Libby App You can download the Libby app and read library books online for free You will just need a library card.

1 Dear Parents and carers,

I hope this finds you all well? We continue to be so impressed with all the lovely work happening at home. You are doing such a brilliant job supporting your children in the face of many obstacles and other commitments and strains and we really appreciate all your support and input. Thank you. It’s great to see the work on Tapestry – keep it coming.

Please remember that yours and your child’s wellbeing is really important and sometimes it’s just not possible to do everything all the time …so whilst school work is important if nothing else get them to join in with the phonics and maths.

This week’s topic

Our topic this half term is Living and Growing – animals. This week our topic is loosely ‘Wild / woodland animals and birds’ because it’s the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch week. We are using the story ‘Blackbird, Blackbird, What do you do?’ by Kate McLelland and other books with birds in. I couldn’t track down a paper copy of this anywhere but it’s a lovely story and there is a video of the author reading it on her Facebook or you can find it on Youtube – see the link on page 2 of the pack below

Phonics

This week we are learning digraphs (two letters one sound) ee ai igh oa and new tricky words be and was. We are reading and writing whole words and short captions. I’ve added the jolly phonics picture actions below and the stories are on my clips. The digraph sounds at this stage in reception are tricky but with repetition most children pick them up eventually. Reading is always first to be secure before writing to if your child is finding it hard to write, keep practising recognising them on their own and in words. When we read words with digraphs I train the children to look at the WHOLE word first and spot the digraphs before we say the other sounds – I do this in my phonics videos. It’s really worth practising that. There are some excellent phonics games on Espresso, Phonicsplay and CBeebies. For children finding phonics really difficult it’s important to carry on with rhyme, alliteration (same sounds at the start of words) and distinguishing different sounds in the environment too. Please refer to the ‘phonics’ section on the information tab on the website. Lots of nursery rhymes and ‘I Spy’ games will help with this.

Reading books – more new info this week Twinkl

Twinkl have launched some brilliant interactive resources which features little reading books to print and make at home, plus some interactive resources which I will link for you this week.

Oxford Owls

We can’t send home reading books BUT there is some brilliant advice and video clips about reading on the Oxford Owls website AND….they have a library of FREE phonics books you can read online, Our username is chinaclass2 and the password is browick www.oxfordowl.co.uk

It’s a great website!

Libby App You can download the Libby app and read library books online for free You will just need a library card.

Jolly phonics orange readers – look in Google play Books / Apple Books. However – these are 99p each!

Maths

We will still be using the White Rose maths home learning activities for our class – this week is ‘Alive in 5 week 3’. Other suggestions

Art

This week I’d love you to look at Donna Thompson’s family creative fun part 1 https://youtu.be/r9x4A3a-MSM This is about experimenting with printing using everyday objects in the home – you can leave it there or continue to the end and she shows you how to make a bird. Her website is deedeecreate.com for more ideas, or see her Instagram @deedeecreate I promised her I’d credit her for the lovely Lego bird ideas…(for transparency she is a teacher friend of mine who lives round the corner from me.)

2 PE

Three suggestions for something physical this week…The children are very physically active at school and this helps with learning. Try some of these:

-Please look at home.jasmineactive.com for RealPE The username is: chinaclass3515

Password: ofice5135

-This week’s suggested yoga is Cosmic kids ‘Nelson the Pigeon’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN1_qchKPnA -Joe Wicks is back Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Youtube.

Music

Do log into the Charanga https://www.norfolkmusichub.org.uk/yumu Username China2 password Browick . Bitesize TV schedule this week:

https://bam.files.bbci.co.uk/bam/live/content/z23fhcw/pdf Or:

Take care – stay safe and well. Thanks for all your support. Keep in touch! Mrs B and the Reception team x

3 Big Garden Birdwatch

Day Task 1 Task 2 Task 3

1 Watch this story Blackbird, Blackbird, What do you do?

https://www.facebook.com/kat emclellandillustration/videos/2 34042230995416 (this one is read by the author)

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=7OuMytyNrsU

on youtube

Maybe you have your own copy at home which you could read? Now look at p10 of this pack Think about the different birds in the story and what they could do. Can you match the birds to the things they can do? You can read the words . If you have printed this you could cut and stick the bird next to the word for what it can do, or if not point to them on the screen.

Extra challenge: Can you write a

short sentence underneath using the name of the bird and the word

can e.g. Puffins can dig.

Look at white rose maths home learning Activity week

https://whiterosemaths.com/ho melearning/early-years/activity-week/

comparing numbers snowman – if you can’t print this draw three snowmen and use objects for buttons.

We’re going to make bird feeders this week – have a look at some ideas with a grown-up and perhaps use some time this afternoon to find the things you need.

Please DON’T buy lots of stuff specially.

There are lots of simple ideas which you could use scraps of things you have in the house for….see the bottom of this pack

for ideas.

NATURAL / TRANSIENT ART

After you watch it, or maybe at some point today, go for a nature walk and make some art. You can either make ‘transient’ art – a piece of artwork which can be taken apart and used for

something else – or you can collect objects and stick them to a piece of card or paper. Leaves and small things like feathers can be glued with a glue stick but bigger things like twigs will need strong glue (like white PVA)

Take a photo of your art yourself – label it like we did last week if you like – and ask your grown-up to put it on tapestry. (see page 11)

2 After phonics there is a writing activity for today for ee and ai– see sheet below

See p6

Watch Activity week day 2 Play a memory game – you can always draw these and cut them out!

Make a bird feeder

Can you make some bird feeders? Look at the ideas below.

When you are finished can you find a place for it outside? If you don’t have a garden (or have lots of cats) you can always hang a bird feeder in a tree in your street or somewhere else safe.

Take a photo of the feeder and keep watching for which birds use it. Extra challenge

Can you write a recipe for one of the feeders?

4 3 Look at the Birdwatch Powerpoint

below or on Tapestry.

Can you label the picture of a bird? See p16

Look at activity week day 3 seasonal clothes pictures

Bird string art activity – see pages below or look at the RSPB website

There will be small group Zoom sessions this afternoon

4 After today’s phonics there is a writing sheet to complete. See p7

Watch activity week day 4- draw a map for a teddy walk

Optional activity

Take a brain break and make some Lego birds – see below – or do Donna

Thompson’s print workshop (see page 1) If you make any of these do show me on tapestry. Can you write a label for your bird

5 Don’t forget there’s still phonics for today!

Watch activity week day 5

There will be a whole class story on Zoom this afternoon – details on Tapestry

Garden birdwatch day – if you like

– see instructions below with

counting sheet

Phonics – I’ve linked to espresso here to introduce the sounds but if you prefer you can just use the jolly phonics stories and actions below this sheet. But please do complete the short activities for each sound on this page.

1 Watch my phonics clip on tapestry, or look athttps://www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/ (login: student23666 password: browick) go to foundation phonics and look at the clips and games for sound ee

Can you say the words cheese feet queen – what do toy notice about the sound? (it’s in the middle)

Can you talk like a robot? (orally blend the word) A robot chops its arms with each sound – practise saying p-ee-l and

Qu-ee-n together. What words are they?

Can you segment words? (chop them into the sounds with robot arms) What sounds are in the words meet and feed

(segment them with robot arms) What other words do you know with ee?

Can you write the sound ee in the air? Can you use your finger to write it on the palm of your hand? Can you chalk it

on the ground? Write it on your paper.

Can you write a word with the sound ee? Next segment the word seed and write it on a chalk board or piece of paper.

5

Read words feet week

ee

2 Watch my clip on tapestry. You could also go to foundation phonics and look at the clips and games for sound ai

Say the words: rainy Spain

Can you talk like a robot? (orally blend the word) A robot chops its arms with each sound – practise saying h-ai-l and

t-ai-l together.

Can you segment words? (chop them into the sounds with robot arms) What sounds are in the words pain and tail

(segment them with robot arms) What other words do you know with ai?

Can you write the sound ai in the air? Can you use your finger to write it on the palm of your hand? Can you chalk it

on the ground? Now write it on your paper

Can you write a word with the sound ai? Next segment the word rain and write it on a chalk board or piece of paper.

You could also use magnetic letters or other letter cards to make the word and read it back.

Read nail sail

Now you can look at the sheet for Tuesday (below) and decide which of the letter sounds ee or ai belong in the words.

ai

3 Look at my phonics clip for digraph igh on tapestry and also see Espresso for further games etc. This sound is a trigraph sound – three letters, one sound (tri means three like in triangle

Say fighting tightly

Can you talk like a robot? (orally blend the word) A robot chops its arms with each sound – practise saying s-ight-t and

m-igh-t together.

Can you segment words? (chop them into the sounds with robot arms) What sounds are in the words fight and high

(segment them with robot arms) What other words do you know with igh ?

Can you write the sound iggh in the air? Can you use your finger to write it on the palm of your hand? Can you chalk it

on the ground? Now write it on paper.

Can you write a word with the sound igh? Next segment the word light and write it on a chalk board or piece of

paper. You could also use magnetic letters or other letter cards to make the word and read it back.

Read night right

igh

4 Look at my clip on tapestry or go to foundation phonics and look at the clips and games for sound oa

Say groan loaf

Can you talk like a robot? (orally blend the word) A robot chops its arms with each sound – practise saying r-oa-d and

t-oa-d together.

Can you segment words? (chop them into the sounds with robot arms) What sounds are in the words load and coat

(segment them with robot arms) What other words do you know with oa?

Can you write the sound oa in the air? Can you use your finger to write it on the palm of your hand? Can you chalk it

on the ground? Now write it on paper.

Can you write a word with the sound oa? Next segment the word coat and write it on a chalk board or piece of paper.

You could also use magnetic letters or other letter cards to make the word and read it back.

Read road soap

Now you can look at the phonics sheet for Thursday below and decide which sounds go in the words.

oa

5 Watch the round-up session on tapestry.

6

Day 2 phonics

Tuesday 26th January I can hear, say and write the

sounds in words   Remember to read the word after

you write it!

Note – if your child doesn’t know what the picture is of, you can tell them the word as long

as they can tell you the sounds in it! The writing part is to help with phonics and explaining

the picture will help develop vocabulary  you can also write these words with the blank

spaces on a piece of paper for your child to finish rather than print this out.

r _____ n

ch____ k

___ _____ __

___ ____ __

7

Day 4 phonics

Thursday 28th January I can hear say and write the

sounds in words   Remember to read the words

after you write them!

Note – if your child doesn’t know what the picture is of, you can tell them the word as long

as they can tell you the sounds in it! The writing part is to help with phonics and explaining

the picture will help develop vocabulary  you can also write these words with the blank

spaces on a piece of paper for your child to finish rather than print this out.

n_______ t

g_____ t

__ _____ __

___ _____ ___

8

Monday phonics Jolly phonics actions ee

ee ee ee

Tuesday jolly phonics actions ai

9

Wednesday jolly phonics actions igh

igh igh

Thursday jolly phonics actions oa

oa oa oa

igh

10

Monday task 1– cut and stick the picture of the bird next to the word for

what it can do. To read the word add the sound button under each sound

(I’ve done the first one for you.) Extra challenge – write a short sentence

underneath e.g. A puffin can dig.

Heron

peck

Blackbird

swim

Puffin

sing

Pigeon

dig

Parrot

fish

Duck

chat

11

Monday activity 3 Natural transient art or collage

Collect natural objects outdoors such as small leaves, cones, feathers, tiny twigs – or small objects around the house like rice, pasta, seeds.

Choose to make either:

Transient art – something which can be made and then taken apart again. If you do this outdoors you can leave it where it is but of you do it indoors you can clear it all away at the end!

or

Collage – this means ‘stick’. You can glue small light things such as feathers or leaves with a glue stick, but larger things like shells, pasta, twigs etc will need stronger white glue (PVA – sometimes called ‘craft glue’)

Make your art as big or small as you like but what you make will depend on whichever glue, paper or materials you use.

When you’re finished ask your grown-up if you can take a photo using a tablet or phone so they can add it to Tapestry for us to see.

12

Tuesday activity 3

Making different types of bird feeder

 Scissors

 Mixing bowl

 Moulds eg empty yogurt pots

 Lard to bind the other Ingredients together  Mealworms  Mixed seed  Nuts (unsalted)  Raisins  Hard cheese

 Camera or smart phone

Pine cone feeder



Pine or fir cones (dried out )



Bird seed

Raisins

Peanuts

Grated cheese

Suet or lard

A mixing bowl

Scissors

String

Thread cheerios onto wire, a pipecleaner or string and hang up

Simple bottle feeder

-Make small holes in a clean dry bottle.

-Poke twigs or bamboo kebab skewers through some of the holes

-Fill with seeds -Hang up

1. Carefully make a small hole in the bottom of your mould or yoghurt pot. Thread string through the hole and tie a knot on the inside. Leave enough string so that you can tie the pot to a tree or your bird table.

2. If using lard, allow the fat to warm up to room

temperature, but don’t melt it. Then cut it up into small pieces and put it in the mixing bowl.

3. Add the other ingredients to the bowl and mix them together with your finger tips. Keep adding the

seed/raisin/cheese mixture and squidging it until the fat holds it all together. This bit can get quite sticky! 4. Fill your yoghurt pots with bird cake mixture and put

them in the fridge to set for an hour or so.

5. Hang your speedy bird cakes from trees or your bird table. Watch for greenfinches, tits and who knows, maybe even great spotted woodpeckers if you're lucky!

1. -Make your bird mix. Allow the lard to warm up to room temperature, but don't melt it. Then cut it up into small pieces and put it in the mixing bowl.

-Add the other ingredients to the bowl. Mix them together with your fingertips until the fat holds the squidgy mess together.

-Now group your cones together and loop the string around the top of them. Then pack the sticky bird mix around the cones with your hands, creating a ball shape.

2. -Put your cones in the fridge to set for an hour or so. After that, they'll be ready to hang up and are bound to bring the birds flocking.

13

14 Wednesday task 1 Birdwatch powerpoint

16 Wednesday task 1

Wednesday 27th January

I can label the parts of a bird – use the sounds you know to write the parts of the body of this bird. You will need digraphs ai ee ng Can you write its name undereath? As an extra challenge can you label the head, leg and eye?   

17

Wednesday task 3 – make a string bird to use for printing or crayon rubbings



Bird shapes (another word for this is silhouette, or shadow) See below



Card – e.g. cereal box



Scissors



Glue



String (hard, but not too thick)



Wax crayons

1.Choose a bird shape and remember the name of the bird. Draw it onto card OR Cut out the shape below and stick it on the card.

2. Cover the bird shape with strong glue, and begin to lay on the string in the chosen directions. Press it down really well so it sticks.

3. Wait for it to dry

4. Use it to make rubbings with a crayon or paint / ink to stamp pictures onto paper 5. Show me your work

…of course if you don’t want to make bird shapes you can make ANY shape you like! It could be a star, a flowe, house, a vehicle… use your imagination!

sparrow

18 blackbird

THURSDAY BRAIN BREAK TIME!!

@deedeecreate on Instagram has made these beautiful Lego birds using the RSPB garden birdwatch poster. Can you make any? Can you take them outside and show me in their natural environment? Can you write a label for each one?

sparrow and greenfinch

19 goldfinch

chaffinch

bluetit

woodpecker Big Garden Birdwatch – Friday onwards

1. Pick a time

You can choose any hour between 29 and 31 January. So whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, you can still take part.

2. Tell us what you see

Count the birds you see in your garden or from your balcony*. Ignore any birds that are still in flight. To avoid double-counting, just record the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time – not a running total. *This year our advice is to take part in the safety of your own home. This could include a birdwatch from your window if you overlook a green space or courtyard.

3. Submit your results

Online: You can submit your results online at rspb.org.uk/birdwatch from 29 January until 19 February. By post: If you’d rather send your results by post, you can download a submission form below. Please post your results to us before 15 February.

Every count is important so, if you don’t see anything, please still submit your result. Finding out which birds don’t visit your area is as important as understanding those which do!

20

21 Sounds of the week – words to read

22 Pencil control

23 Cuttimg skills

25 Little reading books below