Morning St Pius Community,

In the blog this week there are different ways in which parents and carers can help teach Numeracy and Maths at home. The websites below consist of small video links, activities and webinars that might help you explain concepts in a much easier way to your child or children.

https://www.npfs.org.uk/2020/06/03/learning-together-online-numeracy-and-maths-sessions-for-parents-to-support-learning-at-home/

https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/learning-at-home/supporting-numeracy/introduction-to-supporting-numeracy/

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3OjURvuhSxi93IPpX2MOPA

https://mathsnoproblem.com/en/programs/school-at-home/

https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwoPL2BRDxARIsAEMm9y-3I5ySX2QncqOxiAAXcPmkc6NwUU6btYnqM4oDbmv-cmOXuIv8d3IaAmvrEALw_wcB

Howdy Ho!

I am sure all the St Pius staff will agree with me when I say, we are counting down the days until we can see all your smiling faces again. We have been estimating how long this could last for, we have been calculating how many learners are engaging with home learning, we have even been rounding up as many different ways to bring you new learning experiences as we possibly can. How many maths words do you think are in this opening paragraph? Answers in a comment please 😀

This week I have given you a reminder of all the websites that are available to all learners young and old. Please give them a try you never know how much you can learn and engage through using games and play.

These websites are free to use and do not require you to log in .

Topmarks – https://www.topmarks.co.uk/

Maths Frame – https://mathsframe.co.uk/

Oxford Owl – https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/kids-activities/fun-maths-games-and-activities/

Maths Games – http://www.maths-games.org/

ICT Games – https://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/index.html

Theses websites may require you to login. Contact the school to see if you have a username and password if you do not already have it.

Sumdog – https://pages.sumdog.com/

Education City – https://www.educationcity.com/

My Maths – https://www.mymaths.co.uk/

Have a great week!!

Good Morning Everyone, it’s great to be able to explore Numbers in different settings. This week I have given you some ideas at how you can explore using numbers when you are out on your daily exercise, walking the dog, playing in your garden or simply just walking to the shops.  All these activities can be done with minimal resources.

Recording in mathematics

The outdoor area often offers unique opportunities for children to explore mark making in ways that are less threatening and more appealing than indoors – with chalks on paving slabs, with buckets of water and huge brushes or sticks in mud. Scoring offers a ‘real purpose’ for recording numbers that is sometimes lacking indoors, and can attract children who avoid pencil and paper activities. Practitioners have an important role in supporting children’s mathematical graphics and recording indoors and outdoors:

● Take all opportunities throughout the day to model ways of recording mathematics, including the use of formal symbols – numerals. Outdoors, this will include writing scores.

● When acting as a co-player, practitioners should model tallying – drawing four lines and a fifth line through to show a group of five; or with younger children, using symbols to record scores – three circles to represent three beanbags in a bucket, perhaps.

● Provide a ‘have a go’ environment where all children’s mathematical graphics are valued and children have opportunities to experiment and practise recording in a variety of ways. Give children lots of time to explore recording so that they can become increasingly familiar and confident with mark making. Use encouragements to record: “How can we remember that?”

● Encourage children to talk about what they are doing and why – they need lots of time to talk about their recordings and think through how effective they are

Natural resources

Help children to learn maths through all their senses, including touch, smell, sound and taste.

● Explore empty and full using big containers – use wet sand, pebbles, branches and boulders.

● Investigate measures – look at tiny seeds, then measure the height of runner bean plants or tall sunflowers or balance leeks, marrows, potatoes and tomatoes.

● Collect, sort and count natural objects outdoors – leaves, twigs, stones, pebbles, fir cones and flowers.

Toppling towers

In the indoor construction area, children could be building with small wooden blocks; outdoors they can explore natural or large objects. Provide logs or large amounts of smooth flat stones to stack and knock over. Extend by providing large empty cardboard boxes to pile up – who can build the tallest structure? Which tower is the most stable?

Splish, splash, splosh

The indoor water tray can be extended outdoors to give children time and space to explore water, without the need to ‘mop up’. Consider an outdoor water tap, water barrel or hose. Make a collection of large containers to fill and empty, including those with sprinklers. Extend to include large guttering and water pipes in paddling pools. Don’t forget the opportunities to splash in and sweep up puddles! Who can predict how many small buckets fill the watering can?

Travelling teabags

Many children love to make a mess – and with teabags soaked in coloured paint (or not), they can certainly do that! Encourage the children to predict who can throw their painty teabag the furthest, and then try it and see. Extend by using standard or non-standard measures to compare the throws. Who predicts the distance most accurately?

Check out these websites for more exciting games that explore numeracy outdoors.

https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/13-outdoor-maths-activities-early-years-year-6-plus-bonus-ages/

https://creativestarlearning.co.uk/c/maths-outdoors/

Good Afternoon,

Mrs Singers has sent a lovely link to help with Numeracy at home for parents. The MNP link has some amazing ideas that you could do at home to help learning to be more fun and engaging for your learners. Please have a look at some of the activities.

If you have any questions please ask away.

enjoy your day and thank you Mrs Singers

https://mathsnoproblem.com/en/programs/school-at-home/?utm_source=UK+Customer+Retention+Email+1A+May+2020&utm_campaign=a87abfb04a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_19_07_34&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_165d628b5a-a87abfb04a-122146426

Miss McKay has kindly sent lots of pictures of her practising her number bonds to 10. Can you use these picture to help her complete her number bonds. You can even use these pictures to do addition and subtraction! What would the number sentences be for each? please leave comments.

6 + ? = 10

If this is too easy try to make you own maybe a 100 square with chalk or a stone on concrete, try to challenge someone in your family. You can make you grid as big or small and as challenging as you like.

Please upload picture or add comments.

Thank you 🙂

Hi everyone,

In case you haven’t noticed or you don’t know today is National Numeracy Day. Along with all the exciting learning that our St Pius staff have been giving you I will also put some activities on here through out the day.

The first activity for the day is to STOP!

Now think about what you have done this morning already, how much of it included numbers? Talk with an adult or even write a comment about all the ways you have used numbers this morning already. Here is my list; brushing my teeth – 2 minutes, coming down the stairs – counting the stairs, putting washing on, making a cup of tea, logging into my glow account ( sometimes feels like forever). I can’t believe there is so many ways to include numbers in my daily routine. What about you? Have you done anything that’s included numbers today?

Howdy all you happy learners 🙂

I hope you have enjoyed learning the different games that were put up for you last week. This week there will be a bigger focus on online websites that you can use to enhance your mathematical thinking.

These websites are free to use and do not require you to log in .

Topmarks – https://www.topmarks.co.uk/

Maths Frame – https://mathsframe.co.uk/

Oxford Owl – https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/kids-activities/fun-maths-games-and-activities/

Maths Games – http://www.maths-games.org/

ICT Games – https://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/index.html

Theses websites may require you to login. Contact the school to see if you have a username and password if you do not already have it.

Sumdog – https://pages.sumdog.com/

Education City – https://www.educationcity.com/

My Maths – https://www.mymaths.co.uk/

Plese remember if there is anything you need support with someone will always be here to help you. Do not hestate to get in touch.

We hope you are enjoying your experience of home learning.

Miss you all

The Team St Pius X.

Make Maths FUN!

Below are some activities you could be doing around the house, in a garden, on your daily exercise to encourage maths and mathematical thinking. Some of these activities your child(ren) wont actually realise that they are doing maths.

Estimate everything

By estimating it helps children make sensible approximations. In life we are are constantly estimating: how long will
it take to drive to work, will this pair of trousers still fit me after lockdown, etc.
Always estimate then check by doing . Use phrases such as “I wonder…
• How many steps you need to take to reach the bench?
• How many times you can jump up and down
• How long it will take you to run to the fence and back

These are all questions that can be made up on the spot, simple, easy and a little bit of competition and it’s mathematical. Give it a go!

Play games

Lots of maths can be learned in a social context where everyone helps everyone. Once a child or children know
a game well, e.g. hopscotch, then encourage them to change a rule and talk about the impact on the game. Below is some games that you can play to develop mathematical thinking.

Multiplication Hopscotch

Number Line Run

Different Ways to Count

What’s the Time Mr Wolf

The game of Nim

Nature Mandalas

At this hard time the staff at St Pius primary school are trying there hardest to make learning accessible and enjoyable for every learner. We appreciate that this is a difficult time so we want to make this experience as easy as we can for adults delivering or helping with the learning and our little learners adapting to this new and unfamiliar way of life.

Each week I will update this Numeracy and Maths blog with different activities that you can do indoors and outdoors. These activities can be tailored for any age and ability, so if there is an activity that you like the look of but you are not sure about please leave a comment and I will help you the best I can.

Please Stay Safe and Stay Home

Miss Smith