Parents, thank you for all the hard work you are doing at home, the feedback you are giving us, and for sharing your child’s work with us through photos, notes, and videos.  We miss our students very much and enjoy seeing their faces and the amazing things they are doing at home with you.  Please continue to share their work by emailing their teacher directly.  Emails are listed under the Teacher link above.

Remember our weekly learning activities are like a “Menu” – you can pick and choose what works for you and your child(ren), you are not expected to have your child do everything.  You can also do and share with us other things your child is doing.  We love hearing and sharing your ideas too!

If you feel it is all too much at times, please do less and enjoy your time together more.  Remember, everything you do is a learning opportunity for your child.

Please check the Useful Links (also above in the menu bar) for April Music Activities from our Music Teachers and ELL activities from our ELL teachers.  We are glad to hear that many of you are enjoying the Scholastic Bookflix reading at home.  If you haven’t tried it yet, please do, we think your children will enjoy it!  The link is also listed permanently on the Useful Links page.

This week you can explore the following activities:

 

 

 

 

  • Read together every day, try reading environmental print while walking outdoors, look for letters, words, and signs. Read the labels on your groceries and do letter hunts.
  • Draw a big, beautiful picture each day. Big meaning it fills the page.  Beautiful means it is drawn in pencil and coloured with at least 5 colours.  The picture tells a story. Ask your child to tell you what their picture is about.
  • Write each day. Help your child label parts of their picture, asking them which letters or sounds they know and practice phonetically writing down what they say.  It is not important that they be correct.  It is important that they try.
  • Measure your family! Compare and contrast who is tallest?  Who is shortest?  Draw a picture and label it with the measurements.   Measure your height, size of your feet, size of your hands, your head circumference, your chest, your waist, etc.
  • Measure the weight of different household objects – put 2 objects on the table and ask your child to predict which one would be heavier then ask them to put out their hands and hold the objects – compare to see which is heavier. Hint – an empty cereal box is very big and might look heavier than a jello box, but is it? 😊
  • Write down numbers 1 – 10 on pieces of paper and put into a container.  Ask your child to reach in without looking and pull a number – have them print that number on a piece of paper and draw that many circles.  To make it harder, ask them to write or copy the number in words on their paper.
  • Watch Charlotte Diamond 4 Hugs a Day video on youtube.com and during the week, try having your child learn the song and make a dance to go along with the instructions. Charlotte Diamond 4 Hugs a Day video
  • Go for a daily walk and practice different types of movement. For example, have your child run, jog, skip, slide, shake, for 20 steps each and then do 10 jumping jacks in between.   Be brave, join in the fun!
  • Play I Spy with shapes, textures, colours, animals, insects, anything you can observe on your walks.
  • Bring back an artifact from your walk – a leaf, a cone, pebble, and start a small nature collection.

Talk to your child about “what Zone they are in.”  This is something they are familiar with from school.  (Zones of Regulation)

  • Green – Good level of energy – happy, relaxed, calm.
  • Blue – Low energy – tired, hungry, sad.
  • Yellow – Energetic – silly, can’t sit still, perhaps upset or frustrated, anxious.
  • Red – Very High energy – angry, yelling, out of control.

Zones and feelings can change throughout the day.  Check in with your child about how they are feeling, what zone they are in, share with them what zone you are in.  If Blue, remind them to be kind to themselves and do things slowly until they feel better.  Green is great!  If Yellow or Red, help them breathe calmly, slowly, letting their body and emotions calm down.  It is hard for them to listen when they are upset.   Remind them all their feelings are valid and they can learn to manage them in appropriate ways.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us by email if you have any questions.  We look forward to speaking with you this week and a big hug to all our students!

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Lee, Ms. Maratovic and Mrs. Nero