EARLY LEVEL (ELC AND P1)
Learning at Home Support
As a result of school and nursery closure we are aware that as parents you may be worried about how your children will learn over the coming weeks. We also know that this time of uncertainty and change in routine can be very unsettling for children. Many of us are parents ourselves and know that extended periods of time at home can be challenging as a family.
Please do not panic about providing the curriculum for your children the way settings do. At this young age all learning in settings is through play. Play is the greatest work a child can engage in. Please don't underestimate the enormous learning opportunities offered by:
- Baking a cake, scones, pancakes (similar but different, cool!).
- Building a Lego set - from instructions and then a random self-creation.
- Play board games - learn to read and follow rules, understand sequences, take turns, wait, problem solve, accept defeat or win graciously. Design a new board game and write the rules to play it. Then play it together.
- Plant and nurture seeds and bulbs.
- Write letters to the elderly in care homes. Create a menu for the week ahead.
- Write a recipe for dinner.
- Follow someone else's recipe.
- Enjoy mealtimes together.
- Make a phone call to a friend.
- Read a story then make up a drama to show parents.
- Listen to favourite music and make up a dance. Yoga (Cosmic Kids on YouTube might be a good start).
- Let them vacuum the house, wash the dishes or the windows, hang laundry.
- Build dens - make it taller or darker. How wide a den can you make with only 3 blankets?
- Make a picnic and eat in the den with a story afterwards.
- Learn to wrap parcels and gifts (life skill!) Play with chopsticks then challenge each other to finish lunch without a fork.
- Make soup together
- Take a selfie a day and animate the changes over the weeks. Do the same with a tree or plant outside. Especially fun in spring with the growth to come.
- Write or draw a diary.
Thanks to the huge commitment of our staff team they are providing learning at home grids weekly for you to complete with your child and guidance. Please look out within your emails for these activities. Also, within P1 - 3 we are using 'Teach Sways' once per week so that your child is getting the opportunity to see their teacher and interact with your support through online forms.
Additional Learning Opportunities Links
Below are some hyperlinks to useful websites which may support you. We will continue to update our blog over the coming days with further tips and ideas of how to support your child's learning at home. If you would like to share the home learning adventures you have with your child, please feel free to tweet them adding #greenrigglearningathome we love to see what your children are doing at home.
Please follow NHS and Scottish Government advice around COVID-19 especially when exploring outdoor learning opportunities with your children.
(Please note that whilst we have researched these websites, WLC are not responsible for the content of any external online materials.)
1) Every Day's A learning Day 3-6 years and Every Day's a Learning Day Birth-3 years.
These Education Scotland booklets describe some of literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing learning opportunities that are part of everyday family life. You can also find Falkirk Council videos based on these materials on YouTube. These videos are split into numeracy, literacy and health and wellbeing.
2) Parent Club
This Scottish Government resource has all kinds of advice for parents and carers. This link takes you to their
"Family Games and Having Fun" page where you can find lots of ideas for activities you can do together with children of different ages. Just selct your child's age from the drop down menu to get started.
You can also access the Play, Talk Read section on the Parent Club website which has lots of useful activities to try to help keep your baby and toddlers busy, entertained and learning early literacy and numeracy skills.
3) ABC Does
Alistair Bryce Clegg is an educational consultant specialising early years education. He has published a range of great ideas for home learning with young children on his blog page.
4) BBC Bitesize - Early Level
A range of stories, songs, videos and games selected for Early Level of Curriculum for Excellence - including children in Early Learning Centres, Primary 1 and beyond for some children.
Help your child develop their listening skills by tuning in to some some of the Cbeebies radio series.
6) Oxford Owl
A range of resources and fun learning ideas to develop early reading, writing and numeracy skills for children of different ages. Includes access to some free online books.
7) DK Find Out
A great resource for exploring all those "I wonder ..." questions together with your child. Fun facts, videos and quizzes about a wealth of topics including dinosaurs, animals and nature, sports, computer coding and many more.
This link will take you to the 'Playful Families' section of the Play Scotland website. This section has lots of tips, ideas and advice to support learning
through play with your child at home. We particularly like the 'Messy Play' section which has three booklets books filled with recipes like to make lots of sensory and art materials at home. Try your hand at making a variety of playdoughs, homemade bubbles, washable fingerpaints and many more with your child.
9) Top Marks
An website which bring together a wide range of online resources to support the development of numeracy and literacy skills. Lots of games to play as well as links to animated stories and rhymes.
10) Go Noodle
An online resource with lots of movement and mindfulness videos for children to follow along to. Everything from zumba to yoga and silly action songs to calming meditation routines.
11) Bookbug Songs and Rhymes App
This link takes you to information about the Scottish Book Trust Bookbug App. This app has videos of all your child's favourite songs and rhymes and a huge range of others you may not have heard before. Enjoying a sing song together is a great way to develop your child's early literacy skills and this app helps make this an easy and enjoyable experience for everyone.
12) Creative Star Learning: 10 ways to...
Juliet Robertson is a highly respected educational consultant who specialises in outdoor learning. In this blog she shares lots of ways for young children enjoy learning by exploring nature and the outdoors. If you have any outdoor space available, have a go with your child, exploring the learning opportunities offered by puddles, leaves, wind, rocks and stones and many more using Juliet's 10 ways resources to help you along the way.
