Daisy

Welcome to Daisy Class

 

 

All About Me

 

The song

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush

helps us to think about all the different things we do each day to look after ourselves.

Focusing on these things can help our children to become as independent as possible with these self-help skills.

 

 

 A good start, early in the morning, depends on a good night's sleep!

 Take a look at the NHS website for some tips to encourage a healthy sleep pattern.

  Having a favourite soft toy to take to bed can help children to feel secure in their own bed at night.  Encourage your child to get into bed by themself at night and then sing with them as they jump out of bed in the morning.

 

Some role play (pretend play) with a doll can help your child to understand some bedtime expectations.  You can be sure that the doll won't get up until it has been told that it is morning and time to jump out of bed!

 

  Convincing your child to wash their hands for 20 seconds may be a challenge, but this is a good time to encourage them to wash our hands.  Adding bubbles to the water may encourage them to spend more time with their hands in the water.  Showing them how to turn the taps on and off will encourage them to be more independent.  Water play in the garden with a sponge and bubbles in the water is a fun way for them to learn about how to keep themselves clean.

 

  Learning to brush our teeth can be very messy!

 

  Encourage your child to hold and use their own toothbrush, even if they can't clean their teeth efficiently. You may want to have 2 toothbrushes: one for you to use and one for them to hold.

 

 

  Novelty toothbrushes and different flavours of toothpaste may help your child to be interested in cleaning their teeth.  Brushing the teeth of a doll (or a toy crocodile, like we do at school) can make it a fun way to develop this self-help skill. 

And why not let them have a go at cleaning your teeth for you!  

 

 

 Your child may not have the sort of hairstyle that really needs them to learn to brush our hair, but regularly having a go may help them when it's time for a haircut.  Encourage them to be gentle as they practice on their toys, on you and on other members of the family who are happy to join in.

 

  This is not the way that we put on our clothes!  But it is what happens as we learn how to do it!  If you pull off your child's t shirt, but leave it on their head, will they finish it off?  If you help them take the first arm out of their coat, will they pull their other arm out of the other sleeve by themselves?  Giving them shoes with velcro fastenings will allow them to be involved more with taking them on and off.  Having another pair of shoes with laces will help for the times when you want them to keep their shoes on!

  Dressing and undressing a doll ready for a bath will let them see more easily what they are learning to do for themselves.                                                     

 

  This is the way we eat our food! There are lots of skills involved here.  Give your child somewhere to sit when it's time to eat, preferably at a table.  They may enjoy having their own special table and chair.  Hands that can hold toys can also hold cups, spoons and pieces of fruit, so encourage them to use their hands and get involved rather than expecting someone else to feed them.  Keep offering new foods for them to try so that they increase their range of food to ensure they have a healthy diet. 

 

Cooking and preparing food together can encourage them to explore.

 

 

Practice feeding the toys.   It's going to be messy, but that's part of the fun! 

 

  Add in a verse to the rhyme that says: This is the way we go to the toilet.  Make sure that your child knows that the bathroom is the place to go to the toilet, so go there to change their nappy when possible.  Encourage them to sit on the toilet or a potty, even if it's just for a short time.  And let them know how pleased you are if they do a wee whilst they are there!

 

Get them involved with pulling down their own trousers, flushing the toilet and washing and drying their hands.

 

​​​​​​   

 

We might have to leave going to school and waving good bye until September, but there are lots of ways to prepare them for that time.  

• Encourage your child to climb into the car or onto the bus by themselves, or up the stairs at bedtime.
• Give them their own bag or backpack to carry when you go out together as a family, or just to carry some toys to play with in the garden.
• Help your child to wave goodbye when a family member leaves to go to work or a visiting friend goes home.

 

If you would like to keep in touch please use the email: daisyclass@ladyziawernher.primaryluton.co.uk 

 

 

All About Me

 

This week let's use our bodies to sing some number songs.

Count eyes, ears, hands, fingers and toes.

 

Find a Teddy Bear and sing along with the first song.

                                                    

My Teddy Bear

 

My teddy bear has two eyes.

My teddy bear has two eyes.

My teddy bear has two eyes,

I love my teddy bear.  

 

My teddy bear has one nose,   x3

I love my teddy bear.

 

My teddy bear has two ears,    x3

I love my teddy bear. 

 

My teddy bear has two arms,   x3

I love my teddy bear. 

 

My teddy bear has two legs,   x3

I love my teddy bear. 

 

My teddy bear has four paws,   x3

I love my teddy bear.  

 

Make sure you have taken off your socks and shoes so that you can count your toes in this song.

 

ME!

 

Eight big fingers standing up tall. 

Two little ears to hear you call. 

One little nose that I can blow. 

Ten little toes all in a row. 

Two short thumbs that wriggle up and down. 

Two little feet to stamp on the ground. 

Hands to clap and eyes to see. 

Altogether, that makes me! 

 

For this song, stand up so you are ready to stamp those feet.

Hands and Feet 

 

I have 2 hands that clap, clap, clap, 

Clap, clap, clap;

Clap, clap, clap. 

I have 2 hands that clap, clap, clap, 

All day long. 

 

                                                                                                     …wave, ….shake 

 

I have 2 feet that stamp, stamp, stamp, 

Stamp, stamp, stamp;

Stamp, stamp, stamp. 

I have 2 feet that stamp, stamp, stamp, 

All day long. 

 

                                                                                                 …jump, …kick, …wiggle 

 

You can sit and do the last rhyme together.

 

Ten Fingers 

 

I have ten fingers

And they belong to me. 

I can make them do things – would you like to see? 

I can shut them up tight. 

I can open them wide. 

I can put them together. 

I can make them all hide. 

I can make them jump high. 

I can make them jump low.

I can hold them quietly and hold them just so. 

 

Try some more counting.

 

 

Count as you climb the stairs together.

 

 

 

 

                                                      How many can you hold in your hands?

 

 

 

 

 

  

  Count the plates together as you get them ready for the family meal time.

 

Look for familiar numbers around your home.

 

 

  Is there a number on your front door?  Can you trace it with your finger?

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        Do your wheelie bins have your door number on them too?

 

 

 

 

 

Can you count around the numbers on the clock?

 

 

 

 

       Say the numbers with your child as you touch them on your phone.

All About Me

     Fathers' Day  June 21st 2020

 

 

It's a good opportunity to celebrate all the Dads and to appreciate our families.

 

Make a Father’s Day card with an animal hand print.

 

Allow your child to put their hand into a tray of paint and then make lots of prints on a piece of paper.  When it's dry, turn the hand print into a fish; an elephant with four legs and a trunk; or maybe a peacock with beautiful feathers.

 

 

Stick it onto a piece of folded card or paper and help your child to write a message inside.

 

 

 

In the video

• who was driving the car?
• who was in the car with Daddy?
• which animals did they see?

 

Whipsnade zoo is open again from this week.

If you would like to go then you will need to book online in advance.  It may be helpful to know that free admission for an essential carer is available when visiting with a paying visitor with additional needs.

If you can't get there then you could all make a family visit from your own home by watching the zoo livestream tour or the zoo webcam videos.

 

What does your Dad like to do?  What is his job?

 

Set up some role play to be just like Dad.

 

Drive a car, a taxi, a bus, a train or a plane.

 

• play with toy vehicles.  If you don't have a playmat with a road marked on it, it's easy to make your own.  
• an old cardboard box can turn into a car or a train.  
• arrange chairs to make seats on a bus or a plane.  Find a saucepan lid or an old wheel for the driver to use as a steering wheel.  Sing together: ' The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round '.

 

 

Do some building and fixing.

 

• Use bricks to build a house.  Remember:  it's lots of fun when it falls down and you have to build it again! 
•  
•  
• An empty cardboard box can be big enough to make a house that you are be able to go into.  Collect together old pieces of plastic drain pipes or foam pipe lagging to fix the plumbing.  Take in a washing up bowl for the kitchen or a pillow for the bedroom.  
• Take the empty cardboard box outside with a bucket of water and a paintbrush and you can paint the house.  

 

 

Become a chef or work in a restaurant.

 

• You may have a play kitchen  but if not you can still set up a kitchen for your child to pretend to do the cooking.                                        
• Serve the food at the table.  If you don't have a toy tea set, use plastic cups and plates.   

 

 

And here's that favourite family song: Baby shark.

 

All About Me

 

 

With so many birthdays in Daisy Class this month, why not have a party?

 

It doesn't have to be your birthday to have a party!

Have a look at this story.  Kipper has a party even when no-one else can come.

 

 

 

 

Help your child to set up a party.  There may be other children in the family who want to join in; you could find some toys to come; or it could just be the two of you.

 

      Make a birthday card.

 

Fold a piece of card or paper to make the card.

You could cut out a picture from a catalogue or some junk mail as a picture on the front.  Or you could draw a pattern, hand over the crayons and let your child colour it in.  Write a message inside as your child watches.  Give them the pen so that they have a go at 'writing' their name inside.  Give them encouragement, whatever their marks look like on the paper!

 

     Make a birthday cake.

 

• If you are feeling brave, you can give your child a fun mixture of ingredients to put in a bowl and mix together, just like Kipper in the story.  Encourage them to feel and taste the ingredients.
• You could use shop-bought cupcakes and decorate them with frosting and sprinkles.
• Bake a cake and share it with the whole family!

 

You will need some other food to share too.

• a bag of crisps and some chocolate biscuits make great party food
• a little bit of imagination turns some ordinary food into something more exciting

 

Use a cookie cutter to make stars from a slice of bread with some cheese on top.

 

 

Arrange the food on the plate to make a face.

  Blow out the candles.

 

Blowing out the candles is fun, but can be difficult for children to do.  They may try to reach for the candle with their fingers, so keep their hands away from the flame and show them how to blow them instead.

• Let them watch you as you give a big, exagerated blow.
• Use something light, like tissue paper, and let them see how it moves when you hold it in front of their face, even when they just breath in and out.
• Let them have a go at blowing bubbles, rather than leaving that to an adult or to a machine.  You could also help them to discover that waving the bubble wand will make the air blow the bubbles for them.

 

  Play with balloons.

 

•   Blow up a balloon, but then let it go before you tie it up.  Watch and listen as it flies around the room.
•   Fill a balloon with air and throw it up high.  Watch it as it comes down.  Does your child reach up to touch or catch it?  Do they like to feel it as it lightly lands on them?
•   Rub a balloon on your jumper and then hold it close to your head to see the hair stand out towards the balloon.
•   Play catch.  Encourage your child to hold out their hands as the balloon comes slowly towards them.

  Enjoy some party music.

 

• Find your favourite music to dance to.  Or you might want to use the music from Giraffes Can't Dance.
• Play musical statues.  Dance to the music and stop it suddenly.  Can everyone stay very still until the music starts again?
• Play Pass the Parcel.  Hold the parcel and pass it around whilst the music is playing.  When the music stops, the person holding the parcel can open it.  At first show your child how to tear off the paper, but then encourage them to do it for themself. (*You don't need wrapping paper - newspaper will work too - and wrap up their favourite toys!  They will love to receive them again!  Pushing the switch to make the music play on a favourite toy whilst it is still wrapped up will encourage your child to try and get the paper off.)
• Do the Hokey Pokey with Debbie Doo

Why not send us a picture of your party?

 

All About Me

We all explore and enjoy the world around us by using our senses.

 

 

                    

 

                            sight                                       smell                            hearing                                  taste                        touch

 

Here are some ideas to help your child to use and to understand more about their senses as they explore the world around them.

Start by joining in with this song.

 

 

We love cooking in Daisy Class because it uses so many of our senses.

 

 

 

Children get to touch the soft, powdery flour, the slippery margarine and the grainy sugar.    

They get to smell the grated lemon or the powdered ginger.     

They watch how the dry ingredients become a thick mass as we add some milk or an egg.     

And of course they get lots of chances to taste the ingredients and then the final product.                                                  

 

 

Make some gingerbread men together. 

Get ready for lots of mess!

 

 

               Ingredients

• 350g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 125g butter
• 175g light soft brown sugar
• 1 egg

 

Method

1. Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon into a bowl.
2. Rub in the butter, until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the sugar.
4. Mix together the egg and syrup before adding it to the bowl.
5. Bring the mixture together and knead it lightly on a floured surface.
6. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
7. Roll out the dough if you have a gingerbread man cutter, or shape into people by hand.
8. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes at 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4
9. When cool you can decorate them with icing, or just go ahead and eat them!

 

Make a den to hide in.

 

 

Use the bed covers; maybe there is room to hide under the bed itself.

Or stretch a blanket between some chairs and the table.

 

 

     

 

Put a torch or some light-up toys inside the den.  Collect some shiny things that will reflect the light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put some musical toys outside the den (or use you phone to play some music).  Does your child use their ears and come out to find where the sound is coming from?

 

 

Collect together a treasure basket of lots of different and interesting things made from different types of materials, and put it in the den. 

 

 

Make some Edible Finger Paints

to explore with all your senses.

 

 

You will need:

2 cups of cornflour
1 cup of cold water
4 1/2 cups of boiling water
Liquid food colourings

Liquid food flavourings (such as rose water, peppermint, lemon juice)

 

• Mix the cornflour with the cold water.

• Slowly add in the boiling water. It will turn into a strange and wonderful, custard-like consistency.                                                                                                              

• Separated it into individual pots before adding a drop or 2 of colouring and flavouring to each one.

 

Have fun with some finger painting!

                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                                 

All About Me

 

Do you know this song?

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

 

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes.
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes.

 

Sing the song and do the actions together.

 

 

And here is another action song for you to do together.

 

Hands on Shoulders
Hands on shoulders, hands on knees,
Hands behind you if you please.
Touch your shoulders, now your nose,
Now your chin and now your toes.
Hands up high in the air,
Down at your sides and touch your hair.
Hands up high as before,
Now clap your hands – one, two, three, four.

Here are some action songs.

 

Find the different parts of your body as you sing along to this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkHQ0CYwjaI

Have a bop as you dance along to these body songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2WJ2bWTV2g

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

This is a good one to do whilst eating your dinner.

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

 

 

 

 

   Focus on your hands.

 

 

 

 

 

• Clap your hands and play clapping games together
• Make handprints.  Paint your hand and press it down on a piece of paper.  Press your hand down into some wet sand and look at the shape it makes.
• Draw around as many hands as you can in your family.  Cut them out.  Who has the smallest hand?

 

 

 

   Focus on your feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Walk quietly, tiptoeing around the room on the carpet.  Stamp and march on a wooden floor. 
• Follow the path in the garden, or make your own trail to follow with leaves or paper plates to use as stepping stones.
• Make footprints.  Use a bowl of water to stand in and then go for a walk outside on a sunny day.  Look at the footprints left on the ground.

 

 

  Focus on your head.

 

 

 

 

 

• Use bubbles in the bath to add a beard or spiky hair.
• Pull faces at each other in the mirror!
• Try on all the different hats and headscarves you can find.

Why not have a look at Nicky Frewin’s dance activities and get your bodies moving!

 

 

All About Me

 

Giraffes Can’t Dance

by Giles Andreae

This book is one of the stories we will be exploring this term.

The story is all about becoming confident in yourself and expressing how you feel through dance.

If you don’t have a copy of the book, you can listen to it here.

Look through your toys to see if you have any jungle animals. 

Do you have a lion, warthog, monkey, giraffe, rhino, elephant, or zebra?

 

Use this music to pretend to waltz together with a wart hog.

 

 

 

Use this music to pretend to rock and roll together with a rhino.

 

 

 

Tango with a lion to this music.

 

 

 

  Do the cha cha with the chimps.

Do a Scottish Reel with the baboons. 

Lie quietly and listen to the cricket’s violin music. 

 

 

 

Dance a happy dance with Gerald the Giraffe as he realises that he can dance! 

 

 

 

 

And here is a song the staff in Daisy Class love to dance to!

 

 

What is your favourite music to dance to?

Some more ideas for you to try:

 

1)

Listen to the swaying grass, and listen to the trees,

To me the sweetest music is those branches in the breeze.

 

Go outside to listen to the sounds and to feel the grass, leaves and trees. 

Collect twigs, leaves and flowers to take back inside and feel as you listen to the music again.

2)

Use musical instruments to play along with the music.

 

                                                                                         

Clap your hands; stamp your feet; pretend to play a trumpet by using your mouth and your hands.

 

Use a saucepan and a wooden spoon.

 

                        

Recycle some of the things you would have thrown away.

3)

Collect together some scarves and pieces of fabric to use as you dance.

 

                        

 

• Use them to dress up when you dance
• Waft them up into the air and let them float down – dancing to the ground

 

 

Please send us any ideas or any pictures of what you have been doing whilst you are learning from home, and let us know if you are happy for us to share these with the other children from Daisy Class and their families.

We would love to have pictures of you dancing at home!

 

 

We have used the story

One Bear At Bedtime

to help us with our Maths

 

 

Every page has fun ideas for you to try together.  Here are some of the things to do: 

                                                                

•               Try on someone else’s clothes – are they too big or too small?

 

 

      

               

•               Bounce like a kangaroo – and count as you jump.

 

 

 

          Mess around with the shampoo – make shapes with your hair.

 

 

          Count teeth as you brush them together with the crocodiles.

 

Here are lots more ideas for having fun with numbers, shapes and spaces.

Number songs
                                                                                   

                                                                                       

   Cbeebies have some traditional numbers songs and some new ones to learn.

 

If you have favourite numbers songs or a favourite number song website, why not share it with us using our Daisy Class email: daisyclass@ladyziawernher.primaryluton.co.uk

Stuffed Dates

 

If you have older children, why not get them to help the younger ones to make this treat for the family?

Ingredients:

• dates
• marzipan
• food colouring (optional)
• nuts

  

1. An adult will need to remove the stones from the dates, but encourage your child to watch and to feel the hard stones and the sticky dates.
2. Break up the ready made marzipan and add a drop or 2 of food colouring to each piece.  Give one piece to your child, to mix the colour into it, whilst you do the same with the other pieces.  Be prepared for them to taste it or eat it, and you may not want to use their piece of marzipan on the final plate of dates!
3. At this stage you may need to give your child more marzipan as you break it into small pieces and roll it (like play dough) so that it is the right size and shape to fit into the opened dates.
4. Encourage your child to put one piece of marzipan into each date.
5. Encourage your child to put one nut on the top of each one.
6. Display them in circles, or looking like the petals of a flower, on a plate, and keep them to proudly share with the rest of the family at the end of the day!

 

Full and Empty

Filling and emptying things helps children to learn about shapes and spaces.

You have everything you need in your own home!

You may have had enough of playing with water, and may not have a garden with soil or sand, but you might have rice, pasta, toy bricks or balls from a ball pool.

                                                                                                   

 

Bowls, saucepans and buckets make good containers.  Adding a spoon, a funnel or a sieve can make the activity more interesting and more challenging.

                                                                                             

 

Can they take everything out of the saucepan so that it is empty?

Can they put bricks or rice into the bowl until it is full up?

*If your child is just interested in taking things out and throwing them onto the floor, put another container on the floor and encourage them to fill that with the things they are throwing away.

 

                                  One of our stories last term was Kipper's Bathtime.

 

                                                    

Here are some ideas for bathtime fun at home.

You will need:

 

bubble bath   sponge or flannel   a toy duck

 watering can or jug  a smartphone to access the music

 

• Fill the bath then pour in some bubble bath. Encourage your child to swish the water to make foam bubbles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERjIvVSaC2M
• Blow bubbles. See if your child can watch the bubbles, then reach to pop them.
• Give your child a flannel or sponge and see if they can wash their face.                         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUWyODR1_sA
• Put a duck into the bath. Allow time to play.                                                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8zOT0fNwKM
• Use a watering can or jug to drip water onto and around your child. See if your child will reach up to the water. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saa98l0yDYQ

                                             

Why not try a waterplay session in the kitchen? 

                                                                                 

                                                                                       

 

Here are some suggestions to make it more manageable!  

• Put a bath towel on the table or on the floor and place a bowl of water in the middle.
• Only half fill the bowl.
• Undress your child so they are just wearing pants and a vest, or their swim clothes.
• Put out a selection of things that your child can choose from to play with in the water.

plastic or metal cups and spoons

dolls

waterproof toys

nice smelling liquid soap

                   Why not make the most of a rainy day by going outside together?

 

 

• Dress up warm and wear boots or strong shoes.
• Stamp through the puddles.
• Watching and listening to the rain from underneath an umbrella is fun, but make sure you have the chance to feel the drops of rain on your face and hands.

Make a Bubble Snake

 

You will need:                                                

• plastic drinks bottle with the bottom cut off
• flannel or piece of cloth
• rubber band
• dish with a little diluted washing up liquid

Use the rubber band to secure the flannel over the end of the bottle.

Dip it into the dish of washing up liquid.

Blow through the top of the bottle.

One of our stories this term has been Peace At Last.

 

 

If you have a copy of the book, or want to buy one, then it’s a great story for cuddling up together and reading out loud.  Try reading it each day through the week.  If you have other young children, they will enjoy being a part of story time too.  Older children could read the story to the younger ones.

If you don’t have the book, use this link to see it and hear it being read aloud:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U9y35kWBvM

Here are some ideas to make the most of the story:

• Collect together things that are in the story and use them next time you read it.                   Do you have a teddy bear (or 3)?   an aeroplane?   a cat?   a clock?

 

          

                

• Make the noises – the children love to hear Mrs Bear snoring!

• Go for a walk in the garden, or down the street.  Can you see or hear any birds or animals?  What else can you hear?

 

• Use this art idea for your child to make circles.

         

     

 Cut a kitchen roll tube into 3 pieces.

  

        Dip into paint.

 

        Print onto paper.

 

 

              

Once the paint has dried, can someone else in your family turn the circles into things from the story? 

A teddy bear face/ the wheels of a car/ the alarm clock?

• Make sure you finish with ‘a nice cup of tea’!

 

Have Fun together!