Name: Kirstin Chambers
Job title: Teacher
Tried and Tested: Sand Moulds
Family Games for All Types of Weather
The Importance of Family Games
Family games are important because they reconnect the family. We are living in a time where it’s no longer unusual for children to have their own TV’s or computers. With Smart-TV’s and video streaming services, families no longer have to watch the same programmes at the same time, they don’t even need to be in the same room. Gathering the family together to play a variety of family games once a week can really help to connect everyone.
Playing a family game can help to develop social-emotional learning. Children are more likely to talk about their thoughts and feelings when their minds are focusing on something else. The moments between turns, between hands of cards, and between games are perfect for sharing casual and even non-casual conversation.
Tried and Tested: Primary Science® Wow & Wonder Set
Name: Gemma Armstrong
Job title: Foundation Stage Leader
Ten Reasons Children Should Do Bug Hunts – A Guest Post by SEN Resources Blog
I’m Georgina, a former science teacher & Special Educational Needs Coordinator. I run The SEN Resources Blog www.senresourcesblog.com which is a site for parents and teachers of children with Special Educational Needs. My site provides advice, fun learning activities (crafts, fine motor skill activities etc) and recommends useful resources.
I love encouraging outdoor learning, and a bug hunt is a fantastic opportunity to get children outside and learning about the world around them. We’ve been trying out Learning Resources bug hunting resources including their GeoSafari® Jr. Bugnoculars, Primary Science® Magnifier and Tweezers, Primary Science® Big View Bug Jars, GeoSafari® Jr. BugBright, and GeoSafari® Jr. Critter Habitat.
Tried and Tested: 5-in-1 Outdoor Measure-Mate™
Name: Jo Moore
Job title: Reception Teacher (EYFS/Maths Lead)
The Importance of Learning Outdoors – A guest blog by The World Is Their Classroom
Nicola from The World is Their Classroom is a home educator to her five children aged 15, 12, 9, 7 and 4. She is passionate about making learning fun and often takes her lessons outside, capturing the importance of learning outdoors. You can find ideas for educational products and activities on The World Is Their Classroom, a website bursting with creative and engaging ideas for children of all ages.
In celebration of Walk in the Woods Month, Nicola has written a post about the importance of learning outdoors and what the benefits are.
25 Years of Hands-on Learning
Do you have a set of these bears in your classroom or in your home? Perhaps your children recognise them from their school, or maybe you played with them in your nursery back in the 90’s.
Did you know that it’s thanks to these little coloured bear counters that Learning Resources is able to celebrate 25 years of providing hands-on learning to schools and homes throughout the UK, the rest of Europe and beyond?
National Gardening Week Guide to Harvesting Fruit and Veg
National Gardening Week
National Gardening Week begins on Monday the 29th of April. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are calling on gardeners up and down the country to share their love of home-grown produce. The theme for 2019 is ‘Edible Britain’, which helps to highlight that everyone including little ones have space to grow something delicious, whether it is a single pot of herbs or a tasty allotment overflowing with fruit and veggies.
Hopefully, you have seen our Children’s guide to growing fruit and vegetables by now and have been busy planting lots of yummy foods in preparation for National Gardening Week! You will ideally know when your fruit and veggies are ready, what to look out for and how to now harvest them.
Bringing Social-Emotional Learning into the Home
What is social-emotional learning?
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines social-emotional learning (SEL) as:
“… the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”
10 Easter Traditions from Around the World
It’s not long until the 2019 Easter holiday weekend, so we have pulled together 10 Easter traditions from around the world for you to try! These traditions and recipes are perfect for you to try with your children at home, or at school, as a way of teaching cultural differences.
1. Britain