Reception

Dear Parents and Carers

During your child’s time away from school, please take the opportunity to continue to help develop their learning.

A home Learning pack has been created for each child. These can be picked up from the school office. The packs contain Maths and Literacy activities, Purple Mash and Mathletics logins and a booklet of fun filled home learning opportunities such as playdough activities, creative play, super science, nursery rhymes and traditional tales.  

I will be setting the children tasks through Purple Mash and Mathletics. These tasks are linked to what the children would currently be learning in Reception. It is important for children to complete these activities. When children hand their work in through Purple Mash, you or your child can send me a message to let me know how they are finding the tasks. It would be lovely for the children to keep in touch with me and let me know how they are getting on with their learning tasks at home! Children can also use this if they have any questions they would like to ask about their work. I will mark the Purple Mash activities handed in and reply to children's comments. This will be a great way to keep in touch  

Please contact k.flanagan@holycrossprimaryschool.co.uk for your child’s login.

For children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, it is important to make learning as fun as possible. While you may have some extra time at home with your child you could try some of the following:

• make a daily journal
• making cards, pictures, letters for the elderly or sick
• baking together
• making your own play dough or slime
• singing songs and rhymes
• storytelling
• write your own story or fairytale 
• make sock puppets and put on a puppet show
• Easter crafts e.g. bonnet making, painting/dying eggs
• go on a treasure hunt
• play sorting, counting and matching games
• draw, sketch, colour pictures of springtime
• create patterns outdoors with leaves/flowers/pebbles etc. 
• go on a 2D or 3D shape hunt
• make something from old recycled materials e.g. a robot from a cereal box
• create and play your own board game
• cook together

Please see the link below for some more Home Learning ideas: 

Reading

For the next few weeks, I recommend reading as much as you can with your child.

Reading with your child is one of the best ways of covering many curriculum areas. Reading with your child will improve their listening and attention, communication, language and speaking, imagination, reading and writing skills. 

You can read any book with them; fiction or non-fiction. These can include stories, traditional tales, stories in your home language, encyclopedias, atlas', books from your school reading scheme (Biff and Chip), magazines, comics etc. 

While you are reading with your child you could encourage them to read some simple words or phrases. 

See link below for some free online e-books and videos: 

Literacy

Daily virtual lessons for children

From Monday 23^rd March Read Write Inc. Phonics lessons will be available on Facebook and YouTube for children to watch at home.

RWI will release three short Speed Sound lessons with one of their trainers every day for the next two weeks. The films will only be available at the times below:

• Set 1 Speed Sounds at 9.30 am and again at 12.30 pm
• Set 2 Speed Sounds at 10.00 am and again at 1.00 pm
• Set 3 Speed Sounds at 10.30 am and again at 1.30 pm

Please note: the films are streamed live and won’t be available at other times.

They're also releasing a film of a poem for Reception and Year 1 children to join in with at 2.00 pm every day. The poems will be available on YouTube to watch again and again. 

A great opportunity for children to learn these by heart!

Some useful links for literacy learning:

https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/

https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/

https://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/literacy.html

https://www.phonicsbloom.com/

http://www.letters-and-sounds.com/phase-2-games.html

http://www.letters-and-sounds.com/phase-3-games.html

https://www.mrmcmakingmemories.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/alphablocks

https://epicphonics.com/games/phase/2

https://epicphonics.com/games/phase/3

Maths

At 10am each day, Reception children can watch 'Number fun' live on YouTube. This will include Maths songs, challenges, problem solving and interactive learning.

Please see the link below:

Some useful links for Maths learning:

https://mathszone.co.uk/tag/eyfs/?s=

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/3-5-years/counting

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/counting

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/topics/numeracy

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/Early-Years.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b08bzfnh/numberblocks

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zr99cqt

PE

Joe Wicks is uploading daily exercise videos to his YouTube channel. These are an excellent way of keeping both children and adults fit and healthy physically and mentally. 

Cosmic Kids is another website that offers meditation, yoga and mindfulness activities in a child-friendly way. Reception class often complete these activities in class and they really love them! 

PSHE

Here are some useful links for keeping your child safe online:

Music

https://www.singup.org/home-schooling/?embutton - Sing up home schooling page

https://youtu.be/j4mZhv9HS-g - free body percussion workshops 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/bring-the-noise - new set of resources from the BBC launched last year

https://www.mydso.com/dso-kids/ - Dallas symphony orchestra’s site just for children 

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Miss Mitchell