LEARNING AT HOME FOR ECES - Staying Connected With Children And Families

 

CREATE A COLLECTION OF AT HOME LEARNING ACTIVITIES

DECIDE ON A SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES AND STAY WITH IT:

·         Newsletter out every Monday morning before noon.

·         Storytime, every day at 10am. 

·         Post a list of weekend activities on Fridays by 9am.

·         Post and interact on social media between 3-5 daily.

Be visible and consistent so the children and families can tune it and stay in touch.  Remember the silent or quiet majority.  Children or parents who will watch or read whatever you post but not comment or reply.  They are out there and quietly waiting and following everything you do.

CREATE A LIST WAYS FOR CHILDREN TO LEARN THROUGH PLAY AT HOME

Parents are most likely juggling working from home and child care at the same time.

Prepare play boxes for children that could be delivered (left on door steps or mailboxes) if you're able.

·         Playdough fun (homemade playdough with cookie cutters or other loose parts…)

·         Story baskets (storybooks with mini people character and other story element props)

·         Inquiry boxes (river rocks or other natural materials with magnifying glasses..)

·         Craft packages (complete craft making materials, i.e. sock puppets or yarn stars… )

·         Tinkering boxes (five or six locks with keys…)

·         Activity boxes (Lego balloon cars, marble runs…)

·         Art boxes (paper, crayons, pencil crayons, gel pens, stickers, colour wheels, glue, scissors …)

CREATE TUTORIALS AND MINI LESSONS FOR THE CHILDREN

Just as you would have a small group at a table and go through making something together, create a video of yourself doing the same; just without the children there.

• ·         Set everything up on a counter.
• ·         Position the camera.
• ·         And just do it.  Pretend the children are there. 
• ·         Go slowly and repeat things; assume the children are following along and doing it with you.

MINI LESSON IDEA: Playdough and other messy play recipes

CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HANDS ON ACTIVITIES

Design some activities that children can do (alone or with parent) out in their back yard or at local park.

THINK: natural material collection or indoor scavenger hunt. 

AT Home Learning MATH Activities

·         Write down the ages of family members with you. Go on an insect, plant and bug hunt in your neighbourhood. 

·         Roll two dice and add the numbers on each dice.  Do this 10 times.

·         Make a bingo card with numbers, find the right number of objects to place in the square.

·         Use things in your yard to create an obstacle course. e.g.jump over a rock and run to the fence.

·         Build a bug hotel using stuff inside outside your home. Google ideas.

·         Find 5 items in nature and arrange them from longest to shortest. (Ex. sticks)

·         Write out the first names of your family members.  Now add up or count all the letters.

·         Go on a walk and collect different things. Sort the items into two piles big and small.

·         Count how many stairs are in your house.

 

AT Home Learning LITERACY Activities

·         Read/reread your favourite book. Draw your favourite part of the story.

·         Journal entry - My favourite sport in the summer is ...

·         Read a story. Make simple puppets from the story. 

·         Look out the window and ask questions about what they see. “I wonder what that bird is doing?” 

·         Draw a picture of what they would like to be when they grow up.

·         Read a book outside in your favourite spot in your yard.

·         With a pile of alphabet letters (magnetic, flash cards, homemade), sort the letters into rhyming words.

·         When reading a book look for the word “the.”

·         Window writing with washable markers

·         Make a card for someone 

·         Make letters or words with playdough

At Home Learning Plan – weekly planning outline

This is one way to organize your at home learning program delivery to children and parents.

ACTIVITIES	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
	Weekly email	Circle story video	New Blog Post	Craft or cooking video	Tips and ideas email
DAILY THINGS TO DO	Quick update on how you're doing  write about the same things you normally say to parents during Monday morning during drop off.	Create a short one minute video clip Reading a book or tell a visual story with props or drawing Just film the props and your hands if you prefer not to be on camera.	Create a post or new discussion thread for families	Make playdough, goop, or bowl of other messy play stuff	Things parents can do at home to promote learning.
Activity Ideas
Language
STEM
Health
Visual Arts
Personal Social Emotion

 

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Need more ideas on mindfulness in ECE?  Click to download the The Mindful ECE Resource Collection.