Starfish

Welcome to Starfish Class

Starfish class is a mixed Early Years / Key Stage One class following The Stepping Stones curriculum. Please see the links below to find out more :)

The Teacher in Starfish class is Toni. 

The Teaching Assistant's in Starfish class are; Jayne, Sue and Emma.

Dear Parents / Carers

We are very sorry we have had to close to most pupils and understand that this will be a difficult time for everyone. First and foremost, we want everybody to be safe and stay well and at this time creating a happy and calm environment for our children is the most important thing. 

Please feel free to contact me at toni.burns@whitfield.kent.sch.uk if you would like any support with your child's learning at home. 

We understand that this will be a difficult time for some children so please find the attached Social Story to read to your child to help them to cope.

We will be uploading some ideas every Monday for you to do throughout the week with your child at home.

I would love for our class to still stay connected during this time so please feel free to send any photo’s of your child taking part in these activities to the following email for us to upload onto our class website page.

Remember to stay safe and enjoy the time together and we hope to see you soon.

Hello everyone, I hope you are all keeping safe. This week our topic is all about WATER. The theme is 'Splash' and it encourages us all to enjoy cooling down in water, playing with water and also using water to help our plants and grass grow. Water is a really fun theme to enjoy at home as it can be enjoyed anytime. You can explore water outdoors, when washing dishes or at bath time. This is also a great time to practise drinking lots of water to stay healthy in the warm sunshine. I hope you find some of the suggested activities helpful and fun. If there is a specific activity you would like to try at home and you would like any support or suggestions with this, please feel free to send us an email and we will help in any way we can. Happy Splashing! 

The following document is a list of useful online links. There are lots of amazing audio stories, movies, songs and instruction videos online that you may want to try at home. We have added a range of activities, stories, movies and songs so hopefully there will be something on the list for everyone. 

It is really fun to develop our creative and mark making skills. There are lots of outdoor, practical ways to do this in the planning document but you can also practise these skills by exploring writing utensils and a range of colour when colouring in. As the theme is water this week, we have added some super cute Narwhal colouring sheets to try at home. You could use paint, pencils or crayons to make these pictures look amazing! You could also try drawing your own Narwhal, to practise drawing shapes. Have lots of fun! 

As it is super sunny at the minute, it might be fun to set up a water area in your home or in an outside space. Water areas are quick to set up and quick to tidy away too. We found a set of fun challenge cards to try in your water area. Your area might be as big as a large box or as small as a bowl, the challenges can be done in any size of water container. This is a fun way to begin to understand the vocabulary associated with floating and sinking. It is also a great multi-sensory activity for everyone to enjoy. 

The links below are for three activities that you may want to try at home. One is a writing activity, following a range of patterns, this is a great way to practise your fine motor control and pencil grip at home. There is also a counting challenge, although there are practical counting challenges in the document above too. This is just a written version of the activities if you wanted to give it a go. The last activity is a fun and creative activity. There are lots of cute templates to make under the sea themed puppets using split pins. Have fun and happy crafting. :)  Can you think of any other creative ways to have fun with water. Look at this water area someone made for a competition, isn't it beautiful. :)

18^th May – This week’s theme is “Fun with Food”

Here are some food themed activities to try at home. 😊

Food Messy Play

Encouraging messy play with food can be a great way to get your children used to new textures and try new foods. Some may prefer dry foods like cereal or wet foods like yogurt. You could even have a mixture of the two. :) 

To encourage engagement you could even put toys in the messy play for your children to find and pay with.

Food Face Plate

Turning food into faces can be a great way to engage your children and get them exploring new foods. You can buy special face plates, use a picture of a face under a see-through plate or help them arrange food on a plate to make a face. See if they can choose the best food for each feature.

Food Mini-beasts

Using celery, spreadable cheese, peanut butter, fruit and vegetables you can create caterpillars and snails with your children. See the image below to to help give you some ideas.

Painting with food

Why not try painting with fruits and vegetables by cutting them in half and using them as stamps.

Lemons, oranges and potatoes are great for this.

Paint and Eat Waffles

Follow the link below for a great way to create colourful waffles you can eat. Your children could help your children create colourful patterns or encourage them to recall each colour you use.

https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2010/03/paint-and-eat-easter-waffles.html

Food songs and videos

Here are some food songs and videos your children may enjoy! :)

Super Simple food songs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_JQwhPKzdI

Mr Tumble food signing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dZyWQWZ-Gk

Have Fun! :) 

11^th May – This week’s theme is ‘Garden Exploration’

Here are some Garden themed activities to try at home. 😊

Messy Play

The garden is great for messy sensory play. You could make mud pies or fill trays with twigs grass and other things you can find. Try hiding toys in the messy for children to find!

If your child doesn't like messy play they may like watching you scoop things up and drop them into containers. Build suspense by saying ready steady go or encourage them to count down.

Planting

With the weather getting nicer it is a great time to plant and water flowers with your children. They may like digging holes and planting the seeds. But if not, they could water the flowers with jugs or watering cans. If you can’t plant outside then you could use cups, mugs or pots to plant seeds inside.

Flower Picking

While exploring the garden, picking wild flowers like daisies and dandelions are a great way to encourage counting.  Your child could pick them while you count, or you could encourage them to count with you.

You could also make daisy chains once you have picked some (see link below)

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-daisy-chain/

Rock Painting

Painting rocks found in the garden is a great art activity. Your children can use brushes or their fingers. They could make patterns, or you could helping them make a mini-beast.

Mini-beast Hunt

It’s a good time to go hunting for mini beasts. Looking under rocks and logs is a great way to find and show your children bugs and insects.

You can use the checklist below to give you an idea of what to keep a look out for.

Garden Songs

Here are some garden themed songs the children may like to watch or sing.

Garden Song - https://youtu.be/YtP0Z8xV6Z4

Mr. Tumble – There's a worm at the bottom of the garden

https://youtu.be/AqchPrhezxQ

4^th May – This week’s theme is – ‘MATHS’

Play Dough – Playdough is a great resource for exploring counting, weighing and colour matching 😊

Make some play dough by following the instructions below. Weigh the ingredients using cups and slowly count out the amount you need. When filling up the cups you can also explore capacity. “The cup is full!” “The cup is empty!”

Once you have made your playdough or if you have some already, your child might enjoy counting activities through imaginative play. For example, making ‘birthday cakes’ and counting out how many sweets or candles to put on top.

Number hunt –

On your daily walk encourage your child to look for different numbers in the environment. You could take pictures of them as you find them. Look out for, door numbers, license plates, road signs etc. You could also practise numbers and counting by collecting objects outside. “Can you find 5 sticks?”

If you’re not able to go out, you could make and hide numbers around the house or garden for your child to find 😊

Have fun with Lego / building blocks –

There are lots of ways to explore maths using Lego. Encourage your child to colour match, count and pattern make through their play. Here are a few ideas 😊

Shape printing –

Make different 2D shapes using objects around your home. For example, toilet roll holders, sponges, potatoes. Clearly name the shapes for your child as they explore printing with them. “Well done, you’ve made a yellow circle!” or “Can you find a ….”

Sensory play –

Hiding numbers or objects in jelly or water is a fun way to encourage children to engage with numbers or collect items to count 😊

Online songs and resources :)

Counting Songs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_lgJgBbqWE

Count and work out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MVzXKfr6e8

Number Blocks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3URYULMBp0

27th April - This week’s theme is ‘Stories’

Hi Starfish class 😊 I’m missing you lots and hope you enjoy these activities.

Reading stories together is a wonderful activity to do at home together J Here are some activities to help bring those stories to life and help your child to practise and retell favourite stories.

Sensory Play

Choose a favourite story with your child and create a sensory bin to help explore and re-tell the story in different ways. You could use different items from around the house or garden and use cuddly toys or homemade pictures.

Arts and Crafts

You and your child might want to make some different props or puppets to re-tell your story with. You could use some paper, card, wooden spoons or lolly sticks to create story characters.

Story Stones

You and your child could make up and create new stories using story stones as a prop. Draw different places, characters and objects and have a go at telling a new story!

Make a mask

Make a mask of your favourite book character! Your child might have a favourite costume from World Book Day that they might like to dress up in too!

Role Play

Role playing is a great way to bring a story to life! Your child might like to dress up or you could recreate parts of the story through sensory play.

For example, you could go on a ‘bear hunt’ and walk through different parts of the story! 

Cooking

You could have a go at creating your own snack from your favourite story!

Follow the instructions to make your own ‘no bake’ Gruffalo Paw oat cookies J

Or you could prepare and try different snacks. See if you can try all the different fruit that The Very Hungry Caterpillar ate! Let your child practise cutting their own fruit for snack time J

Watch favourite stories online:

Cbeebies Bedtime Stories - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b00jdlm2/cbeebies-bedtime-stories

Oliver Jeffers Stay at Home Stories –

https://www.oliverjeffers.com/books#/abookaday/

Cosmic Kids Yoga / Story – The Very Hungry Caterpillar –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhWDiQRrC1Y

Online Colouring  - Peter Rabbit

https://www.bbc.co.uk/games/embed/g2jhf4bnv6?exitGameUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fcbeebies%2Fmakes%2Fpeter-rabbit-make-a-peter-picture%3Fcollection%3Dcreative-play-for-kids

We would love to see what stories you choose this week! To share your learning with us you can email photos to - imagec03@klz.org.uk J

20^th April - This week’s theme is ‘Music!’

I’m sure you’ve all been making lots of noise on Thursday evenings! Here are some ideas to make some instruments to take out with you J

Make an instrument

There are lots of things around your home that you could use to make an instrument. Such as tin cans, Pringle tubes, tissue boxes, elastic bands, rice, bottles.

Use the resources to make instruments. Show us your work!

Below are some ideas for you to try :) 

Play your instrument

Play your new instruments with your family, either play along to a song you are familiar with or make one up! :)

What’s that sound?

You might like to play some different listening games, which are great for early sound discrimination / phonics development J

We like to play ‘sound box’ in class. We sing ‘What have I got in my sound box today, sound box today, sound box today. What have I got in my sound box today…something beginning with…. (choose different letters for example ‘K’ and shake keys. You could use a cardboard box with a cloth over the top to hide the objects so the children really have to listen to what’s inside.

Sing and Sign

On YouTube use the link and choose a song that you would like to sing and sign to. There are lots to choose from J

https://www.youtube.com/user/SingingHandsUK

Roar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCfjV_G_x5s

Sing and Move

Using the links below there are lots of songs that you can sing along and copy the actions J

I am the music man : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22kqia2ibVU

Boom chicka Boom - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2XVfTzel8E

Just Dance Kids - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziLHZeKbMUo

Just Dance Kids - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izMJDiHQBH0&list=PLJX_NbXD9IBc_BQp-6WglFiCdhKxAwvzT

Have fun! We look forward to seeing your amazing work soon J

13th April – This week’s theme is ‘Family’

Here are some family themed activities to try at home

Family Tree - Your child may like to paint leaves onto a tree trunk using their hands to make hand prints or by using paintbrushes and sponges to make marks using green paint. Once the paint has dried, write names or encourage your child to stick family photos onto the tree.

Who is Missing? - Have all of the family present, get your child to turn around or close their eyes, then using a large sheet hide a family member and say “Who is missing?”. Your child may like to guess or may enjoy pulling the sheet off of the family member to see who is hidden underneath. Your child may also love a turn at being hidden themselves!

Cress/Grass Family -

You will need:

- Empty yoghurt pots or egg shells

- Cress/grass seeds.

- Cotton wool

- Marker pens/photos of the family

1)Draw or stick a photo of each family member onto the egg shells or pots.

2)Insert wet cotton wool inside the pots/shells.

3)Sprinkle a teaspoon of cress/grass seeds onto the wet cotton wool and press them down gently with your finger.

4)Place the cress heads in a warm, light place, like on the windowsill, and wait for your seeds to grown into tiny, delicious bushes of cress.

5)Encourage your child to notice the cress growing by showing it to them frequently and encouraging them to touch/taste it. Your child may also enjoy cutting the cress with scissors once it has grown tall enough!

Family Hand and Foot Prints -Using paints, make hand or foot prints of the whole family on paper or a canvas to display around your home. Encourage communication by naming colours and body parts as you paint them.

Numeracy

Can you show us -Who is the tallest – shortest? Oldest- youngest? How many boys and girls in your family? Take photos of everybody lined up.

What can you use to measure them? Toy cars? Shoes? How many shoes tall are they? You could also practise measuring different objects/toys using Lego/blocks.

Family Themed Stories and Songs – Enjoy some time reading stories as a family. You may also like to watch some family themed stories and songs online together using the links below.

Guess How Much I Love You Online Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1P2u2OGA2I

Baby Shark Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqZsoesa55w

Finger Family Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVh8DDpVktg

5 Little Ducks Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCka94jeGTk

Please email any photos of your home learning to the email below. We would love to stay in touch and see what you are getting up to!

Email photos to - imagec03@klz.org.uk

Subject: Starfish

6^th April – This week’s theme is ‘EASTER’

We hope you are all well and staying safe. Here are some Easter activities to try at home

Make some chocolate Easter egg nests by following the instructions in the link below. If your child does not like to bake, they may still enjoy watching you make the Easter egg nests and with encouragement may like to explore the different textures. As with the playdough activity last week, encourage curiosity and anticipation, using phrases such as “ready, steady, go!” or by counting before pouring or mixing ingredients.

Make an Easter sensory bin – Fill a container or tray with shredded paper, straw, coloured rice, pasta, porridge oats or lentils. Hide a range of available Spring/Easter objects and toys in the container for your child to find and explore. Some items to hide could include toy bunnies and chicks, carrots, a range of spring flowers and cardboard, plastic or chocolate Easter eggs. Place spoons and bowls in or next to the container for your child to enjoy filling and emptying.

Make a sensory bottle – Follow the instructions below to make a spring flower sensory bottle for your child to enjoy.

Make some bunny bunting – Cut out some rabbit silhouettes for your child to colour in. Your child may like to draw patterns on the bunnies or make marks using a range of mark making tools such as paints, crayons or pens. Next support your child to cut out the rabbits and thread or peg onto some string to display in your home.

Bunny actions songs – Your child may love to listen or dance along to the bunny songs from the links below.
 

This is the way the bunny hops - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb9tt7LiYrc

Hop Little Bunnies - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRjsyzbvqsc

Cosmic Kids Yoga – Have a go at Hoppit the Hare yoga! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN7M-uQSOYE

Baby Shark Easter Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-QFJgnyubA

30^th March – This week’s theme is ‘Rainbows’

Children around the country have been completing a range of rainbow themed activities to post on social media or display in their windows as a sign of hope for one another during this time.

Here are some rainbow themed activities to try at home

Rainbow Play Dough - Make some  play dough by following the instructions below. If your child does not like to play with play dough, they may still enjoy the process of watching you make it. To encourage curiosity and anticipation, use phrases such as “ready, steady, go!” or count to 3 before pouring or mixing ingredients. Your child may like to explore the textures of each ingredient using their hands or a spoon before mixing them together.

Rainbow Mark Making - Set up some rainbow mark making activities using a range of resources you may have at home. Encourage your child to paint using rainbow colours with a paintbrush or other mark making mediums such as chalk, pens, crayons or pencils. Your child may like to paint their hands and feet using all of the colours of the rainbow and make hand prints and footprints outside or on paper. Your child may enjoy mixing coloured paint together using a tool or their hands or may like to squirt the coloured paint into different containers. Display your crafts in the window to spread some love, hope and cheer to others.

Rainbow Water/Messy Play - Make a coloured water play activity in your bathroom or garden for your child to explore. Add paint or a few drops of food colouring to some water and pour into different containers for your child to enjoy pouring and mixing. Your child may like to add foam, soap, bubbles or coloured  jelly to the water  to explore different textures. 

​​​​Makaton Rainbow Song - Encourage your child to learn the Makaton colour signs  by playing the Mr Tumble song found in the link below. Use props such as coloured balloons or toys alongside the song to support learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLpEGM34Fic

Please email any photos of your home learning to the email below. We would love to stay in touch and see what you are getting up to!

Email photos to - imagec03@klz.org.uk

Term 3

This term Starfish class will be learning the story 'Lost and Found' and exploring topics and activities relating to the story.  

Here is a link to a read aloud version on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B33hZSjyeO0