June 23rd 2015 - Maths makes sense (2)

June 23rd 2015 - Maths makes sense (2)

Well sort of but mainly not!

No i've not gone completely mad and re-pinned the same thing without realising.  Today was the Maths makes sense for parents of year 1 children.  Today's lesson made abit more sense than yesterdays but I am still none the wiser why they have changed a system that has worked for many years.

23 - TWENTY THREE (do you agree???)  Well it was when I went to school - not anymore it is now TWO-ty THREE, and the rest of the TWENTY numbers are also TWO-ty now, and the 30's, 40,s etc have also changed!  I'm glad we didn't stay on these for long as seems very confusing to me.  But apparently children understand and learn it better.

We spent most of the lesson talking about coins and giving change and what coins add up to what sum etc.  We played shops with pictures and coins and had to give the correct amount of change. 

At least today we weren't standing up saying times tables!!!

June 22nd 2015 - Maths makes sense

June 22nd 2015 - Maths makes sense

Errrrrr no it doesn't!

The parents of year 5 children were invited into school this morning for a maths lesson, so we can try and understand more of the new system that is being taught in schools now, it's called maths makes sense.   It has been designed  as a new and improved way of teaching maths to kids.  I personally think the old way is easier, and so does my 9yr old.

Todays lesson started with the kids (and parents) reciting the 9x tables forward (I just about managed) and then backwards (not a chance).  Then they did the divisional sums of 9 as well.  They then moved onto DP - the teacher had to explain to us that this was "daily practice" and in pairs they each do some of the sums and help each other with the answers and discuss how they got it etc if they have different answers.  The next part of the lesson was a dog made from cubes and they had to work out how many cubes it was made from and write out the "maths story" (sum of how they got answer) and then simplify it.  The next image showed the dogs head as a "double" and not just a simple add 1 more row etc but it had been lengthened, made wider and higher.  This confused my son who is usually very good at maths.  Some of the class had different answers and all were discussed.  From here they had to work out how many cubes would be needed for the body, I gave my son and his partner an answer and then had to explain to them how I had a different answer to them - they had only done it as 1 layer not doubled its height as well.  Once they realised this they got the same answer as me.  Finally it was to work out how many cubes for the legs using the same method.

At this point the parents half hour lesson was up and we all left the class, but the teacher said that they had another puzzle to work out.  My son said he would let me know tonight what it was.

April 29th 2015 - Book Quotes

April 29th 2015 - Book Quotes

As part of the story sack for family learning I decided that I would add a Dr Seuss quote to the bag, which has been printed on t-shirt transfer paper for me to iron and and then the small book from felt with Book quotes on each page.

I hunted the net for ages trying to find some quotes that the kids would understand.  I choose the ones that are in the link (I made the pin of them).  Each quote has been written out in pencil on a small piece of material and I am back stitching the letters on each one.  This is taking longer than I thought it would but never mind, will look good when it's done and they are fixed to the felt book.

Here is 2 of the quotes - 1 drawn in pencil and the other that has been sewn

April 22nd 2015 - Family Learning Story sacks

April 22nd 2015 - Family Learning Story sacks

Family Learning at the school has started a new course today - Story sacks.  This envolves us parents making a story sack based on a book.

We sat and discussed ideas that we could put in 1 based on a story about night pirates and included things like a pirate hat and eye patch, treasure chest and treasure, story book, fact book, map, material for the sea, moon and stars, a boat or ship, pirate puppets/finger puppets, pirate toys etc.

By next wednesday we need to have a story book and some ideas of what we are going to include in it.  Having 2 children at the school that did the last course with me I have got to decide if i'm making 1 between them (but as different ages this could be hard), or if i'm going to make 2 which means that they may not be as good as just 1.

I think this course could turn out to be really good.

March 18th 2015 - Family Learning

March 18th 2015 - Family Learning

Today at the family learning at the school we didn't have the children in with us as they were all involved with Commando Joe who does sports and things with them, and today he had brought in an inflatable assualt course for them to do and as they were at different times they didn't come.

The first of today's tasks was a spelling test of 5 hard words that most people can't spell - I got 4/5 as I put an extra letter on the last word.  The words were necessary, secretary, piece, accommodation and rhythm(n added at end).  We then talked about ways of remembering the words whether it be through pictures of phrases.  And after about hour we were asked to re-write the words down, I got 5/5 then.

We were then all given bookmarks to make for our children - I got the one with the apple and the one with the purple book.  I hope the boys like them.  The initial ideas was for the children to make them but as they wern't with us we did them.

We went to more things about spelling including a KS1 SATs paper where they had to spell words linked to the pictures and then write the word in the space that the lady read out in the story.  Some of the words were not easy for 6/7year olds I tell you.  We also did a SATs paper that KS2 would do and again it wasn't easy although I got 20/20, some of the words I thought would be hard for 10/11year olds.  Linked to this a paragraph that had had the full stops and capital letters put in the wrong place and we had to sort them, some of us said we would put them in different places.

The lady teaching the course gave us all a question that we had to answer - they were both open and closed questions.  Mine was "what would your dream job be?" I answered Paramedic.  And as I had only given a 1 word answer I was asked If I would ever do it - the answer is no because of my knee problems and it never would be an option as my knees are not strong enough.  Everyone had different questions.  We were then asked what our children would say as an answer to our question - I said that my youngest would say a Chef and we got talking about why and I told them that he has his own business plan already written and who is doing what job.  For my other son I said that he wants to be a Fireman but as hes asthmatic he can't.

Finally the trip to the farm we are going on after Easter as the last week of the course was talked about and how we need to take wellies and lunch etc.  This should be a good day, we only have next week left in the classroom and then the course is ended.  They are hoping to do a short 5week craft course after Easter as well and then another 10week course from September.

March 11th 2015 - Family Learning at school - William Wordsworth

March 11th 2015 - Family Learning at school - William Wordsworth

Today at the family learning at the school we had 2 ladies in from Dove Cottage - the home of William Wordsworth.  It was a fun morning and lots of hands on activities.

They started off by explaining who they were and where they from and asked if anyone had heard of it and the person who lived there, my boys put their hands up as we had talked about the people that lived there.  They then made a timeline of how old we all were starting with the 5year olds right up to the parents, and they then removed a boy to be William and a girl to be his sister Dorothy and they moved them round the room and then had them stop and face the rest of line to show how far back in time they were - the room wasn't long enough to have them on the end.

After this it was dressing up time.  They had a boy get up initially but he decided he wasn't wearing the outfit so my youngest son, Blake, said he would wear it - even with them tied to the smallest they would go they were still really big on him but he is tiny!  Because clothes were so expensive back in the 17/1800's they were made bigger so they would last as you grew into them. 

Here is my lil man getting dressed as William Wordsworth:

1. is his shirt
2. is his shirt and breeches (should be 3/4 length but full as he so small)
3. is his waistcoat
4. is his tail coat
5. is cravat
6. is his hat

They dressed 1 of the girls up as Dorothy with her peticoat, pocket, dress, sash, apron, bonnet and shawl this is a pic of them both, I have blurred her face as she is not my child, both look really good:

 

Then the rest of the children and 2 of the adults were dressed up as boys/girls from the era, they didn't have as much to wear as the richer people did.  The following 2 pictures are of Blake and his girlfriend and Blake and his brother Kenzie.

Once everyone had taken pictures and what ever the kids were told how people of the day would stand and how they would bow/curtsey and the males removed their hats etc.  They then all took the outfits off.

The ladies then brought out a box of very old things from Dove Cottage and talked about what they were called and what they would have been used for.  There was a Spurtle used for stiring porridge, a small but heavy iron, a muffin turner, a 2 pronged fork, a pair of small girls shoes and a shoe horn.  The children went for their break which was indoor play as it was raining.  When thy came back they had juice and cookies and were asked if they could remember the names of the items.  The 2 ladies split them up into older and younger children - the older had to choose an item, draw around it and then write a poem about it BUT they were the object and they had to include how they would feel etc.  The younger again choose an item and either drew round it or drew it by hand and they had to write words about what it was, looked like, was used for and its material.

The ladies then told a story linked to Williams poem about the butterfly and they had animal/bird puppets to use.  after this the children had about 10minutes to make bird masks from paper and feathers and things.  Blake made a robin, Kenzie made a brown bird.

It was a great morning and I am looking forward to actually going to Dove Cottage at somepoint, its about an hour and half drive from where we live.

February 25th 2015 - Family learning at the school

February 25th 2015 - Family learning at the school

Today is another week of the family learning at the school.  We were talking about stories and making them up and how you can come up with a story just from looking at 1 picture or from 1 line that is already written down.

We mad jigsaw pieces about ourselves to go on a display board on the wall, similar to this -

I forgot to take a picture of it but will do next week.  My puzzle piece I covered it in purple tissue paper, I added my name down the side in black letters, a big pink pig in the middle as I collect pigs and have liked them since I was a toddler, a gold ring with a silver glitter diamond, a rose and some stars.  I was going to put a green cross for first aid on it but you couldn't really tell what the cross was for.

When the children came to join us for their part they all headed for the biscuits staright away, I do wonder if this is why they are coming along to it! lol!  Once I had managed to collect my 2 boys from the snacks I explained to them what they were going to be doing.  There was 2 parts to their work - the first was to make a simple book from a piece of A4 paper by folding it and then cutting and re folding it (see the book link above to pinterest).  The second part was to colour or stick things onto a paper person that will be the character in their mini book.

Blake decided that his person was going to be a zoo keeper called  Blake and he gave him zebra print trousers, a giraffe print top and red hair (see below).  And Kenzie made a boy with silver spiley hair and named him spike (see below).  They were then laminated, had a hole put on the top and a piece of string threaded through and were selotaped to the middle of the book so that the character can visit every page in their mini books.  They have got to finish them next week.

 

The pics of the jigsaw shapes we made.

February 11th 2015 - Story Mountains at Family learning

February 11th 2015 - Story Mountains at family learning

Today is wednesday, that means that its the day I go to school again.  I wasn't able to attend last wednesday as I had a meeting with St John Ambulance and hubby couldn't go in my place as we had a child off school ill with chest infection and asthma.

During today's session we were talking about story's, not just those read from books but those that you make up as you go along, those that have been told to  you by family members, stories that have happened to family members etc.  And after we had been told the story of the monkey that lived in a Jarmun (jaaa-moon) tree that tricked a crocdile we were asked to fill out story mountain sheets. 

A few of the younger mums had heard of them and even remembered doing them at school, whillst myself and the rest of the older parents (some are older than me) had not seen them before, so it was a whole new ball game for us. We all got the idea and filled them out.

We also did a "if you hold the toy you can talk" thing, but with this we had to each re-tell part of the story we had been told (again about the monkey and the crocodile).  It didn't matter if we altered it slightly or got bits in the wrong order.  I volunteered to go first - Once upon a time a little brown monkey lived high up in a Jarmun tree..... (I got the easy part!)

Again was a good day and the kids came in and joined us and again a story was read to them, this story was a true story about a boy and his green trousers and how he made a friend for life when they became to small for him, and they have a piece of homework to do linked to it - drawing the pictures about the story.

January 21st 2015 - I'm going back to school

January 21st 2015 - I'm going back to school

Today saw me go back to school for a 10week family learning course in Literacy.  It is being run by the local council and is all free (including the tea/coffee and biscuits!!!)

It all came about the end of last week.  My middle son brought a letter home about it and then the next day so did the youngest, they both asked if I would go on it with them, so I filled in the form and returned it to school.  Yesterday when I picked up the youngest he declared that he had a letter for me.  I opened it and had a look and it confirmed we had a place on the course starting today!

The only downside to this is that I actually have to be up and dressed and out the door by 08:35am in order to get the boys to school for 08:45am for register, the course strats at 9am.

Today was mainly about filling in paperwork and getting to know each other - most of the parents doing it already do know each other but it was nice.  I knew two of the mums on it already quite well and a 3rd that i've spoken to in passing etc.  They seem a nice group and I may actually make some more friends from it.  We also had to make invites for our children to come and join us over the next few weeks.

The last week of the course is actually a full day trip away from the school for us parents and our kids, again all free (except lunch).  They are looking at going to 1 of the local farms that has a big indoor soft play area as well.


I will kepp you posted on how it goes.