HOME LEARNING

5 Pancakes in a Baker Shop

Songs with numbers in are a great way to help children start counting.  Using props help them to visualise the numbers.

Let's Make a Pancake

  • Cooking is a great activity to encourage talking and uses mathematical language in an everyday situation.

Pancake Collage

Children love cutting and sticking, here is an idea to decorate a pancake - but they can do anything they want.  Some of our pancakes become faces.

Poem - Pancakes

Our Poem of the week - learning poems is great for language development.  You can say this one while you are making pancakes!

Making a book

  • It is important to listen to children's stories, telling a story is the first step to being able to write a story.
  • When we write down a child's story we show them we value their story and enjoy listening to them.
  • If you would like more information then you can read this blog post here at Helicopter Stories.

Poem - Stepping Stones

Our Poem of the Week - Stepping Stones, tuning into rhyming words is an early step to being able to tune into sounds in words and different word endings.

The Paperbag Princess

The Paperbag Princess, is a great story, that challenges stereotypes.  Princess Elizabeth rescues Prince Ronald from a dragon. But his response is not what she thought it might be.  I wonder what you would say if someone rescued you from a dragon.

Make a Chinese Dragon

  • You will need some masking tape or glue and some sticks for this activity.
  • You can use the template we sent out with the planning or you can draw your own head and tail for the dragon.

Chinese Lantern

Chinese lanterns are a great way for your child to practising cutting skills.  The more they use scissors the more confident they will become.

George and the Dragon

George and the Dragon - a simple story that shows us that even a small mouse can help.  In this story the Princess is very grateful for being rescued by the mouse.  I wonder which way would you say thank you - like the Princess in this story or Prince Ronald in the Paperbag Princess.

Flip a Pancake

  • Here is a fun game to play and will give children a purpose to count.
  • Counting an action is different than counting objects, so your child may need support.
  • Most importantly have fun.

Mr Wolf's Pancakes

This story has many familiar characters in it and may remind you slightly of 'The Little Red Hen', but there is a twist!

Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas

A fun rhyming story - enjoy!

Counting

  • Children are natural collectors, which allows an opportunity to find out how many objects they have and to explore different ways of laying them out.
  • You could put glass beads in the bath or collect sticks in the garden, model lining them up and counting them.
  • You could also compare amounts - have fun!

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

The Tiger Who Came To Tea - a classic story which is one of our favourites.  I wonder what you would do if a tiger came to your house for tea!

Play - The Tiger Who Came To Tea

Acting out stories together or using props to tell stories helps bring stories alive and develop children's own stories.  Here is our version of 'The Tiger Who Comes To Tea' - we hope you like it.

Dragon Dance

You can sing this song and be the dragon.  When you add 2 more legs, you can invite someone to dance behind you, until you have all your family dancing.

Noodles - Longer and shorter

  • Use string, wool or paper to make noodles.
  • Using chopsticks or kitchen tongs, will help develop your child's fine motor skills.
  • Comment on what your child does, modelling key language (long, longer, longest, short, shorter, shortest).  For example, "My noodle is shorter than yours."
  • Have fun!

Poem - Furry Furry Squirrel

  • Learning poems is fun and doing the actions at the same time as Jane helps children to learn the poems and the new words.
  • Send us a video of your child saying their favourite poem learnt so far.

Chinese Writing

Chinese symbols look very different to the way we write.  Here Jane demonstrates how to write 'tree'.  With our planning there were some other symbols you could have a go at writing.

Bear Hunt - in the park

We're Going on a Bear Hunt is a great book for re-enacting both inside and outside.  Here Esther goes on a bear hunt and collects objects to make a picture.

Kim's Game

Kim's Game - this is a great game for developing your child's memory.  You can play this at home you just need 5 different objects and some fabric or a scarf to cover them.

"Toucan, Toucan, flew through the window.  What has he taken?"

You can change the word toucan to any puppet you have or even your name.

Old McDonald had a farm

Old McDonald had a Farm - a classic song which is great for learning the animal sounds.  This is an early phonic skill, as we need to tune into sounds and be able to make them, before we can do this with letters in words.

Poem - Carrot Nose

  • Learning poems help children develop an ear for language and is an early step in learning to read.
  • Hand actions help children to develop new language and understanding.
  • Send us a video of your child saying their favourite poem learnt so far.

Taller or Shorter?

  • Use blocks, Duplo or even empty boxes to make towers.
  • Comment on what your child does, modelling key language (tall, taller, tallest, short, shorter, shortest).  For example, "My tower is shorter than yours."
  • Have fun!

Three Billy Goats Gruff

Watch a short play of the classic story 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'.

Where's my Teddy?

Where's My Teddy? Is a lovely story which use the language around size.

Stories develop children's imagination and language.

Walking in the jungle

Poem of the week - A Little House

This weeks poem is slightly longer, but reciting poetry has so many benefits.  As well as early steps to reading, it helps children learn new words.  Keep practising the actions as you say the words.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

  • We're Going On a Bear Hunt, is one of our favourite stories.
  • Join in with it as we read it.
  • Use it to inspire a game outside.
  • Talk about how the characters might be feeling at different points of the story.

Bear hunt - Sensory play

Another way to help children to develop an understanding of a story is sensory play.  Here Jane has used water and food dye for the river and Oobleck (cornflour and water, see below) for the mud.

Sensory play has many benefits for children including language development, early writing skills and scientific thinking.

Oobleck

  • 1 cup of corn flour
  • 1/2 Water (approximately)

Mix the too together, if it is too watery add more flour.  It should be a sticky consistency (click the link above for more information).

It's Mine!

It's Mine - this is a lovely story, especially for our younger children.  Use it as an opportunity to talk about what noises the different animals make, what they look like and for counting.

Make a Mask - of the Troll

Here Esther is making a mask to give your child some ideas - use what you have at home, cardboard from a cereal box, coloured paper, bottle lids, paint, pens to make a mask of a troll.

Poem - I can build a Snowman

  • Learning poems is fun and doing the actions at the same time as Kate helps them to learn the poems and the new words.
  • Send us a video of your child saying their favourite poem learnt so far.

Poem - Let's put on our mittens

This poem is slightly longer, but relevant for the cold weather outside!

Three Billy Goats Gruff retelling

Why not re-tell the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff using your toys, you can use any toys you have to hand.

Three Billy Goats Fluff

This story is slightly longer, but is an alternative version of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'.  It is a good story to get children thinking about the Troll and how he feels.

Water Play - Full & Empty

Coat

  • Use different sized containers either in the sink or in the bath.
  • Comment on what your child does, modelling key language (full, empty, half full, nearly empty, nearly full).  For example, "My bottle is full."
  • Have fun!

Children can find putting on their coats tricky, here are two ways they can learn to do it independently.

Bucket Time

  • We use Bucket Time to grab children's attention.
  • Once we have their attention we can do another activity, which they need to listen or wait for a turn.
  • This is key to developing their speaking and listening skills.

Incy Wincy Spider

  • Just like poems nursery rhymes are key to supporting children to learn new words.
  • They help them to tune into rhyming words.
  • They are an early step for learning to read.

The Goldilocks Rap

  • A new way to listen to the story 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' - have fun!
  • Can you join in with it?

Longer and Shorter

  • Playdough Recipe - January 2021
  • Make some playdough, then play with it with your child.  Be playful with them, rather than asking lots of questions.
  • Comment on what your child does, modelling key language (long, longer, longest, short, shorter, shortest).  For example, "My snake is longer than yours."
  • Have fun!

How to Make a Stick Puppet

  • This year we have made stick puppets for a few different stories.  The children have really enjoyed it.
  • It develops their fine motor skills they need to write and cut things.
  • It helps them to retell their chosen story.

Animal Sounds

  • Guessing which animal is making the sound, encourages children to listen carefully.
  • Making animal sounds is often some of the first 'words' young children say.
  • This activity supports early reading sounds, as before we can hear the sounds of letters in words (phonics) we need to be able to identify the sounds around us.
  • You can play here too: Guess the Animal Noise

Goldilocks and The Three Bears

  • Enjoy sharing this story with you child, talk through your favourite part with each other.
  • Draw a picture from the story.
  • At home, share and read other stories with your child.

Popcorn Poem

  • Learning poems help children develop an ear for language and is an early step in learning to read.
  • Explain any new vocabulary to your child, for example, sizzling, the hissing sound when you fry something.
  • Hand actions help children to develop new language and understanding.

The Three Bears - Measures

  • Set up a picnic for some toys at home, be playful with them, rather than asking lots of questions.
  • Comment on what your child does, modelling key language (big, small, medium-sized).  For example, "You gave the biggest bowel to the biggest doll."
  • Have fun!