5 + 5 Activity Resource (No. 6) – 5 Independent & 5 Cooperative Learning Activities to Try (& a Little Advice!)

Welcome to week 6 of our 5+5 Activity Guide. Before I dive into it, I have seen several posts on social media suggesting this week has been a struggle for some – perhaps it was difficult to settle after the Easter break or maintaining motivation is proving hard with no end in sight. I must admit to feeling my own heart sink with the announcement of a further extension to the MCO here in Malaysia. However, the case numbers here are quite low overall, with lots having recovered, and knowing our actions are making a positive difference certainly helps when cabin fever sets in.

If you’re finding frustration beginning to build with the pressure of balancing childcare with working from home, remember there is no template for what is happening and all of us find ourselves floundering at times. Aim for good over perfect and try not to be too hard on yourself.

With that in mind, before I share this week’s resources, I wanted to talk a little about setting ourselves up for success. To achieve this, it can be useful to review the week just gone and consider what went well and worked for you to make life easier? What was a disaster and to be avoided again at all costs?

Generally, we all know the things that set us up well for success – getting a good night’s sleep, finding some time to exercise, eating well, ensuring we remain hydrated, making time to relax etc. Try to identify some ways you can achieve the above. For me, some of the things that help are:

Not bringing my phone into my bedroom at night;
Working out with my husband as this ensures I get it done;
Preparing some meals in advance, be that overnight oats for breakfast or cooking twice the quantity for some meals, so that we can have meals in the fridge/freezer;
Ensuring we refill our water bottles and have them in the fridge;
Switching off from news reports and work and enjoying some time for hobbies.

Next week, I know I have a lot to get done and so it is essential I make a list of tasks, prioritised in the order in which I need to achieve them, and STICK TO IT! To this end, I am taking some time today to get ready for the week ahead, including drafting a schedule, and this may be helpful for you too.

As always, I am sharing another 5+5 Activity Guide today. Hopefully, you will find some ideas in this week’s post to supplement that which has been provided by your child’s teacher. Children do well when they have a sense of purpose and are motivated by topics that appeal to their personal interests so these supplementary materials can be valuable in that regard.

The amount of free educational material available at present is quite overwhelming. It is easy to lose hours looking through it all. In these posts, I aim to share with you some of the best ideas I have found to inspire young learners, to save you preparation and planning time, and, hopefully, to contribute to some family fun and the creation of lasting memories.

If there are particular topics your child is working on that you would like teaching suggestions/supplementary materials for, please do not hesitate to get in touch and I will endeavour to help. With all that said, let’s go straight in to this week’s suggested tasks! Some of the descriptions are quite detailed. If you know the topic will not appeal to your child, simply scroll to the next section!

Independent Learning Activities

English – Writing (How To…)

For English this week, I have created a free ‘How To…’ Oral Language/Writing Prompt Booklet. It is very important your child learns to give clear and precise directions and understands how to write procedures. This booklet gives you lots of prompts to support your child in mastering this skills.

To begin with, I advise talking through the steps involved in carrying out everyday tasks before considering how to write these down in sequenced steps.

The booklet has several prompts related to social and emotional learning and how to tackle problems your child may be facing. As the tasks are set up to place your child in an advisory role, this can be a non-threatening way of encouraging your child to examine problems (s)he may face, e.g., ‘what to do if you don’t understand the work your teacher has set’ or ‘how to deal with anxiety.’

Maths – Problem-Solving

If your child did not already attempt them, the challenge activities from week 1 of the maths lessons on BBC Bitesize are worth trying. There are tasks targeting primary children of different ages.

STEM – Invent an Insect

This activity has been inspired by my very special honorary nephews (my honour!) who have really been enjoying learning about insects just recently. My challenge to them is to design an insect of their own.If you have a insect-lover in your home, why not join the challenge too?

Here are some useful support materials:

Check out this lesson from California Academy of Sciences about what makes an insect. The vocabulary section here is really useful and worth taking the time to teach your child.

Arthropods are a group of animals with an exoskeleton, or an external, jointed skeleton that provides structure and protection for the animal’s softer insides. This group includes: insects, spiders, crabs, centipedes, ticks, scorpions, shrimp. Your child must understand how an insect differs from other arthropods: they have three body segments, two antennae, and six legs.

To reinforce the learning, label an insect.
Have them further apply their knowledge by identifying whether these arthropods are insects or not.
Get outside and take some pictures of athropods in the garden. Later, zoom in and examine the pictures closely. What features can be identified? Are they insects or not?
Alternatively, can your child lure an insect into a jar in order to examine it? Try using the plastic shaker jars spices come in (having removed the labels and washed them out) for this task; otherwise, use larger containers and secure some mesh to the top with a rubber band to keep your insects inside. Discuss with your child what they will need to do to ensure each creature stays safe while they look at it. Put a wet cotton ball and put it in the bottom of the container or soak some raisins in water for 20 minutes before putting them in. What else could be used?
Why not have a game of Insect I Spy while outside?

Discuss adaptation with your child – the process whereby a group of organisms becomes better suited to its environment over the course of many generation. Learn more here.

Next have him/her consider what adaptations their insect will have.

Ideas include:

Looks like an animal other than an insect (mimicry)
Is active only at night (nocturnal)
Blends in with an environment (camouflage)
Must be able to eat specific things (crushing mouthparts for seeds)
Must be able to avoid certain predator characteristics (strong back legs for jumping)
Must be able to move or stay put (fleas move from host to host)

As an additional challenge, you may wish to assign a habitat card to your child and have him/her design an insect with that in mind.

A few other activities on this theme:

How many insects can you name? Can you create an A-Z? Have a look at this book!
To build on this theme, here is a lovely clip called Caterpillar Shoes with lots of suggestions for maths and English follow-up tasks.

Here are some pictures of scorpions I took. Why are they this colour?

Art – Butterflies

On an insect theme, here are three ways to create beautiful butterflies from Mrs. Darlington.

Symmetry is always a great topic to explore with children. If you would like to explore it further, don’t forget our CardEd Set 4 cards have symmetrical drawing challenges.

Simply print off the cards and see if your child can complete the drawing. Alternatively, if your child is worried about making mistakes on the card, use grease-proof paper to trace over the image and then complete the drawing on it or stick a post-it note to the blank half of the card and draw on that instead.

Geography

May 1^st marks the day the Empire State Building was dedicated. Challenge your child to name as many tall and/or well-known structures as possible. Investigate some famous world structures and compare their sizes using Size Explorer. Have some fun by trying the size comparison quiz.

You can use this website to compare cities, countries, planets, helicopters and airplanes as well. Using it to compare cities and countries is a useful way of developing familiarity with the world map.

For those interested in learning more about the Empire State Building, I have created an Empire State Building comprehension PDF – the facts and data for which come from History.com and ScienceKids.

Co-operative Learning Activities

Maths – Strike it Out Strategy Game

Here is a fun game from NRich that supports mental computation and strategy and us suitable for children aged 5-11. All you need is a number line and a pencil.

CardEd

Once again I have uploaded a new CardEd Weekly Activity (Week 6), featuring daily tasks to boost maths, English and Thinking Skills.

These are particularly useful for promoting oral language and are great for EAL learners.

STEM

Chris from @dailySTEM shares lots of brilliant ideas and resources. He has just uploaded 77 Family STEM Challenges with a nature them. You could randonly select a number between 1 and 77 to find out what to do or allow each member of the family to select a challenge to undertake together. Although the challenge is nature-based, there are lots of activities that can be undertaken indoors for those not allowed outside.

P.E.

Yet more planning with nephews in mind! This time some PE challenges for PJ Masks fans from Youth Sport Trust! Although written with classes in mind, the activities in these guides can be adapted for use at home. Each booklet also contains a page of recommended home activities.

PJ Masks 2017 Guide

PJ Masks 2018 Guide

If your children are beyond the stage of PJ Masks,Youth Sport Trust also have a 2 week family activity bingo challenge for you to try. Get them here: Page 1 and Page 2

Story Time: The book of Hopes

Make a plan to enjoy family story time with ‘The Book of Hopes,’ launching tomorrow (26.4.20) on Literacy Trust.

The book features a collection of short stories, poems, essays and pictures and has contributions from more than 110 children’s writers and illustrators, including Lauren Child, Anthony Horowitz, Greg James and Chris Smith, Michael Morpurgo, Liz Pichon, Axel Scheffler, Francesca Simon, Jacqueline Wilson and Katherine Rundell.

Finally, as I have been talking about well-being and not putting ourselves under too much pressure, with some structure now in place for the week ahead, think about finding some ways to relax on your Sunday evening.

Below, I am adding my weekend update of all the free entertainment currently available in case there is something on this list that interests you. Otherwise, choose something that will relax and rejuvenate you ahead of another busy week.

Weekend Entertainment Update:

This week’s free musical is Love Never Dies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXP7ynpk1NY

Cirque du Soleil are uploading 60-minute special performances to be enjoyed during quarantine:

This week features a singalong special:

In the week we marked the Bard’s birth and death, Shakespeare is being widely celebrated.

See Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSAlPJ0FG_0

Watch the National Theatre performance of Twelfth Night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aig5ObghHS4

See Shakespeare re-imagined in the Globe Player’s Shakespeare Lives series.

Marquee TV https://www.marquee.tv/ streams ballet, opera, contemporary dance, documentaries and theatre performances. A free 14-day trial is available.

I hope some of these tips and ideas are helpful to you and will help to set you up for success in the coming week.

If you’re finding frustration beginning to build with the pressure of balancing childcare with working from home, remember there is no template for what is happening and all of us find ourselves floundering at times. Aim for good over perfect and try not to be too hard on yourself.

Generally, we all know the things that set us up well for success – getting a good night’s sleep, finding some time to exercise, eating well, ensuring we remain hydrated, making time to relax etc. Try to identify some ways you can achieve the above. For me, some of the things that help are:

Not bringing my phone into my bedroom at night;

Working out with my husband as this ensures I get it done;

Preparing some meals in advance, be that overnight oats for breakfast or cooking twice the quantity for some meals, so that we can have meals in the fridge/freezer;

Ensuring we refill our water bottles and have them in the fridge;

Switching off from news reports and work and enjoying some time for hobbies.

Independent Learning Activities

English – Writing (How To…)

To begin with, I advise talking through the steps involved in carrying out everyday tasks before considering how to write these down in sequenced steps.

Maths – Problem-Solving

If your child did not already attempt them, the challenge activities from week 1 of the maths lessons on BBC Bitesize are worth trying. There are tasks targeting primary children of different ages.

STEM – Invent an Insect

This activity has been inspired by my very special honorary nephews (my honour!) who have really been enjoying learning about insects just recently. My challenge to them is to design an insect of their own.If you have a insect-lover in your home, why not join the challenge too?

Here are some useful support materials:

Check out this lesson from California Academy of Sciences about what makes an insect. The vocabulary section here is really useful and worth taking the time to teach your child.

To reinforce the learning, label an insect.

Have them further apply their knowledge by identifying whether these arthropods are insects or not.

Get outside and take some pictures of athropods in the garden. Later, zoom in and examine the pictures closely. What features can be identified? Are they insects or not?

Why not have a game of Insect I Spy while outside?

Discuss adaptation with your child – the process whereby a group of organisms becomes better suited to its environment over the course of many generation. Learn more here.

Next have him/her consider what adaptations their insect will have.

Ideas include:

Looks like an animal other than an insect (mimicry)

Is active only at night (nocturnal)

Blends in with an environment (camouflage)

Must be able to eat specific things (crushing mouthparts for seeds)

Must be able to avoid certain predator characteristics (strong back legs for jumping)

Must be able to move or stay put (fleas move from host to host)

As an additional challenge, you may wish to assign a habitat card to your child and have him/her design an insect with that in mind.

A few other activities on this theme:

How many insects can you name? Can you create an A-Z? Have a look at this book!

To build on this theme, here is a lovely clip called Caterpillar Shoes with lots of suggestions for maths and English follow-up tasks.

Here are some pictures of scorpions I took. Why are they this colour?

Art – Butterflies

On an insect theme, here are three ways to create beautiful butterflies from Mrs. Darlington.

Symmetry is always a great topic to explore with children. If you would like to explore it further, don’t forget our CardEd Set 4 cards have symmetrical drawing challenges.

Geography

May 1st marks the day the Empire State Building was dedicated. Challenge your child to name as many tall and/or well-known structures as possible. Investigate some famous world structures and compare their sizes using Size Explorer. Have some fun by trying the size comparison quiz.

You can use this website to compare cities, countries, planets, helicopters and airplanes as well. Using it to compare cities and countries is a useful way of developing familiarity with the world map.

For those interested in learning more about the Empire State Building, I have created an Empire State Building comprehension PDF – the facts and data for which come from History.com and ScienceKids.

Co-operative Learning Activities

Maths – Strike it Out Strategy Game

Here is a fun game from NRich that supports mental computation and strategy and us suitable for children aged 5-11. All you need is a number line and a pencil.

CardEd

Once again I have uploaded a new CardEd Weekly Activity (Week 6), featuring daily tasks to boost maths, English and Thinking Skills.

These are particularly useful for promoting oral language and are great for EAL learners.

STEM

P.E.

Yet more planning with nephews in mind! This time some PE challenges for PJ Masks fans from Youth Sport Trust! Although written with classes in mind, the activities in these guides can be adapted for use at home. Each booklet also contains a page of recommended home activities.

PJ Masks 2017 Guide

PJ Masks 2018 Guide

If your children are beyond the stage of PJ Masks,Youth Sport Trust also have a 2 week family activity bingo challenge for you to try. Get them here: Page 1 and Page 2

Story Time: The book of Hopes

Make a plan to enjoy family story time with ‘The Book of Hopes,’ launching tomorrow (26.4.20) on Literacy Trust.

Finally, as I have been talking about well-being and not putting ourselves under too much pressure, with some structure now in place for the week ahead, think about finding some ways to relax on your Sunday evening.

Below, I am adding my weekend update of all the free entertainment currently available in case there is something on this list that interests you. Otherwise, choose something that will relax and rejuvenate you ahead of another busy week.

Weekend Entertainment Update:

This week’s free musical is Love Never Dies.

Cirque du Soleil are uploading 60-minute special performances to be enjoyed during quarantine:

This week features a singalong special:

In the week we marked the Bard’s birth and death, Shakespeare is being widely celebrated.

See Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe:

Watch the National Theatre performance of Twelfth Night:

May 1^st marks the day the Empire State Building was dedicated. Challenge your child to name as many tall and/or well-known structures as possible. Investigate some famous world structures and compare their sizes using Size Explorer. Have some fun by trying the size comparison quiz.