Rowan Class
New Year Lockdown – Home Learning
Week Commencing 22nd February 2021
Week Beginning 22nd February and 1st March 2021
This half term we will be learning all about the arrival of ‘spring’ and the festivals of Holi and Easter.
Suggested weekly timetable – PDF
Zoom sessions
We will have three whole class zoom sessions each week. We will email you the zoom links you will need. These will be on:
- Tuesday – Sensory story @ 1.30pm
- Wednesday – Sensory communication session @ 1.30pm
- Friday – Good news and sing-a-long @ 1.30pm
Story
Our class story this half term will be ‘Hooray for Hoppy’ and is all about Hoppy the Rabbit getting excited about Spring.
We will need: A soft toy rabbit/fur, pretend snow, an ice pack/bag of frozen peas, frozen/crunchy grass, ice cubes, bottle of ‘Fresh Meadow’ scent, smelly spring flowers, cotton wool pieces and grass cuttings (use fresh grass each time if you can). We will deliver most of these to you.
We will be repeating this each week and through the weekly repetition of the story, we aim for the children to show engagement, anticipation and enjoyment as well as being able to communicate their thoughts on the sensory experiences.
In addition to the live session above, we have also recorded a story to support our study of the festival of Holi.
Holi Colors by Rina Singh and read by Mrs Skillington – YouTube
Story Massage
For the next couple of weeks, our 1:1 sessions will focus on story massage. Coming ready in a comfortable position will really support you to get the most from these sessions.
We have also included a massage programme and recorded some massage sessions linked to this half terms focus nursery rhymes too. Remember that during story massage sessions, you can alter your body position, pace and pressure. Some children may enjoy sitting up, whereas others may enjoy lying down. Some may enjoy massage strokes on their body or limbs, whereas others may enjoy them on their head. Some strokes may relax and calm, whereas others may stimulate and awaken the senses.
Nursery rhyme sensory massage – PDF
The Wheels on the Bus – YouTube
Hickory Dickory Dock – YouTube
Old Macdonald Had a Farm – YouTube
Five Little Speckled Frogs – YouTube
Miss Polly Had A Dolly – YouTube
Song Time
Share some of the nursery rhymes we will be learning this half term. Do you recognise them?
Singing Hands: The Wheels on the Bus – Makaton Sign Language
CBeebies: Something Special – Hickory Dickory Dock – Nursery Rhyme
Singing Hands: Old MacDonald had a Farm – Makaton Sign Language
Mr Tumble Songs | Five Little Speckled Frogs 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
Get Creative
Holi is a colourful festival, also known as ‘the festival of colours’ and so this week is all about exploring colour. Cover a tray with shaving foam or squirty cream and add either food colouring or powder paint. Use your hands to create patterns of colour and to create new colours. Try shining a light onto your tray so you can see your colours really well.
Squirt red, blue and yellow paint into a Ziploc bag before fixing it with tape to a vertical or horizontal surface. Use your hands to tap, pat, push and squeeze the paint to make different patterns and colours.
Let’s create the crowds in Holi – squirt different coloured paint onto bubble wrap. You could use your fingers, your hands or a paintbrush to move this around. Turn it over and pat the bubble wrap to create a crowd print.
Join in the Holi festival – during the celebration of Holi, children often get covered in powder paint! You could explore the feel of the paint together and create hand or foot prints outside or on large sheets of paper. Watch as it is thrown up into the sky and comes down to the ground. Do you like the patterns it makes? Maybe you could draw around a person using chalk and cover it in powder paint too.
Music
Listen to our music intro song before spending some time enjoying this Holi music. https://youtu.be/V6bs7yvLjN0
You can dance together, feel the beat of the music on your body and make your own sounds with instruments or items in your house. Try controlling the music or your favourite dance moves by letting your grown up know when you want move each time they pause the dance and music.
Switch /control
Try to be in control of things in your house. You can use switch toys you may have, knock over towers or tins or control your grown up (this is one of our favourite things to do). You could use your body, voice, or facial expressions to get your grown up to do some of your favourite things again and again and again, this may be dancing, chasing, singing or funny voices.
Cooking and Exploration
This week we are going to explore the ingredients in falafel. Remember that in our cooking sessions we rarely create the end product. Instead we use all of our senses in turn to explore the ingredients. Play is also a huge part of this process. If your child is enjoying the texture of the chickpeas, then this can form the basis of the whole first session. You can come back to the other ingredients at a later date. Comparing ingredients is also beneficial as this will allow your child to show their preferences.
Some of the ingredients to explore together are:
- Chickpeas
- Parsley
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cumin and Coriander
Sensology
During sensology we will continue to use each of our senses in turn to explore Holi. Some of the resources below would be useful to explore each of the senses in turn.
Sight: coloured lights, disco lights, using a torch to shine against a CD or DVD, brightly coloured objects on a black surface
Hear: music, firework sounds, body percussion, voice (loud, quiet)
Smell: herbs and spices such as cumin, coriander, garlic and onion powder
Taste: chickpeas, hummus, popcorn and coconut
Feel: colourful scarves and ribbons
Play
Add food colouring to water and explore this together.
Add oil to a tray of water and stir. Slowly add drops of food colouring and explore using your hands and feet. You could even put a sheet of paper on top to record the rainbow colours created.
Add food colouring to rice and explore the different colours and textures in a tray together.
Enjoy making and playing with different coloured jelly.
Make some homemade spice paint – Choose your favourite colours and some of your favourite spices. Did you like chilli or ginger? Cumin or coriander? Mix the spices and the paint together and enjoy creating scented paintings.
Week Commencing 8th February 2021
This week we will be thinking about Chinese New Year and our class will be doing some activities related to the Year of the Dog.
Zoom sessions
This week we will have two whole class zoom sessions. We will email you the zoom links you will need. These will be on:
- Wednesday – Story Massage @ 1.30pm
- Friday – Good news and sing-a-long @ 11.15
Story
Listen to the story of ‘The Race – Chinese New Year’ as it’s read by your grown up. Maybe you could add some animal sound effects or retell the story by taking animals through a water tray (or the bath!) You might even have some soft toys to represent the different animals in the story.
The Race – Chinese New Year – PDF
Enjoy sharing these different videos about the Chinese New Year:
Zodiac Story – CBeebies | Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) | Zodiac Story
Cbeebies – Celebrating Chinese New Year: https://youtu.be/1cRMRp9-Z08
Cbeebies – Preparing for the Chinese New Year: https://youtu.be/c8ssHXZ9_qU
Or explore some stories about dogs:
Clifford the Big Red Dog
Spot the Dog
The Detective Dog
You could even watch a popular TV programme about a dog:
Waffle the Wonder Dog – YouTube
Get Creative
Explore painting with wet tea bags – you could try different flavours to wake up the senses and explore the different colours they make on the page.
Explore painting with oranges – slice an orange in half and dip into red and yellow paint before stamping onto the paper. You could even scoop out the inside of the orange and use the inside to paint with, or squeeze the juice onto the paper to use as a type of paint.
We have included some colouring templates for you to paint onto.
Dog themed colouring sheet – PDF
Spaghetti painting – tie a handful of spaghetti together using string and cook the bottom half of the pasta. Leave to cool down and dry out before using to paint pictures using red and yellow paint. You could use the Chinese lantern template.
Chinese lantern template – PDF
Get physical
Remember to have time each day to focus on your individual physical activities to keep strong and healthy at home, be this standing, moving independently on the floor or going for a walk.
You can also try using your hands and arms this week with the following activities:
Striking with your hand or arm
Video: This is PE SEND Striking 1
Prompt sheet: This-is-PE-SEND-Striking-1.pdf (youthsporttrust.org)
Striking with bats and rackets
Video: https://youtu.be/zVfKZxgG2DI
Prompt sheet: This-is-PE-SEND-Striking-2.pdf (youthsporttrust.org)
Striking using your upper body
This-is-PE-SEND-Striking-3.pdf (youthsporttrust.org)
Music
Follow the link below to listen to some Tibetan Monks and chanting. Use low lighting and relax to the music. Focus on your breathing (maybe use a feather, bubbles or add pressure to different parts of the body). You could then use kitchen roll and practise vocalising to the music. Try and copy each other’s sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIRJMESl4U8
In exploration of Chinese New Year, we would like you to explore traditional Chinese music linked to our focus animal. You can find the link at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxl5Kv_iavs
Make a Chinese Rattle Drum to enjoy while listening to some Chinese music: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/curations/chinese-lunar-new-year
This week find some different items to make your Chinese rattle drum. You can focus on choosing what you want to make it with and what you like.
Once your grown up has helped you to make the rattle drum you can listen to the sounds it makes. Can your grown up make it loud and quiet?
Find some other items or instruments around your house and make your own sounds too. Your grownups can also make you some sounds that you like and you can try controlling them each time they stop.
Song time
Share some of the action songs we will be listening to this half term. Do you recognise them? Can you anticipate the next action when we pause?
Happy and you know it – YouTube
Cooking and Exploration
This week during our 1:1 zooms we will be enjoying sensory cooking and exploration.
At the start of these sessions we would like you to help to get ready for Chinese New Year by helping to clean the house – can you use a wet cloth to clean your hands and your tray before our cooking session?
Play
Use the bottom of a plastic bottle to paint some pink blossoms onto a blossom tree.
Enjoy making sensory trays – maybe you could hide some toy animals in rice or noodles (dry and/or cooked) or have a selection of different bowls, ladles or spoons to encourage filling and pouring.
Can you speak to a family member or friend on zoom. How do you say hello?
Smell some wet dog food and dog biscuits! You could even explore these using your hands!
Wash the dog – Do you have a cuddly toy you can wash? Let’s make lots of foam and bubbles!
Can you move on all fours? Maybe you could paint your hands and feet and show us your ‘paw’ prints.
Take a photograph of yourself with a familiar dog.
Listen to the sound dogs make on YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuy-oOJCOoM Do you like the sound? Can you ask for more or show that you would like it to stop?
Week Commencing 1st February 2021
This week we will be thinking about the popular story ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and sharing some activities related to this book, as well as some other favourite activities.
Zoom sessions
We will email you the zoom links you will need.
- Monday Story Time 1.30pm – We will be sharing ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. Come along to share the story and if you can please bring along some magic beans (dried peas, beans or rice), a torch, beanstalk (plant), something noisy e.g. a drum, feathers, string instrument, small bag of coins and something to represent the cow e.g. a soft toy. Don’t worry if you don’t have any of these things, we would still love for you to join us to enjoy listening to the story.
- Wednesday Story Massage 1.30pm
- Friday Good news and sing-a-long 11.15
- Friday dance session 1pm – 1.30
Story
Share the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ with Mrs Jones.
Jack and the Beanstalk Story – YouTube
Or enjoy listening to the story online with Mr Tumble at
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08lc99s/mr-tumble-tales-jack-and-the-beanstalk
There is also a live ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ story massage session on Tuesday 2nd February at 2pm on Facebook @storymassageprogramme.
Why not explore some other stories about giants:
The Smartest Giant in Town https://youtu.be/7bZU1k2Q27U
Jim and the Beanstalk https://youtu.be/IiizHAry5aU
Get physical
Remember to have time each day to focus on your individual physical activities to keep strong and healthy at home, be this standing, moving independently on the floor or going for a walk.
Have another go at using your feet this week.
Kicking whilst laying: https://youtu.be/z7RdnEiZncU (This-is-PE-SEND-Kicking-1.pdf (youthsporttrust.org))
Kicking whilst seated: https://youtu.be/kpm46N4-_ec (This-is-PE-SEND-Kicking-2.pdf (youthsporttrust.org))
On Friday 5th February at 1pm we have been invited to attend an Abba themed dance session. Come along to enjoy the music together and just have some fun!
Music
For the next few weeks, we will be thinking about stopping and starting. Join Mrs Skillington and bring along some different sounds from around your house, these could be instruments, rice in tubs, foil for you to move your body on or even a pan and metal spoon hanging from the door frame.
See if you can hear the change when we stop and start, do you like it when the music is playing or when it is silent? Also have time to make your own sounds again and know you are in control. Try controlling your grown up at home too, each time you move your head or arm they could play for you. Do you know you are in control?
You can continue being the conductor along to our In the Hall of the Mountain King song. Your grown up can stop the music so you can ask for more. Grieg – In the Hall of the Mountain King
Stop and Go
Try our music song ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ this week, as well as some your own favourites songs to dance and control. Put on your music, pause it at intervals and wait for communication of ‘more’. Wait for vocalising, facial expressions, body language or signing, then start the music and dance again as soon as they have asked for more. What is your favourite song or dance move?
Grieg – In the Hall of the Mountain King
Sensology
Song – https://youtu.be/iA1uLc1uEbI
Listen to the Sensology song before exploring the textures, smells and taste of different beans – this could be hard, dry fruity jelly beans, wet and warm baked beans or cold and smelly kidney beans. What beans do you have at home?
Art
Explore bean painting – use a cylindrical plastic container and insert a blank piece of paper. Pop in some beans and drops of paint and shake shake shake to create a bean based splatter painting.
Song time
Share some of the action songs we will be listening to this half term. Do you recognise them? Can you anticipate the next action when we pause?
Row your boat:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rafox-9P3r8&t=39s
Incy Wincy:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_6fwkxtp4bw
Happy and you know it:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=71hqRT9U0wg
Sleeping bunnies:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V9J_DqEwZdc
Cooking and Exploration
This week we will be making mushy pea play dough in our 1:1 sessions. When you’ve finished you could enjoy listening to one of our favourite songs as you explore your play dough and squeeze, pat, slap and pinch.
Dough Disco Dough Gym kids Uptown Funk
Mushy pea play dough recipe – PDF
Play
Build a castle in the clouds – use real or play bricks or even cardboard boxes to create a giants castle. When you’re finished, cover it in shaving foam to create a ‘castle in the clouds’.
Spend some time playing in the garden – collect leaves from different garden plants to explore together. Are they the same or different? Are they rough, smooth, crispy or wet? Which do you prefer?
Create a sensory bean tray – explore the textures of different beans – baked beans, broad beans or even jelly beans!
Hide beans in different sensory trays – you could use flour, water, rice, pasta, shaving foam, jelly or mud.
Can you walk like a giant? Use heavy steps to make big loud footsteps. Or tiptoe like Jack – you don’t want the giant to hear you!
Express Yourself
Next week is children’s mental health week and this year’s theme is ‘express yourself’. We would love to see any photographs or videos of you doing anything which makes you feel good. Please upload these onto Evidence for Learning so we can see what you enjoy doing at home. We can’t wait to see your smiling faces.
On Wednesday 3rd we would love for you to express your individuality through your communication, clothing, or hairstyle, or even through your creativity in art, music and dance. We can’t wait to see what you come up with on our class zoom session. Be ready as Mrs Jones and Mrs Skillington will be expressing themselves too!
Week Commencing 25th January 2021
This week we will be thinking about the popular story ‘The Gingerbread Man’ and sharing some activities related to this book, as well as some other favourite activities.
Zoom sessions
We will email you the zoom links you will need.
- Monday Story Time 10am – We will be sharing ‘The Gingerbread Man. Come along to share the story and if you can please bring along some ginger to smell or playdough to squeeze, something to represent the dog (a furry teddy, some dog food to smell), something to represent the cat (a bell or whiskers on a brush), something to be the chicken (a feather or your own chicken noise!) and some water to feel. Don’t worry if you don’t have any of these things, we would still love for you to join us to enjoy listening to the story.
- Wednesday Story Massage 1.30pm
- Friday Good news and sing-a-long 1.30pm
Story
Share the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man’ with Mrs Skillington.
The Gingerbread Man Story video – YouTube
Or enjoy listening to these song and story versions
Melody: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/melody-gingerbread-man
Pancake Manor: https://youtu.be/SXHPAwMrg4A
Early Years Emily: https://youtu.be/65dEHYsxTGc
Rocking Dan Teaching Man: https://youtu.be/h9hleutsw2c
The Learning Station: https://youtu.be/DpsE6pTSBts
Art
Mix a selection of different spices into some poster paint. You could try ginger, cinnamon, cumin or nutmeg. Explore your paint and try and make your own marks you could also dip your gingerbread cookie cutters into the paint and print onto plain paper to create some artistic gingerbread delights. We’ve also added an edible paint recipe to the website.
Get physical
Remember to have time each day to focus on your individual physical activities to keep strong and healthy at home, be this standing, moving independently on the floor or going for a walk.
You could also try some focused time using your feet this week.
Kicking whilst laying: https://youtu.be/z7RdnEiZncU (This-is-PE-SEND-Kicking-1.pdf (youthsporttrust.org))
Kicking whilst seated: https://youtu.be/kpm46N4-_ec (This-is-PE-SEND-Kicking-2.pdf (youthsporttrust.org))
Music
This week we will continue thinking about loud and quiet with a session from the Oak National Academy.
You will need:
- An instrument that you can play yourself, like bells, foil, a pan and spoon
- Something to make a loud sound with, like a drum or box
- Something that feels soft;likefeathers or fabric
And if you have them:
- A red and a green light or fabric
- A switch that you can record on to
Music Links you will need:
Loud – Ride f the Valkyries by Wagner Die Walküre: Ride of the Valkyries: https://youtu.be/7AlEvy0fJto
Quiet – Unaccompanied Cello Suite No.5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: Sarabande composed by J S Bach Yo-Yo Ma – Bach Cello Suite No 5 in C Minor: https://youtu.be/oHBBl4uuVfA
Sensology
Song https://youtu.be/iA1uLc1uEbI
Listen to the Sensology song before creating a gingerbread man sensory bag. Start by drawing a gingerbread man outline onto a plastic ziplock bag. Add some hair gel or washing up liquid and some gingerbread ‘accessories’ e.g. googly eyes, buttons, raisins, chocolate chips, small pipe cleaner lips and a pom pom nose. Be creative and add anything you like! Once your bag is full of all the ‘accessories’ you can think of, remember to zip it up and tape it closed. These can be played with at a table or taped to the window for some vertical play.
Stop and Go
Try some of our class favourites to dance and control this week. Put on your music, pause it at intervals and wait for communication of ‘more’. Wait for vocalising, facial expressions, body language or signing, then start the music and dance again as soon as they have asked for more. What is your favourite song or dance move?
Up town Funk: https://youtu.be/OPf0YbXqDm0
We like to move it move it: https://youtu.be/hdcTmpvDO0I
Happy: https://youtu.be/ZbZSe6N_BXs
Gangnam style: https://youtu.be/9bZkp7q19f0
Song time
Share some of the action songs we will be listening to this half term. Do you recognise them? Can you anticipate the next action when we pause?
Row your boat: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rafox-9P3r8&t=39s
Incy Wincy: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_6fwkxtp4bw
Happy and you know it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=71hqRT9U0wg
Sleeping bunnies: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V9J_DqEwZdc
Play
Create a gingerbread man sensory tray – use flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cookie cutters, rolling pins and more to create a space for children to explore and create.
Make a play dough gingerbread man and explore rolling, patting squashing and squeezing, just like Mrs Skillington does in the story. Can you move your own hands or feet in your dough? You could make it wet and sticky or dry and firm. Which do you prefer?
Pretend to be the gingerbread boy or girl and play chase – can your grown up catch you as you “run, run as fast as you can”? Try repeating this and see if your child anticipates the ‘catch’ or tickle. Use ‘ready, steady….’ to build up the anticipation.
Create a life sized gingerbread boy or girl – have an adult draw around you as you lie down on the floor. Fill squeezy bottles (empty washing up liquid bottles, hand wash or moisturiser tubes) or icing bags (zip lock bags with a small hold cut into the end) with paint to add the ‘icing’ to your creation.
Try to cross the river like the gingerbread man – Enjoy playing in the water with your hands and your feet! You could try puddle jumping or explore things that float. You could even use some food colouring to turn the water blue!
Week Commencing 18th January 2021
This week we will be thinking about the popular story ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and sharing some activities related to this book, as well as some other favourite activities.
Zoom sessions
We will email you the zoom links you will need.
- Monday Story Time 10am – We will be sharing ‘The Three Little Pigs’. Come along to share the story and if you can please bring along something hot (such as a water bottle), some water, something to ‘huff and puff’ with (such as a fan, hairdryer or piece of paper), a paintbrush, some straw (maybe shredded paper), sticks and a brick (or something heavy). But, don’t worry if you don’t have any of these things, we would still love for you to join us to enjoy listening to the story.
- Wednesday Story Massage 1.30pm
- Friday Good news and sing-a-long 1.30pm
Story
Share the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’ with Mrs Jones.
The Three Little Pigs Story video – YouTube
Or enjoy listening to Mr Tumble tell the story
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08lc7jz/mr-tumble-tales-the-three-little-pigs
Art
Collect sticks, straw, stones and any other natural materials on your daily walk. Explore what they feel and smell like before using them to make marks in your own paint. Maybe you could combine this with our cookery session this week and make your own paint.
Physibods
Try Physibods, a music and body awareness session. Find somewhere comfortable to lay down and show us what you can you do with your body.
Cooking
Make microwave puffy paint with Mrs. Jones (an edible paint recipe!) We’re going to investigate the textures and explore mark making in pinks or greys to represent the characters from the story. We have included some of the character masks for you to use. You could even combine this with the art session and explore mark making with natural materials at the same time.
Music
Make some noise with Mrs Skillington. Your grownups will need to be quiet and then loud so you can hear the different sounds. Bring along some household items you can make some noise with and then spend some time after this video to explore making your own sounds. Try different items to see which you prefer.
Sensology
Song https://youtu.be/iA1uLc1uEbI
Listen to the Sensology song before creating a lego or duplo bricks sensory bottle together. If you don’t have bricks or glitter, you can choose something else to put in your bottle or even try it with cooking oil. Explore some different items before you choose which to use and add them. They should be good to look at once in your bottle, especially if you turn the lights down and use a torch.
Song time
Share some of the action songs we will be listening to this half term. Do you recognise them? Can you anticipate the next action when we pause?
Row your boat:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rafox-9P3r8&t=39s
Incy Wincy:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_6fwkxtp4bw
Happy and you know it:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=71hqRT9U0wg
Sleeping bunnies:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V9J_DqEwZdc
Stop and Go
Put on your favourite music, pause it at intervals and wait for communication of ‘more’. Wait for vocalising, facial expressions, body language or signing, then start the music and dance again as soon as they have asked for more. What is your favourite song or dance move?
Why not try the loud and quiet song from music. We like this one in school. https://youtu.be/htobTBlCvUU
Week Commencing 11th January 2021
This week we will be thinking about the popular story ‘Goldilocks and the 3 Bears’ and sharing some activities related to this book, as well as some other favourite activities.
Zoom sessions
We will email you the zoom links you will need.
- Monday Story Time 10am – We will be sharing ‘Goldilocks and the 3 Bears’. Come along to share the story and if you can please bring something warm (like heated porridge or a hot water bottle), something cold (like ice), oats or cereal, something hard (like a wooden chopping board), something squashy (like a cushion or playdough), a piece of kitchen foil, something tickley, and a blanket).
- Wednesday Story Massage 1.30pm
- Friday Good news and sing-a-long 1.30pm
Story
Share the story of with ‘Goldilocks and the 3 Bears’ Mrs Skillington.
Goldilocks Story video – Youtube
Or enjoy listening to Mr Bloom tell the story
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio/goldilocks-three-bears
Art
Experiment mixing different textures into paint to see what effect each one creates. Combine different kitchen ingredients (salt, flour, porridge oats) with poster paint and glue. This will make wonderfully tactile pictures to explore together when they are dry.
Physibods
Try Physibods, a music and body awareness session. Find somewhere comfortable to lay down and show us what you can you do with your body.
Cooking
Make porridge with Mrs Jones. What will you add to yours to make it yummy? Syrup, marmite, fruit, ketchup?! Choose a few ingredients to explore together. Do you like the dry porridge oats or the sticky porridge? Do you prefer the feeling of hot or cold?
Music
Make some noise with Mrs Skillington. Will your favourite be the loud or quite bear? Bring along some household items you can make some noise with.
Sensology
Listen to the Sensology song before exploring wet and dry porridge oats. This can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Also try creating a hard/soft sensory basket to explore: this could include pompoms, cotton wool, fleece, wooden bricks, metal spoons, lolly sticks.
Song time
Share some of the action songs we will be listening to this half term. Do you recognise them? Can you anticipate the next action when we pause?
Happy and you know it- Youtube
Or enjoy..
When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-when-goldilocks-went-to-the-house-of-the-bears/zbkrf4j
Stop and Go
Put on your favourite music, pause it at intervals and wait for communication of ‘more’. Wait for vocalising, facial expressions, body language or signing, then start the music and dance again as soon as they have asked for more. What is your favourite song or dance move?
Week Commencing 6th January 2021
This week we will be thinking about the popular story ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’ and sharing some activities related to this book, as well as some other favourite activities.
Story
Share the story of We’re going on a Bear Hunt’ with Mrs Jones.
We’re Going On A Bear Hunt – Video
Zoom sessions
We will email you a timetable for the week, including the zoom links you will need.
- Wednesday Stop and Go – Please come prepared to dance! We will be playing some of our favourite songs. Can you help to start the music again when it is stopped?
- Thursday Hello – Mrs Jones is looking forward to seeing you and saying hello. If you have something green and something that smells minty please bring it along.
- Friday Story Time – We will be sharing ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’. If you can please bring some fabric to waft for the grass, something sticky (maybe wet coffee or cocoa) for the mud, something cold from your freezer for the snow, some water to feel for the river, some sticks or leaves for the forest , a blanket and your favourite teddy bear.
Playdough
Make your own mud playdough and enjoy singing along to the playdough song together. Have time to move and feel this independently as well as being supported to feel it move on your hand or body in different ways. I like when its squashed on my arm, what about you?
Remember to give yourself lots of time to feel and explore the ingredients individually and move your hands on your own. A shallow tray will help you to do this. You could even add some herbs to make it smelly. Which ingredients do you like or not like? Let us know on evidence for learning.
Play dough song: Movement Song – PDF
Cooking
Have a go at making your own Mud Mug Cake. Feel, smell and taste the ingredients if you can before mixing them together and seeing how they change. The flour is dry and the oil is wet. Do you like them both? Try hard to ask for some more if you like the taste or feel of some of these.
All you need is 4 spoons of self raising flour, 4 spoons of sugar, 3 spoons of oil, 3 spoons of milk, 1 egg and 2 spoons of chocolate powder.
Sensology
Song: Sensology1.pdf (ashlea.notts.sch.uk)
Listen to the Sensology song before exploring some of your favourite things from around your house. Share what your favourites are on Evidence for Learning or over an email.
Look around your house and find:
- Something you like to touch
- Something you like to taste
- Something you like to smell
- Something you like to look at
Song time
Share some of the action songs we will be listening to this half term.
Row your boat:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rafox-9P3r8&t=39s
Incy Wincy:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_6fwkxtp4bw
Happy and you know it:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=71hqRT9U0wg
Sleeping bunnies:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V9J_DqEwZdc
Hello everyone. We hope you have all been well and that you have all managed to settle into a good routine, juggling family life, home schooling and working from home.
We want to support you as much as possible during this difficult time so will be adding activities for you to do below and sending each of you personal challenges on the Evidence for Learning portal, which are related to your IEPs.
We know that your days will all look different at home so please find a good routine that suits you and your family, don’t put too much pressure on yourselves, but try to get some fresh air each day, work towards your IEPs daily where possible, keep active continuing with any physio activities you have and try some of the below activities when you can.
We will update this page regularly however it is beneficial to have repetition with many of these activities so there may only be a few new weekly uploads. You could share the same story each week and do sensology daily for example to look for greater exploration or increased anticipation, understanding and communication.
It has been wonderful to see what some of you have been up to at home, please keep the emails and portal photos/videos coming and we will reply to you personally. Also let us know whether you would be happy for these to be uploaded to our class page as a celebration of their learning.
We will continue to be in touch weekly now that Easter is over, but please get in touch via email if you need us before and we will do our best to help with anything.
Repeated activities/songs you could try daily or each week
Hello song:
You could do this as a family, how will you all say hello? We like high fives and hugs in class Rowan as well as our Ayup and Hello switches.
Sensology:
Wake up some of your senses – Sensology.pdf
Topic songs/nursery or number rhymes:
Give opportunities to choose, either waiting for facial expressions for preferred songs, choosing between objects e.g. toy boat (row row) or teddy (round and round the garden) or by selecting photos or symbols.
Song List
Song Photos To Choose From
Get Physical:
Do your daily physio, try yoga, go for a walk or see how many bounces you can do on the trampoline!! Have fun 🙂
Stop and Go:
Put on your favourite music, pause it at intervals and wait for communication of ‘more’. Wait for vocalising, facial expressions, body language or use the symbol board, then start the music and dance again as soon as they have asked for more. What is your favourite song or dance move? Here are a few of our class favourites.
Stop & Go Symbols Board
Tac Pac:
Tac Pac draws together touch and music to create a structured half hour session of sensory communication.
To access Tac Pac: Set 5 for free for 3 months please go to https://tacpac.co.uk/product/set-5 and at the checkout add the code 8Q7A3TXS.
There are short video clips to support you to use TacPac and music to go along with each section. Their Facebook page is also updated regularly with short help videos designed especially for parents.
Play:
Most importantly stay safe and have fun together. Choose different activities you can do together from our play idea sheets.
Home play and learning ideas – PMLD group
Home play and learning ideas – active group
Resources and Videos
Week 1 and 2:
Home pack Info sent home
Garden Scavenger
Recipes for early years
50 things – Activity list
Easter egg basket template
Week Commencing 20th April 2020
If you have them at home, explore some bells to get ready for music.
Share our class welcome song.
Listen to ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’. Enjoy the rhythm of the music, you can dance, feeling it on body or play along with different instruments or items you have at home. Have you got a ball you could bounce on as you are listening? Or what about laying on the floor and feeling the beat being patted around your body.
Remember the music goes from quiet and slow and gets louder and Louder and LOUDER…
The class have really enjoyed this song, especially when we have used our voices to say ‘quiet’ and ‘louder’ along with different instruments. Try a different instrument or movement each time you listen, which do you prefer?
In the Hall of the Mountain King
Story: A Shark In the Park – Video
Week Beginning 4th May 2020
Music:
If you have them at home, explore some bells to get ready for music.
Share our class welcome song.
Listen to ‘Rosie’ together. This song has a strong beat which is great to either feel on your body or listen to with two stones or sticks being banged together. How about going on a walk to find some stones or sticks before you do music.
You could move in different ways in music today, what will you do? Why not try being patted on two alternating body parts, do you know where the pat will go next?
“Rosie” ( African American Work Song) – Production Version
Story
Week commencing 11th May 2020
If you have them at home, explore some bells to get ready for music.
Share our class welcome song.
Welcome Song – Video
Warm your body up to ‘shake it out’. Have some help to move or have deep pressure through your body parts and get ready for playing your instruments
Shake It Out – Video
Enjoy listening and joining in with our copy me song. Make your own sounds with any instrument or object you have in the house. You can investigate which sounds you like and choose your favourite before we sing.
Copy Me – Video
Listen to shake and stop and control when we start shaking again by making your own sounds.
Shake And Stop – Video
Story
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle – Video
Share some of the foods during or after the story. Which are your favourites to smell or taste? Can you ask for more by reaching, turning towards them, smiling, using your switch, eyes, symbols or words?
Week commencing 18th May 2020
Parachute songs
I thought we would share some of our parachute songs this week. This is a great opportunity to encourage communication, be that anticipating what is going to happen, choosing the song, showing likes or dislikes or letting others know that they want more. Some of you may even want to focus on using the words ‘slow’, ‘fast’, ‘up’ and ‘down’ on the guided language board below.
If you have more than one person to help with your ‘parachute’ that’s great but don’t worry if not as using a thin sheet can be easy to do on your own and create the same effect. Grab a big blanket, sheet or duvet and lets go. You can share a song along with me and then do it on our own so you can leave an appropriate amount of time for pauses and communication.
Guided language board – PDF
Shake and stop
Use big pauses and only start again when your child has told you. This may be by looking, reaching or using their voice.
Shake and stop song – Video
Tickle / cuddle
Get ready to tickle and cuddle. Do this more than once and look for the anticipation of the tickle or cuddle.
Tickle and cuddle song – Video
What shall we do with our big blanket?
Sung to ‘what shall we do with the drunken sailor?’ what is your favourite? Fast?, slow? Up and down?
What shall we do with our big blanket song – Video
Its oh so quiet song
Listen and move your blanket along to the music. Slow and quietly to start with and faster movements and louder singing as the music speeds up. This song gives a few opportunities for fast and slow throughout the music.
It’s Oh So Quiet – Video
Or choose your own favourite song. Let us know what song you have enjoyed!
Story
Listen to the story of Rabbits nap. You could join in with some of the loud noises. You could use saucepan lids, wooden spoons or just bang your hands on the table. You could even use a pillow and blanket at the end to pretend to snooze like rabbit.
Rabbits nap – Video
Number rhymes
I have shared a rhyme of 3 little ducks for you and your children to join in with. Remember you can change it up a bit and add other characters if you don’t have ducks. This is a great opportunity to see how your children respond to rhymes. Do they like the actions? what do they do in the pauses? Are they attempting to join in and take a duck away?
Three little ducks intro – Video
Three little ducks – Video
Week commencing 1st June 2020
Story
The Scary Monster – gather some objects from around your home to help make this a sensory story. All you need is a wet cloth, a bowl and spoon, a glass of milk and a blanket or towel. Have some fun pretending to cook and be a scary monster.
The Scary Monster – Video
Mug Cake
Mug cake – Have fun making your own mug cake, you can taste and smell some of the ingredients before getting your bowl and mixing them all together. All you need is 4 spoons of self raising flour, 4 spoons of sugar, 3 spoons of 0il, 3 spoons of milk, 1 egg and 2 spoons of chocolate powder. Once it is made enjoy sharing it with your family just like Pip and Posy in the story.
Mug Cake – Video
Song
3 little men – Get creative with some toilet rolls and make some aliens for our song. Join in with that pause and woosh. Make sure to repeat so your child can anticipate the woosh.
3 little men in a flying saucer – Video
Week beginning 8th June 2020
Story
Each time the repeating line of ‘squash and squeeze’ is said you can feel yourself being squashed or even squash something you have in your house, like a cushion or soft ball. How about trying some of the animals sounds too.
A squash and a Squeeze – Video
Slime making
Have fun making your own slime, you can taste and smell some of the ingredients before getting your bowl and mixing them all together.
Once it is made enjoy moving your hands or feet in it to explore what it feels like. How about trying to squash, squeeze and pull your slime.
Edible
Chocolate Goo 1 – PDF
Chocolate Goo 2 -PDF
You will need condensed milk, chocolate sauce and cornflour
Sticky Icky – Tasty Slime 1 – PDF
Sticky Icky – Tasty Slime 2 – PDF
You will need Marshmallows, cornflour and icing sugar
Bear Necessities 1 – PDF
Bear Necessities 2 – PDF
You will need gummy bears or similar sweets, cornflour and icing sugar
Non-edible
Stretchy Slime 1 – PDF
Stretchy Slime 2 – PDF
You will need PVA glue, bicarbonate of soda, food colouring or paint and eyewash containing boric acid or sodium borate.
Fluffy Slime 1 – PDF
Fluffy Slime 2 – PDF
You will need shaving foam, PVA glue, bicarbonate of soda, food colouring or paint and eyewash containing boric acid or sodium borate.
Song
If your happy and you know it – Video
With help, warm your hands up with a song and your slime or any other dough you have. Then you’ll be more ready to have a go on your own.
Week Beginning 15th June 2020
Story
Share ‘The Blue Abyss’ story together. Use the music as gentle background music as it includes sound effects and try adding some of the props to make it sensory if you have any around the house.
The blue abyss (sensory story) – PDF
Blue Abyss music and sound effects – Video
- Props you may have around the house
- Sand or grains from the kitchen cupboard
- Some shells or stones
- Bubble wrap or polystyrene
- Strips of plastic carrier bag in water or for you to dangle
- Bubbles (you can make these with soap, water and your hand or our hand made bubble blower below)
- Strips of cooked lasagne/old spinach or anything that’s slimy in you water bowl
Bubbles
Don’t have any bubbles? Don’t worry, make bubbles with some soap and your hand or our homemade bubble blowers. You can even try taping a sock over the end of your bottle to make a huge bubble snake… wow
Songs
Enjoy sharing a few of our water songs this week, watch the video or explore your water tray or spray whist listening.
It’s raining, it’s pouring – Video
Music and massage
This is all about communication, what your child is saying to you, what are you saying to them – focus on this and build a sensory vocabulary.
You can’t go wrong – follow the beat, that is the only rule!
You will need:
- A scarf or piece of fabric
- A chop stick/spatula or smooth stick
- A squeezy bottle for puffing air out of
- Wrapping paper for scrunching or a scouring pad
- Massage oil or cream
Week beginning 22nd June 2020 – Nature art
Sign of the week
Sign along with Miss Castel and learn how to sign “Nature” and “art”
Sign of the week: Nature – PDF
Story
Share the story together. You could choose the one read by Miss Evan from pine, the Makaton sign version or the German version read by Mrs Douglas´ husband. You could also try to tap a rhythm on your knees as you read the story. Have a go at making some of the Bear hunt sensory bags and bottles and use them as part of the story.
Bear Hunt – Video Read by Miss Evans
Bear hunt in German – Video Read by Mrs Douglas´ husband.
Bear hunt with Makaton sign – Video
Props
Have a go at making some of your own sensory props to go along with the story. You will need 5 clear food bags or bottles and something from each of the sections below.
Bear hunt sensory bags and bottles – PDF
Things you could use.
Grass – grass from the garden, straw, paper strips. Pasta to make a nice sound
Snowstorm – cotton wool, flour, cornflour, icing sugar or shredded paper. Rice to make a nice rain sound.
Forest – sticks, wooden chips.
River – water, blue food colouring, bubble bath, blue water and veg oil mixed.
Mud – soil from garden, gravy granules.
Cave – a nice big blanket.
Bear – a teddy bear but any soft toy with eyes nose and hear would do.
Songs
Enjoy sharing a few of our number songs this week, watch the videos and sing along with the rhymes.
Music and massage
Nature sounds and bird song waterfall – Video
Beautiful relaxing music and bird song – Video
This is all about relaxing and connecting. Listen to the soothing sounds of nature (use links below)while massaging your child’s hands and feet. Pause at points to see if your child indicates they want more. Take note of how they show they want more or do they show they have had enough.
You will need:
Massage or cream or vegetable oil.
A comfortable place to sit or lay down and a blanket to snuggle under.
Music
Story of flowers animation – Video
Watch or listen to story of flowers video on the web page. Try stretching your arms up high and growing like a plant. Maybe you could tap out the rhythm of the music on your childs body you’re your fingers.
Cooking
Sensory Strawberry cheesecake – PDF
This recipe is cooked by an adult while your child explores the ingredients as you go through. The whole family can then enjoy the taste.
Explore each ingredient as you go, taste, smell touch them. With each different ingredient give your child time to explore. Look for your child requesting more or showing likes and dislikes. Encourage then to use both hands. It could get messy but that’s part of the fun so be sure to wear an apron or old clothes.
Week beginning 29th June 2020 – Me, Myself and I
Sign of the week
Sign along with Miss Castell and learn how to sign “Mirror” and “Photograph”.
Me, Myself and I – Video
Story
Listen to Mrs Skillington read ‘Fins, Fluff and Other Stuff’.
Fins, Fluff and Other Stuff – Video
If you like, you can explore some of the sensory elements of the story as we go along (pausing the video to give yourself more time) or choice some to investigate for longer at the end of our story.
Parents: as well as creating visual and auditory effects that will be interesting to look at and to request more of, give lots of opportunities for free exploration so your child can discover what items are and what they can do themselves.
Sensory items you could use:
Scales and fins: Something slimy like cooked lasagna sheets, or something shiny
Fluffy stuff: cotton wool
Soapy suds: Bubbles or soap bar
Water: in a spray or shallow tray
Lolly pops: a sweet or taste of sugar
Cobwebs: String, thread, wool or a piece of silk fabric
Needles: A stick or chopstick, but not too sharp!
Flowers: Flower or perfume
Twigs and leaves
Feathers: or a soft piece of fabric
Metal: try 2 metal objects that will sound good banged together
Skin and bones: A mirror
Songs
Here are some body and action songs to enjoy this week.
If our happy and you know it – Video
What I like – Sensology
This week is all about Me, Myself and I.
Look around your house and find:
- something you like to touch
- something you like to taste or smell and
- something you like the sound of
Listen to the “Sensology” and “I have a body” song before exploring your favorite things. Share what your favorites are on Evidence for Learning or over an email.
Playdough
One of my favourite things to make with you at school is playdough. Enjoy making some at home with your family and add your favourite smells from the kitchen.
Music
This week enjoy a wonderful music session with Jessie’s Fund. You don’t need anything to join in but if you have got something to drum (box, drum, tub) and something to shake you can all join in with the music.
Jessie’s Fund: Music Session – Video
Week beginning 6th July 2020 – Food
Sign of the week
Sign along with Miss Castell and learn how to sign “food” and “cook”.
Sign of the week -Video
Story
Listen to Mrs Douglas read ‘Grandad pot’.
If you like, you can explore some of the sensory elements of the story as we go along (pausing the video to give yourself more time) or choice some to investigate for longer at the end of our story.
Parents: give lots of opportunities for free exploration so your child can discover what items are and what they smell, feel and taste like. Give time to see what they can do themselves.
Sensory items you could use:
Jelly
Bread and bananas
Cake, flour or dough mixture.
Sausage or other meat like ham, chicken.
Ice cream or ice cubes.
Some toys or teddies.
Songs
Here are some food songs to enjoy this week.
do you like broccoli ice cream – video
What I like – Sensology
This week is all about Food .
Look around your house and find:
- Some food you like to touch
- Some food you like to taste
- Some food you like to smell
Listen to the Sensology and I have a body song before exploring your favourite things. Share what your favourites are on Evidence for Learning or over an email.
Chocolate crispy cakes
Look in the cupboards to see what you can find to make these simple cakes.
Take time to explore, touch, taste and smell each ingredient, before mixing it in. If there is some spare cereal it’s a great opportunity to work on hand skills. Crushing or moving the cereal around the bowl or tray or working on picking small pieces up to eat.
Music
This week enjoy a wonderful music session with Jessie’s Fund. You don’t need anything to join in but if you have got something to drum (box, drum, tub) something to shake (rice or pasta in a tub) and a light scarf or fabric you can all join in with the music.
Music and Massage
Relax and have a massage on your hands and feet while listening to the familiar music we play in school.
Play
Get out the old clothes and aprons or even go outside in the garden for this one as it could be messy.
Prepare some of the foods below in shallow trays or bowls. Encourage your child to smell, taste (where appropriate) and touch the food. Give them lots of time to explore and find out about each food.
You may want to explore several food in one session or just stick with one. For those children who are motivated by specific objects you could try hiding things like cars or bricks in the food for them to find.
But most of all have fun, get messy and be silly.
Sensory food suggestions:
- Cooked spaghetti
- Jelly
- Cornflour and water
- Dry flour and then add water to make dough
- Butter
- Tined beans or spaghetti
- Dry pasta
- Dry rice.
- Sliced bread
- Dry gravy granules or mixed with water
- Banana or other ripe fruit.
Or any left over vegetables.
Week beginning 13th July 2020 – Food
This week is about enjoying activities together, with people in your house and any friends you may now be seeing.
Sign of the week
Sign along with Miss Castell and learn how to sign ‘family, friends, fun, together and hug’.
Family & Friends – Video
Story
Listen to Mrs Skillington read ‘Meet the Parents’ or try the ‘Friendship poem’ story massage.
Meet the Parents – Video
Friendship poem story Massage – Video
Songs
Here are some songs to enjoy this week.
Singing Walrus – Friends Song – Video
Toy Story: You’ve got a Friend in me – Video
You ain’t never had a friend like me – Video
We’re all in this together – Video
The more we get together – Video
Music
This week make some music with Soundabout.
You will need something to shake (maraca, bottle with rice, pan etc) or drum (drums, pan, box etc), something metal (keys, pan, bells etc) and something that makes a breeze (a fan, a piece of paper etc).
Get physical
Try Physibods, a music and body awareness session. Find somewhere comfortable to lay down and show us what you can you do with your body?
Physibods – Video
Play
Play with your favourite game or toy and take turns with someone in your family.
What is your favourite thing at home?
Can you ask for more when you want another go?
Can you choose your favourite from 2 or more different items?
Cooking
Help to get a meal ready with your family. Prepare some of the foods in a shallow tray or bowl. Smell, taste (where appropriate) and touch the food. Give lots of time to explore and find out about each different food.
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