 children: These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class. The Y1 worksheets and answers are here.

Year 2 children: These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class. The Y2 worksheets and answers are here.

You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.

Year 2s can practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. Email the class teacher if you need your child’s login and password details.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)

Spelling

Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. Your child should complete one task each day.

  • Day 1: Write the words and draw shapes round them to show the ascenders and descenders. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
  • Day 2: Write the words using rainbow writing. (Try some of the other activities in our Some super spelling strategies)
  • Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
  • Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
  • Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.

(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)

Reading fluency

Use this text to build up fluency skills.

In school, we generally follow this sequence:

  • Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
  • Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
  • Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
  • Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
  • Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.

(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)

Reading comprehension and phonics

Day 1: Use this ‘RIC’ text in class to practise comprehension skills. RIC stands for:

  • Retrieve: finding information in a text
  • Interpret: using clues in the text or pictures to unlock information
  • Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read

Day 2: Agree with your child three words from any text they’ve read which they’re less familiar with. Your child should find out what they mean (eg by checking an online dictionary or simply discuss with you) and how to use them in sentences (both when speaking and when writing). Challenge your child to write a sentence with each word in, or to drop the words into conversations at home.

Day 3: This video lesson from BBC Bitesize links to the phonics sound ‘ch’. Watch the video and complete the activities.

Day 4: Go on a sound hunt around your house and find as many things as you can that contain the phonics sound ‘ch’. Write a list of all the things you find. Challenge : Write sentences containing some of the words.

Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. You can read the books you take home from school or some of your own books.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)

Writing

Activity 1:

Year 1 children: Talk to your child about a picture or photograph you choose. Write three words or phrases to label different things in the picture (eg ‘a car’ or ‘a red car’). Your child should aim to spell in a sensible way and use finger spaces between the words, joining up letters if they can (use our handwriting guide to help).

Year 2 children: Write three sentences about a picture or photograph you choose. Your child should remember capital letters, finger spaces, joining up letters if they can (use our handwriting guide to help), and a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?) to end the sentence.

Activity 2:

Finger strengthening activities support the development of fine motor skills needed for writing.

Challenge your child to have a go at 3 or more of these activities: practise tying shoe laces, fasten and unfasten buttons, attach nuts and bolts, separate dried pasta and dried peas (or similar) into two separate piles, do some mindfulness colouring in, do a jigsaw, cut up drinking straws and thread them on to a shoe lace, attach clothes pegs (the squeezable type) to a shoe box or similar, use a paint brush and water to make pictures or words on a wall, chalk words or pictures on the ground, make a Lego model.

(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)

Topic

Get arty with topic learning at home. This video lesson from BBC Bitesize will really help to support learning at home. After watching the video, have a go at making your own piece of art using things you find in your house or garden.

(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)

Science   

We’re learning about habitats. This BBC Bitesize lesson will really help to support learning at home. Go on a habitat hunt in your house or garden and identify the animals or plants that live there.

(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)