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Author: Sinead Mulreany

Published on

Dear parents,

During these unusual times, it is important to try to maintain a routine in your children’s lives. To help keep your children stimulated, here are a few ideas to nurture and engage their interest.

English

Read a selection of story books or novels.

Listed below are some activities to complete based on the books that you read.

  • Rate the book out of ten.
  • Discuss the plot
  • Sequence the events
  • Investigate the characters
  • Design a book cover
  • Draw your favourite character
  • Illustrate your favourite scene from the book
  • Design a book mark

Comprehension

3rd -6th can complete a unit from their 'Starlight'  book each week.

Creative Writing can be made fun

  • Keep a daily diary
  • Write a shopping list
  • List the steps in a recipe
  • Watch the news and write a report
  • Retell the story of one of the books you have read
  • Make up an imaginative character and write about him/her
  • Write about someone you admire
  • Create a poem
  • Describe how to play your favourite board game or invent a new one
  • If I were a character in a book, I'd be _____ because ...
  •  List ten crazy reasons why I couldn't do my homework.
  • If you were the principal of this school, what would you do?
  • Write an essay on the benefits of a healthy diet
  • Describe your favourite toy and when you received this toy.
  • What is your favourite hobby? How often do you get to do this activity? Is this something that you are good at, or are you just learning how to do this activity?
  • Describe your favourite restaurant.
  • What qualities do you look for in a friend?
  • How do you try to be a good friend to others?
  • Your friend wants to come to your house. Write directions telling how to get to your house from school.
  • What is one of the funniest things that has ever happened to you?

 

 

Story Starters to help the imagination run wild!!

  • As I looked in the mirror, I saw my hair turn ..
  • It happened so quickly I had no time to think, only react.
  • I was not expecting what was waiting for me just as I rounded the corner.
  • This was the worst place imaginable to run out of petrol in my car!
  • My life as a pirate …

 

Oral Language skills are a vital every day skill that can be developed in every home.

  • Enjoy some uninterrupted conversations together
  • Pick a topic and encourage your child to talk about it for 2 -3 minutes
  • Watch the news and encourage your child to role play the news or weather reporters
  • Give a presentation on someone you admire
  • Present a project that the child has prepared [ see some project ideas under SESE]
  • Allow your child to watch a programme and encourage them to retell it in their own words
  • Play ‘Head bands’ or ‘Who am I?’
  • Ring a grandparent

 

 

Spellings [for children from 1st -6th].

  • Children from 2nd -6th can complete the activities from one unit of their spelling books per week
  • Children in 1st class can learn the Dolch Words [pick 8-10 per week] dolchword.net/dolch-word-list-frequency-grade.html
  • Pupils can learn the spellings for that week using the ‘Look. say, cover, check’ method
  • Crosswords, Scrabble& Hangman are great ways to learn spellings

 

Maths

Workbooks

3rd -6th can complete a unit per week in their 'Mental Maths' booklets

Using an old catalogue: [make simpler or more difficult according to child’s ability & age]

  • -Adding together price of 2 items, 3 items, 4 items etc
  • -Change you would get from €10 when you buy an item for €1 or €5
  • -Which coins to use to make set amounts e.g. €1.99
  • -Play shop keeper
  • -Use a calculator to add up items and work out change

Using a clock to read the time

  • Reading the hour for infants
  • Reading the hour and half past for 1st & 2nd
  • Reading half past, quarter to and quarter past for 3rd
  • Introducing minutes past and minutes to for 4th class
  • Digital time for 3rd-6th
  • 24 hour clock for 5th & 6th

 Calendar

  • Explore the months of the year, days of the week, number of days in each month and the seasons
  • Counting on a week or back a week etc.

 

 

Timetables for the cinema, buses, trains, TV guide

  • Explore reading timetables on line,
  • Time it takes to make journeys
  • Which mode of transport is quicker or slower etc

Measurement

  • Measure the length of everyday items using centimetres & metres e.g. pencil case, door, table, window etc
  • Measure the volume of items using millilitres & litres e.g. milk jug, cup, orange juice carton, shampoo bottle
  • Order items in your press from lightest to heaviest
  • Bake some buns and measure out the ingredients

Calculator work

  • Adding up the prices of a number of items in your press
  • Play shop keeper

 

Problem Solving

  • Discuss every day mathematical problems that arise with your child and encourage them to work out the answer
  • See nrich.com for lots of practical maths problems to solve

 

Gaeilge

 

  • Watch a cartoon or programme on TG4 every day
  • cula4.com [Irish shows, word searches, crosswords & art ideas ]
  • Watch the weather forecast on TG4 and draw what the weather predictions are
  • Write out a few sentences using vocabulary from your reading book
  • Write your news ‘An Nuacht’
  • daltai,com/phrases [phrases to help with writing]
  • abair.tcd.ie/ga/ [hear the phrases spoken in different dialects]
  • focloir.ie [online Irish –English
  • Listen to some pop songs in Gaeilge on the ‘Coláiste Lurgan’ website
  • daltai.com/classes/online-learning [Online interactive Irish lessons]

 

Other Subjects

Take time to complete a project & ask your child to practice presenting it:

 

Project Ideas:

  • Country in Europe
  • Country in another continent
  • Cities of the world
  • A person you admire
  • A person of importance in History
  • Your favourite band or singer
  • A local business or job or industry
  • Your favourite team
  • A type of animal
  • Your favourite game
  • A famous landmark
  • An important time in History
  • Space

 

 

 

Helpful Educational Websites:

 

 

 

 

Other Online Resources:

  • Brain pop
  • Curiosity Stream
  • Tynker
  • Outschool
  • Udemy
  • Iready
  • Beast Academy
  • Khan Academy
  • Creative Bug
  • Discovery Education

 

Educational You Tube Channels:

  • Crash Course Kids
  • Science Channel
  • SciShow Kids
  • National Geographic Kids
  • Free School
  • Brain Scoop
  • SciShow
  • Kids phonics
  • Kids Learning Tube
  • Geek Gurl Diaries
  • Mike Likes Science
  • Science Max
  • Soul Pancake

 

 

 

 

PE & Keeping Active:

 

 

 

MUSIC

  • Listen to and learn a song of your choice
  • Listen to some pieces from a famous composer
  • Prepare a project on your favourite band or singer
  • Prepare a project on a famous composer
  • Have fun with ‘Sing King Karaoke’ on you tube
  • Practice your tin whistle
  • Make your own instrument using a jar and beans or lentils. Decorate with paper & ribbons
  • Create your own tune using body percussion

 

 

 

ART

  • Please use your imagination and range of skills to draw, paint, construct the following using your chosen materials. 

People

  • A caricature of yourself.
  • Depict yourself as a superhero.
  • A self portrait from different perspectives. Try positioning a mirror from different angles.
  • Your hands and feet.

Landscape/Perspective

  • A view out of a window.
  • The clouds.
  • Capture the view from your car’s rear view mirror.
  • Play with perspective: look up under a bridge, between high rises, or at the ceiling of an elaborate building. Look down over an overpass, a cliff, or from a balcony. 

Imagination

  • Choose an object and give it a face.
  • Create an alternate cover to your favourite book or album.
  • Create a scene from your favourite song.
  • Create a scene or character from your favourite book.
  • Illustrate your favourite fairy-tale.
  • Invent your own insects.

Still life

  • Get a handful of utensils and toss them on the table. Draw them as they land.
  • Draw a still life of items from your fridge or pantry.
  • Draw the ingredients of your next meal before you prepare it.

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Emma, our Drama teacher is back again and this year during the 8 week block, the children are bringing  'Willy Wonka' to life. The classes are enjoying all the singing, dancing and acting. It really is amazing to watch each and every one shine. At the end of the Drama Course, we will invite any parents who are free on the final Wednesday afternoon to come in to watch the play. This will not be a well rehearsed or fine tuned show. Instead we will  celebrate and show case what the children have learned during the process.  Dates and times to follow!!!

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We have spent the last few weeks delving into life in Ancient Greece. From the battle of Marathon, to the wonders of the first Olympics. We have admired the educated Athenians and feared the tough military Spartans. We have debated the pros and cons of Democracy which they introduced and  tried to recreate some of their stunning art work.