Good morning Reception children and parents,
Happy Friday!
Just a couple of reminders before we begin today’s home learning.
Today is the deadline for the Chaplaincy Team’s St. Adrian competition. Draw or create a poster about St. Adrian. Entries can be posted through Tapestry and I will pass them onto the Chaplaincy Team.
Please don’t forget to let me know when your child has read their Oxford Owl ebooks set on the Memo Section of Tapestry and is ready for a change. I will then be able to set new books for you.
Chinese New Year
Make a Chinese Dragon
Attached to the Memo section of Tapestry are instructions to make a Chinese Dragon. However, as mentioned on yesterday’s blog, you can always provide various recycled materials and let your child’s imagination run wild.
To inspire your child, photos are also attached to the Memo section of Tapestry. This dragon dance video may help your child understand how the dragon features in the Chinese New Year celebrations:
I’ve also attached on the Memo section of Tapestry a Chinese New Year song.
Dress up in red for the day
Red is a popular colour in Chinese culture, symbolizing luck, joy and happiness. It is also the colour often worn for celebrations such as Chinese New Year. In addition, the Chinese flag is red.
Letters and Sounds
Alphabet Bingo
In phonics, letter names are needed when children start to learn two-letter and three-letter sounds (Phase Three). The letter names provide the vocabulary to refer to the letters making up each two-letter or three-letter sound.
We explain alphabet names to children by thinking about the sounds animals make eg. ‘meow’, ‘woof’ or ‘moo’. However, the names of these animals are cat, dog or cow. It’s the same with letters. They have a sound and a name.
I have posted on the Memo section of Tapestry an alphabet poster. Alternatively, you may have your own alphabet frieze, puzzle or poster for this game.
Simply, call out a letter name and ask your child to tick the letter off on the poster. If you’re lucky enough to have large alphabet letters, you could ask your child to jump to each letter name called out.
Alphabet Song
Singing the alphabet song and pointing to letters of the alphabet is also a great way to learn letter names. Again, you could use the alphabet poster on Tapestry or you may have your own alphabet frieze, puzzle or poster.
It is important that your child doesn’t bunch the letters together (eg. l, m, n, o, p) and clearly articulates each letter name.
Here’s a fun video by the Alphablocks that teaches letter names and the alphabet song.
British Values
Mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths
This is the final British value in our series of British values, mutual respect and tolerance. We learn to treat others as we want to be treated. How to be part of a community, manage our feelings and behaviour; and form relationships with others.
Our learning about Chinese New Year this week has contributed to the children’s understanding of diversity and different cultures. It helps children to recognise
and respect both similarities and differences in relation to others.
At home you can use stories or television programmes to take the opportunity to talk to your child about the importance of tolerant behaviours such as sharing and respecting other’s opinions.
Wishing you all a great half term.
Nicola Palmer