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Home learning
Celebrations from home
We love hearing about all the exciting things that happen when your child is not in nursery. Why not tell your child's key person what has been happening at home so that we can add it to their profile?
Below are a few ideas of what you may wish to share with us so we can celebrate.
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A new baby in the home – may want to include how the child has been a part of baby’s’ life or how they've been helping at home
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A birthday – how did you celebrate at home? Do you have any photos to share?
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A religious festival/event – let us know what you have celebrated and which traditions were enjoyed
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Sleeping in their own bed
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Dry throughout the night
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A new pet – how are they helping at home?
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Using potty or toilet for the first time
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Cultural festival or event
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Cutting first tooth or visit from the “tooth fairy”
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Getting rid of a dummy or bottle
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Spending a weekend at someone else’s house (i.e. Grandparents)
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Holiday and travel adventures
- Weekend fun e.g. crafting; playing a game; enjoying planting outdoors; baking
Our Inspirations
Thank-you for taking an interest in our curriculum. Please see the document below for more information on "Our inspirations" throughout the year.
Ideas for at home
We are always keen to help provide you with ideas for how you can help your child to learn and develop at home. Our aim is to inspire you with inexpensive yet creative activities.
Below you can find ideas for how you can recreate activities at home to help your child learn through play, based on our inspirations. You may also wish to look at the hyperlinks on the right for websites that give you ideas for learning at home relating to our on-going key target areas.
* Please note that all our ideas are intended as supervised activities for adults and children to interact safely together *
Me, myself & I
- Rainy day but need to use up some energy? Why not make "Ribbon sticks" by attaching ribbons or fabric strips to a wooden spoon. Then use these to dance and move to music
- Body art is a fun way to get messy! You can explore with marks on paper using fingers, hands or feet. Use the time to talk about bodies and help your child understand a sense of self
- Practice fine motor skills by threading. You can use cotton reels, large buttons or even just hole punch into card. Start with large holes and thicker wool/string before reducing the size for more challenge
- Self portraits ~ have a look in the mirror with your child and talk about similarities and difference in your faces. Then draw or paint a self portrait. This is a good way to begin to talk about differences between people. Use the opportunity to celebrate diversity and promote inclusion
Hot & cold
- Try freezing water in a variety of different shapes and sizes (e.g. jelly mould; silicone cake cases; bowl; plastic tubs). Add streaks of non-toxic paint or food colouring. Once frozen play with the ice in a high sided tray ~ exploring the feel and discuss the temperature; colours and patterns
- Bake basic buns ~ discuss the difference between the temperatures and how the mix looks before and after baking
- Make ice lollies ~ you can add fruit, juice or even low sugar lemonade. Experiment with the different colours and discuss this with your child
- Go for a learning walk ~ explore the environment throughout the seasons and talk about the changes. You may like to take photos or draw pictures to capture the seasons
Wanting to visit natural water areas but worried about safety? Why not have a look first at this safety website?
ROSPA - water & leisure safety
Family, home & make believe
- Den building ~ you can do this inside or out and it can be as simple or complicated as you choose! You can use chairs or tables to drape old sheets over; use pegs or string to attach the material; a broom handle can become a tent pole; use sticks and tarpaulin outside...let your imaginations run wild!
- Box modelling ~ a great way to encourage creativity and discussion. Use empty cartons; cereal boxes; plastic bottles...whatever you have to hand. You can glue or attach with tape and even paint the finished product. Try making castles; tractors; dinosaur den or your own home
Animals, dinosaurs & mini-beasts
- Creature hunt ~ you can go hunting for mini-beasts, dinosaurs or animals both inside and out! Either go spotting real living things or hide toys/teddies/photos to be discovered
- Listening walk ~ explore the great outdoors and listen for which animals and creatures you can hear. You may like to make "listening ears" out of cardboard
- Masks & puppets ~ have a go at making masks relating to your child's favourite animal. This might be a material trunk; cardboard cat ears or a felt lion finger puppet. Make the most of your imagination and theirs!
People who help us
- Get creative by making cards or pictures as a thank-you for the important people in your child's life
- When you are at the shops or hairdressers entertain your child by seeking out numbers within the environment. For older children try simple addition sums
- If you are out on a walk how many "people who help us" can you spot? i.e. police; fire fighters; medical practitioners; nursery workers; Teachers; crossing patrol; refuge collectors etc. Use the time to talk about work, caring for and helping others
- Use your "listening ears" to talk about road safety and listening for traffic when walking. Try practice road safety in the garden or at a park first by marking out a make believe road using masking tape
Like to know more about road safety? Try this interactive link
Parent/carer guide to teaching road safety
Pirates & the sea
- Make a kitchen roll telescope and go hunting for sharks!
- Try making an eye patch or parrot out of card and feathers that you have collected. Practice nursery rhymes and songs in a parrot or pirate voice!
- Try "fishing" in a paddling pool outside or washing up bowl inside. You can make rods using rounded end garden canes with string and a fridge magnet attached. Experiment as to what will or won't be attracted to the magnet
Literacy
This site provides lots of ideas and suggestions as to how you can help your child with early communication, including "Early words together".
This site has a wide range of hints, tips and resources to help your child develop their communication skills. It can also help if you are worried about their speech and language.
On this site you will find lots of help and useful information to help children develop their speech, language and communication skills.
Numeracy
A site with resources and articles on numeracy including early years development.
This site is aimed at children from 0-12 and has a wealth of ideas including this section on early maths.
Here you can find links for ways in which to introduce early maths through play.
Physical & outdoor play
Looking for ideas on how to get your children active? The "Change 4 life" site has a page dedicated to this!
This site inspires people to plant, grow and learn within the outdoor environment. Children will learn many skills and develop a sense of respect for nature.
Health Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young - here HENRY brings you ideas for interacting with your environment in an active way at home
Music & movement play
Aimed at the under 6's, this site will provide you with information on how to support physical development through movement play.
This highly inspiring website has a "Learning together series" which explores a variety of topics. This one relates to music in the early years.
A site dedicated to music and movement. Why not try some of these ideas?