Here are a few links to some awesome sensory activities for you to try out at home with your family! Simply click on the links below and follow the instructions in the videos to take part.
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Tag: Beech
Hi everyone! 
To celebrate the birth of Robert Burns on the 25th January, we thought we would have a very Scottish week! Here is a selection of activities that you can choose to participate in throughout the course of the week. 
Literacy 
Go on a virtual tour of Scotland using Google Maps. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Scotland/@57.6677015,-9.1705585,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4861e2c403f2a19f:0xe7c1fad809c30714!8m2!3d56.4906712!4d-4.2026458
How many of these landmarks can you find?
- Edinburgh Castle
- The Falkirk Kelpies
- Burns Cottage, Alloway
- Loch Ness
- Wallace Monument
- Ben Nevis
- Glenfinnan Viaduct (The Harry Potter train was filmed here!)
Numeracy 
The Unicorn is Scotland’s official national animal! To celebrate this, I have gathered a selection of unicorn-themed number resources by Twinkl for you to download and use on an iPad or print off if you can. To access these, type the following into your web browser: Twinkl.co.uk/share
Use the code LW5479 to access the games in the ‘Scotland Mini-Topic’ section.
Health and Well being 
Shortbread is one of the most famous Scottish foods! Why not work on some life-skills in the kitchen to make your family a Scottish snack? Simple recipe’s can be found online.
Robert Burns
Burns Birthplace Virtual Classroom – This interactive site has lots of Scottish and Burns resources https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sphOOwFIXzvZZk6NoGfzKSZtvIdbebToKb1J62CB61g/edit#slide=id.p
Watch this short animation clip on YouTube that tells the story and legacy of Robert Burns in a lovely and simple way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMxIBqpryG0
Have a listen to some Burns poetry and songs on YouTube.
- Here is a link to HRH Prince Charles reading ‘My Heart’s in the Highlands’ by Robert Burns.
- Here is a link to ‘Auld Lang Syne’ being signed by Makaton Tutor, Becky.
Burns Night Art/ECO 
A traditional Burns supper usually consists of haggis, neeps and tatties! Listen to the story ‘Hamish the Hairy Haggis’ on YouTube and try out the following activity:
Create your own interpretation of a ‘Hairy Haggis’ using anything at all that you can find around the house to reuse or recycle. This could be old bottle tops, old bits of cloth or clothing, empty packets, wool, cereal, oats, lentils or even leaves and twigs from outside – anything will do! Your ‘Hairy Haggis’ can be made of anything you want!
As always, remember that these activities are all optional and should be fun – not stressful 
Take care and stay safe. 
This week was ‘National Space Week’ and the Beech class had fun learning about the different planets and how rockets travel! Here are some of our favourite photos from this week!
After reading the story ‘The Smeds & The Smoos’, we explored mixing colours. We mixed red and blue to make purple which is what happened when the red and blue characters from the story had a baby – it was a little purple Smoo-Smed!
We thought of different blue, red and purple foods and came up with a recipe to test our colour mixing predictions! We made a purple Alien Smoothie by mixing blueberries, strawberries, banana, and blackcurrant diluting juice. The foods blended together and made a very yummy purple smoothie!
We also created our own mini rockets using our handprints, coloured shapes, tissue paper & a giant straw to help it move!
We were very successful learners and enjoyed learning all about space through story telling.
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Home Learning Activities – Week 2
Hi everyone! 
This week in the Beech class, our mini-topic is based on the Julia Donaldson book ‘The Smeds and the Smoos’. 
Here is a link to the story if you would like to listen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKjjFh7dQsg I have thought of some space and alien themed activities for you to take part in at home that link nicely to our story – remember to only do what you can 
Literacy
We sometimes remember the names and order of the planets in our solar system with a helpful mnemonic such as: ‘My Very Evil Monster Just Scared Us Nuts’ The first letter of each word reminds us of each planet name. Your challenge is to order the planets using objects you can find around the house that begin with the same letter sound. (You can include dwarf planet, Pluto, if you wish!)
Find something that begins with M, V, E, M, J, U, N and P. Can you put them in that order?
Numeracy
Twinkl have a wide variety of free games. I have linked 3 Space-themed interactive number games
Type the following into your web browser: Twinkl.co.uk/share
Use the code LW4518 to access the games in the ‘lesson 18.1.21’ section.
Health and Wellbeing
Practise cutting skills and healthy eating with this interesting activity. Use different sized fruits to identify and compare the sizes of each planet! If you can get to a supermarket, try using fruits you may not always have at home and experiment with different flavours. With any left over pieces, why not create a fruit rocket?
Science, Engineering and Technology 
Have fun with any boxes, recycled cartons or bottles, toilet roll holders, Tupperware and tables or chairs – anything you can find – to see if you can build your very own rocket ship!
Here is an example:
Explore the moon with this animated story by Eric Carle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqAw7UM6qo
Why does the moon have craters on it? Craters on the Moon are caused by asteroids and meteorites colliding with the moon’s surface over millions of years. Explore this concept using a mixture of cornflour and baby oil to represent the moon surface and pebbles/stones to represent the meteors. Here are the instructions for you to follow: Science Experiment
Addition activities and resources available
- Glasgow Science Centre have created a YouTube playlist called ‘Our Place in Space.’ It has lots of fun videos that guide us through the solar system. Click HERE to watch.
- Click HERE to listen to Astronaut Tim Peake reading a story to us all the way from the International Space Station!
- This is ‘Space Week’ on CBeebies. There will be one space themed episode per day by maddie Moate, filmed at the National Space Centre. Click HERE to watch the episodes after they have aired.
Rockets – Monday 18 Jan – 16.50
Solar System – Tuesday 19 Jan – 16.50
International Space Station – Wednesday 20 Jan – 16.50
Space Robots – Thursday 21 Jan – 16.50
Astronaut Training! – Friday 22 Jan – 16.50
Vscene
Our interactive Vscene sessions will be on Monday, Tuesday and Friday this week at 2pm – look out for some resources that will be delivered to you on Monday that you can use to actively participate in our activities at home if you wish!
Remember – only do what you can. You are doing great
Categories
Remote Learning Activities – Week 1
Good morning, Beech! 
This week in the Beech class, Mrs Wilson and Mrs McCreath will be doing a topic called ‘Feed the Birds’. To tie in with some of the activities the class will be doing in school, I have thought of some activities you can do at home!
Literacy
In class we will be reading a story called ‘The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark’. Here is a link to the story on YouTube if you want to listen, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FcxGheSihk
A good idea for practising letter formation and fine motor skills is to make a sensory tray. Fill a wide and shallow tray or dish with fine sprinkle materials – we suggest bird seed this week if you have any! But any kind will do. See if you can trace out the different letters in some bird names such as ‘O’, ‘W’ and ‘L’. Alternatively, you can practise filling, scooping and pouring using different cups and spoons, this helps hand-eye coordination and motor skill development.
Numeracy
Draw a simple set of owl templates in different sizes onto bits of card or paper. A family of three would be perfect!
While out in the garden or on your daily walk, gather a variety of leaves and twigs. Now, see if you can make the owl’s feathers with the leaves and twigs!
- Can you make a baby owl with 3 leaf feathers?
- Can you make a Mummy owl with 6 leaf feathers?
- Can you make a Daddy owl with 8 leaf feathers?
- How many twigs does it take to cover an owl?
Health and Wellbeing/Life-Skills
Owl Toast Recipe! You don’t have to stick to the exact ingredients – get creative!
Art and Design
Here are the instructions you can choose to follow to make a very simple bird feeder! Don’t worry if you don’t have the exact products, you can improvise! Use the RSPB website to check that the products you use are bird-friendly though! https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/feeding-birds/safe-food-for-birds/
toilet-roll-bird-feeder-craft-instructions
Please remember that these activities are optional. Be kind to yourself and only do what you can. please feel free to send us any photos of your young people enjoying their time at home. Note that blog activities will be posted here every Monday morning, as well as any instructions for our Vscene activities for the week. Take care and be safe.
– Miss Woodburn
Looking out for Santa!
We were very effective contributors as we all participated in a range of party games!
Lyle after he won one of our party games!
We thoroughly enjoyed a special treat this morning! We had a delivery of rolls and sausage and watched a Christmas movie!
The Beech class would like to wish everyone very happy and safe Christmas!
As part of an SQA unit, the Beech class have been thinking about the different ways to communicate our wants and needs. Mrs Wilson asked pupils to create a list of ingredients they would like in their hot drink. After making good choices and ordering their ingredients, pupils helped to safely and responsibly make their hot drink.
The Beech class have been working hard and developing their confidence and skills in literacy this week. Here we are taking part in a variety of activities whilst being very confident individuals.
The Beech class enjoyed celebrating St. Andrew’s Day this year by making colourful tartan kilts! The class were successful learners as they learned all about the story of St. Andrew and celebrated Scottish culture by making their own tartan.
The Beech class continued work on their Personal Development SQA unit this week as we focused on looking after our teeth. We looked at the different products we use to keep our teeth clean and sequenced how to use them. We practiced brushing techniques using laminates of dirty teeth and also had a think about which food products might be bad for our teeth if we ate too much of them.
We were very confident individuals as we demonstrated an understanding of our own health and wellbeing.
