Izzy Whizzy let's get busy!!

Hi there!

Welcome to this week’s blog. We have lots of exciting activities in store for the children this week. So…without further a do I’ll begin!

Communication, Language and Literacy
We continue our work on rhyme this week and it is hoped that, by the end of this week, the children:
COULD be able to continue a rhyming string;
SHOULD be able to identify the rhyming words in a poem, rhyme or story;
MUST be able to join in with a simple rhyme.

We will have a special visitor called Izzy Whizzy, a rhyming witch (aka Mrs Latham – have you guessed she liked to dress up?). She will add that little bit of magic to the week where she will set the children with the challenge of thinking of as many rhyming words for certain words. She will return on Friday to see how they have got on.

The children will achieve these targets by looking at tradition nursery rhymes. You may wish to check out these websites to support your child. Please remind them to join in with the actions too.
http://www.indianchild.com/nursery%20rhymes.htm
http://www.landofnurseryrhymes.co.uk/
http://www.hendersonville-pd.org/hpdnursery.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/music/fdi.shtml - a good website for listening to rhymes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/words/dg3.shtml - this site helps the children to match rhyming words but you will need to sit with them to read them out.

In addition to the work on rhymes we will also be developing the children’s letter recognition and ability to hear the sounds at the beginning of words. Here are some great websites that are well worth a visit. You will also receive a list of letters we will be concentrating on this week as a whole class via a sticker in your child’s diary. REMEMBER!!! We teach the letter names as well as the sounds they make.
http://www.saintambrosebarlow.wigan.sch.uk/activities.htm - The children are to try to hear the initial sounds in words.
http://www.ictgames.com/phonic_fighter4.html - Look at the letter shown and then select the picture that begins with that letter.
http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/H/hoobs/activities/interactiveActivities.jsp?id=letters - This is an amazing website focusing on the initial sounds. Hours of fun why you do your ironing I think!
www.starfall.com - The children love this. I had it on in class last week and they are so good at using it.
http://www.little-g.com/shockwave/beginning.html - the children are to focus on the initial sounds of the picture shown and then identify a picture with the same initial sound.
http://www.ictgames.com/phonemeFlop_v4.html - a good website for getting the children to identify the letters of the alphabet.
http://www.ictgames.com/letterlifter.html

Problem-solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
The children have been fully assessed as to their starting point in counting skills and we are ready to move them forwards in their learning. Therefore, by the end of the week, the children:
COULD be able to count up to 20 objects reliably;
SHOULD be able to count 10 objects reliably;
MUST be able to count 6 objects reliably.

Counting reliably is vital to all mathematical activities in the Foundation Stage. We teach the children a little phrase to help them remember the rules for counting.
LINE, TOUCH, COUNT
This means that the children LINE the objects up and TOUCH each one as they COUNT them. The children must remember to give each object a number. Here are some good websites to support counting and also help number recognition.
http://www.rainforestmaths.com/ - select the more counting picture with the jar of frogs.
http://www.wmnet.org.uk/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/846/Teddynumbersv2.swf - This is such a cute website. The children can select the numbers they wish to work with and then select the number of sweets to feed the teddy as identified by the number given.
http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/kidsonly/findout/counting/bugz.htm - This is one of my personal favourites! I remember the first time I ever saw it and couldn’t stop laughing.
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=ftank2 - I really like this one as it helps to develop mouse skills as well as counting skills.
http://www.learningplanet.com/sam/cyc/index.asp - A simple but effective website.
http://www.little-g.com/shockwave/colorcount.html - Click on the pictures to make them colour.
http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/850/Count&Order.swf - On this website the children must identify the numbers on the leaves and then drag the ladybirds with matching number of spots. They can count the number of leaves on a stem and match the number to it or, order numbered snails and ladybirds.
http://www.ictgames.com/caterpillar_slider.html - this game works on ordering the numbers.
http://www.ictgames.com/nutty_v3.html - collect the acorns in number order.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/english/fruits/level2/l2/activity2.html - The children must count the number of pieces of fruit and then click on the matching number.
http://www.e-gfl.org/e-gfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/teacher/other/spark/downonfarm/downonfarm.html# - Click on the link Down on the Farm and follow the instructions.
http://www.abc.net.au/countusin/games/game5.htm - This one is good. Count the items on the peacocks feathers and drag them to the number.
http://www.ictgames.com/duckshoot.html - All the fun of the fair with this one!
http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/kidsonly/findout/farm/sounds/howmany2.wav
http://www.little-g.com/shockwave/jungle.html
http://www.learningplanet.com/act/rats/rats1.htm?rats_numbers - This websites needs the children to use the arrow keys on the keyboard. You can select the numbers the children are unsure of and work on them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/numbertime/games/find_the.shtml - another great game for developing the children’s number recognition.
http://www.ictgames.com/piratenumbers2.html - For those children with number recognition beyond 10. This is a great game for them! Count the barrels in the water and then type in the number. Let’s see if you can sink the ship.

Pizza Parlour
In order to develop the children’s application of number in their play and everyday life, they have decided to change the flower shop in the classroom into a pizza parlour. They have been busy designing t-shirts for the ‘workers’ and this week, they will be designing menus, creating pizzas and setting up the parlour with the staff. If you have any old pizza menus or you fancy getting a takeaway at the weekend and could save the box for us that would be fab!

Physical Development
We will now teach the children handwriting. Children enter school at varying stages in their development but handwriting is a vital skill required to enable fluency of communication in writing. Things you can do at home to support your child’s fine motor skills and therefore aid handwriting are:
Fastening buttons
Playing with play dough
Baking
Colouring is fantastic!

In PE the children will be developing their spatial awareness and learning to stop and start on command. Getting changed for PE is increasingly difficult now that all the children are in school full time. I can’t emphasise how important it is that your child learns how to dress themselves. Please, and I know it is sometimes tempting to do it for them, allow your child to dress themselves all the time. It will be surprising how quickly they learn.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World
This week the children will continue to develop their clicking and dragging skills as well as learning how to program a robot called a beebot.

And finally, a HUGE thanks to you all for supporting our aim of a hectic free morning. The children have been amazing and have really learned about the routine of the morning. We have been in time for assembly (except for the Harvest Mass!!) but it’s absolutely fantastic. Many, many thanks.

That’s all for this week.

Have a good week.

Best wishes
Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxx