Hello Families,

Wow! The time is flying by so quickly. This will be our last post of weekly activities as our last instructional day will be Wednesday, June 24th. We want to thank you again for your continued support and working with your children at home. Please feel free to revisit any of the past post activities throughout the last week of instruction and throughout the summer months.

Time for another story time activity. Listen to Mrs. Nero read the story Imogene’s Antlers by David Small. There is a special moment in the story where you will get to participate. The story will be paused towards the end. You will be asked to predict the ending of the story. Draw a picture and write a sentence about what you think will happen when Imogene wakes up the next day. Remember to draw big, bright, and detailed pictures. Colour your picture with at least 5 colours. Write a sentence using all the sounds that you remember from the story. Someone at home can help you “Sound out” the words with you or scribe your words for you. Next listen to the rest of the story to find out how it really ends. It is a funny story and will make you laugh. 

It’s Father’s Day this Sunday June 21.

Remember to make your Dad feel appreciated. You can do this by helping with chores, making breakfast for your Dad, and telling him how much you love him.

You could also make him a ‘Happy Father’s Day’ card. Decorate your card by drawing pictures of all the special things your Dad does for you throughout the year. Some examples might be your dad cooking you meals, helping with your schoolwork, taking you for walks or activities like swimming lessons, skating or riding a bike. Remember to sign your name on the card you make so he knows who made the special card for him. Have someone in your home help you with spelling the words on your card.

Some words you might consider using in your card could be:

  • Dad
  • thank you
  • love
  • to
  • helping
  • special
  • me

Hidden Creature Picture

This is a wonderful activity to bring out your imagination. Start by covering a paper in patches of different colours using crayons or markers. You don’t have to have any specific pattern, just do whatever your mind wants to do. Let your hand flow. Next, find any faces and creatures in your picture you can see in the patterns and outline with a black marker. Then display your finished work for everyone in your house to admire.

Card games are great fun to play with your family! Learn to play a card game and practise your math skills. There are three engaging games (Naughty Nines. Speed, Go Fish Sums) on our Math Tab. Card games make you smile, laugh and make you happy when all the while you are supporting your learning about math. That is a really good way to spend your time when it is raining outside.

 

Story Workshop – Fairy door writing activity. This is a really fun activity. Can you guess who might live here? Think about what stories the picture setting can inspire. Can you make up and tell a story about the characters who might live in the tree? Tell your story orally to someone in your house or use pictures and words. Can you think of and draw another setting where these characters could visit? Use your imagination. There is no limit to imagination! click on the picture to the right to get a bigger image. It is a beautiful picture.

Why don’t we use baking once again as a fun activity to learn about sequencing, measuring in volume and counting. Then you have a reward at the end of the lesson! Bake delicious Two Hour Buns with an adult’s help. Remember to follow each step of the recipe in sequence from beginning to end. Help to scoop and measure the ingredients, notice the sizes of different measuring tools and how much ingredients they hold. Is it a big tool or a small tool? Help to clean up after you have finished. And, as always, share your baked goods with your family. 

Here are a few more activities to look over and do during the week:

  • Everyone loved the first math story so here are two more: How Big? and How Heavy?
  • Visit Starfall to practise the letters and letter sounds
  • Continue doing activities from Scholastic at Home
  • Continue to check out the June Music Activities
  • Remember to practise your alphabet sounds each day orally with an adult
  • Try to go out for a walk each day and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
  • Check out Mrs. Favaro’s ELL Blog 

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Lee, Ms. Maratovic and Mrs. Nero

Click on the image to make it larger.

Hello! We hope you have been able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather. Thank you for emailing us samples of your children’s learning. We love to see their creativity and happy faces in the pictures and videos that you send. Below are the Week Seven Activities. Please choose activities that particularly interest your child. Don’t feel that you have to complete all the choices.

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the image to make it larger.

Listen to Mrs. Nero read the story of The Crunching Munching Caterpillar by Sheridan Cain. After you have heard the story think about your favourite part of the story. Draw a picture and write a sentence. Remember to draw a big, bright and detailed picture. Colour your picture with at least 5 colours. Write your sentence using all of the sounds that you remember. Someone at home can help you “sound out” the words with you. They can also scribe your words with you. Remember to send your picture to your individual teacher. We would love to see your creativity and ideas.

Photo by Yuichi Kageyama on Unsplash
Photo by Yuichi Kageyama on Unsplash

 

Take a look at the Painted Lady Butterfly tab on our blog. Use your observation skills to carefully see if the caterpillars have changed over the past week. Are they bigger? Have they changed colour? Have they eaten some of the food? Record your thinking in your Butterfly Observation Journal. If you haven’t downloaded a copy yet here is the link to the Journal.

 

 

 

Photo by Victor Ballesteros on Unsplash

 

Learn about Canadian coins and their value. Find a nickel, dime, quarter, Loonie, and Toonie at home. Use a piece of paper and crayons to make coin rubbings. Can you name all the coins? Do you know how much each coin is worth? Sing along to the song “Canada In My Pocket“.

 

 

 

 

Be an architect. If you could live anywhere you wanted, what would your house look like? Architecture is the art of making building. Pretend you are an architect and design you own home! Draw the outside of your house. Make a first floor, a second floor and a roof. Add doors and windows, a garage, a greenhouse for plants, or a tower. If you run out of paper, tape another piece on and keep drawing.

Click on the image to make it larger.
Click on the image to make it larger.

 

Now flip the paper over and design the inside! Plan what each room will be and draw stairs -or an elevator- furniture, curtains, and decorations.

 

 

Click on the image to make it larger.

 

Sequencing, measuring in volume and counting. Bake a yummy Chocolate Wacky Cake  with an adult’s help. Remember to follow each step of the recipe in sequence from beginning to end. Help to scoop and measure the ingredients. Notice the sizes of different measuring tools and how much ingredients they hold. Help to clean up after you have finished.

 

 

 

 

Click on the image to make it larger.
  • Visit Starfall to practise the letters and letter sounds. There is so many things to do at Starfall that you can go back all the time for more excitement and learning. 
  • Continue doing activities from Scholastic at Home. This website is like Starfall. There are many interesting activities to do here. 
  • Continue to check out the May Music Activities. There are a lot of fun things to do with music. 
  • Remember to practice your alphabet sounds each day orally with an adult. Try to go through all of the sounds of the alphabet slowly and concentrate on saying each sound just right. 
  • Try to go out for a walk each day and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. The weather has been beautiful and walking around in the sunshine is very healthy for you. 
  • Check out Mrs. Favaro’s ELL Blog. Mrs. Favaro has added some interesting activities for you to do. 
  • If you want to see something new and learn about plants in the garden then go visit the video made in the Marlborough School garden by Mme Dare. It was Outdoor Classroom Day on May 21st and Mme Dare gives a tour of the school garden. The plants are growing really high and would love for you to have a look at them. 

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Lee, Ms. Maratovic and Mrs. Nero

Hang in ThereHello parents. Thank you for all the hard work you are doing at home with your children. We really appreciate your efforts and love receiving samples of your children’s work through videos, photos and notes.

 

 

 

Please continue to send their work by emailing their teacher directly. Listed below are Week Four activities. Choose activities that interest your child and you are able to do at home easily. You don’t have to complete all the activities. Do what works best for your family.

 

 

Please check in with your child regularly throughout the day by asking them what zone they are feeling (Zones of Regulation Week Two post). Our feelings shift throughout the day. It is good to notice that if you are feeling bad (blue zone) your mood can change quite quickly. See if you can notice what makes your child feel better (green zone). 

 

 

It’s Mothers Day this coming Sunday, May 10th. Remember to make your Mom feel appreciated. You can do this by helping with some things like doing chores around the house, making breakfast for your Mom, and telling her how much you love her. 

You could also make her a Happy Mother’s Day card. Decorate your card by drawing pictures of all the special things your Mom does for you throughout the year. Some examples might be your Mom cooking meals for you, helping with your school work, taking you for walks or activities like swimming lessons or skating. Remember to sign your names on your card for Mom. Have someone in your home help you with spelling words on your card. 

Some words you might use could be: 

    • love
    • thank you
    • Mom
    • to
    • helping
    • special

Make your Mother’s Day card special and put a lot of love into it because your Mom does the same for you.

Listed below are Week Four activities. Choose activities that interest your child and you are able to do at home easily. You don’t have to complete all the activities. Do what works best for your family.

  • The Magic FishListen to Mrs. Nero read the story The Magic Fish by Freya Littledale. While the story is being read listen for what the fisherman’s wife wishes for and what happens to her in the end. After you have heard the story think carefully about what you might wish for. Draw a picture and write a sentence about your wish. Remember to draw big bright detailed pictures. Colour your picture with at least 5 colours. Write your sentence using all of the sounds that you remember. Someone at home can help “sound out” your words with you. They can also scribe your words for you. Remember to send your individual teachers your pictures. We would love to know what you would wish for.

 

  • Draw a self portrait in the style of the famous artist Pablo Picasso. You’ll crack a smile at these funny faces! Try Pablo Picasso’s Cubist style of painting – jumble up your eyes, nose and mouth. It’s a great way to be introduced to a complicated art form. You won’t realize that you are also learning about geometry. Artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque are credited with inventing the Cubist painting movement around 1907. The artists liked to use geometric shapes in unrealistic ways to show several different views of one subject at the same time.
    1. If you haven’t seen Pablo Picasso’s portraits he painted people’s facial features in weird places. Sometimes he made them odd sizes. The Cubist style of painting uses shapes, such as squares and triangles, in a jumbled, unreal way. It’s like looking at someone from several different angles all at once.
    2. Try drawing a self portrait like Picasso. With crayons, coloured pencils or markers sketch your head and shoulders on white paper.
    3. Draw the eyes, nose and mouth so you see two views at once, the front and side. Draw them in unusual places. Your drawing should look weird!
    4. Colour your portrait with crayons, coloured pencils or markers.
    5. Hang you masterpiece. Enjoy looking at it from different angles. Please send a copy of your portrait to your individual teacher. 

 

 

  • Look closely at size. Can you place different objects in order of size from biggest to smallest. Try to order your toys or household items from big to small. Go outside and look for natural materials such as leaves, sticks, pine cones  or rocks that can be ordered from big to small. You can put objects in a line or try to stack them upwards. Don’t forget to use a baseline. The baseline is a very important part of measuring. Have a look at the examples below. 

 

Listen to the story Achoo! by Virgine Morgand. While you listen to the story pay attention to all the shapes you see. At the end of the story you will be asked to predict what happens next by creating a picture made up of shapes. 

 

 

Let’s try to learn about sequencing, measuring in volume and counting. This is a yummy lesson. Bake Grandma Nero’s White Muffins with an adult’s help. Remember to follow each step of the recipe in sequence from beginning to end. Help to measure the scoops and cupfuls. Notice the size of the different measuring tools and how much ingredients they hold. Help to clean up after you are finished. And don’t forget to share the muffins with anyone in your family who might be hungry!

 

 

 

  • Measuring area – how many napkins do you think will cover the surface of your kitchen table? Count how many napkins. Now try and cover the surface of the table with playing cards or magazines of the same size. Record how many of each object covers the surface of your table. What do you notice? Do the numbers change? Think about your observations and develop a theory. 
  • Found Art Self Portrait. Go for a walk outside and look for natural materials that you can use to make a self portrait. Use the sidewalk or a space in your backyard for the background of your “picture”. Examples of materials could be leaves, flowers, pine cones, rocks, sticks, grass or pieces of wood. To the right is an example of a found art self portrait.  Take a picture of your self portrait and send it to your individual teacher. It will be interesting for us to compare your Picasso style self portrait and your found art self portrait. 
  • How is your bean plant growing? Draw a picture of what it looks like now and send it to your individual teacher. We want to see what good gardeners you are. You just might make us hungry!

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Lee, Ms. Maratovic and Mrs. Nero

Hello Divisions 36, 38 and 39.

I hope you enjoyed the sunshine with your families this past weekend and maybe a visit from the Easter Bunny.

Here are this week’s activities for you to explore. Some of the activities can be revisited from week to week. You can also visit some newly added sites under the Useful Links tab for more learning opportunities.

Remember to email your individual teacher once a week, or more if you wish, some pictures of your learning. We would love to see your Thank You posters or maybe a picture of your Rock Monster. Email us anything you may have created or a picture of you engaged in any learning activity.

  • Please read a book with an adult or sibling each day. This can include a bedtime story. Try to read a physical book, if possible, to limit screen time.
  • Make a poster or sign to share words of encouragement or a positive message to our community. You can thank the essential service workers (grocery store workers, healthcare professionals, mail carriers, etc.) to lift our spirits. Don’t forget to write your name and message in big letters so that neighbours can see what you wrote. You can also draw pictures to decorate the sign. Place your sign on your window or door in your house. Please send your teacher a picture of what you did through email.
  • Click here for a larger Rock Monster image

    Click this link to read the Rock Monster story with an adult or sibling. Think about all the things you and your family are doing to keep everyone safe. Then draw a picture of how you are helping. You can make your own Rock Monster by collecting a rock from outside your house. Use paint or coloured markers to decorate it. Next place your new friend somewhere in your neighbourhood for others to see.

  • Try to grow a bean seedling in a clear plastic container or glass jar. You can watch it grow and develop over the next few weeks. Remember to place it in a window. It will need sunlight and to be watered each day. Please draw pictures of the changes you notice as the bean grows and develops to record your thinking.
  • Work on your measurement and counting skills by making play dough with an adult’s help. Click this link for a simple play dough recipe. You can help measure and count the ingredients. Once your play dough is made it can be stored in an air tight container or plastic bag. You can use your play dough over and over for the next few weeks.

Play Dough Explorations

    • See how many shapes you can make by forming the play dough. For example, circle, square, triangle, rectangle, octagon, etc. 
    • See how many solids you can form. For example, cone, sphere, cube, cylinder.
    • Form the letters of the alphabet.
    • Form the letters of your name or familiar words.
    • Explore your play dough using familiar household items such as, cookie cutters, buttons, plastic utensils, rolling pin, bottle, small toy animals, straws or tea strainer.
  • Measure the width of your living room using various nonstandard units such as your shoe, the length of a spoon, hand spans, chopsticks, straws. Don’t forget to use a baseline and make sure your units are touching when you measure. What do you notice? Try to measure another room in your house.
  • Go for a walk with your family and look for signs of spring in nature. Draw a picture of what you discovered.
  • Practice forming the letters of the alphabet every day. 
  • Practice alphabet sounds daily. 
  • Put together a counting collection using familiar house hold objects such as bottle caps, bread tags, buttons, small toy animals, marbles, paper clips, etc. A range of approximately 30-50 objects per collection is a good number. Explore how many ways you can count your collection. Try dividing your collection by 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s, 10’s, etc. This activity can be revisited many times during the week. 
  • Check out the Useful Links tab to explore more learning opportunities. 

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Lee, Ms. Maratovic and Mrs. Nero

Welcome parents and a warm hello to all our students in Divisions 36, 38 and 39!

We were very happy to connect with you recently by phone and are relieved to hear that you are all healthy and well. We miss seeing our students in our classrooms and are looking forward to connecting with you and teaching our students in a different way until we are back in our classrooms where we belong.

Look for the Week One post on Tuesday, April 14th.   After that, you will see a new post each Tuesday giving you a selection of activities, weekly information, learning opportunities and invitations.  Please do not attempt them all!  It is like a menu, choose from the list what you think will interest your child and what will work for your family. You do not even have to choose from the activities listed on the weekly blog post.  Everything you do with your child is valid.  Notice the many learning opportunities that occur naturally throughout the day as you engage with your child at home.  Please take a regular peek at our Useful Links section for more resources and our Teaching Tips for hints and suggestions you may find useful.

The school district has focused the expected learning areas while you are doing school work at home – Social Emotional Learning, Literacy and Numeracy are highlighted.  Your child is expected to do approximately 60 minutes of school work per day with flexible learning times in those three areas.   For example, reading is a must.  Each day we would like you to read to your child for at least 15 minutes. Bedtime stories are fun and enjoyable and a lovely way to cuddle!  We would also like your child to draw a picture that tells a story every day.  This usually takes at least 15 to 20 minutes.  Feel free to write on the back, in any language, what your child told you about their drawing.  Doing other activities with you, like helping to prepare a meal with the family by measuring and counting,  for example, counts towards learning and takes another 15 – 30 minutes.  Going for a walk can be a short or long activity.  Some days you may do a 30 minute walk (physical education) and while you are walking you may notice and describe nature and neighbourhood pets (science – plants and animals). Now you have so much learning covered!

Remember to enjoy your child and this special time you get to spend with them.  Housework can always wait another day!

Please email your classroom teacher at least once a week (more is great!) and share examples of your child’s learning.  For example:

  • a photo of your child’s drawing
  • a short video of your child doing one of the suggested activities
  • a photo of something your child created
  • a photo of your child’s artwork
  • your observations of what you noticed about your child….something you are proud of, surprised by, or just a question you might have

We look forward to supporting you and your children in the coming weeks.  Please reach out to us if you have any questions.  Email your teacher directly and we will strive to reply to all emails within 24 hours.  Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Lee, Ms. Maratovic and Mrs. Nero