Literacy
Watch the following stories on Youtube with your child.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KmH-1zcGe8 (Owl Babies)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WddEex1A2yI (The Silent Owl)
Ask your child to draw an owl (you could draw or print one off for them to copy). Can your child label the body parts of an owl (wing, head, foot etc.) When your child is writing at this stage, they will write the sounds they can hear rather than spelling words correctly.
Introduce the word ‘nocturnal’ to your child. Explain that this is the word we use to describe animals that are awake at night and sleep during the day. Look for pictures of owls, foxes, badgers and hedgehogs online or in a book. If you can print off some pictures of these animals, and some animals that are not nocturnal, you could ask your child to sort them into the two piles. Or perhaps you could draw two circles on a sheet of paper and label then nocturnal and diurnal (animals who sleep at night and who are awake during the day). Ask your child to draw pictures of animals in the correct circle or try to write animal names in the correct circle. Swans could extend this activity by writing sentences about nocturnal animals, for example’ An owl is nocturnal. It sleeps in the day’ and ‘Badgers are black and white. They hunt for food at night’
Talk about the feelings of the characters in the owl babies story. How did the owl babies feel at the beginning of the story and at the end of the story? Ask your child to write to write a sentence as if they are a baby owl, for example ‘I am sad’, ‘I am scared’ or I am happy’. Swans could extend this activity by writing more complex sentences for example, ‘At the start, the baby owls were scared because mummy was not there’.
Practise name writing. If your child can write their first name (only using a capital letter at the start and all letters facing in the right direction) introduce their surname. Again, a capital letter should only be used at the beginning of the name. You could write your child’s name out in a light colour, for them to trace over, then to copy and then to try and write independently. The more your child practises writing their name, the better they will become. Swans should be clearly and quickly writing their names, focus on reversals, and correct formation. Teach them how to write their surnames.
Cygnets – Your child has learnt these sounds in school – m, a, t, s, d, I, p, g, o, c, k, b, y, i, u. Can you challenge your child to write these letters as you say them? Use lots of different colours to make it more interesting for them.
Play I spy using the sounds your child knows from the list above. Use the letter sound (ah for apple instead of the letter Ay) If you are able you could collect a selection of objects from around the house that begin with the letters (money, apple, train, spoon, doll/dinosaur, letter, pencil, grass, orange, clock, key, ball, yoghurt, insect, umbrella) Place the objects on the floor or table and play I spy.
Hold up an object – can your child write what sound it starts with?
Write out the sounds for your child on individual pieces of paper to make a set of letter cards – can they match the letter card to the object. (Use lower case letters – m,a,t rather than M, A, T)
Log onto phonics bloom and play some phonics games. Cygnets try the phase 2 or phase 3 games. Swans play phase 3, 4 and 5 games.
Maths
Watch and sing these number songs with your child.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TgLtF3PMOc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D4K9oi7oBM
Play some online number games at
Have a number hunt! Write out some number cards, or say a number to your child – can they find 2 socks, 3 books etc? Make it more of a challenge by setting the timer on your phone. Can they beat the clock?
Use small objects such as raisins, toy animals, cars, marbles. Put some in a sock – ask your child to pull out and count the objects. Can they write the number they have counted? Try to encourage the correct formation and correct any reversals.
Play Number ping pong with your child take in turns to say a number and count – how high can you go?!
Use a laundry bin, bucket, large bowl or basket. Ball up some pairs of socks. Ask your child to guess how many they can throw in the basket. Ask them to write down the number. Throw the socks in and count how many they got. Was it more or less than they guessed?
Draw two grids numbered 1 – 6. Take it in turns to roll a dice, and colour in the corresponding number square. The winner is the person who colours all their squares in first.
Swans – practise counting in tens, log in and play Numbots (letter sent out on Friday with login details), watch the following White Rose maths videos and complete the work sheets
1 Y1-Autumn-Block-2-WO-Introduce-parts-and-wholes-2020
holytrinitycepa.co.uk/…/3-Y1-Autumn-Block-2-WO-The-part-whole-model-with-objects-2020.pdf
3 Y1-Autumn-Block-2-WO1-Part-whole-model-2019
Other Ideas
PE – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aje33UPixE (Tallulah the owlet cosmic kids yoga)
Science – https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p079rc8n/andys-secret-hideout-series-2-11-andy-and-the-hedgehog Watch this clip about hedgehogs. Explain to your child that hedgehogs are nocturnal animals too. Can they research and write some hedgehog facts?
Swans – You are learning about the seasons in science. Can you find me some facts about each season? What do hedgehogs do in Autumn? Are there any other animals that hibernate?
Bug Club – Log on and read at least one book a day. Complete any activities linked to the story.
