Monday

To complete today's activities, you will need:

something to draw on

something to draw with

flour, salt, cream of tartar, oil, food colouring

a mixing bowl and spoon

measuring cup

tablespoon

small cushion or rice pack

a board game such as snakes and ladders or dominoes

Overview of today's activities:

  • Activity 1: What are you good at? (15 minutes)

  • Activity 2: Playdough (30 minutes)

  • Activity 3: Balance (10 minutes)

Break

  • Activity 4: Shared story (15 minutes)

  • Activity 5: Board game (30 minutes)

Please note, these times are an approximation only.

What are you good at?

Learning goal: Children celebrate their own efforts and achievements.

Everyone has strengths. Your strengths are the things you are good at.

These children are good at climbing.

A young boy is climbing a tree. He is looking down through the branches with a half-smile.

Image owned by the NSW Department of Education under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth)​

A young girl wearing a jacket and beanie is climbing on some ropes and smiling.

Image owned by the NSW Department of Education under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth)​

  1. What are you good at? How did you become good at this?

  2. Spend time doing something you are good at.

Too hard?

  • Often the things we are good at are the things we enjoy. What do you like doing?

  • Show someone one thing you are good at.

Too easy?

  • What is each person in your family is good at?

  • What do you want to be good at and how can you become better at it?

Playdough

Learning goal: Children use numeracy skills to successfully follow a recipe.

Ask someone in your family to help you follow this non-cook recipe to make playdough.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups plain flour

  • 4 tablespoons cream of tartar

  • 1 cup salt

  • 2 cups very hot water

  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil

  • food colouring.

Photo showing the ingredients needed to make the playdough - plain flour, cream of tartar, salt, jug of hot water, cooking oil and food colouring.

What to do:

Photo showing flour being scooped into a measuring cup above a mixing bowl.

1. Place the flour, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl.

Hot water being poured into a mixing bowl of dry ingredients.

2. Carefully add the hot water and oil to the mixture.

Hand using a spoon to mix ingredients in the bowl together.

3. Stir the mixture together to form a dough.

Two hands kneading white dough.

4. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it.

Fingers sprinkling flour on top of the dough.

5. Add more flour if the dough is too moist or more water if the dough is too dry.

Green food colouring being added to the dough.

6. Add a few drops of food colouring.

One big clump of playdough and six small balls of playdough. A hand is holding one of balls.

7. Play with your playdough!

Balance

Learning goal: Children develop the stability skill of balance.

Listen to this song and follow the instructions to warm up your body.

9.Twist,balance,shakerun.mp3

'Twist, balance, shake, run', Munch & Move playlist

Practice balancing:

  1. Balance on one foot. Hold still while you count to five.

  2. Now try on the other foot. How long could you balance for?

  3. Walk along something with your arms stretched out wide, perhaps stepping stones, a log, long rope or even a line on the ground.

  4. Stretch up on your toes, then down again. Sit down and then stand up.

  5. Balance a small cushion or rice pack on your head, without touching it.

  6. Put your favourite music on and walk around with the cushion or rice pack balanced on your head.

Three children standing, each standing on their right leg while the left foot is placed by the knee of their right leg. Their arms are stretched upwards, with their hands together.
A boy walking along a log and holding one of his dad's hands.

Black son walking on log near father by Anete Lusina, pexels.com

Too hard?

  • To help you balance, put one hand on a wall or piece of furniture.

  • Practice lifting one heel up and then the other with your toes staying on the ground.

  • Balance an object on your hand or foot, you can do this while sitting down.

Too easy?

  • Copy the poses in this Balance/Stretch Cool Down video, holding each as the timer counts down.

  • Play 'Simon Says' with a family member and practice tricky balances.

Take a break

Here are some things you might like to do:

  • have a drink of water and a healthy snack

  • play or have a rest

  • go to the toilet and wash your hands.

Shared story - My spaghetti ABC

Learning goal: Children begin to recognise letters.

Have you ever eaten spaghetti?

Listen to this story about spaghetti.

Penguin Books Australia (17 February 2021), 'My spaghetti ABC by Deborah Niland' [video], YouTube, accessed 13 September 2021.

In the story there was an alphabet made of spaghetti. Join in singing one of these alphabet songs:

  • Choose the first song if you want to sing a slow song.

  • Choose the second song if you want to sing a faster song.

Super simple songs - Kids songs (13 May 2017) 'The alphabet song' [video], YouTube, accessed 13 September 2021.

Super simple songs - Kids songs (19 January 2018) 'The alphabet is so much fun' [video], YouTube, accessed 13 September 2021.

Too hard?

  • Clap your hands to the song and listen.

  • Stamp your feet to the song and listen.

  • Practice saying the names of the letters in your name.

Too easy?

  • Listen to the story again. Which rhyming words did you hear?

  • Ask someone to write some letters for you to copy. Write, paint or make them out of playdough.

Board game

Learning goal: Children play cooperatively, demonstrating skills of self-regulation.

  • Ask someone in your family to play a board game with you e.g. snakes and ladders or dominoes.

  • Make sure you follow the game rules and wait patiently for your turn to have a go.

Too hard?

  • Try an easier game such as bingo or memory.

Too easy?

  • Make you own game of snakes and ladders.

  • Play a harder game, for example, checkers or Go fish!

Extra learning activities

  • Complete an art lesson based on The Dot.

Child voice