This Week's Book

This week we are going to be basing all our learning on the book 'Michael Recycle' by Ellie Bethel. Listen to the story and discuss the story with a grown up. Would you like to live in a town like that?

Where I live - literacy

In the beginning of the story 'Michael Recycle' the town is very messy and dirty. Would you like to live in a place like that? Talk about where you live with a grown up and list all the things you like or maybe don't like about where you live. You can write these down either on the grid below or on paper. You may want to think about things such as how clean it is, things to do, the people, the wildlife, shops, activities etc...

WMG - Poster - Literacy

Towards the end of the week we are going to be making a poster to encourage people not to drop litter. Look at the examples of the posters below and identify the good features (What Makes Good - WMG). Record the good features and keep it safe for later in the week. Some of the features include:

Pictures
Persuasive language
Reasons why you shouldn't drop litter

Making your poster - Literacy

Re-cap the good features of a poster. Talk about why it is important to remind people not to drop rubbish. Would you like to live in a place that is full of rubbish? Design and make your poster to encourage people not to drop litter by using all the good features that you have identified in the previous activity. 

Phonics - Literacy

This week we are going to be re-capping the sounds 'sh, 'ch' and 'th'. Revise these with your child. Maybe you could write them down on flash cards along with the other sounds we have learnt and see if they can make different words with them. Below are some useful links to help consolidate these sounds. Click on the link below called 'Help A Hedgehog' and select the 'phase 3' option. Play the game by reading as many of the words as you can before the timer runs out. 

Symmetry - Maths

Today we are going to be focusing on symmetry. Use the PowerPoint below to re-cap this concept with your child. Can they find anything in your home that is symmetrical? Remember for it to be symmetrical, each half has to be identical. 

Can your child make a simple symmetrical picture. The best way of doing this is to paint half a butterfly then fold the paper over. When you open it up, you will have a symmetrical pattern. You could also use Lego to create a symmetrical pattern. See the images below. 

Symmetry Game - Maths

Following on from our work on symmetry earlier in the week, we are going to play a game to consolidate our knowledge of this. Click on the link below and play the game. For the easiest level is select the 'pictures' option. If your child is confident with this, move onto the 'shapes' option. The hardest level is the 'patterns'. This is quite tricky, but see if you can master it! Have fun!

How long does decomposition take?

Recycling is so important! If we didn't recycle our rubbish then most of it would be put into the earth at landfill sites. Today you are going to be investigators. I want you to try and find out how long certain materials take to decompose (this is another word for 'break down'). Before you start, maybe you could make some predictions of how many weeks or years it would take for each of the items to break down. Ask a grown up to help you research the information online, or you may have remembered some of the information I told you on the video. I have included a few useful links, but you may be able to find others. I think you will be very surprised by the answers! You can complete the simple grid below when you find out the answers. 

Decomposition Experiment - Knowledge & Understanding

Today we are going to investigate what decomposition is. This word means when food breaks down. I don't throw any of my fruit and vegetable peelings away at home as I have a compost bin. I place all my peelings in there are slowly over time it decomposes and turns into compost that I can use on my garden. You are going to investigating this process and find out what makes food decompose quicker. Click on the link below to take you to a science experiment you can do at home. 

You will need:
Two pieces of the same vegetable – we used a pepper
2 Plastic sandwich bags
Soil

Follow the instructions on the link to complete the experiment. Keep a simple diary over the next week or two and note down any changes you see in either of the bags. You could also take some photos and share them with us on here. 
 

What can you do to be more eco friendly?

We've been learning a lot about looking after our Earth this week by recycling, saving energy and finding out how long items take to decompose. I want you to chat with a grown up in the house and think of some ways that all of you can be more eco friendly at home. Make a list of all the things you could do to help our planet. These could include:

*Taking a shower instead of a bath to save water
* Walking instead of taking the car
* Use less plastic
*Turn lights and other electrical equipment off when you are not using it
* Use a compost bin in your garden for your fruit and veg waste. 

Try as hard as you can to try and implement some of these changes. If everyone does a little, it will have a big impact on our Earth. 
 

Michael Recycle Challenges

Here are some fun challenges linked to the book 'Michael Recycle' that you can do over the week. 

1. Ask a grown up to show you the electric or gas meter at home. Do you know what they are for? Can you write down the meter reading every day and ask a grown up to help you work out how much gas or electricity you have used over the day. If possible, try to take the meter reading at the same time every day. Which day did you use more electricity or gas? Is there a reason for it? Which day did you use less? Why? What could you do to save gas or electric? 

2. Go for a walk in your local area. This may be to the beach, park or around the streets. Can you see any rubbish on the floor? With a grown up maybe you would like to look after the environment by doing a litter pick. Make sure though you do not pick up anything sharp, wear gloves and always ask a grown up if it's ok to pick up a piece of rubbish. Did you know that if all the plastic in the sea was stacked on top of each other, it would reach to the moon and back twice! That's a huge amount of rubbish, so every little bit that you pick up helps our world. 

3. Search around your house and make a tally of all the plastic you find. I bet it is a lot. Think of ways that you could reduce the amount of plastic you use. Maybe you could use refillable bottles instead of buying bottled drinks, reuse your plastic carrier bags etc... Write a list of ways you could reduce the amount of plastic you use and see if you can stick to it. Watch the video link below to find out why plastic is so bad for our Earth. 

4. Can you help at home to do the recycling? Look at the coloured bags and discuss with a grown up what materials go in which bag. Maybe you can help to sort the materials into the correct bag.