Welcome to Lion Class

Our teacher is called Jane and our teaching assistant are called Pam (HLTA), Emily, Sue, Becky and Susan.

The children in Lion Class follow the new 'SPARKLE CURRICULUM'

Sparkle curriculum is delivered in a multi-sensory, creative way which will enable pupils to access learning using their senses through a holistic approach. It has been designed for our pupils with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) who require specialised management for physical disabilities, sensory impairments and complex medical needs.

The SPARKLE CURRICULUM is:

· MOTIVATING Our pupils learn when they are interested, stimulated and engaged.

· RELEVANT It is relevant to the learning styles of the pupils and takes into account their prior knowledge and learning needs.

· CHALLENGING All teaching staff have high and realistic expectations of the pupils and with specialised, inclusive teaching — progress is evident.

· FOCUSED Shared targets from EHCP, physiotherapists, SALT etc. are central to the pupils provision.

Sparkle curriculum is predominantly made up of sensory themed learning and therapeutic activities. More time will be spent on more beneficial, holistic and individualised activities e.g.  positioning in specialised equipment, visual stimulation, hand and finger work (exploration – sensory play), therapies (hydrotherapy, rebound therapy etc), movement, relaxation, Tac Pac, story massage etc.

Important Dates

Friday 20th March 2020 - The government has asked parents and carers to keep their children at home safe, wherever possible to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Monday 23rd March 2020 - Springwell School will remain open only for a limited amount of children who absolutely need to attend. We will provide care only for children who are vulnerable and for children whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.  

I just wanted to say thank you so much for your support during this worrying and difficult time. Your child has been fantastic!

Hope you all have a great summer! Hopefully, we will all be back to school on Wednesday 2^nd September 2020, providing it is safe to do so.

Take Care and Stay Safe!

Jane, Pam,  Emily, Sue and Susan

Week Beginning – 13.07.20 - Week 17

(LION CLASS IS WORKING FROM HOME THIS WEEK)

Crocodile Tea

Let the children watch the story: ‘Crocodile Tea’. It is about a greedy crocodile who lives in the jungle and invites the other animals over for tea. Click on this link the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax0OlOshER8

Here are a few suggested activities related to this story that you can do with your child at home if they wish:

• Identify all the different animals/characters in the story.
• Read the story again and look closely how the crocodile attracted each animal to come to tea. For example; he offered ants to the anteater, he offered honey to the bees etc.
• Watch the song: ‘Ten Little Crocodiles’ by clicking on this link: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=crocodile+action+songs+preschool&&view=detail&mid=3D13D67E25A79A3034633D13D67E25A79A303463&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dcrocodile%2Baction%2Bsongs%2Bpreschool%26%26FORM%3DVDVVXX Support the children to move their arms together repetitively and say: ‘snap, snap, snap!’
• Watch the following educational film about crocodiles by clicking in this link: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=All+About+Crocodiles+for+Kids&&view=detail&mid=11367A55E7909C9F98FB11367A55E7909C9F98FB&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DAll%2BAbout%2BCrocodiles%2Bfor%2BKids%26Form%3DVDRSCL%26%3D0
• Support the children to draw a picture of a crocodile. Make sure you draw the crocodiles powerful jaws and sharp teeth.

Week Beginning – 06.07.20 - Week 16

(SCHOOL IS OPEN THIS WEEK FOR LION CLASS)

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Hello everyone!

Let the children watch this story by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGI-4MrC_b8  Here are a few suggested activities related to this story that you can do with your child at home if they wish:

• Discuss the choices and actions of the characters. For example, Goldilocks went into a stranger’s house. Was that a good idea? Why not? Should she have gone into someone’s house without their permission? Talk about the importance of saying sorry. Discuss how the bears felt/reacted to what Goldilocks did. Why? How would you feel? What do you think Goldilocks should say to the three Bears and why?
• If you have some face paints in the house, you could paint your child’s face like a bear so they can become a bear themselves. Encourage them to look in the mirror at their face. How do they respond?
• Can you make some bear foot prints? Cut a potato in half and using a knife, carefully carve out the shape of a bear’s foot print. Dip it into some brown paint and press it onto some plain white paper. Do the children notice the marks they have made?

• Nature Walk - Goldilocks and the Three Bears was set in a forest. If possible, go for a walk in the woods. What can you see? hear? smell? Did you see any other animals in the woods? When in woods, read the story again to your child.
• Read the children some other traditional tales and books about bears, books about food etc.

Week Beginning – 29.06.20 - Week 15

(LION CLASS IS WORKING FROM HOME THIS WEEK)

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Let the children watch the story: ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’. Click on this link for the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T84dax2MDPg

Here are a few suggested activities related to this story that you can do with your child at home if they wish:

• Sensory Science – (Different Kinds of Bears) Look online and show your child some high quality photographs of different types of real bears e.g. polar bears, panda bears, grizzly bears etc. and discuss how they look the same and how they are different. Talk about what a bear looks like, where they live and what they eat.
• Here are some interesting facts about bears to help you.

Bear Facts:

Bears are large, heavyset mammals with fur and very short tails. 
Bears vary in size and colours.
Bears are very strong. 
Male bears are called boars or he-bears and female bears are called sows or she-bears. 
Baby bears are called cubs. 
Bear homes are called dens. 
Bears are wild animals. 
Bears usually walk on all four feet, moving both legs on one side of their body at the same time (ambling). 
Bears sometimes stand upright. 
Bears mark trails and trees along their trail by rubbing against the trees with their bodies,

scratching them with their claws, or making marks with their teeth. 
Bears are omnivores. They eat animals and plants.

Their favourite food: berries, honey, fish, leaves, nuts, rodents, insects, and frogs.
Panda bears eat bamboo. 
Polar bears eat seals, sea birds, fish, and crabs. 
Bears love to sleep in caves or between rocks to use as a den. 
Bears sleep during the winter months to avoid the extreme cold. 
Bears eat a lot during spring, summer, and fall to accumulate fat that allows

them to go into a deep sleep during winter. 
Bears sleep day and night during winter but occasionally wake up.

(This is not a true hibernation because bears remain fully conscious and lose little weight.) 
Bears make several different sounds: snuffling, growling, or grunting. 
Bear cubs are usually born in the winter and stay with their mother for one to three years.

• Mark Making - Support your child to draw a picture of a bear.
• Sensory Exploration – If you have any toy bears in your house, support your child to explore them. Can they reach out and grasp the bear? How many legs does a bear have? How many ears does a bear have? How many eyes does a bears have?
• Sensory Maths (Size) - Do you have 3 bears of 3 different sizes in your house? Label them; daddy bear, mammy bear and baby bear. Teach vocabulary of small, medium and large. Support your child to order the bears according to their size e.g. small, medium and large.
• Hold up the small and large bear in front of your child. Ask them: Can you look at/reach for the small bear? Can you look at/reach for the large bear? How do they respond?
• Click on the link below and join in with Makaton Matt, in singing and signing to Goldilocks and the Three Bears https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzo2z548ZBs.
• Has your child got a favourite bear? Plan a few different activities that your child can do with their favourite bear e.g. share or read a book together, watch TV together, help to prepare a special meal to eat with their bear or have a teddy bear’s picnic outside etc.
• Let the children make the movements to the rhyme with their teddy bears:

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground
Teddy bear, teddy bear, reach up high
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the sky
Teddy bear, teddy bear, bend down low
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your toes
Teddy bear, teddy bear, go upstairs
Teddy bear, teddy bear, say your prayers
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn out the light
Teddy bear, teddy bear, say goodnight

Week Beginning – 22.06.20 - Week 14

(SCHOOL IS OPEN THIS WEEK FOR LION CLASS)

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Hello Lions,

I hope you are all well. For the next few weeks, we are going to read the story of: ‘Goldilocks and The Three Bears’. Let the children watch the story by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T84dax2MDPg

Here are a few suggested activities related to this story that you can do with your child at home if they wish:

• Click the link below to listen to the Goldilocks and the Three Bear song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z88zxKiT9hk Encourage the children to sing the numbers: ‘one, two, three’.
• Discuss the characters in the story. Look closely at goldilocks. Describe goldilocks to the children. Emphasis her beautiful, long, golden hair. Look closely at the bears. How many bears are they in the story? Draw attention to the different sized bears.
• Hide a doll/picture of goldilocks and some bears around your house and garden. Help your child to find them. How many can you find?
• Support the children to explore some porridge oats using their senses. Spread a shallow layer of dry porridge oats into a baking tray and in another baking tray, mix dry porridge oats with some water so they are wet. Encourage the children to mark make in the dry and wet oats using their hands and fingers. How do they respond? Do they notice the marks they make in the oats? Which texture do they prefer? Can the children create lines, shapes, numbers, letters and patterns in the oats?
• Pretend you are mammy bear and make some porridge. Support the children to encounter, experience and explore all the different ingredients.
• Set up the bears kitchen table which has 3 different sized bowl, 3 different sized spoons and 3 different size cups on. Reinforce the large objects are daddy bears, the medium size objects are mammy bears and the small objects are baby bears.
• Make some cold porridge in a bowl, warm porridge and hot porridge. Let the children explore them all using their senses. Please be cautious with the hot porridge – we don’t want anyone to burn themselves. It doesn’t have to be hot just warmer than the other two bowls. How do they respond? Do they like the smell? Do they like the taste? Do they like the feel?
• Do you have any flavourings in your house that you could add to the porridge to make it look, smell and taste different? E.g. add strawberry jam/honey/golden syrup etc. to some porridge… do the express their likes and dislikes? Do the children like the smell/taste of it?
• Healthy Eating – Discuss why porridge is a healthy food. Talk about other foods that are healthy or unhealthy. Can the children think of examples? Let your child help make some meals this week. Encourage them to pour, mix, weigh etc.

Week Beginning – 15.06.20 - Week 13

(LION CLASS IS WORKING FROM HOME THIS WEEK)

The Tiger Who Came for Tea

Hello everyone!

I want you to watch the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u7xqgXb_HE&t=28s  which is taken from the production of ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ in London Theatre. Here are a few suggested activities related to this story that you can do with your child at home if they wish:

• Mark Making – Can you support your child to draw a tiger. Remember that Judith Kerr used lots of adjectives in the story to describe the tiger. Encourage your child to draw a big, furry, stripy tiger.
• Watch Tiger-robics, encourage your child to join in with some of the actions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-ksAILueno
• Invite your toy tiger to tea one day. Help your mam and dad cook a meal for you all and your toy tiger.
• Communication - Imagine if another animal came to tea one day. Show your child two different toy animals. Ask them: ‘Which animal do you want to come to tea?’ Encourage your child to look at both animals and stare at their preferred choice. Show your child two different food items and ask them: ‘What shall we give them to eat?’ Again, encourage your child to look at both food items and stare at their preferred choice. Show your child two different drinks and ask them: ‘What shall we give them to drink?’ Again, encourage your child to look at both drinks and stare at their preferred choice.
• Listen to the song ‘Ten Fat Sausages Sizzling in the Pan’ by clicking the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNNBHQTfb8k Support the children to count from 1-10. As you count, can you support your child to pat their knees or clap their hands.

Week Beginning – 08.06.20 - Week 12

(SCHOOL IS OPEN THIS WEEK FOR LION CLASS)

The Tiger Who Came for Tea

Hello Lion Class, hope you are all ok. I'm looking forward in seeing some of you in school this week.

Click on this link for the story of 'The Tiger Who Came for Tea' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXgW9UCgpc8. Here are a few suggested activities related to this story that you can do with your child at home if they wish:

• Listen to the song: The Tiger Who Came to Tea Song by Kathy Bumble Bee by clicking this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXn6nYfxcio
• Mark Making – Support your child to hold a crayon, pen or felt-tip and make marks on a piece of paper as if they were creating a shopping list showing all of the things that Sophie's family needed to buy to replace the things that the tiger ate.
• Talk to your child about how the Tiger behaved at Sophie’s house, was it nice of him to arrive uninvited and eat all of Sophie’s food? You can then go on to talk about how we act at other people’s houses and come up with a list of manners.
• Adjectives: The author, Judith Kerr, uses the adjectives big, furry and stripy to describe the tiger, what other words could we use to describe him? What colour was he? Was he happy?
• Watch the song: ‘Hey Tiger!’ by Robbie Williams by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgTHukOXhDw
• Music - Can you make a song that the tiger might sing to say 'Goodbye' and 'Thank you' to Sophie's family?
• Click on this link if you would like to see the story told using Makaton. It will be great if you could show your child the Makaton signs for ‘tiger’ and ‘tea’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-7K5rzfNQc
• Discussion: Talk about what would happen if a tiger really came for tea. What would you cook for him? What would you give him to drink?
• Listen to the song ‘Ten Green Bottles’ by clicking the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak7kedzR8bg  Look around your house, how many different bottles can you find? e.g. bottle of milk, bottle of vinegar, bottle of pop etc. Which is the biggest bottle? Which is the smallest bottle?

Week Beginning – 01.06.20 - Week 11

The Tiger Who Came to Tea?

For the next couple of weeks, I want you all to focus on the well-known story: ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’. Listen to the story by clicking on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXgW9UCgpc8&feature=emb_title

Here are a few suggested activities related to this story that you can do with your child at home if they wish:

• If you have any toy tigers in your house, support your child to explore them. Look online and show your child some high quality photographs of tigers. Talk about what a tiger looks like, where they live and what they eat.
• If you have some face paints in the house, you could paint your child’s face like a tiger so they can become a tiger themselves. Encourage them to look in the mirror at their face. How do they respond?
• Try and remember all the things that the tiger ate and drank in the story. You can watch the story again point and name all the different foods and drinks the tiger ate. If you have any of these objects a home, support the children to explore them in a sensory manor using all their senses.

Week Beginning – 25.05.20 - Week 10

Happy Half Term Holidays!

Hello my lovely lions. It is half term this week and I think you all need a break from school work. I want you to enjoy some special time with your family, especially outside in your garden, in this sunny weather. Hope you are all well. I'm in school this week so I'm looking forward in speaking to you on the phone.

Stay safe, miss you all lots, love Jane xx

Week Beginning – 18.05.20 - Week 9

Hello Lions, I hope you are ok. I am really missing you all!

Sensory Light Box

This week, I want you to try and download ‘Sensory Light Box’ onto a tablet (iPad or phone) by clicking on this link: https://www.senteacher.org/download/79/CauseEffectSensory.html

Light Box has 24 abstract interactive scenes containing a range of colours, contrasts and backgrounds. This app is great to use when teaching cause and effect, targeting, and visual attention. Once downloaded, encourage your child to explore the screen using their hands and fingers, activating the different interactive cause and effect senses. This is great to use with low vision children or as a "chill out " app too.

• Try all the different scenes with your child.
• Are they moving their hands and fingers independently to cause effect? Are they engaging with the screen? How do they respond?
• Which scene do they prefer?
• Support your child to mark make the letters in their name.
• Support your child to mark make numbers.
• Support your child to mark make 2D shapes e.g. circle, square, rectangle and triangle.
• You may also what to download 'Sensory Sound Box' and support your child to experience and explore the different sounds, volumes, pitches etc.

Week Beginning – 11.05.20 - Week 8

Hello Lions, I hope you are all well and enjoyed your VE Day celebrations at the weekend. This week, I want you to continue undergoing activities from the story: ‘The Gingerbread Man’.

• Watch the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man’ again with your child by clicking on this YouTube link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoQyyB5xvLk  

• Look closely at a picture of a gingerbread man. Support your child to use their index finger to point to its head, eyes, nose, mouth, body, legs and arms. Help your child look at their face in a mirror, identify and point out their eyes, nose and mouth. Sing the ‘Body Parts’ song:

Body Parts

(Tune: “Where is Thumpkin?”)

Where is your nose? Where is your nose?
Here it is. Here it is.
Touch it with your finger. Touch it with your finger.
Just like me. Just like me!

Repeat: Where is your eyes?

Where is your mouth?

Where is your arms?

Where is your fingers?

Where is your legs?

Where is your foot/toes? etc.

• Make some ‘Gingerbread Play Dough’.

You will need: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 2 tea spoons cream of tartar, 1 cup water, 1 tea spoon vegetable oil

Add spices: (can add one or two) cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

Method: Mix all dry ingredients, add spices until you have reached your desired scent and colour. Mix oil and water together and then add to dry ingredients and stir. Cook the mixture for three to five minutes on low to medium heat, stirring constantly. You will know it is finished when the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and forms a large ball. Take the dough out of pan and knead until it is smooth and soft. When cool, store in an airtight container.

• Build a boat or a raft for the gingerbread man using any available recyclable materials you have in your house. Remember it needs to float and be able to support the weight of a gingerbread man. What materials float? What materials sink?
• Watch a different version of the 'Gingerbread Man' story shown below. At the end of the story, a crocodile eats the gingerbread man instead of the fox.

Week Beginning – 04.05.20 - Week 7

It is the 75^th Anniversary of VE Day this Friday 8^th May 2020. At 3pm on 8th May 1945, The Prime Minister Winston Churchill made a radio speech to tell Britain that the second world war in Europe was over. This resulted in the nation rejoicing with men, women and children throwing parties, lighting fires and ringing bells. Can you recreate the nationwide celebrations of 1945 in your home or garden with your child? 

• I want you to throw a war time party or have a picnic in your garden.

• Decorate your house/garden by making flags, bunting or red, white and blue paper chains.

• Blow up some balloons if you have some. Support your child to play ‘Balloon Tennis’. Gently hit the balloon to each other using your hands. Does your child track the balloon? You could also play ‘Surprise Pop’. Before you blow up the balloons, fill them with treats such as small chocolate, a bell or toy. Encourage your child to pop the balloons to retrieve their surprises.

• Support your child to help you make some party food e.g. cakes. You could follow some war time recipes.

• Play some party games together e.g. pass the parcel.

• Most importantly, play some wartime tunes! How do the children respond to the music? Do they like war time music?

• You could wear red, white and blue clothes.

• Sing some party action songs together e.g. Hokey Cokey, Music Man etc. Encourage the children to perform the actions and have fun!

Online Educational Resources - Sensory App House

The Department of Education have brought together an initial list of online educational resources to help our SEND children learn at home. The resources have been developed with a focus on accessibility and inclusivity and is based on the recommendations of trusted organisations, charities, multi-academy trusts and special education head teachers. Take a look at this ‘Sensory App House Ltd’ - Please click on this link to browse: https://www.sensoryapphouse.com/

There are free apps available for our children in four different categories:

• Speech, Stimulate, Control and Therapy Apps
• Digital Painting and Art Apps
• Sensory Stimulation Apps
• Relaxation and Cause and Effect Apps

Please have a look at these free downloadable, interactive apps and use them with your child at home if you think they are appropriate.

Week Beginning - 27.04.20 - Week 6

Hello Lions, I hope you are all well and I hope you have been enjoying the lovely sunny weather we have had. For The next two weeks, I want you to listen to the well-known fairy tale: ‘The Gingerbread Man’.

• Watch the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man’ with your child by clicking on this YouTube link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoQyyB5xvLk 
• Identify all the different characters and animals (cow, horse, pigs, hen and fox) in the story. What noises do these animals make? Make each animal noise in turn and encourage your child to imitate the sounds. How do they respond?
• Encourage your child to join in with the repetitive refrains e.g.: 'Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man!'
• Together, support your child to help you to make some gingerbread men biscuits. Let your child experience and explore all the different ingredients using their senses. How do they respond? Do they like the feel of the margarine? Do they like the smell of the ground ginger? Do they like the taste of the golden syrup?

You can follow the recipe below:

GINGERBREAD MEN BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS:

Week Beginning – 20.04.20 - Week 5

Hello my lovely Lions! I hope you are all feeling healthy and happy. Our new whole school topic this term is 'What's for Tea?' I will recommend a different story each week with suggested activities for you to complete with your child at home if you wish to do so.

• Listen to the story ‘Chicken Licken’ on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzZbtMFP-_I 
• Support your child to identify the different animals in the story. Discuss how each animal moves. For example, the fox slowly prowls around looking sneaky or a chicken waddles and flaps its wings (just bend your elbow and move your arms up and down repetitively).
• Identify the noises each animal makes. For example, Chicken Licken cheeps, Turkey Lurkey gobbles, Henny Penny clucks etc.  Use your voice to make these animal sounds. How does your child respond? Encourage your child to imitate your animal sounds. Using your mobile, video record your child making noises and playback these videos so your child can watch themselves. How do they respond?
• Collect a variety of unbreakable objects from around the house, for example, a ball, an apple, a pen, a feather, a sheet of paper etc. Support your child to hold each object in the air with an outward stretched arm. Tell your child to drop the item by releasing their hand grip after you have said: ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’ Does your child track the object as it falls to the ground? Which object falls the fastest? Which object falls the slowest? Why is this?
• Chicken Licken tells lots of other birds about the sky falling down. Go into your garden, can you see any birds? What kinds of birds can you see? You might want to put some small pieces of bread or some bird seed out in your garden to attract the birds in so your child can see them. How many birds can you see?

   

Week Beginning – 13.04.20 - Week 4 (Easter Holidays)

Hope you are all having a lovely Easter weekend. How many Easter eggs did you receive? Here are this week’s suggested activities:

• Take part in an Easter eggs hunt either in your house or in the garden. Count how many eggs you have found. Play this game with your family. See who is the fastest to find all the eggs?

• Watch a variety of Easter songs on You Tube by Singing Hands. Encourage your child to copy some of the Makaton signs. Click on the links below:

Five Little Easter Eggs  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO7nUfkG3ug

Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P96SdU3ePuU

Little Peter Rabbit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iIRpmxkmGE

• Sing: ‘Five Little Chicks’

Five little chicks went walking one day (Hold up 5 fingers or pictures of chicks).

Into the barn and around the hay. (Change fingers to walking motion).

Mother hen says ‘Cluck, cluck, cluck, CLACK!’

And four little chicks come wandering back.

Four little chicks….

Three little chicks …..

Two little chicks…..

One little chick went walking one day.

Into the barn and around the hay.

Mother hen says ‘Cluck, cluck, cluck, CLACK!’

And five little chicks come wandering back.

Week Beginning 06.04.20 – Week 3 (Easter Holidays)

Hello all, hope you are all keeping well. I’m missing you all! Here are a few Easter related activities you can do with your child at home if you wish too.

• Find out about Easter. Why is it celebrated? Watch the story of Easter together by clicking on this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnbo2AmS3OI
• Sing a variety of Easter counting songs such as ‘Hot Cross Buns’, ‘Five Currant Buns’ and ‘Five Little Ducks’. If possible, use toys and pictures when singing or count using fingers.
• Find an Easter recipe to make, perhaps hot cross buns, chocolate Easter egg nests, Easter biscuits or cakes. Encourage the children to encounter, experience and explore all the different ingredients using their senses. Support the children to help weigh out all the ingredients, count out spoonful’s, check the clock for time in the oven etc. Then enjoy exploring, smelling and tasting what you have made.
• Create an Easter card and give it to someone you care about.
• Play some Easter games such as ‘Find the chick’. Hide a chick (or a drawing of a chick) under numbered plastic cups. Take turns to see who can find it first. Encourage the children to pick up specific numbered cups: ‘Can you pick up cup number 2?’ You could repeat this game and hide other Easter objects under the cups e.g. bunny, egg, a piece of chocolate etc.
• Hard boil eggs and support the children to decorate them. You could use felt tips, paint, glitter or whatever craft materials you have available at home.
• Design an Easter egg pattern. Talk about shapes, colours and repetition.
• Make an egg shell collage/mosaic using egg shell pieces’ paint and glue. Make sure you wash and dry the egg shells before the children touch them.

Week Beginning 30.03.20 – Week 2

Cuddle up together on the couch or stomp your feet as you read these entertaining dinosaur books to your child: ‘If you happen to have a Dinosaur’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2AsEAqKQDg , ‘Mad about Dinosaurs’  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gX3Zu8ZwlA&feature=emb_title and ‘Ten Little Dinosaurs’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7gNfVcelPE.

Here is a fun ‘Dinosaur Rap’ that you can watch, sing along and dance to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhQkUowpNNo .

Here are some suggested activities you can do at home with your child this week:

• Draw, colour or paint your own dinosaur and give it a name. If you have paint in the house your child could use their fingers to mark make a dinosaur. Do the children notice the marks they are making? How many legs does it have? Does it have sharp teeth? Does it have horns? How many claws does it have? Does it have wings? Is it spikey?
• Can you create your own 3D model dinosaur using the recyclable materials you have at home? Support the children encounter, experience and explore all the different types of recyclable materials.
• Can you make a dinosaur volcano? Fill a little bottle with warm water but leave a couple of inches empty at the top. Put a drop of washable red paint or red food colouring in the water if you have some. Add 5 drops of washing up liquid and 4 teaspoons of baking soda into the water. Give all the ingredients in the bottle a good stir. Now it’s time for the eruption! Pour vinegar into the bottle until its starts foaming over like lava. How effective was your volcano?

26.03.20 - Would you and your child like to take part in the 'Rainbow Window Campaign' to help spread positivity amid corona virus isolation gloom?

If you would like to take part, all you have to do is create a picture of a brightly, coloured rainbow. You can use coloured pencils, felt tips, crayons, paints, glitter, anything you have in your house to create your rainbow picture. Once you have finished could you please take a photo and email it to postcards@springwellschool.co.uk. Our rainbows pictures will be added to a video slide show along with rainbows pictures that children have created from Catcote School. This video will be shared on social media hoping to bring kindness, joy and to positivity to everyone.

Thanks Jane 

Week Beginning 23.03.20 – Week 1

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all well and keeping each other happy at home.

While the government has asked parents and carers to keep their children at home wherever possible, I thought it would be a good idea to upload a story/song each week with some related activities for you to do with your child at home if you wish. 

This half term, we have been learning about dinosaurs. We have read already in class: 'Dinosaurs Roar' and 'Harry and his Bucketful of Dinosaurs'. It would be great if you could read 'The Dinosaur who Lost his Roar'  to your child and complete some of the suggest activities below:

•  Encourage your child to 'roar' like a dinosaur. Make some different dinosaur noises yourself. Vary the pitch, tone, tempo and volume of your voice. How does your child respond? Do they turn there eyes and head towards the sound. Do they try to copy? Do they like the loud noises best?
• If you have any toy dinosaurs at home, support your child to explore them using their hands and fingers. Remind the children that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, before people. As the children are exploring the different dinosaurs with their senses (or looking at the different dinosaurs in the story on YouTube) emphasis the following: 

  • Some dinosaurs walked on two legs and some on four. Some could do both

    Some dinosaurs were speedy and some were slow and lumbering.

    Some had thick, bumpy skin. Some even had feathers.                                                                             Some were armour plated, some had horns, crests, spikes or frills to defend themselves.               Most dinosaurs were plant-eaters. These are called herbivores.                                                   Some dinosaurs were meat-eaters. These are called carnivores.

• Number Activities: How many dinosaurs have you got? Count the dinosaurs feet? How many horns do they have? etc.

• Have some fun and sing along to the 'Dino-Pokey' song and model, support and encourage the children to preform the actions.

  • Dino-Pokey (Tune: "The Hokey Pokey")

  • You put your claws in,
    You take your claws out,
    You put your claws in,
    And you scratch 'em all about.
    You do the dino pokey,
    And you turn yourself around.
    That's what it's all about!

     

    Additional Verses:
    You put your feet in, You take your feet out....
    And you stomp them all about........

     

    You put your teeth in, You take your teeth out....
    And you chomp them all about........

•  Fill a balloon with water and place a small dinosaur inside the balloon too. Once frozen, peel the balloon off, creating a ‘dinosaur egg’. Support the children to feel the frozen dinosaur egg. How do they respond? Encourage the children to work together to release the dinosaur from the egg. This activity is great for problem solving, as the children try to work out the best way to rescue the baby dinosaurs.
• If you have any toy dinosaurs, hide them around the house or in your garden. Tell the children they are going on a dinosaur hunt. Support the children to find the dinosaurs. How many can they find? Ask them to describe the dinosaurs they find. If you don't have toy dinosaurs, draw some pictures of dinosaurs and hide them. Or better still... hide some eggs and go on a dinosaur egg hunt. How many can you find?