Pioneers Class

Snails are beautiful and here is a link to a beautiful picture of a snail created by the famous artist Matisse

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/matisse-the-snail-t00540

I am also including a link to a lot of activities from the gallery in London where you can see this art work:

https://www.tate.org.uk/kids

I have had a go at creating my own copy of Mr Matisse’s Snail. You could use any paper pieces you have to create your own snail. He called his art form “painting with scissors”

As with Bug Quiz,look at all the features of the text: the index,contents page,labels,photographs and page numbers.
Go slowly with the sounds and use your sound mat to help you.
Revisit “W” on Geraldine the Giraffe”

and have a look at this one on double letter.Always useful to chat about.

Happy Reading

I would like to introduce you to my Bugs. They have lots of legs and lots of spots. You may be able to spot some doubles. You can write and draw some maths pictures.
Bugs like sweets.
But the are not so very good a sharing.
Have a go at sharing. Perhaps you could do it with some of your toys.
In some of the pictures the bugs have not shared equally. They do not have half each. This is not fair.
Count carefully and check.
Happy Counting

I had so much fun in the garden with my new friends,the snails.

Here is my suggestion for learning today:

Have a look around your garden for some snails. I hope that you can find 2 or three. You may have to look in cool,dark places to find them.

https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/insects-invertebrates/guide-to-britains-slugs-and-snails-how-to-identify-common-species-and-protect-your-plants/

Once you have found them,set up a race track.
Be very gentle with your snails.

Draw a start line. Make a label to say “Start”
Draw a finish line. Make a label to say “Finish”
Pioneers can write this.
Give your snails a name.
Get a timer on your phone or click on this link:

https://www.online-stopwatch.com/rocket-timer/

Shout “GO”

and your snails will romp off.

Who is the fastest?
Make a medal for the winner of the race.

You could try running the race on different surfaces.
Do the snails prefer grass or lunchbox to race on?

Return your snails to where you found them.
I have had so much fun watching my snails so I have included all my videos!
Happy Racing

Focus on 12

Yesterday’s Numberblocks and the Legs question was all about 12 and different ways to make 12.
My suggestion for today is to play around with the different ways to split 12.
I have got out an egg carton and some baking trays. You could draw circles and use counters or use paper plates. This will introduce ideas linked to sharing and to multiplication.
You could colour in squared paper or use lego.
Try setting 12 out in 3 lots of 4.4 lots of 3,6 lots of 2,2 lots of 6,12 lots of 1.
Look at the shapes that you can make-different rectangles
You could write number sentences for what you see.

How Many Legs?

Get out in the garden again and do some leg counting. 

This guide groups garden creatures by the number of legs they have.

You could make your own guide by drawing the creatures you find and writing how many legs they have.

Can you find them all?

Can you find 12 Legs?

https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/discoverenjoy/families/ground-minibeasts-id.pdf

Happy Learning

These words are tricky and your Pioneer will need help to work on these.
Post them around the house. Make them with play dough. Write them in flour…if you have any! Scratch them in the mud.
Put them on the mirror in lipstick.
Have fun.

Don’t forget to repeat all the letter shapes you have done already.
Happy Writing

Alongside the Bug Quiz book,I thought it would be nice to have a focus on some of our garden dwellers.
We can begin the week with snails. Here is a little video to get youstarted.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/mini-beast-adventure-with-jess-snail-adventure

Pop out into the garden and have a look for some snails. I have found one next to a down pipe where it is cool and dark and damp.
Where can you find snails?

Here is a new reading book for this week. This one is non-fiction and it is good to point out all the features in the text.
Have a chat about the index and  use it to find information. Point out the questions and the labels and discuss arrows and lines to join text and pictures. Use the contents page and the page numbers.
Go to YouTube and look at Geraldine for ‘qu’ to revise.
Have your sound mat handy to help with all the sounds.
Enjoy
Happy Reading

Maths Magic

So here is a little interesting problem for you:
In my garden I saw 12 legs. Which animals could they be?
Explain your answer. Perhaps you could use little animals and draw pictures .
You might like to write the number of legs next to each animal and write a number sentence for the total.

Remember to do some daily estimation and practise writing your numbers.
Do 20 claps,20 star jumps and 20 squats.
Dance along to our favourite counting video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKvgwVAGSgw

And watch an episode of Numberblocks to get ready for your maths magic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwXmOZuRVvQ

Let’s start with maths. Odd and Even

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3uxBI9npas – NumberBlocks Odd and Even

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/paint-the-squares -Number Square

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/helicopter-rescue
This one is always popular. Once you have found the number ask,” Is it odd or even?”

If you have lego you could sort a pile of blocks that are the same and build odd and even numberblock type shapes and compare them.
Write a pile of numbers onto squares of paper and sort into two piles

Number Slap
Set all your number cards on the table. Get a stopwatch. Get a grown up to time how long it takes for you to hit all the even numbers. Muddle them up and repeat. Compare your timings.
Now try with odd numbers.
If the weather is nice you could write the numbers in chalk and hit them with a water pistol or a wet sponge!
or if you have ping-pong balls or ballpool balls you can write the numbers on and draw them out of a bag and shout odd or even.

Remember Sumdog is set up for you too.
That’s Maths Magic.

Reading,Writing,Speaking,Listening

Often it can be tricky to write a text which suits the phonics the children have been taught. Here is a short suggestion which could be used for reading,writing or drawing alongside planting or just at the table.

Plant a Seed
1. Get a pot.
2. Get a seed.
3. Fill the pot with soil.
4. Pop in the seed.
5. Cover it with soil.
6. Add water.
7. Add soil.

You can draw some little pictures with each sentence to form a short story map.

And finally,here are two reading books to keep you going:

Happy Weekend To You All

Here is a little game to play together with doubles.

All you need is pen and paper and two dice and a friend to play with.
Once you have played my maths game have a go at Hit the Button to build up speed.

Video on Tapestry

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emb2yvwAHtc
I have shared this but I am adding it again so you have it handy for this suggestion.
It really helps with matching letter names and capital letter.

I have written all the lowercase and capital letters on little squares of paper.
Start slowly,perhaps with 5 letters. Match the lowercase with the capital. Gradually add in more letter.
You could turn it into a game by taking turns-like a memory game.
Your Pioneer might need a copy of the alphabet to sort the letters into the correct order.
If you were feeling really ambitions,you could discuss vowels and consonants. We did this in school a while back and sang the vowels to a little tune (I won’t demonstrate!)
Look around the house and find vowels.
Have fun!

We really enjoyed this activity at home. We collected together some glasses and put in a bit of water. We discovered that we could make an orchestra and play a tune. I really hope that you like this one and that you will send me some videos.

Pop over to Tapestry to see the video.

Happy Music Making

Welcome to Wednesday

Here is a little timelapse video of some sunflowers growing to link up with The Tiny Seed.

I have written some sentences for you to read and to write to go along with this.

Read the sentences.
Look foe “oo” and for “ee”
Try using sound buttons on these.
Watch Geraldine the Giraffe to revise each of these sounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfMKV_9agiY oo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ci0oEO8dXE ee
You could make a list of words that Geraldine use too .
Send me pictures
Happy Writing
If you have pens and pencils or paint,I would love a picture of a flower from your garden.

A little suggestion for handwriting.
Enjoy

I have made some doubles using Numicon.
Id like you to make some doubles too.
Use stuff in your kitchen.
Set them out then write the number sentence.
Send me your Doubles Pictures

I’d like to introduce you to some of my toys. They all have names and have been played with lots and lots and lots.
I have used them to set out doubles. I thought I could even write number sentences for them.

Good Morning all you happy learners!

Today’s maths is looking at doubles.

Use dice,playing cards and dominoes to find doubles and work out some totals.

Look at my photographs pf dice. How quickly can you spot the doubles?

Don’t forget to do a bit of estimation and number formation first.

Do a Maths Magic warm up:
20 claps.
20 jumps.
20 star jumps.
Do some estimations
Write your numbers 1-9

Now you are ready to watch Numberblocks and have a chat about doubling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bot83VxMLqM
Here is a link to the Numberblocks episode to suppport “Doubles”
Double means twice as many.

Take a pack of cards. Find the two cards with the same number on them.
2…find another…How many altogether?
4…find another…How many altogether?
You can record the number sentence:
2+2=4 or double 2=4 or 2×2=4
We have not introduced x-multiplication yet but if you fancy it then you can.

Get two dice.
Roll them.
Shout “Double” or ” No” depending upon whether you roll a double or not.
Find the total each time.
Increase the speed.
Enjoy.

Go on a Plant Hunt

The-Great-Plant-Hunt-Identikit (1)

Use this guide to help you with the parts of common plants on your garden.
It is great and really user friendly.
Happy Hunting.

While you are out,try to find a dandelion. If you can,get a grown up to help you dig it out so you can see the roots.
Lay it out and put labels on it like my picture or you could just copy mine.

root,shoot,stem,bud,leaf,soil,seed.

Use your sound mat to help with writing the words.

Read the poem together while you are looking at the dandelions.

Here is a link to a video of a book by the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar,Eric Carle.

I would have read this to the children in the classroom.

Lots of excellent science to discuss.

Have a lovely day together.

Happy New Week,Pioneers!

To start our Maths week,  get counting to 20.

Put the digits in order again. Grown ups could make some mistakes when counting out loud. Pioneers,can you spot them making a mistake?

Get a number sqaure ready. Ask a grown up to say a number and you need to find it on the square. You could use a timer to see how quickly you can do this.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/paint-the-squares

Watch and sing along with this episode of Numberblocks:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0006s5q/numberblocks-series-4-14-i-can-count-to-twenty

Play Race to 20. A video is on Tapestry. Here is what you need to play:

Here are some suggestions for your phonics and reading for the week.

There are documents over on Tapestry that you can dip into daily:sound button words,caption cards and the phonics posters we use in our daily lessons

I will add more words and sentence ideas about Seeds over the course of the week.

Scensational Seeds

Seeds are amazing.

Look for seeds in your food. I took some photographs of my breakfast and found lots

Look for seeds in your garden.

I found some dandelions. They are incredible. Have a look for some. They are magical.

Here is a little video of an dandelion life cycle. It is one of my favourites:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zhrb4wx

Happy Learning

Take a look at this amazing video. All this is going on in the garden .

Have a wonderful day of learning.