All posts by Mrs Husbands

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Remote Learning – Hanen: An approach to developing literacy skills

June 3, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

At Glenwood we use Hanen’s ABC and Beyond approach to develop early literacy skills.

The programme has six main aspects:

Turn a book into a conversation
Make words sparkle
Expand children’s understanding of the characters and events in stories
Use language to think and learn
Development of print knowledge
Phonological awareness

For more information on activities you can use at home with your child, please read our Sway.

Go to this Sway

Why don’t you let us know which words you have made sparkle or which stories you have retold together?

@GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Let’s Talk About Food

June 2, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

The reason we like some food and not others is because of our taste buds. Can you find out where they are? What foods do your Taste buds love and which ones make them go Yuck! Can you draw a picture of your favourite meal?

Food explorers

Sometimes we decide we don’t like food because of its look, smell or because we tried it before and we didn’t like it. Remember food can taste different depending on the time of year (especially fruit and vegetables), how it was made and what ingredients were used. Two people can make the same food and it taste different. Can you be a food explorer and explore some new or unusual food? Be Brave and try a very small amount. If you don’t like it that’s ok but don’t be afraid to try it again as our tastes change over time.

At the table

Setting a table and putting out everything you need, sitting at the table to eat and deciding what are the rules are good skills to have. There are different rules at different tables. In some countries it’s even polite to burp after a meal to show you enjoyed it. At Glenwood we have developed our mealtimes to encourage conversation as for it to be a relaxing time when children and adults are together. We also know that some of you are enjoying food that you have been helping cook.

Packaging Practise

Packaging can be a challenge to get into so try and practise opening as many food packages as you can. You might need a little help but this will develop your hand eye coordination, finger control and self confidence as you learn to open up food or drink containers for yourself. Remember to try and keep it steady so it doesn’t fly everywhere.

What I like and how much

It’s good to learn the names of the food you like and how much you like to eat. Some children have big appetites and some smaller. If you start with an empty plate you could play ‘school dinners’ where you have to ask each item of food that has been made and say how much you want. This will help you develop your vocabulary and your awareness of amount. “more”, “less” “the middle sized one”. And remember to say ‘please’ and thanks you’ to those who have cooked and are serving.Maybe you could have a go at being the school cook and making some food.

I’m Full

In the school dinners game you don’t need to eat everything on your plate if you have a big portion. Instead be aware of your body and when it’s full and doesn’t want anymore or if you would like more you could ask if there is any food left you could have.

Steady as you go

Part of the ‘school dinner game’ can be to carry your plate, cutlery and drink. This is very tricky and could end in a big crash so start by carrying an empty plastic cup, plate and cutlery on a tray. This game requires balance and spatial awareness.

Clean up Time

When you have finished your food it’s time to tidy up. In the school dinners game you need to scrape your food into a bin. put your cutlery in one container and your cup and plate in another container. This is a good time to see if you made a good estimate of how much you would eat and drink. This is developing independence and self help skills.

Get in touch

We love hearing how you are getting on so keep in touch.

@GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Growing Carrot Tops

May 29, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

You will need

Carrot top (2-3 cm from stem)
Shallow dish
Cotton wool
Water
Sunny windowsill

How to grow a carrot top

Cut the top from a carrot. You’ll need about 2.5 cm.

Simply add a layer of cotton balls or newspaper to your small dish. Add a little water over the cotton balls and place the dish in a sunny location. Do not let them dry out.

It will take a few days to see the carrot top begin to grow. Once the new plants have rooted well, you can plant them in soil. The new plants should show growth pretty quickly and your lucky little gardeners will be delighted with their reward.

Learning involved

What do plants need to grow
How root vegetables grow
Observational skills

What other root vegetables could you grow in this way?

Find some more on the CBeebies website by clicking the links below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/makes/dotf-vegetable-scraps

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/7-tips-for-gardening-with-children

Mrs Husbands tried to grow a red pepper instead of a root vegetable. She planted it on the 20th April and it took until 28th May before she could see a shoot!

The pepper stalk was planted in compost and kept in a warm place.

Let us know how you get on @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Fun Friends Relax…

May 28, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Recap on feelings

It’s ok to have feelings
Everyone has feelings
I can recognise feelings in myself and others.
I can ask for help with my feelings.
Hitting, kicking or breaking things is not ok, no matter how we feel. Keep encouraging your child to identify feelings in themselves and to do things that make themselves feel better when they are experiencing unpleasant feelings.

Relax

It’s not easy to relax and there are many different ways people choose to relax. Yoga, reading, singing, exercise, meditating, listening to music and much more. In the world today it is important that we help our children develop this skill of RELAXING as the world around them becomes busier with more challenges. When we help our children and ourselves to develop this skill of RELAXING will in turn help with resilience, self control, good mental health and well being. How many times have you heard an adult say “I don’t have time to relax” but we need to make time and show children how to nurture this positive life skill.

BREATHING

Milkshake breathing is a term we use a lot with the children in Glenwood and it is one of the tools used in the Fun Friends program. In your family fun bags you should have a straw. Use the straw without any water and get them to practise breathing in through their nose and out through the straw big, long slow breaths. Tell them this will help them to blow out their worries so they can begin to feel more relaxed. After a few practises put the straw into a glass of water to practise their milkshake breathing. Try to emphasize how important it is to do this very slowly and gently. The slower we breathe the better. Slow breathing calms us down!

Belly breathing Find a warm quiet place and lay down. Encourage your child to close their eyes. Ask them to lay one hand on their tummy and start to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. As they breathe in ask them if they can feel their tummy moving up and when they breathe out feel their tummy going down. Tell them that this will help them to blow out their worries so they can begin to feel more relaxed. Again try to emphasise how important it is to do this very slowly and gently. Slow breathing calms us down! Do this for 10 minutes everyday or week. Whatever suits your family life.

The more often either one of these strategies is practised the more natural it will become for them to use in a challenging situation. By saying “I can see and hear you are feeling angry, could we try and do some Milkshake breathing?” you are acknowledging their feelings (that they are allowed to have) and also offering a positive way to release them.

When you’re feeling confident that your child is aware of their breathing and has mastered the skill, music could be introduced and essential oils like lavender. Perhaps as time progresses and the child gets older sessions could last 15mins and even allow them the space to do it themselves in a safe environment.

These suggested strategies can be done in pairs or as a family. Only you know how your family works best. In Glenwood these sessions are done in small groups with key workers scaffolding learning.

Understanding Body Clues Help children identify “Body Clues” with the “Body Clue Match Game”. Draw around your child to create a body shape. It doesn’t matter what it looks like as long as your child can identify a head and arms and legs. Using the body shape with body clues (ie butterflies in tummy, jumpy heart bear, stamping giant head) talk about the body signs and how this person might be feeling.

Next, have your child pick out what emotion they want to talk about first. Remember, “good” or “bad” aren’t emotions – there’s no such thing as a good feeling or a bad feeling! Some feelings might be comfortable and some might be uncomfortable, but every emotion is helpful to recognize. Explain that body signs don’t mean you are sick – these signs are telling us it’s time to relax, drink some water and have some quiet time. Your body is your friend – it gives you clues and signs that it is time to take a deep breath and have a rest. It’s important to listen to our bodies.

Talk about what their body tells them when they feel tired or worried or upset or angry or happy or brave. e.g sore tummy, sore head, red cheeks, need the toilet, warm inside and sweaty hands. Let children know that other children and adults also feel these signs in their bodies.

Further Links:

Breathing exercise – 2 Minute YouTube Video

Further relaxation activities – ERC Healthier Minds

Music for relaxation – CBeebies Calming Sounds

Yoga – Mrs Russell’s yoga video

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Remote Learning – Small Worlds

May 27, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Where children can allow their imagination to run wild and create an imaginary world out of any everyday objects lying inside the house – like buttons, corks, scarfs, lentils, pasta, cotton wool, boxes and plastic containers from the recycling. What about collecting things from outdoors too – from the garden or when out on a walk like twigs and stones to help you to create wonderful small worlds for your favourite toys to explore!

Small world play is when children use figures and resources in miniature to build stories and play imaginatively. Your small world play could represent a real-life place, like a farm, or it might be a completely imaginary world. The key is that they’re often an outlet for imaginative or pretend play, where children can do everything from acting out routines or recalling past events, to creating their own unique stories.

Mrs Cramb decided to create a small world by recycling a pizza box as a base: painting it and adding some small stones, branches, twigs, leaves and lentils. She then added some dinosaurs to create a Jurassic world!

Her small world was a great place for her wild animals too.

Creating small worlds helps development of imagination, language & curiosity – what do the animals eat? what environment do they live in? what do they look like?

What skills are being learned through small world play?

It helps children to explore and understand the world around them.
It’s a safe place to explore ideas and develop their imagination.
More pretend play in childhood has even been linked to successful adult creatives.
Children can build self-confidence by exploring their own ideas.
It promotes narrative in play, helping children to become storytellers.
It’s often cooperative and teaches children social skills.
It’s great for fine motor control.
Children can explore their understanding of space and size.
They build an awareness of other people’s emotions by exploring a world in someone else’s shoes.
They can also explore their own emotions through the container of a character they’ve made up.
They can explore cause and effect.
It provides opportunities for problem-solving.
It aids language development, by getting children talking descriptively, and exploring a wider vocabulary.

There are so many benefits to creating and exploring small worlds – so why not join in and allow your child to take the lead, while you support them in creating a wonderful world to explore.

Remember to share your creations with us on Twitter @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Fun Friends have feelings

May 21, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Fun Friends is a programme we use in Glenwood to help children develop their emotional resilience – to find out more click on the link to the Sway at the bottom of this post.

Part of the Fun Friends programme is learning about feelings in ourselves and others. It is also a key part of Curriculum for Excellence.

What we want children to learn:

It’s OK to have feelings, everyone has feelings.
To recognise feelings in themselves and others.
Hitting, kicking or breaking things is not OK.

Feelings – talk about different feelings: happy, sad, angry, scared, tired, nervous, excited, jealous, calm, silly, lonely, playful, brave etc.

Being brave is a feeling we will encourage through the Fun Friends programme.

Learning about feelings through play – role play feelings (eg show me excited or angry), act out scenarios (eg going on a bear hunt), demonstrate how people you know show their feelings.

Feelings are OK, actions we control – Explain that feelings are OK, everyone has feelings but how we choose to act is very important. You could use thumbs up for good choices and thumbs down for bad choices.

When we are scared we can choose to run away, hide, not try something new or we can choose to stand up tall, speak in a loud voice, give something a try.
When we are angry we can choose to stamp our feet, shout or break things or we can choose to calm down, have a drink of water, have some quiet time and talk to someone.
When we are happy we can choose to shout and scream very loudly and runn around like crazy or we can choose to laugh, smile, sing or cuddle a soft toy.

Sing the traditional song If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands. Introduce alternative feelings and actions, such as:

angry….stamp your feet, sad….have a cry, scared….hide and shake, brave….stand up tall

Can you predict other people’s emotions? eg when you have news to share or when something unexpected happens
Think of ways to change how someone feels. Can you make someone happy, can you give them a surprise?
Draw pictures of things that make you feel sad, worried or angry and talk about ways to feel better.

CBeebies has some more feelings activities and songs you could try. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/joinin/talking-to-your-child-about-emotions

“Men don’t feel sad”

Talking to children they frequently say men don’t feel sad, worried or frightened. They misread these signs as angry. So men in particular need to help children by explaining their feelings, eg “I know I shouted at you when you went out on the road but I felt frightened you might get hurt.”

As children misread men’s feelings, they often say men don’t need help and they don’t know how they manage their feelings. Dads, tell your child what helps you – “I feel sad not seeing Granny and Grandpa too but your cuddles make me feel better” – “I go for a walk when I feel angry.”

Please keep in touch as you explore your feelings together @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

Follow these links for futher information:

Glenwood Emotional Intelligence Sway

ERC Healthier Minds Website

Go to this Sway

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Remote Learning – Helicopter Stories at Home

May 20, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Helicopter Stories is a simple approach based on the work of Vivian Gussin Paley. It involves acting as a scribe by writing down a child’s story word for word as they are saying it. After it has been written the time is then taken to act it out. In the nursery we tend to do this with a bigger group. However, they can be done at home with only one child. When we are in nursery it is usually an A5 size of paper that is used. However, as you are at home you can choose whatever size of paper you want. It might be nice to use a notebook and keep them all together if you choose to do it more than once.

Here are some helpful tips for doing Helicopter Stories at home.

Listening to your child’s story.

There are no rules to how long their story must be. Their stories can range from just one word to a few short sentences, sometimes they can even write a list. For a child to become a confident storyteller they must be allowed to tell their stories the way they want, without anyone interfering or interrupting them. This will help them to trust that what is being written and acted out are their own words.

Try not to interrupt

Naturally when we are reading stories to children or if a child is telling us a story, we would ask questions. Such as how big was the elephant? When the child is talking try not to ask them questions or influence their story in any way. Just listen to them so that you can hear everything that is being said and are able to write every word down. Perhaps after the child has told their story and acted it out, you could then ask them to scribe for you while you tell them a story. It doesn’t matter if they can’t write the words properly, as when you act it out you will both remember what was said.

Make a stage

Normally a stage for Helicopter Stories will be marked out using masking tape . Remember there are no rules at home so you can use the hallway, stairs, living room… Ask your child to decide where they want their stage to be and they can make their own rules up. Your acting area can be whatever and wherever you want it to be.

And Finally, Act It Out

When you begin to act out the stories let your child be in charge. It is their story so they will show you exactly how they want it to be acted out. Let your child decide what character they want to be and tell you what character you are going to be.

Be prepared to be anything… now I’m a bench!

This is a great activity to get the whole family involved. If there are only two of you, each of you can be more than one character. Just as the child can’t do anything wrong in this activity neither can you. Just play, try not to take over, and release your inner child!

Find out more about Helicopter Stories on their website here.

Most importantly have fun! You might like to share your stories with us on Twitter @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Minibeasts

May 19, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Children love exploring what they can find hidden under or in objects. Why not involve them in a minibeast hunt in the garden? This supports their curiosity by inviting them to look under stones or plant pots, to dig in the garden or to search other garden areas to discover minibeasts and where they can be found.

Finding the best places to search for minibeasts provides children with a problem solving experience as well as risk assessing the areas to keep safe. For example, care will need to be taken with possible hazards such as overhanging branches, uneven ground or slippery surfaces.

Some children love to pick up minibeasts, holding them in their hands. Providing a container or small spade may allow some children the opportunity to scoop up a minibeast to have a closer look if they prefer not to touch them. Using a magnifying glass is also a great way to look at them in close detail. Your child might enjoy drawing or painting a picture of the minibeasts they find, or perhaps like to take some photographs or make a model.

As children play and investigate the world around them you may hear them developing their numeracy skills as they count the number of legs on the minibeasts or the number of each minibeast they find. They will be excited to share news of their discoveries and recognise colours while talking about the characteristics of each minibeast.

Searching for minibeasts in the natural outdoor environment also provides a great opportunity for children to learn about habitats and what creatures need to survive. It also provides an opportunity to ask open-ended questions to encourage children to chat and further investigate minibeasts:

‘Where do you think that beetle might live?’

‘I wonder why we found these woodlice hiding under the piece of wood.’

‘Why do you think this spider is climbing on the cane?’

‘I don’t recognise this minibeast. How are we going to find out what it is called?’

Using a minibeast chart can be a fun way to identify and tick off the ones you find. You could make your own chart or here’s one you could use:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/04/minibeast-hunt/

Use the minibeasts you find to make comparisons and predictions:

‘Which is the longest/shortest worm?’

‘Which minibeast has the most/least legs?’

‘Which snail do you think will move fastest?’

Another fun way of finding minibeasts in your garden is to make a pitfall trap. Minibeasts that are moving on the ground nearby will fall in and you can check the next day to see what has been trapped. Further information and instructions about pitfall traps can be found by clicking on this link.

Remember that minibeasts are very small and need to be handled carefully. If you do pick them up, always put them back where you found them. Don’t forget to wash your hands when you are finished.

Hope you have had fun trying out these minibeast ideas. Please remember to share your child’s learning by tweeting @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Rocks Rock!

May 18, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Do you have stones or rocks in your garden?

Can you go on your daily walk and find some?

If the answer is yes, then here are some ideas from Miss McArthur you can try out!

Rock Painting

Choose your favourite colours and paint away… this will help:

Develop creativity – it doesn’t matter if the picture doesn’t look like anything to you, to your child it’s a masterpiece.
Express their feelings and thoughts without words – sometimes paintings tell a story.
Develop problem solving and motor skills – as they figure out how to manipulate the rock and painting tools.

Rock paintings will help brighten up your garden or make an indoor play area. Why not try:

Painting small world animals or fairies.
Creating a fairy or elf door,
Painting minibeasts.
Create your own number or letter hunt around the house or in your garden.

Use rocks and stones as loose parts

What shapes can you turn them into?

How many have you collected?

Can you make a stepped number line from them? Can you build a tower out of them?

Miss McArthur can build a tower of 5.

Is your tower bigger or smaller?

Remember to Tweet to let us see what you used your rocks for! @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Moving On to School

May 15, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

We have prepared a Sway to help answer some of the questions you may have about the transition process for children who are due to move on to Primary 1 in August.

It will also give some information about our ‘Moving On’ programme which will start next week.

We hope you find it helpful.

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Remote Learning – Rhyme and Initial Sounds

May 14, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Developing your child’s phonological awareness allows them to recognise and use the sounds of spoken language, building an understanding of how they work together to make words.

Rhyming is a helpful place you can start with your child. Rhyme is a sequence of words where there is a regular recurrence of similar sounds found at the end of words – e.g. The cat sat on the mat.

Children will typically learn to recognise rhyming words first and then generate their own rhymes later.

There are lots of ways in which your child can play with rhyme using songs, stories and games. We have given some suggestions but you might have your own favourites. See if your child can hear and match the rhyming words as they play!

Songs

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Hickory Dickory Dock

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Once I Caught A Fish Alive

5 Little Ducks

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Stories

The Gruffalo

Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose

Fox’s Socks

Each Peach Pear Plum

Hairy Maclary

If you don’t have your own copy of a rhyming story, you can go online where you will be able to find read along stories on YouTube, BookTrust (https://www.booktrust.org.uk/), or on an author’s own website.

Games

Rhyming Basket

Gather together objects from your house in a basket, ensuring that each object has another object that rhymes with it i.e. your child’s toy bear and a pear from your fruit bowl (it is usually easiest to use your child’s toys, alongside some household objects)

Demonstrate rhyme to your child by matching the rhyming objects. Repeat this activity on more than one occasion.

If you child has an awareness of rhyme, take it a stage further by singing this song to introduce the game and see if you child can pick out objects from the basket that rhyme.

A tisket, a tasket, Here is the rhyming basket.

Rhyming words end the same, Let’s play the rhyming game.

Generating Rhyme

If your child is showing signs that they are trying to generate rhyme by changing the sounds of a word to make another word that rhymes, you can introduce a game to encourage them.

Sing this rhyme to your child:

Hickety, pickety bumble bee, can you think of words that rhyme with CAR for me?

You may want to give them an example i.e. STAR

Initial Sounds are another important part of your child’s phonological awareness. They can help your child associate sounds with letters and words which they form.

There are lots of fun songs and games you can play with your child to support their understanding.

Try to remember to say the sound the letter makes, not confuse it by saying the name of the letter instead. You can say this is the letter S and it makes the /s/ sound.

If you are unsure of how to say the letter sound correctly, you can refer to the Jolly Phonics website where it gives you can example to listen to – https://www.jollylearning.co.uk/resource-bank-old/learn-the-letter-sounds/

Song

What’s the sound that starts these words?(tune of Old MacDonald had a Farm)

What’s the song that starts these words? Star, Sun and Snake.

(wait for a response)

/s/ is the sound that starts these words, Star, Sun and Snake.

With a /s/ here and a /s/ there, Here a /s/, there a /s/ everywhere a /s/.

/s/ is the sound that starts these words, Star, Sun and Snake.

Games

Your Child’s Initial Sound / Alliteration

Develop your child’s awareness of the initial sound in their own name by saying “Your name begins with the /s/ sound and sun begins with the /s/. Can you think of another word that begins with the /s/ sound? Your child might need a clue i.e. something you wear on your feet (socks)

You can also introduce alliteration, which is when you have words with the same initial sound closely connected. You child will love it if you include their name i.e. Jumping Jack, Amazing Andrew

I Spy

I spy with my little eye something that begins with.…

Your child tries to guess the object that starts with that sound.

Initial Sound Clap

In this game you would ask your child to clap when they hear a word with a different initial sound

i.e. star, sun, snake, small, train, sit

Demonstrate first what you are asking your child to do.

You would clap on train as it has a different initial sound

Now give your child another set of words for them to try

Hope you have lots of fun trying out these ideas. Please remember to share your child’s learning by tweeting @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Independent Play

May 13, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

While we always recognise the importance of parent-child interactions and playing together there are also many benefits to independent play. This can provide opportunity for children to problem-solve, experiment, use their initiative and develop their perseverance and independence. As parents right now you may be juggling working from home, helping other children with school work and other challenging situations. This blog has some suggestions of experiences where once set up, children will have the opportunity to play independently or with siblings.

Provocations are “invitations to play”. Setting up children’s toys a little differently might invite new found enthusiasm for old toys and encourage children to use them in new and inventive ways.

Playdough

Playdough takes around 10 minutes to make and can keep for weeks in an air-tight container. Playing with dough or clay develops children’s fine motor skills, sensory awareness, language skills, numeracy skills and imagination.

Quick Uncooked Playdough Recipe:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/playdough-recipe

Cooked Playdough Recipe (this is a slightly more complicated but keeps for longer):

https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/playdough-recipe/

There are many different things you could put out to use with playdough – rollers, cutters, safety knives, safety scissors, potato mashers, cake tins, bowls, jars, cupcake cases, candles, straws, stampers, pipe cleaners, matchsticks, lollipop sticks, leaves, flowers, sticks, stones…

Den Building

Den building helps to develop children problem-solving skills, motor skills, imagination and communication skills. It is a wonderful learning experience and so much fun to play in once constructed! To build a den you could use sheets, blankets, tables, chairs, sofas, pillows, clothes pegs, cardboard boxes. Once the den is built children could take in soft toys, dolls, books, puzzles, drawing materials, torches, a picnic…

Small World Play

Small world play develops imagination, creativity, language skills and problem-solving skills. Combine a selection of resources to create an exciting new world to explore. You could use cars, trains, toy people, animals, dinosaurs, fabric, scarves, cardboard boxes, masking tape, cardboard tubes…

Dressing Up Box

Role-play helps children to make sense of real-life situations, express their ideas and imagination and develop their language skills. The imagination of children can turn anything into a wonderful new costume. To create a dressing up box you could use hats, scarves, bangles, bags, shoes, mirrors…

Creation Station

This will develop children’s creativity, fine motor skills and literacy skills. You could use different colours and sizes of paper, old wallpaper, dry erase board, chalk board, old magazines to cut out, notebooks, post-it notes, felt tip pens, colouring pencils, crayons, junk modelling materials, glue, masking tape….

Mrs Ross created all of these provocations from things she found at home, each took no longer than 5 minutes to set up. Of course, this will take a bit more time if you are able to do together with your child but this will allow them to share their ideas with you and follow their interests. Remember they may have a different vision from you so follow their lead! We hope these give you some ideas for fun you can have both together and for your child to explore independently. Please share your ideas with your child’s friends by Tweeting @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Let’s Get Ready to Write…

May 12, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Did you know that writing is not a fundamental skill our bodies are designed for?

So in order for us to support and enable children to become successful writers, we must first understand the physical and dexterity skills.

There are many different ways this can be done at home… and they don’t always involve a pencil and paper!

Upper body/ large motor skill activities

● Sweeping races; grab a large brush and some foam and head outside. Who will be the fastest?
● Wash outdoor walls with soapy bubbles… How high can you reach on the wall?
● Paint with a mop: can you mix the colours? What patterns can you make?
● Get green fingered; dig in the soil, plant seeds and flowers, dig up the weeds.

All of these activities will help develop your child’s shoulder pivot- the full range of motion using their whole arm, and their elbow pivot- where they can be seen ‘sawing’ back and forth as they draw and write.

Smaller/ fine motor skill activities

Let’s Get Foamy!

Use shaving foam to make scribbles, pictures, letters and more. Why not try using different utensils like spoons, forks, sticks, straws or paint brushes.

By using fingers and different utensils, the small muscles in the wrist and hands are strengthening.

Playdough Party

You will need: dough (2 cups flour, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup oil, colour/scent), space to move around and music!

Moves can include: make a ball, pass and press (move the dough from hand to hand, pressing it flat) and funky fingers (use each individual finger to create a dotty pattern)

Why not challenge yourself and see how many shapes you can make before the music stops?

For more Dough Disco ideas visit YouTube here.

Other fun activities to try

Mark making in gloop, rice or paint – time yourself to see what you can create in 1 minute.
Create threading skewers with spaghetti and penne pasta
Make some chalk paint and decorate the patio/driveway/garden walls – here’s a recipe to try.
Create a cutting station
Make painted toast! – Mix a few drops of food colouring with milk and then paint some patterns onto white bread. Toast as normal!

Let us see what you can do – Tweet us @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Transient Art

May 11, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Mrs Wilson has been busy finding loose parts at home to create some transient art. Transient art is a term used to describe art that is non-permanent and continually evolving, where a variety of materials are used to create pictures, patterns or models.

The non-permanent nature of this art means that children can move, change and experiment with the materials used until they are happy with what they have achieved. As well as developing their fine motor skills children also grow in confidence at making decisions as they design and redesign their ideas.

Working on transient art projects is a fun way to develop creativity and encourages children to explore materials and develop an understanding of their senses.

The loose parts used provide an ideal opportunity to talk about texture, colour and size. Using loose parts also develops skills in numeracy and mathematics such as sorting, matching, counting, pattern making, exploring shapes and learning about symmetry.

Ideas for loose parts to use at home (although the list is endless).

Beads Buttons Sequins Bottle lids Corks Lollipop sticks Coins Feathers Spoons Colouring pens Cotton reels Clothes pegs Paper clips Curtain rings

Natural materials are ideal to use if creating an outdoors transient art project.

Stones Sticks Twigs Pine cones Shells Leaves Flower petals

Transient art projects to try at home

Draw a straight, zigzag, or spiral line for your child to make a pattern on.
Use a picture frame to design a picture in.
Create a picture on or in front of a mirror.
Fill a shallow tray with water and use that to make a design in.
Challenge your child to create a symmetrical picture.
Use the loose parts to ‘write’ your name.

Before you tidy away your loose parts you could take a picture of your transient art and send a tweet to @Glenwood FC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – More PE at Home

May 6, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Exercise keeps us healthy and taking part in fun games can improve our coordination and movement skills. Here are some more fun ideas for keeping active…

Animal Actions

Pretend to be different animals. Can you….

Jump like a frog

Prowl like a tiger (crawl on hands and knees)

Walk like a bear (crawl with your hands and feet on the floor)

Bounce like a Kangaroo

Balance like a flamingo

Slither like a snake

Gallop like a horse

Walk tall like a giraffe

Stomp like an elephant

Walk sideways like a crab

Flap your wings like a bird

Obstacle Course

Can you build an indoor obstacle course? Don’t forget that building and tidying up the course is also part of your exercise! Here are some ideas to get you started but we’re sure you can use your imagination to think of more!

Something to crawl under – a tunnel, a row of chairs, a cardboard box.
Something to balance on – a plank of wood, a line of masking tape
Something to throw – A ball, a teddy bear, rolled up socks
Something to throw into – a bucket, a basin, a toy box
Something to balance on your head – a bean bag, a teddy bear, a cushion
Something to jump over – a rope, a cushion, a teddy bear
Something to dribble a ball around – cushions, chairs, teddy bears

Mrs McGrory has put together some other ideas of games you can play with your family in this Sway.

Fun ways to exercise

During our gym sessions we like to do a warm-up game called the bean game. To play this game you have to run around until someone calls out one of the types of bean. There are many differen…

Go to this Sway

Remember to share some of your pictures with us on Twitter @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Upcycling Challenge: Create Your Own Game

May 5, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Mrs Silvester has set you a challenge! Can you create your own dice game at home?

Remember to share your ideas by tweeting @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

Here are a few ideas to get you started…

The lids from milk jugs have been used to make these little Plastic Lid Ladybirds for a number dice game. To make the ladybird draw or use some button type eyes and pen dots on your lids. To Play the game, roll the dice and match the spots or numbers on the ladybird number lids to the dice.

What are dice good for?

Dice are great for introducing turn taking and encouraging early maths skills such as: counting, matching, comparing and number recognition.

Find some more number games on the CBeebies website by clicking the link below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/joinin/numberblocks-help-your-child-with-maths

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Remote Learning – Block Play

May 4, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

When playing with blocks children are using a number of different skills. These include measuring, counting, teamwork, talking to each other, problem solving and many more.

In Glenwood we have recently started using the 7 stages of block play. We use the stages to determine what stage of development the children are at when using blocks. Our blocks are different shapes and sizes.

The Seven Stages of Block Play

Stage 1: The blocks are carried around but not used for building.

Stage 2: Blocks are placed on the floor horizontally or vertically (stacking).

Stage 3: Blocks are used to bridge the space between other blocks.

Stage 4: Blocks are used to enclose a space.

Stage 5: Complex structure: blocks are placed in patterns or symmetrically when building. Block accessories may be incorporated. Buildings are not generally named.

Stage 6: Block buildings are given names that relate to the function of the building.

Stage 7: Block buildings often reproduce actual structures known by the children. There is a strong impulse for dramatic play around the structure.

Blockplay is unique!

Blockplay is sustainable!

Blockplay is accessible!

Blockplay doesn’t require spoken language!

Do you have any blocks at home?

Remember you can share your building with us on Twitter @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Rainbow Science

May 1, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Have you enjoyed looking at all the rainbows in the windows near where you live?

Did you know that real rainbows are a trick of the light? The white light of the sun is split up into a whole spectrum of colours by the water in the raindrops.

Have a go at making your own rainbow – you will need: a small glass of water, some white paper and a sunny day.

Then hold your glass above the paper – you may need to move it about until you can see a rainbow.

Can you see all the different colours?

How about making a rainbow you can keep using a scientific technique called chromatography?

You will need: kitchen towel, felt tip pens, scissors, paper clips, string, water.

First cut out a rainbow shape and use the felt tips to colour the ends. Mrs Husbands used the colours of the spectrum – red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Use the string and paper clips to hang your rainbow so that it just touches the water.

Watch what happens next…

Can you get your rainbow all the way to the top?

Remember to Tweet your rainbows @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

Here are some of the rainbows that the adults from Glenwood have put in their windows…

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Remote Learning – Mazes and Maps

April 29, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

Using mazes and maps in play are fantastic ways for your child to learn and develop new numeracy and mathematics skills as they problem solve.

There are lots of inspiring and creative ways you and your child can make your maze from using tape, a straw and a pom pom to building one from lego.

Encouraging your child to lead you through a maze helps build their confidence in giving instructions using simple directions such as forward, backward, left and right.

Another way is for your child to describe which direction they are going to take as they navigate themselves or an object through a maze.

Using a blindfold adds an extra challenge as your child develops their listening skills and ability to follow your instructions.

You can also make your maze more competitive by timing who can navigate around it the quickest. This helps your child learn more about time and gives them an opportunity to explore ways of recording how long it took.

Creating and following a map can support your child in understanding and using symbols for directions, as they process how to route their way from A to B in play. Why not take inspiration from a much loved children’s story or make your own map to go on a treasure hunt!!

Remember to share your child’s learning by tweeting @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – PE at home

April 28, 2020 Mrs Husbands Leave a comment

At Glenwood we know how important it is to be active to keep our bodies healthy. There are lots of ways you can do this at home, here are some ideas you can try with items you may have in your house! You will be learning how to control your body, how to move at different speeds, how to follow instructions and how to share and take turns.

We will post some more fun ways of being active next week so if you have any ideas to share with your friends please email or Tweet @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

Balloon Games

Keepy-uppies – How many times can you hit your balloon up high before it touches the ground? Can you hit the balloon with your hand, foot, elbow, knee, head, nose?
Tennis – Hit the ball back and forward across a line on the floor, string tied between two chairs or a sofa.
Waddle Walk – Put the balloon between your knees and see if you can walk to the other side of the room without it falling out!
Egg and Spoon Race – Can you walk with your balloon balanced on a large kitchen spoon?
Balloon Blowing – Lie on your tummy, can you army crawl and blow your balloon to the other side of the room? If that’s too easy you can add obstacles to go around!
Balloon Balance – Lie on your back with your feet in the air, can you balance the balloon on your feet?

Paper Fun

You will need a sheet of newspaper or a large piece of paper.

Lie the paper flat on the floor and lie on your tummy, can you blow it across the room?
Can you scrumple up the paper as small as you can? Squeeze it really tightly into your hand.
Can you throw the ball of paper into a bucket?
Carefully open your piece of paper up wide again, lie it flat on the floor and gently smooth out all the creases.
Put your piece of paper on your tummy. Can you run across the room and keep it on your tummy without holding on?

Ball Games

How many different balls can you find in your house? Try these out with balls of different sizes!

Throwing and catching

Throw the ball above your head and try to catch it.
Throw the ball to your adult/sibling and try to catch it. How many times can you catch it before it touches the floor?
Throw the ball into a bucket or washing basket
Throw the ball at a target

Kicking

Football – kick the ball into the goal
Dribble the ball around obstacles

Bouncing

Bounce the ball and try to catch it.
Chalk or tape shapes on the ground and try to bounce the ball on top of them.

Rolling

Sit with your legs stretched wide and roll the ball back and forward to each other.
Stand up with your legs wide apart, try to roll the ball through each other’s legs.
Cut a large hole in a cardboard box and try to roll balls inside.
Reuse some plastic bottles to play skittles.