Weekly Bulletin 4 - Covid-19

 Weekly Bulletin – Week 3 6th – 9th July

This week’s topic is ‘The Forest’ and all the wonderful things you can find there. When walking in the forest remember to keep a safe distance from the animals and don’t feed them. A very important thing to remember when going anywhere is to take all your rubbish home and only leave footprints behind.

 

Activity 1: Nature cutting activity and Necklace making

necklace making.jpg

What you will need:
  • Leaves / flowers / twigs etc.
  • Scissors
  • Elastic or easily breakable wool
  • Hole punch / pencil to create holes
The Method:
  1. Collect leaves, flowers twigs and anything that you can cut or put onto a necklace.
Nature cutting activity:
  1. Select some things to cut
  2. Look at the patterns on the leaves, can you cut along the lines? Can you cut across the lines? Which way is easier/harder?
  3. If you like after cutting the leaves you could create a picture or use these pieces to make a nature necklace.
Nature necklaces:
  1. Cut a piece of elastic or easily breakable wool to the length of a necklace (making sure that you can get it on and off easily)
  2. Make holes in the things you would like to thread onto the elastic / wool
  3. Have fun creating your necklace; can you create a pattern?
Things to talk about whilst creating
  • Textures of the leaves and flowers (Expressive Arts and Design – Exploring and using media and materials).
  • Counting the leaves / flowers (Mathematics – Numbers).
  • Looking at the different shapes of the leaves and also the pieces you cut (Mathematics – Shape, space and measure).
  • Talk about the ways in which you can create your necklace, talk through problems and think of different ways to do things (Characteristics of Effective Learning).
Extending the activity:
  • Making potions, perfume and mud pies.
  • Making your own ‘stickman’ or nature family from natural resources.
  • Make a non-permanent nature collage and photograph it.

Activity 2: Forest animal footprints (messy play)

animal footprints.jpg                                          

What you will need:
  • A selection of forest or farm animals (plastic ones!)
  • Potatoes or old sponges
  • A selection of paints
  • Large pieces of paper
  • Newspaper and an apron / old clothes (for keeping everything else clean!)
The Method:
  1. Set up the newspaper and large paper
  2. Collect different animals
  3. If you are using potatoes or sponges – an adult will need to cut them out into different footprints – talk together about the different footprints of animals.
  4. Have fun creating the tracks on the paper, maybe you could create a story about the animals as you go along?
Things to talk about whilst creating
  • The different types of animals and where you might find them? (Understanding the World – The World).
  • Research together the different animal prints (Understanding the World – Technology; The World).
  • Sizes of the footprints (Mathematics – shape, space and measure).
Extending the activity:
  • Draw out real life animal footprints with chalk on the floor and measure / compare them.
  • Make tracks with your own feet / shoes out of water outside.
  • Forest animal small world play.
  • Explore some different animal games on:

Cbeebies: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/learning-area/understanding-the-world#filter

Nick Jr: http://www.nickjr.co.uk/games/

Disney Jr: http://disneyjunior.disney.com.au/

 

Activity 3: Bark rubbing  

bark rubbing.jpg                                                      

What you will need:
  • Paper
  • Wax crayons
  • Trees or pieces of bark
The Method:
  • Take some paper or a notebook and some wax crayons on a walk (in the forest / park)
  • Find some trees
  • Hold up the paper to the tree
  • Use a wax crayon and colour over the paper pressing down on the tree (don’t colour too hard or you will break the paper)
  • If you know what tree it is – write a label (or ask a grown up to write it)
  • After you have finished your walk, count up the total number of trees you have found.
Things to talk about whilst creating
  • Texture of the bark (Expressive Arts and Design – Exploring and using media and materials).
  • Patterns (Characteristics of Effective Learning; Understanding the World – The World).
  • Types of trees you can see (Understanding the World – The World).
  • Counting the trees, leaves etc. (Mathematics – Numbers).
Extending the activity:
  • Leaf rubbing.
  • Tree / leaf hunt.

 

Activity 4: Making birds

                      

What you will need:
  • paper plate
  • googly eyes
  • craft feathers (or tissue paper)
  • yellow cardstock or construction paper for beak
  • strips of coloured paper
  • paint and glue mixed together
  • stapler
The Method:
  1. Began by folding the paper plate in half.
  2. Paint your "birds" in vibrant colours. You only need to paint and decorate one side of the plate, but if you want to paint both, go for it!
  3. Glued the feathers, eyes and beaks on. If you don't have any craft feathers you can use colourful tissue paper or strips of coloured
  4. For the last step, fold several narrow strips of colourful paper in half and stapled them to the tail end of the bird.
Things to talk about whilst creating
  • Techniques of using the materials and tools (Physical development – Health and self-care; Expressive Arts and Design – Exploring and using media and materials).
  • Different types of birds you have seen (Understanding the World – The World).
  • The bird’s habitat (Understanding the World – The World).
Extending the activity:
  • Create other paper plate creatures.
  • Bird hunt.
  • Make a bird mask.

Some extra ideas and activities:

We hope you enjoy exploring these activities!