This week's book 

This week our learning is going to based around the story 'Dear Zoo' by Rod Campbell. Listen to the story on the link below and talk about it to your family. Can you remember what animals were in the story and why they wouldn't make good pets?

Would these animals make good pets? - Literacy

In the story the child was sent lots of different animals from the zoo but there was something wrong with each one. The camel was too grumpy, the monkey too naughty and the snake too scary. Can you look at the animals on the PowerPoint below and write a sentence for each one explaining why they wouldn't make good pets. 

The shark is too nasty.
The ant is too tiny.

What pet would you choose? - literacy

If you could have any pet, which one who you choose? Look closely at the picture below. What animals can you see? Are there any pets you wouldn't like? Why? Discuss if they would make a good pet or bad pet and why. 

 If you could choose any pet, which one would it be and why? Can you write a sentence about your choice? Remember to include a reason why so you will need to use the word 'because' in your sentence. Here is an example:

I would like a pet chicken because I would be able to have fresh eggs every morning. 

Don't forget to include a capital letter at the beginning of your sentence. You also need a full stop at the end and finger spaces between words.  

Dear Zoo Letter - Literacy

Earlier in the week you have been thinking about what pet you would really like to have. Today you are going to be writing your own letter zoo asking for a pet of your choice. You can use the template below or simply write it out on paper. Remember that a letter needs the following things:

Who it is to - i.e. Dear …
The reason why you are writing - 'please can you send me a pet ...'
The reason why you want that animal - use the word because. 
Who the letter is from. 

I have written one as an example:

Dear Zoo,

Please can you send me a penguin because I really like the way they walk. I have a big bath so it can use this for swimming.

Thank you.

From Ms. Loveluck

Phonics

This week we are going to be focusing on the sounds 'ee' (feet) and 'or' (corn). Revise these sounds with your child and look at the picture below from the Jolly Phonics story. How many things can you spot in the picture that have the sounds 'ee' and 'or' in them? Using the grid below, can you write a list of all the things you see?

Tricky Words - Phonics

This week we are going to be focusing on the words he, she, we, me. 

Write these on flashcards and lay them face down on the floor. Ask your child to turn one over at a time and read the word. You can use the sheet below to practice writing these tricky words or write them on paper.

Can your child write a sentence for each of the words? 

You can also practice reading and writing these by using chalks or paint brushes with water outside. 

How many legs? - Maths

Do you know how many legs the following animals have? 

dog? (4 legs)
spider? (8 legs)
beetle? (6 legs)
snail? (for the purpose of this activity we will class it as 1)
bird? (2 legs)
starfish? (5 legs)
Hermit crab? (10 legs)

Today we are going to be completing some addition problem solving questions. Open up the document and see if you can work out the answers to the questions. You may have some toy animals at home with different numbers of legs you can use to show your child visually or draw some pictures of the ones above. 

Heavy & Light - Maths

This week we are going to be focusing on weight. Select 5 random objects from your home of different weights. Place them in front of your child and ask them to predict (without feeling them) which one they think will be the heaviest / lightest. Allow your child to explore the objects and ask them to order them according to weight, starting with the lightest going to the heaviest. Use the words heavy, light, heavier, lighter, heaviest and lightest. 

You can use the PowerPoint presentation to consolidate these skills. 
 

Weighing Game - Maths

Earlier in the week you were investigating heavy and light. Today we are going to explore a balancing scale. Discuss with your child how we measure weight (using a scales). Explain that there are different types of scales i.e. a weighing scale, balancing scale. Explain that a balancing scale works by the heaviest side moves towards the ground and the lightest side stays in the air. Play the online game below whereby your child will investigate how a balancing scale works. 

Big Maths - Learn Its

It's that time again to challenge yourself on the Big Maths Learn Its. Just a reminder to play the song and when the music stops your child has 20 seconds to fill in all the answers. If they have all the questions right 3 weeks in a row then they can move onto the next Learn It. I have included the next Learn It (step 2, 3 &4) for those of you who have conquered step 1, 2 &3. 

Zoo Webcams - Knowledge & Understanding

Have you ever visited a zoo before? What animals did you see? Sadly, all the zoo's are closed at the moment but we can still have a sneaky peak at what is going on in some of the animal enclosures. Click on the link below to look at Folly Farm's live webcams. What animals can you see? What are they doing? Do the different animals behave differently? Maybe you could find out some information about some of the animals and what the zoo keepers need to do to look after them. 

Zoo animal craft - creative development

Can you remember what animals are in the story of Dear Zoo? Choose your favourite animal and see if you can make one using art materials. You can be as creative as you like but below are some ideas to help you get started. 

Dear Zoo Yoga - Wellbeing

To finish our week we are going to be doing some yoga which I know you all enjoy. I have managed to find a yoga session linked to our book 'Dear Zoo'. See if you can pretend to be the different animals in the story.

Dear Zoo Challenges

Here are some fun challenges you can do throughout the week based on the story 'Dear Zoo'.

1. Can you create and build your own zoo? You could use any Lego, construction equipment, blocks, animals or even recycled materials. The more creative the better!

2. Can you make up your own version of the story Dear Zoo? Using the same language, simply change the animal and add in a word to  describe what is wrong with it. You could use your ideas from the first literacy activity this week. You could turn your story into a simple book and add a new page each day or even use the computer to type it up. 

3. Together decide on 6 different animals and discuss how they move. On a square piece of paper write 'move like a ...' and write in the name of the animal. You could ask your child to draw a picture of the animal is you wanted. Once you have make 6 cards, you can either put these in a basket or stick them to a large dice. Your child will then either pull one out of the basket or roll the dice to see which animal they have to move like. You could repeat this game but with different animals. 

4. Can you do some animal related cooking? We will be focusing on weight in maths later in the week so a cooking activity will be good to help develop your child's understanding of measuring weight. Discuss what a weighing scale is and why it is important to put the correct about of ingredients in. Below are some ideas of animal related ideas that you could make.