Good Morning lovely children and families…  The telephone calls and email messages this week have been overwhelmingly beautiful in every way. I miss your laughter and chatter everyday and hearing the bounce in your voices brings a smile onto my face.  I pass on my thanks and gratitude for the way in which you have all engaged with the on line sharing of learning. ( If you are finding uploading onto the Haytor View site difficult please use the admin@haytorview.devon.sch.uk  instead and just add into the message bar: message for Miss Butler )

Look at these photos of deep concentration, they show wonderful learning in their facial expressions and body positions….SUCH STRONG BRAIN CONNECTIONS BEING BUILT!!  I love watching deep engagement in learning. You will notice it so often when your child’s tongues pop out and their gaze is fixed when completing a task.

Do you remember one of challenges I set in the first days of lockdown? I asked if you could try to put elastic bands on top of a pot … I wonder if you are faster at this challenge now?…. Can you remember how to place the bands over the top of a pot?  It will strengthen your fingers.

Stretching an elastic band between fingers ready for the challenge.

It was so sunny yesterday afternoon and evening, which was lovely again.. So if you manage to go out on a walk, I wonder if you find a collection of item, daisies, sticks, leaves etc. I wonder if you can create or copy a repeated pattern? ( copying is the easier skill)

You might even want to use your toys or fruit pieces to make a repeated pattern. You could even draw or stick a repeated patterns onto a flag for your garden. 

Look at this ACTIVE phonic picture which  I was sent yesterday. What a wonderful approach to active reading…. You need to be able to juggle managing your physical body alongside the skill of reading words. The family also adapted the game so that her younger sister could take part by naming colours as she came down the slide.  I will create some new physical reading challenges for next week…  I wonder if you can think of some different physical challenges which you really enjoy and then do let me know. We can all share your great ideas.

If you have created or told  any Story Squares, please do keep sending them to me.  I am putting them together so that I can record them. Some families are creating mini books. You can make your own mini book very easily from paper and 1 cut. We use this process at school it  is easy and so quick.

Today’s story is a PERSONAL favourite of mine and it is read by the author! You are ALL authors of your own stories. This is why story squares are so special. Enjoy this familiar story. I wonder  when you hear it  you can remember it being  read at school and the loud voice I use!! It often makes you all jump.

I will not be posting home learning this Friday because it is a special  bank holiday but I will be back with more challenges on Monday. Enjoy the long weekend. Keep Safe and Keep Smiling. Miss Butler, Mrs Breakwell and Miss Lofthouse. 

Good Morning  Everyone

It was a wet day yesterday. I wonder if you managed to get outside at the end of the day when the rain stopped and the wind calmed down?

I wonder how you keep physically active when you are inside when its so wet?  Do you dance to your favourite music?  Do you try different ways of moving around your house? Do you remember a few weeks ago I set a challenge using a piece of masking tape and asked you to find different ways of moving over or across the line.

I wonder if today you could try walking on your hands?.. Have you ever been turned into a wheel barrow by your mum or dad? How far could you walk on your hands?

I decided that I need to let my plants grow a little more before I share a photo!! I keep seeing your brilliant growing,  my plants are tiny in comparison! THIS IS NOT MINE…. A family sent me this FAB picture of there plants ….They are very healthy and strong.

Look at this snail that I was sent. Another great spiral but this uses cutting as the main skill. Cutting a spiral out is a hard skill you might wish to try. Strong finger work is needed for this task. 

I wonder if you can make a mini insect? maybe out of pompoms if you have any at home? 

I wonder if it is wet again tomorrow,  Could play hide and seek with one of the smallest items you found? That’s a hard hide and seek. You will have to get little clues to help your family find them. 

Today’s story involves hide and seek with mini items.. You need to look with great care to find one tiny caterpillar on each page.  Try these pages before you read the story…CAN YOU SPOT THEM??

DID YOU FIND THE CATERPILLARS ON THE THREE PAGES?  Now listen to the story and you have 10! caterpillars to spot. Can you find them all. remember to pause the pages so you can look with care. ENJOY

Have a lovely day and keep smiling and enjoying your time together as a family.

From Miss Butler, Mrs Breakwell, Miss Lofthouse. 

Good day everyone!

What a wet start to Tuesday! But a great day to find those small garden creatures especially snails I counted: 11 on the compost heap! They were all different sizes!  Did you spot some? If you have some play dough can you make yourself a family of snails? How many family snail members can you make? Mummy, daddy, brother, sister, baby, Nanny, Granddad,Aunty, cousin?

I hope that you enjoyed the story of the “Little Red Hen” yesterday. Do you think the hen should’ve shared the bread or not?

Today work with your family to create a story.  Collect up to 10 toys  (maybe start with 5) and place on a tray. You are now going to take turns to make up a story by adding an item from the tray. How will the story begin? “once upon a time…” maybe or “One rainy day…” or “Long, long ago..” Take an item from the tray and it must be part of your story carry on creating a story together using all the items and the last person needs to end the story. Maybe saying “The End!” or “they were happy ever after.” Can you remember and retell the story. Maybe a grown up could write down the words each person used in the story! Have fun and enjoy creating a story together. Use the same toys to make up a new story.

Did you have a go at making a sandwich for lunch yesterday? Perhaps today you could try make a simple bread pizza choosing your own toppings:

(adults to support this activity but let your child try as many skills as possible!)

1. wash hands
2. help slice some French bread or rolls into slices
3. spread some tomato puree or some tin tomatoes
4. grate some cheese
5. add other vegetables: perhaps you may choose: mushroom sliced. sweet corn, a pepper sliced. You may want to add some meat: cut up ham or salami
6. add dry herbs and salt and pepper (optional)
7. place on an oven tray and bake in a hot oven for 5-10 mins (grown up job)
8. ENJOYPizza is the theme for today’s story. It is  called “Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party” I love Pete the Cat books hope you like it? This story made me smile!

Did you notice all the “p” words? Pete’s perfect pizza party this is called alliteration can you think of other words that start with the same sounds to create your own sentence? I have this suggestion: Snails, slithering  silently slowly and softly!

we wish you all a happy Wednesday doing the things you enjoy

Mrs Penn, Mrs Heap and Mrs Coleman

Hello All

I hope that you have had a good start to this week?

Yesterday I was busy working from home answering emails and doing some thinking!! It has been fun seeing your photos and answering your queries in the emails.

As yesterday I have seen that like me you are enjoying your daily walks! I have uploaded a picture of Guy and his big sister Mia splashing in a stream with their wellie boots on of course! Have you tried this? It is such fun and do you know that even with boots on you can feel the change in temperature of the water!

Yesterday was the last of Mrs Heap’s rhyme times. It has been so good to hear about how you have enjoyed these and tried making the instruments.

Cyrus and his family have been using YouTube: “just Dance” to do a daily dance together~ this might appeal to you!

Mrs Heap has been busy over the weekend and she and her husband have made a new video about Ching Ching. In this video Ching Ching is disturbed by lots of sounds. The listening skill activities you may have tried last week should help you to hear the sounds in this video. (If you missed the activities go back to last weeks posts and give them a try Tuesday 28th April and Wednesday 29th April) Remember listening is a vital learning skill and one we need to practice to perfect.

I also received an email from Ella who has been learning how to make bread! It seems cooking and baking are activities you all really like to do at home and the skills and learning that your child gets from these activities are many! In the photos of Ella below we can see how she is really listening to follow verbal instructions, how she is using careful measuring skills to place the correct amounts in the bowl and how she has discovered that things can change(the yeast fizzes, the dough grows in size) and the immense pride in the finished product!

Today’s Challenge: To make your own sandwich for lunch!

(grown ups support but let your child do all the skills themselves)

1. Wash your hands
2. take 2 slices of bread
3. use a knife to spread the butter
4. add your filling choice of filling: Maybe: jam or marmite~ spread onto the bread, cheese use a grater to grate some cheese and sprinkle on your bread, ham (you choose)
5. place the bread on top
6. cut in half with a knife,
7. cut each half into half again
8. Enjoy  What shape are your sandwiches? Can you think how you could make a different shaped sandwich?

This activity is fun but full of so much learning! Listening, keeping healthy, using tools like knives and graters for a purpose, quantity only a small amount of spread or jam, shapes, fractions !!

Ella’s bread making has reminded me of the story of “The Little Red Hen” the version I have chosen requires you to listen and imagine the characters because there are no pictures! Enjoy the story telling. Can you then tell the story to your grown up??

Take care all keep in touch through emails and photos

Mrs Heap, Mrs Coleman and Mrs Penn

Ps: I have collected some flowers and placed them under some books to flatten them? Have you done this? I have to wait at least 5 days before I can take a look : Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday~ I will look on Saturday!! Mrs Penn!

Good Morning …HELLO EVERYONE……….Have you heard the birds again!!

On my morning walk yesterday birds singing was  all I could hear… it was just so beautiful. I had not realised that it was International Dawn Chorus day on 3rd May. The birds were  certainly singing their hearts out …as they got ready for the busy day ahead!   Have you heard the birds sing louder and louder on your walks? 

I know that flower pressing has captured your interest. It is a beautiful, classic art. The images I have been sent will last for years in your homes. They are GORGEOUS and contain real natural items.

Beautiful Natural images

In a gallery this would be worth a fortune..

Cooking has also continued to be a strong interest.  Helping to cook dinner and cooking playdough. You are both looking so grown up and skilled.

Yesterday as well as hearing the birds singing I tried Mrs Breakwell’s challenge of blowing the dandelion trumpet...I WAS RUBBISH! I could not make any sound at all. I hope you were all better than me.

I JUST love the different ways that you are being creative as families. Look at this LIGHT…..

I wonder what creative explorations you will try this week?  I’ve started crocheting mini snails for my nephew’s birthday. Mine is a little bigger!

. 

So today’s challenge is about making Mini collections …    Below are two photos of an egg box a family used when  they were completing the counting to ten challenge. BRILLIANT THINKING. The last photo shows how we all find and discover different things that we find fascinating and want to keep. What will you find?

• What small items will you collect and put into your egg box sections?
• What is the smallest item that you can find to place in your egg box?

Miss Lofthouse wondered if you might like to send a HUGE hug to someone special and to the people you miss. It will bring a HUGE smile to their faces!

How BIG will your hug be?                  Who will you send your HUGE hug too?

Thank you for your kind messages about Mrs Heap’s Rhyme time sessions…..I keep forwarding your messages and she will reply to you this week. Today  Mrs Heap has a new session called…‘sounds around’  .It made me smile and laugh…Enjoy.

Today’s story has a small balloon which grows into a HUGE Balloon..…!

F2 families:-  Please do let me know if you are having any difficulty accessing bug club, I have had three families telling me about issues. I will help in any way I can and find a way that works for you and your child to ensure that they can access reading books.

Enjoy your day and remember to keep doing things that make you happy. Keep smiling and Keep being active in your learning. Miss Butler, Miss Lofthouse and Mrs Breakwell.

Hello everyone

I hope you were able to enjoy the weekend? 

On Friday Mrs Heap and I enjoyed chatting on the phone with some of you, those we missed, or were out, we will endeavour to call you on Wednesday. The weather this weekend has been changeable;  sunny on Saturday and a bit rainy on Sunday but both weathers are great to have walk in as the world can look so different. You have continued to send me photos of your fantastic learning and especially enjoying going outside for a walk!

It has been great to hear and see how much you are enjoying Mrs Heap’s rhyme time. Today is the last of the rhymes but I think that, like Brooke, Ching Ching has been out exploring and there will be new video coming very soon. Please enjoy the last rhyme time and I think you will all be moving along to this!

Click on the blue writing for the words:Day Five

I am so humbled by the ideas that you come up with at home and the games and things you are doing.

Cyrus’ mum told me that they had planted seeds from a tomato in half an egg shell in some soil and the seeds were beginning to grow!!

Alfie made his own skittles game using toilet rolls. This fun game develops his coordination, numeral recognition and calculating skills!

Brooke has enjoyed playing so many games and also making a story book called “I miss my friends” something we can all emphasise with.

Cooking too still is a favourite home activity Kieran is especially proud of his gingerbread biscuits!

Why not try some of your friends ideas and let us know which ones you enjoyed.

Have you been able to find any snails and look at them closely? If you put them on a see through lid you can really watch muscles ripple as they move!

Challenge: On your daily walk collect a few wild flowers, or grasses or leaves to bring home to press. All you need is kitchen paper and something heavy~ books work well. Place the flowers on a piece of kitchen roll and then put a sheet on the top, then place something heavy on the top (5 big books would do!) leave for at least five days before you take the books off and look at your flattened flowers you should be able to make a picture with them.

Remember to ask your parents before you pick any flowers

You have a choice of two stories today. On The foundation stage home learning Base 1 you can listen to “The enormous Turnip” and below click the link to listen too “Mad about Minibeasts!”

Have a good Monday and “May the fourth be with you!!”

Mrs Penn, Mr Heap and Mrs Coleman

Hello Good Morning Everyone.

I hope that you all had a lovely weekend. The sun continued to shine on Saturday!. I had time to get rid of weeds in my front garden. I was also pleased at how my greenhouse seedlings are starting to grow. I will share photos later this week!  I wonder how your plants are growing at home?  On Friday I was sent even more AMAZING photos of your plants and IMAGINATION fun!!  What SUPER LEARNING and Fun..Brilliant 

Creative Imagination continued!!!

At the start of this home learning blog I was sent a picture of a pea plant that a family had been caring for since planting it at school.. I’ve been sent an update on the plant..JUST LOOK at how it has grown. Also another family have been replanting their cress seeds.

…. How did you manage with the spirals last week?  Remember scribbling is Vital so that eventually when muscles are strong, images start to develop. Continue to explore Spiral drawing today and see if you can complete your own spiral image, your spirals might be small, large fast or slow and controlled. I wonder how you could use spirals in a picture?  The more you draw and scribble the stronger your finger and wrist muscles will be…P.E for fingers! Can you remember how we scribble fast to music in our write dance sessions? Maybe you can draw your spirals while listening to your favourite song?

Amazing Scribbles

Today’s Challenge is from Mrs Breakwell …. How many big snails and how many little snails can you find?

When you find your snail place it on glass so that you can see the underneath when the snail is crawling across the glass. Can you see its muscles moving? 

Second Challenge from Mrs Breakwell : Dandelion trumpet challenge! Have you ever made a dandelion trumpet? Find a chunky stem and remove the head, give it a quick wipe and then blow. It can be tricky and may not work first time, GOOD LUCK!

I’ve added the same story as last week to develop their memory skills… Can you join in with any of the words this time? Can you remember who comes next to help pull up the Enormous Turnip? 

Today’s video is Mrs Heaps last Rhyme time session this week. Tomorrow you will find out that she has taken Ching Ching on a listening walk. Click here for the words..Day Five

Have a Wonderful Monday and Keep Enjoying yourselves being so CREATIVE as a family. The images you are sharing show the wonderful experiences you are having together. Continue to enjoy these times together. From Miss Butler,  Mrs Breakwell and Miss Lofthouse

Happy May Day all!

Tomorrow will be Alesha’s birthday and she is 5 years old! ( she is our only birthday this month – May in Base 2 ) We wish her a very happy day!

It is Friday already, the end of another busy week and the weekend awaits with some sunny weather I hope! I know you have been enjoying Mrs Heap’s rhyme time and I was sent a video today by Alesha of her beating her numbered tins and singing 1,2,3,4,5! We have another two rhyme times from Mrs Heap one today and one for Monday.

Enjoy today’s song and instrument making I think this you will all know this rhyme!

As usual click the blue writing for the words of this song! Day Four

How did you get on yesterday finding snails and perhaps making a snail obstacle course ?

On Base 1 post yesterday Miss Butler suggested you try drawing spirals you could try this ~take a look at the post from yesterday. I think you could also try using your collage skills to create a snail like the famous artist Matisse. Take a look can you see the spiral shape of the shell?  Have a try and send us photo of your efforts!

Did you all manage to name  Mrs Coleman’s  Knitted characters from the story “Jack and The Beanstalk” in the photo on yesterday’s post! Your Challenge is to make your own characters from the story and then tell the story with these. You could make a show for your family to come and watch complete with tickets! To help you I have a video of this story for you to watch. Enjoy!

We all wish you a happy weekend with your family keeping safe in your homes and on your daily walks! 

Mrs Penn, Mrs Heap and Mrs Coleman

Hello It is Friday AGAIN...Where do the weeks go!  It turned out to be a lovely sunny afternoon on Thursday. I hope that you managed to get outside after a morning of heavy rain... Did you find any snails and see their spiral shells? 

How did you manage with your spiral pictures? Forming a spiral is harder than we think because it involves the coordination of SO many skills. This simple challenge shows why letting children Scribble and Scribble onto blank paper is extremely important. Keep exploring the scribbles that you can make, each scribble is important in the development of finger, wrist, hand, arm coordination. As children’s skills develop their scribbles turn to recognisable forms without  an need for copying. I wonder how many F2 children managed controlled anti-clockwise and clockwise spirals? 

Building a Foundation for Literacy with Imagination, Role play and Story squares.

A mother once approached Albert Einstein and asked him what she might do to prepare her young son for a successful career in science. “Read him fairytales,” he replied. “And, if you want him to be very intelligent, read him more fairytales. This short statement was part of an article I was sent today as I was developing an  Early Years  course for schools,  it is from an Early Years Specialist group. I thought it linked PERFECTLY with our focus this week on told stories, imagination and story squares and it was something  to share. We all have our own favourite fairytales. Have you shared your favouite tales with your child? They will hear the excitement in your voice as you read something that you love and recall from your own childhood.   I wonder which story you will each choose? I would choose Snow White and Red Rose.

I was thrilled to bits to read some of your emails;  explaining your children’s love of engaging in role play exploration for the first time,  reading your children’s Story Squares (scribed stories) and watching your children use different mediums to express their imaginative thinking. Keep exploring story telling in as many different ways as possible, it is so valuable in the development of their language and creative thinking and children LOVE it.

Friday’s Challenge links to role play and story telling. Can you create a mask for yourself or your family? 

You are all GREAT at drawing your own masks, what ever shape or character you want to design. It could be bigger or smaller than your face but that doesn’t matter. Its the imagination and confidence to try, which is the most important part.

Your mum or dad can cut out your mask, if cutting a shape is still difficult for you. However, I know lots of you can cut shapes out without any support,  so do try. Remember how we use and hold safe scissors.

Who is behind the mask.. I wonder if you can all remember?

Another challenge you might like to try is………

I wonder how you can make a 3D snail out of a flat piece of paper?

F2 children looked at different ways of folding paper …Do you remember? . I wonder if you can remember how to make a snail / spiral from a thin strip of paper and a pencil?  

F1 children will need your support to start the spiral but after a few turns they could try to coordinate their fingers and thumbs to turn the spiral. See what happens. Its great to develop finger strength and manipulation.

Day Four of our Rhyme Time...Enjoy your singing session. Click here for the words Day Four

We have looked at this story with the F2 children,  I wonder if they can remember the repeated refrains in this traditional Fairy Tale?  Can you change your voice so that you sound like the three different trolls?  Enjoy and have FUN..

We love acting out The Three Billy Goats in class,  I wonder if you can act it out as a family? 

Enjoy today’s challenges and any other house hunts, cooking or walks you explore together as a family. Have a lovely weekend and I will look forward to finding out about your learning on Monday.  From Miss Butler,    Miss Breakwell and Miss Lofthouse. 

Hello everyone!

It was so good to talk with some of you on the phone and receive some emails of the things you have been doing at home! Some of you have been learning to ride your bikes without stabilisers and succeeded, while others have enjoyed craft activities and writing.

Maybe you could make some little people and create a story which your grown up could write down exactly in your words to share with us. This is called a story square!

Mrs Coleman just wanted to say hello and she says she has been busy at home knitting! She has knitted the characters from the story of “Jack and The Beanstalk” They are marvellous don’t you agree? Can you spot all of the characters?

It was a very rainy morning but a lovely afternoon. In the garden we saw lots of snails  enjoying the rain. Can you find some snails and maybe race them along a chalk line or create an obstacle course for them? Can they climb up and over a block or go through a tunnel? Did the biggest or smallest snails win? Take a closer look at the snail and it’s shell. Take a look at this facts about snails.

Are ready for Mrs Heap’s rhyme time complete with a tube! Mrs Heap had such a long tube didn’t she! It has been good to hear you are enjoying these sessions and I know some are trying to send video , try emailing it to: Admin@haytorview.devon.sch.uk for the attention of Mrs Penn. I am waiting to see this and to share with Mrs Heap!

Please Click on the blue writing for the words: Day Three

Don’t forget to stop and listen together. What sounds can you hear today?

Are they different from yesterday? Are you finding it easier to stop and quietly listen for a minute?

Also put on your favourite music and dance! Maybe you can dress up to do this?

Have fun together and enjoy your wonderful learning

Mrs Coleman, Mrs Heap and Mrs Penn