Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas

This week has been so much fun! We have taught each other how to create simple videos and trailers in iMovie and have learned how to speak to computers using code.

The children have been creating and completing pictures and patterns which have one or two lines of symmetry.

And we celebrated Christmas with a Year 2 party. We played silly games such as 'Catch Rudolf' and 'Funny Faces'. The next day we took part in the Christmas Music concert. The Year 2 children performed brilliantly with a special mention to all the Year 2 singers who sang individually.

Next term begins on Tuesday 6th January. The first week back we will be having a 'Kindness' Week to focus the children on the behaviour expectations, setting the scene for the new term ahead. There are no teacher -led activities during this week.

We wish you all a fun filled holiday and best wishes for the New Year.
See you all in 2015!

There's an App for that! But which one?

Educational Ipad Apps for Younger Children

Children’s educational Ipad apps fall into 2 categories

• Apps that are open-ended and allow a child’s mind endless opportunities to create and explore.
• Apps that target a specific skill through games or repetitive questioning and answering.

There is a time and a place for both types of apps, however, it is invaluable to the growth of a child’s brain to allow them as many opportunities to use open-ended educational apps as possible.

Open-Ended Ipad Apps - Although these apps have been put into categories it is important to note that they could be used in many ways and part of the fun is children doing their own exploring and discovering about different ways and reasons to use open-ended apps. Prompting children to think outside the box while using these apps is encouraged!

Storytelling

My Story - Book Maker for Kids

• Children can create multiple page e-books by typing the words onto each page and recording their voices to tell the story out loud. They can use photos or drawings as the illustrations.
• This could be used to write fiction or nonfiction stories. Great for children who struggle with writing, but would love using their imagination to create stories.

 Toontastic - Create & Share Cartoons

• Children can create their own cartoons with step by step instructions to help remember the elements of a story, such as characters and setting. They have the option to use already made settings and characters or to draw their own. A storyhill sequence is then followed to remind them to create a beginning, middle and end to their story. Their voices can be recorded, to make the animations talk as they are moving them around the screen. Just like in a real cartoon.
• More suitable for KS1 unless supported by an adult.

 Adobe Voice

• Children can turn photographs into story movies with their voice telling the story.
• This could be used to make fiction stories by taking photographs of their drawings and describing them. It could be used to make a movie to recount their holiday or a fun day they had at the beach. It could also be used to describe and show some of their favorite toys or something interesting that happened to them recently. Anything that children can take photos of, they can turn into a fancy movie with their own color and music choices.

Drawing - Children would benefit from sometimes using an ipad stylus instead of their fingers to help with their fine motor control and to be more precise with their drawings.

Doodle Buddy for Ipad

• Children can draw, sketch, print and write and be endlessly creative with all the different tools in this app. They can draw onto a blank canvas or choose from many backgrounds or take their own pictures as the background. It is a fun way to practise math, by using the stamps to count, make sums or make patterns.
• It could also be used in literacy to practise writing and spelling words or using symbols to help write sentences.

 Kids Doodle - Movie Kids Color & Draw

• Another app for children to use to draw and create using many different tools. This app has a feature that can record their drawing from start to end and then turn the creation of their art into a movie.
• Children having the ability to go back and watch their drawing is valuable to their thinking and reflecting skills as it helps them think about and remember how they made different parts of their drawing, and what they might do differently next time.

 neu.KidsDraw

• Children make their creations on a larger canvas and this can be zoomed in and out to work on smaller details or see the whole picture. There are some interesting drawing tools that allow for layering pictures on top of each other and which force children to have to think more carefully about where they are placing their pictures. Photos can also be taken and used anywhere on the canvas.
• This app could be used for making mind maps about a topic or drawing pictures of a sequence of events. When using a stylus they can also write words to go along with their pictures. This app can be turned into a movie to watch the drawing process at the end.

Skills Based Apps

Phonics

 Chicktionary

Children have to make as many real words as they can with a pile of jumbled up letters.

Bitsboard

A wide variety of vocabulary activities and games.

   Bitsboard Preschool

A wide variety of sound and vocabulary activities and games.

Maths

Math, Age 3-5

Engaging activities covering a variety of Math Topics.

Math, Age 4-6

Engaging activities covering a variety of Math Topics.

Sumdog

Fun Math Games using different topics. Each child’s individual progress is saved by using their login and password. KS1 children are currently subscribed. Please ask your classroom teacher for login details if you do not already have them.

THANKS Jess Lobel for your advice!!

Last week of Term One

We hope that you all enjoyed the Christmas Fair on Thursday. Thank you so much to all the mum's and dad's who volunteered their time and energy to make it so special for the children.

This week will be another very busy week. The children will be exploring iMovie,  completing their statues and writing about themselves.

Last week in Maths we learned about line symmetry, creating symmetrical patterns, shapes and pictures. We will be continuing this week by creating symmetrical snowflakes and Christmas trees.

Announcements

School Photographs
The children will have their school photographs taken this week.

On Tuesday morning Year 2 will have their class photo's taken.
On Wednesday morning photo's will be taken of individual children. Please can children wear their school uniform with black shoes on these days. On Wednesday children should bring their PE kit in their bag so that they can change for PE after they have had their photo taken.

Christmas Party
On Thursday afternoon we will have a party. Children can bring party clothes if they wish, to change in to after lunch.

Last day of term
Friday is a half day.  School will finish at 1pm.

Activities
There are no teacher-led activities this week. On Monday children will be bringing home the activity choices for next term. Please complete this form as soon as possible and return it to the class teacher.

New year
School will begin again after the Christmas holidays on Tuesday 6th January. Please note that there are no teacher-led activities during the first week.

Swimming and PE next term
For the first half of Term Two the children will continue to have two PE lessons each week. Swimming lessons will begin again after the mid-term break in February.