Hello Everybody

Say Hello to March!

Welcome to a new week and to a new month too! We can say goodbye to February now and say hello to March. March is the month when Spring arrives. Winter is nearly over and Spring is on its way!

Next week you will be coming back to Nursery and we are very excited and looking forward to seeing you all! Mrs Smithson is now working with the children in Year 2 so we have a new Starfish Group leader called Mrs West - she is lovely and she can't wait to meet you all!

What are we learning this week?

For our last week of home learning we will be doing things a little differently. On this page you will find lots of different activities to do which the children who are in nursery will also be doing this week. You can spread them out over the week and do them to your own timetable. We would also like you to reflect upon the different things you have been learning over the time you have been at home.

• What things did you enjoy doing the most?
• What things do you think you have got better at?
• What are you looking forward to doing when you return to nursery?

Work for Special Books

Remember to bring in the work that you completed for your Special Books - we can't wait to see it!

If you haven't completed this yet, don't worry go back to Monday 8th February and you will find all that you need on that page. 

Writing your Name

Set yourself the challenge of writing your name every day this week! Remember to use lower case letters and not capitals - we only need a capital letter at the beginning of our names. And remember to start your letters in the right place. We will be working on our writing our names when you come back to nursery so that you will be ready for big school in September!

Our Story of the Week

This week we are reading the story of Mrs Mopple's Washing Line by Anita Hewitt. Listen to Ms Paulson tell the story...

Talking Together

I hope you enjoyed that story! Listen to it again and see if you can join in with the parts about the animals and what they are wearing. Here’s an idea - once you feel you know the story well, turn off the sound and retell it in your own words using the pictures to help you.

• Did you look around Mrs Mopple’s kitchen when we read the story? What did you notice? Did you see how she did her washing? What do your family use to do the washing? I think Mrs Mopple might have lived long ago in the olden days. What do you think?
• If it’s a nice day, maybe you could wash some of your toys’ clothes. All you need is a washing up bowl filled with warm soapy water, a short piece of washing line and some clothes pegs. Talk together about what weather is good for drying clothes and what you can do to make the clothes dry more quickly.

Here’s a song to sing whilst you work (Tune: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)! Don’t forget to do some actions too!

This is the way we wash our clothes,                   

Wash our clothes,

Wash our clothes.

This is the way we wash our clothes,

Early on Monday morning.

This is the way we rinse our clothes...

This is the way we wring them out...

This is the way we hang out our clothes...

This is the way we fold our clothes...

This is the way way we wear our clothes ...

Washing by hand takes a long time! I’m glad that I have a washing machine to do most of my washing. That reminds me of a song by Johnny and the Raindrops called The Washing Machine. Have a listen and join in!

Phonics

Letter Sound of the Week

Here's a clue to this week's letter and sound. Think about what letter sound the words Mrs Mopple begin with... Mrs Mopple. Can you hear the first sound? 

Can you go on a hunt around your house and collect things beginning with m? Maybe you could send in a photo of you and your collection and I could put it on our web page to share with your friends!

Clapping the syllables in objects

Let’s clap the rhythm of the different objects beginning with m that you found on your hunt. Choose an object and find out how many claps it has in it. For example, the word mouse has 1 clap, mel-on has 2 claps and mag-a-zine has 3 claps. 

Put 3 objects together that have a different number of claps (syllables). Take it in turns to choose one in your head and clap it. Can the other person guess which object it is?

Robot Talking

At the Shops

Set up a pretend shop selling lots of things that are also simple cvc words. For example, jam, pot, hat, cup, pen, jug, bed, boat, goat, bus, soup, tin, box, fox - anything with 3 sounds in it! Use your imagination - it could be a silly shop! You may want to use a soft toy or puppet to be the customer and do the robot talking and your child can be the shop assistant. The customer will ask for an item using their robot talking - Please can I have a c-u-p? The shop assistant has to find the item and give it to them. When your child becomes confident with this, let them have a turn at being the customer and practise their segmenting. Go at your child's pace and remember the more they hear you modelling segmenting and blending, the sooner they will be able to do it for themselves! Try to keep it fun and stop when your child has had enough. Continue to weave robot talking into daily routines and everyday conversations - that way it won't feel like work!

Rhyme of the Week

This week our rhyme is Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Do you know this song? Sing along with Mr Tumble!

Mathematics

Matching Pairs

• Pairing and counting socks - as part of helping with the laundry, encourage your child to sort and pair the family’s socks. Ask them how they know which socks make a pair and talk about the patterns and the different sizes. 

• Here's another sock pairing activity. Cut out the different socks and put them together in matching pairs. Follow the link below. 

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Number lines

This week in nursery we are making our own number washing lines. You will need your own washing line made with string and some pegs. Print out the pictures of clothes below (you won't need all of them - use the numbers you feel are appropriate for your child) and help your grown-up to cut them out. Now you are ready to begin! 

Oh no! The wind has blown the clothes off the washing
line. Can you find an item of clothing?
• What number is shown on the item of clothing?
• Can you use the pegs to put the clothes on the washing line?
• Can you put the clothes on the washing line in number order?

Missing Number Game

You could use your number washing line to play a missing number game. Peg the clothes on in the right order and then close your eyes whilst your grown-up removes a number. Open your eyes and see if you can work out which number is missing. Once you have worked it out, tell your grown-up how you know. For example, I know it is 4 because 4 comes after 3. Or, I know it is 2 because 2 comes between 1 and 3 and so on.

Here's another missing number game to play...

Out and About Number Hunt

• Whilst you’re taking your daily walk why not go on a number hunt? Spot numbers on car registration plates, on houses, on street and road signs. You could write some down in a notebook or take a photo of them. Maybe you might see a number 10 and then look for another number 10 somewhere else. What number house do you live at? Have you noticed anything about the numbers of the houses next door to you? I live at number 71 and the houses either side of me are 69 and 73. Do you have the same pattern?

Busy Fingers

• What do you think Mrs Mopple was making for dinner? Have a look at the vegetables on her kitchen table. Maybe she was making vegetable stew or soup - what do you think?
• You could make your own vegetable soup for your family. Ask a grown up to help you follow this simple recipe.

VEGETABLE SOUP RECIPE 

Ingredients

• 200g chopped raw vegetable such as onion, celery and carrots
• 300g potato
• 1tbsp oil
• 700ml vegetable stock 
• Black pepper
• Crème fraiche and fresh herbs to serve

Method

1. Chop, peel and cube the vegetables.
2. Fry the vegetables in a little oil for a few minutes until they begin to soften.
3. Make up the stock.
4. Add the stock to the vegetables and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Once the vegetables are tender, blend the mixture until smooth.
6. Season with black pepper.
7. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and some fresh herbs.

Our World

What a windy day it was in the story of Mrs Mopple! Is it windy today? Look out of your window. How can you tell if the wind is blowing? Look at the trees, any washing on the line or leaves on the ground for clues. Why don’t you watch a weather forecast on television or on a weather app on your grown up’s phone and talk about what the weather will be like in the next few days.

• Here’s an episode of Come Outside all about a windy day!