Foxes

WELCOME
 
Foxes Class is part of the Brookfields satellite group and is situated at The Grange School in Runcorn. This is the second year of this venture for our school and the Foxes team are very proud to be pioneers in this school development. We have now been joined this year by the Bumblebees class.
 
The pupils have settled into school extremely well and are enjoying the resources and space both in their classroom and outdoors.
 
Staff:
  • Shelley O'Connor - Teacher
  • Vicky - Higher Level Teaching Assistant
  • Karen and Sonja - Classroom Assistants
Pupils:
  • Reception and year one age pupils
  • 6 boys and 2 girls
Our topic this term is 'all about me'. We will learn about who we are, what we like and dislike, who is in our families and how to use our bodies to and senses to learn about the environment.
 
Our aims over this term for the pupils incorporate:
  • Recognising ourselves, peers and family from photographs.
  • Leaning to develop effective communication supported through a total communication approach.
  • Social skill focus to develop sharing and working alongside or playing with our peers.
  • Independence and self help skills around eating, drinking dressing.
IF YOUR CHILD HAS TO STAY HOME TO SELF ISCOLATE PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION
 
Hello Foxes Children and your families
 
I know things are a little different right now. Regulations and restrictions may mean that you are at home with your family and cannot attend school. If this happens then it is important that you please keep up to date with what is happening with school via the website, Facebook, parent text and if required emergency contacts. Please use the school website for guidance under coronavirus section.
 
My main message to you all is BE KIND TO YOURSELF. Take each day as it comes and stay safe with your families. Keep in contact with friends, families and other parents from school if you choose to: be a support and use others for support.
 
Autumn is upon us and may bring dry bright days, if you can and enjoy nature and fresh air:
Can you jump in leaves, hear them crunch. Can you make a tree rubbing with crayons and paper? Can you jump on a trampoline and count how many times? Can you blow bubbles and try and catch them? Can you use chalk and make marks on the wall or floor? Can you kick, throw or catch a ball? 
If you can get out and about, go for a walk in a quiet place, or look for pumpkins that may start appearing in windows ready for Halloween - can you add one to your window too? 
Be active - use some of the sensory exercises listed below or join in action songs that you can find on you tube. If you copy actions to fun songs Foxes children may copy or tolerate you gently supporting them.
 
You will find activities to try at home at any time on this page listed below and also in the home learning section of the school website.
 
Take care and stay safe and stay in touch,
 
Love Shelley and the Foxes Team xxx
HOME LEARNING SONGS 
 
Here are some of the you tube songs that Foxes like to use:
 

Good morning song   - Dream English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Q7Y3t4m3g

 

Phonics song 2- KIDS TV 123

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BELlZKpi1Zs

Keep fit alphabet - Jack Hartman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFa0b_IIRac&t=15s

Makaton alphabet - Mr Tumble

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMog84sQp3o

Story song The three little pigs -  Cocomelon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s7cz6p7jew&t=23s

 

Number song – KIDS TV 123

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0dJWfQHF8Y

Keep fit counting - Jack Hartman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TgLtF3PMOc

Colours - KIDSTV123

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQASh8bbkUY

 

Home time song - The singing walruss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LDArAJf7-c

HOM LEARNING  - SPECIAL INTEREST ACTIVITIES - ANIMALS
 
Songs:
Old mcdonald
Baa baa black sheep
5 little ducks
 
Activities:
Paint, colour or draw your favourite animal.
Find toy animals / soft toys that - pate, farm, jungle, woodland. 
Use construction i.e. duplo or sticks to make a den or home for your toy farm animal.
Sing 5 little ducks in the bath or during water play 
 
Shows:
Cbeebies has many shows and songs linked to the topic of the farm https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/search?q=farm
 
Stories
 
SENSORY HOME LEARNING IDEAS
 
Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction. This group of activities focuses on activities for physical movement [gross motor movement].
 
Information to note: up and down or spinning movements are alerting and side to side movements are calming. 
Be careful with spinning activities unless your child seeks this to avoid injury or disorientation. 
Be careful not to lift, push or carry objects which are too heavy - this includes for your child and yourself.
 
 Activities
  • Balance walk along masking tape on floor and walk in straight, curved and zig zag lines
  • Wall pushes
  • Pushing or pulling objects /stretchy bands
  • Push ups
  • Hand Squeezes
  • Superhero poses
  • Animal Walk - move in different ways - Cbeebies 'Andys wild adventures' help with this
  • Stretch like a bear or swing like a monkey
  • Follow the light/Follow the sound – The child’s whole head/body follows the movement of a torch

  • Sway in time with chill out music

  • Back and forth rowing - sing row the boat
  • Spinning (3 seconds in each direction)
  • Skipping

  • Jumping Jacks / star jumps

  • Arm Spins
  • Musical statues
  • Hopscotch
  • Scooter rides
  • Trampette
  • Balance / roll over / sit on gym ball
  • Walk over stepping stones [can chalk these on the floor]
  • Create indoor slides using cushions
  • Carry a backpack containing a favourite toy - not too heavy!
  • Ride a bike
  • Balance on a log

 Below are some activity links from Gross motor movements and yoga. Please do not physically put your child in these positions, show the image / model it yourself if possible.

 
COMMUNICATION HOME LEARNING IDEAS
 
Communication activities -Here are a few activities that support this area. It is by no means exhaustive.  Not all these activities will suit all pupils. If you need any further guidance, please contact Shelley. 
 
Routines Boards – Use visual boards with single-step actions to help children learn common routines. You can create a board for as an example - brushing teeth [draw or print images]
 
Practice Sharing – Play is an important activity for non-verbal children. While your child is engaged in play with an object such as a toy car or tea set, occasionally take the toy from them [for short times]. Then help the child learn ways to communicate that they would like the toy back. This may be through the use of vocalisations, symbols, sign language, or body language. Praise success of positive communication. Other games such as Mr potato head and pop up pirate can encourage sharing and taking turns too. 
 
See and Say – Animal sounds is a great way to introduce verbal communication. Hold the toy animal and make its sound. Remember to name the animal too i.e. cow says mooooo
 
Modeling – Using pictures of emotions such as sad, happy, angry, and hurt, the child and adult take turns modeling the emotion shown on the picture. Using a mirror is fun with this game to see their expression.
 
Sensory Bags – Sensory bags are a great way to help non-verbal children develop coordination, learn concentration and use multiple senses while exploring their environment. Sensory bags can be made with a variety of materials including rice, flour and water, pasta etc. 
 
Build a Sandwich –  learn steps and details through the use of pretend assembly play or real building of a sandwich using simple language i.e. put on cheese.
 
Same and Different – Sorting, matching and classifying are beginning steps to communication, whether verbal or non-verbal.  Use toys, pictures of apps for matching games.
 
Shopping - naming object as they are put in the basket [Extension task - can the child list symbols / worlds for what is in the basket?
 
 
Home learning- Myself and our senses activities 
 
Hello Foxes class and families,
 
In school this term we have been learning about ourselves and our 5 senses. We have enjoyed learning about different smells, trying new foods, feeling a range of textures, looking at pictures and objects that interest us and listening to instruments and songs. 
 
Here is a link to a senses song you can listen to at home- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXXiyIGqliE
 
Here are some ideas for each sense to try at home: 
 
Sight-
-You could look at books or pictures which interest you at home
-You could go on a treasure hunt around the garden or your home looking for different objects on a list eg- leaves, grass, flowers etc. 
-Create a sensory bottle to shake and look at- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7zp7KbxbKY 
 
Sound-
- Make a sound bottle by adding rice or pasta to shake
-Explore your kitchen cupboards to find pans and spoons to hit to make different sounds 
 -You could play this sound game listening to which animal makes the noise - 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucuXAYMYttc
 
Touch- 
-Explore different materials at home such as- clothes, carpets, flooring, towels etc. 
-Make jelly and touch it to see how it feels in your hands 
-Follow the instructions to make playdough, you can roll it, poke it or make a model with it. You can also add cinnamon to add smell and food colouring to make it look more interesting- https://divascancook.com/how-to-make-homemade-playdough-recipe/
 
Smell- 
-Look around your home to find different bottles you can smell eg- perfume, coffee, body lotion etc. 
- Explore your garden to find lavender, flowers, mint etc which will have strong different smells. 
- Use the playdough recipe above to create smelly playdough to enjoy by adding essential oils like lavender or spices such as cinnamon.
 
Taste- 
-Create a plate of different fruits to look at, feel and taste. You could make a fruit face to make it look more appealing to eat. 
-Explore foods of different textures such as yogurt, crisps, vegetables and rice pudding 
-Try foods of different tastes such as- salty foods, spicy foods, sour foods and sweet foods. 
 
If you try any of these activities at home we would love to see them, you can attach photos to my school email address - Shelley. 
 
Halloween activities 
 
This week in school we have completed interactive Halloween activities. We have explored spooky spaghetti (cook spaghetti and add food colouring), enjoyed counting pumpkins and glow in the dark skeletons and listened to the story 'Room on the broom'. 
 
Here are some Halloween activities you may want to try at home over half term- 
 
-You could go on a Halloween walk looking for pumpkins in peoples windows and encourage counting.
-Buy a pumpkin to decorate by painting it and adding glitter and put it in your window for other children to see during their walks. 
-Create a Halloween sensory feely tub using spaghetti, jelly and pasta. Adding food colouring and plastic spiders and eyes to make it fun. 
 
Here are some Halloween counting songs to listen to at home- 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpO8_FMWcHA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToeaHKxqKWA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJsQpFX5uM4
 
Here is a link to the story room on the broom which we have looked at in class- 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uQulEnxsRo
 
Please take pictures and email to Shelley if you try any of these activities over half term. 
 
 
 
 
 

This week is World Nursery Rhyme Week and we are delighted to be taking part. The initiative, which was launched in 2013, promotes the importance of nursery rhymes in early childhood development and education with a particular focus on how nursery rhymes boost early language and literacy skills.

The rhymes for the week are as follows:

Wheels On The Bus

Five Little Speckled Frogs

Hickory Dickory Dock

Old MacDonald Had A Farm

Miss Polly Had A Dolly

We have a number of activities planned throughout the week including:

  •        Hearing rhymes
  •        Singing Rhymes
  •        Reading familiar rhymes
  •        Creative activities based around the rhyme characters
  •        Sensory learning activities incorporating wet and dry textures.
  •        Role playing / acting out rhymes
  •        Making choices for which are our favourite rhymes
  •        Accompanying rhymes using instruments

Singing nursery rhymes is a wonderful activity you can enjoy doing together at home. Which are your favourites? Share these with your class teams.

Please access HOME TASKS - WORLD NURSERY RHYME WEEK on the task bar for more resources and activities. 

You can also access free resources at: www.worldnurseryrhymeweek.com