Playdough

Another term, another town, another 'Stay and Play' group! We went to a new toddler group today and the 'take home idea' was play dough.

Playdough is great for children to play with and learn new skills at the same time. Play dough is:

• good practice for sharing / turn-taking
• soothing / calming
• good for releasing tension
• good for strengthening muscles / developing motor skills
• good for developing language
• creative
• multi-sensory
• fun!

Recipes

Cooked Play-Dough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
food colouring

Mix dry ingredients and mix wet ingredients and then stir together.
Stir constantly over a medium heat until the ingredients change from a lump paste into a more rubbery blob.
Turn out onto a working surface and knead the dough.
Store in an airtight container.

Cooked Play-Dough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water
food colouring

Mix flour and salt, add water and food colouring.
Turn out onto a working surgace and knead the dough to make a clay consistency.
Store in an airtight container (doesn't keep as long as the cooked version though).

Other ideas:

Add:

• glitter
• spices
• mint
• herbs
• cocoa powder
• yeast (makes a stretchier dough)
• raisins
• pasta
• ginger
• lemon juice
• curry

Use a variety of tools to play with the dough, for example;

• lolly sticks
• fir cones
• toy cars
• cutters
• rolling pins
• paper cases
• straws

Play dough is suitable for children over a year old. Make sure that you supervise the play and use protective coverings for the floor, clothes and surfaces. Some children may try to eat the play dough but because it is so salty after a few tastes children will discover that it is much more fun to play with than eat!

Please feel free to share more playdough recipes / activity ideas.

Autumn Fair

We've just got back from an exciting day at the Autumn Fair at the NEC. We had fun meeting up and networking with other WAHMs (the people behind Delicate Dreams, Stork Gifts, Knot Just Jigs, Funky Dory Party Bags, Kiddymania and Perfect Presents - shout if I've left you out?) and have placed orders for some great new lines. Keep reading this blog to find out about the new products and ranges at Littlesheep Learning!

EYFS - Early Years Foundation Stage

From the BBC News website:

Under-fives get 'learning goals'

New welfare guidelines including 69 "learning goals" for the under-fives have come into force in England.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out expected standards of care in registered childcare settings.

The "toddler curriculum" includes being able to count to 10, spell their names, understand stories, know right from wrong and be able to dress and undress.

Ministers say the EYFS will help stop disadvantaged children falling behind in educational attainment.

The guidelines have provoked a worried reaction from some childcare workers who believe increasing levels of associated paperwork could put them out of business.

'Best start'
Others fear children will be required to start formal learning too early and that it could set some of them up for failure at a tender age.

So England's Children's Minister Beverley Hughes announced that learning goals requiring children to be able to write their own names and begin using simple sentences by the age of five, sometimes with punctuation, would be reviewed to see if they were suitable.

But in a joint letter to the managers of England's 3,000 children's centres Schools Secretary Ed Balls and Ms Hughes said their guidelines would help make sure that all young children had the chance to engage in stimulating play.

Children's centre staff would be able to use it to engage mothers and fathers, to make sure these experiences are built on at home, they said.

Mr Balls added: "I am driven by a determination to make sure that the most disadvantaged children get the very best start in life.

"We want to give all children a level playing field and help all parents get the best care and support for their children.

"I believe that every child in this country is entitled to the benefits of learning through play as set out in the EYFS and that their parents are entitled to the reassurance that their children will be well supported and cared for by high quality childminders and nursery workers."

Developmental milestones
Research shows that gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged children can affect them from the age of 22 months and are likely to get bigger as they age.

By the time they take GCSES, children from poorer backgrounds are half as likely to get five good grades as their wealthier peers.

The EYFS applies to all formal childcare settings for children under five and is based on the idea that children need to learn through play as they begin to understand the world around them.

Childcare providers are required to keep parents up to date with their children's progress and will be encouraged to be involved with their early education.

Profiles of each child will be completed by nurseries and childminders, recording the developmental milestones the reach.

These are intended to provide an accurate picture of a child's development for parents and primary schools when they reach them.

However, ministers are keen to stress that the youngsters will not be tested on the goals included in the guidelines.

They also argue that as the framework is a combination of two existing sets of guidelines they should not place extra burdens on those working in childcare.

In Scotland, what and how children learn in pre-school nurseries is set out in the Curriculum for Excellence which is currently being rolled out. It does not apply to childminders.

In Wales, a new Scandinavian-style Learn through Play nursery and infant curriculum is being introduced for three to seven-year-olds, which moves away from the more formal classroom based lessons.

For more information on the contents of the EYFS, please see our article.

Happy Customers

Like all businesses, at Littlesheep Learning we love hearing from satisfied customers; here is an excerpt of an email we received this week:

"Just a quick email to thank you for sending my order so quickly - I noticed the message about you moving premises and thought it might delay new orders (especially if you had a backlog to clear) but my books and pencil grips have arrived already! My son has been a little reluctant to put pen(cil) to paper but after I had a go with one, he was very keen to try his new 'toy' and has written quite a few words today. Here's hoping he's still as happy tomorrow.... Thank you for selling these singly and not making me buy a 'class tub' too!!"

If you have a reluctant write - check out the full range of triangular pens, pencils and pencil grips available at Littlesheep Learning - all available individually!

Catching Up

Just to let everyone know that normal service is resuming at Littlesheep Learning following our relocation. We still need to completely restock but orders are now being despatched normally.

Look out for new products, offers and competitions coming soon.

Learning whilst Playing

With all the lovely hot and sunny weather the chances are that your children are busy playing outside and you may be thinking that there is no time for learning.

At Littlesheep Learning, we have the solution for children learning colours, shapes, numbers and letters with our range of learning beanbags. These can be used in the garden and children can learn whilst they are playing and probably not even realise it! Take a look here for lots of bean bag learning ideas and have fun.

Order your colour, shape, number or letter beanie bags today and save 10% in our special relocation sale (offer ends 31st July 2008).

Moving Sale

At the end of the month Littlesheep Learning is relocating, therefore we have a special sale to reduce the amount of stock we need to move! Items are available whilst stocks last and offers include lots of educational games which are great for keeping your children entertained during wet days in the school holidays and getting them to learn and practice skills without realising it.

Offers end on 30th June and no orders will be despatched from 1st-10th August whilst we settle in and complete a stock take. Unfortunately this move means that some items will be out of stock for longer than usual, please contact us if you need something that is out of stock and we will try and let you know an expected restocking date.

Building Self-Esteem

I have a friend who has a little boy with autism and she has had a great idea for building self-confidence. For the last few months she has been taking photos of him doing things, things he found difficult, was worried about or things he's just good at and enjoyed. We've stuck them in a book called 'I Can Do It' book. There is so much in every day life he finds hard, so many things we take for granted that he struggles with, makes him anxious or has to learn from scratch so thought it would be a nice idea to celebrate all the things he can do. He is a technophile so she has also made this photo montage of the photos in his book and set it to music. Shine is his favourite Take That track though the lyrics are quite appropriate too! Here it is:



If you like this idea and make your own books - please share them with us here - we'd love to see them.

The Queen's Birthday Honours (Part 2)

Ever since browsing the Queen's Birthday Honours recipients after seeing that Mr Tumble (Justin Fletcher) was given an award I've been meaning to post about the awarding of an OBE to Virginia Bovell. I like most others who have been involved in ABA will have heard of / met / been supported by Virginia - she is a truly inspirational woman and this award is very well deserved.

Virginia Bovell, is one of the Advisers and a member TreeHouse school’s governing body, and she has received an OBE for “voluntary services to autistic children”. TreeHouse is the national charity for autism education.

She said: “The OBE is a real honour but I feel that anything I’ve done is because of team work with a brilliant group of colleagues – not just TreeHouse and the National Autistic Society but hundreds of parents, some very dedicated MPs and professionals, and of course the inspiration offered by the children themselves. I see the OBE as recognition of the importance of children with autism, an incredibly marginalized group.”

Virginia’s work as an autism activist began when Danny, her son who is now 15, was diagnosed with autism just before his third birthday. Having been told that early educational intervention was the best way Danny could unlock his potential, Virginia found that there were no such services on offer. Together with three other parents in similar situations, TreeHouse was founded. Over the past ten years it has grown from a special school for four founding pupils in a room in the Royal Free Hospital, into the national charity for autism education. TreeHouse’s school in North London now has 62 children and the charity actively campaigns for better services and provides training and consultancy in the field of autism on a national scale.

But the story does not end there. Virginia has been involved full-time in the autism movement, helping parents to campaign across the UK; writing and speaking about autism; and also being involved in a range of academic and Government autism initiatives.

Virginia went on to say: “In the past 10 years the recognised prevalence of autism has risen to 1%, so autism will touch most people directly or indirectly – every school, every street, is likely to have a child with autism. Awareness has improved but there is still so much to be done. Nearly a third of children with autism are excluded from school at some point in their youth, largely because autism is still very much a misunderstood condition and most teachers are still not getting anything like the necessary training. My hope is that one day everyone with autism, children and adults, will access the support they need without having to fight for it, as valued and fulfilled participants in society.”

Congratulations Virginia

Speech Testing

I've just been reading sbout the government-commissioned Bercow review of speech and language services which says improving communication skills is key to raising educational standards. The report suggests that all children should be assessed for speech problems at the start of primary and secondary school.

Up to half the children in some areas of England have significant problems, but many have to fight for support. Ministers accepted the points raised by the review and announced a £40m package for the training of early years staff and a further £12m will be spent on implementation and a plan would be published in the autumn, says the government's response.

Conservative MP John Bercow's review of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs suggests about 40,000 children, or 7%, are starting primary school in England each year with significant difficulties with speech and or language, but the rates are much higher in areas of social deprivation, with up to 50% having speech and language skills lower than expected for their age, the report says. Without the help they need these children will do worse at school, could develop emotional and behavioural problems and may descend into criminality, it argues. Mr Bercow said families faced a "postcode lottery" of provision and shortages of speech experts in most areas of the country. He said communication skills that were essential to life were not being prioritised in schools, especially in the early years. "This is severely hampering children's ability to develop the necessary life skills to participate in and contribute to society when they get older," he added. Experts argue, however, that with early intervention and the right support most communication problems can be overcome. Ministers accepted that more surveillance and monitoring of children's language skills were needed, but suggested extra training of early years staff would enable them to better pick up language problems.

The report also suggested that Sir Jim Rose should be asked to see how a speech and language focus could be put into primary schools as part of his review of the primary curriculum.
Children's secretary Ed Balls said it was clear that local services needed to improve and that he was convinced improvements could now be made.

The report also makes recommendations on how services best be provided. It finds that there is a lack of strategic planning and oversight of what is needed in many local areas, this should be better organised, so it suggests a named person should have the responsibility for commissioning communication provision in each local area. It also calls for a communication champion or tsar, charged with driving things forward, to be appointed and a communication council be established to develop over-arching policy and ensure the implementation of the review. There should be a significant national campaign on the issue building up to a national year of speech, language and communication.

Special Educational Needs Tribunals

I've just had an email about the changes in regulations relating to the Tribunal Service...

This is what it says...

"Some parents will be aware that the regulations relating to The Tribunal Service are being 'rationalised' in order to have a more consistent policy right across the range of tribunals. Discussions concerning the new regulations have been kept strictly between the Government and the legal profession but several lawyers have highlighted their concerns as the proposed changes are far from parent helpful. In fact they are definitely unfair to parents. and, if put into action, will make parental appeals to the Tribunal far more complex and pro Local Authorities. If you wish to access the new draft rules up for 'discussion' you should try the following:

The draft rules are at http://www.tribunals.gov.uk/Documents/Draft_HESC_ChamberRules_290508.pdf with the rules for the new upper tier tribunal (for appeals) at http://www.tribunals.gov.uk/Documents/Draft_Upper_Tribunal_Rules_02_06_08.pdf and also for the the transition rules - http://opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/draft/plain/ukdsi_9780110817828_en

Basically what happens now (unless persuaded otherwise) is that SENDIST is abolished from 3rd November and everything becomes subject to the new rules, including appeals which have already been begun. Although there is provision for the tribunal to give directions disapplying this in relation to individual cases, they are not going to be able to do that in practical terms for appeals listed for hearing during the week of 3rd November. Theoretically at least we could all turn up for cases listed that week with 10 witnesses if the rules stay as they are! If any one thinks that there will be real consultation going on they may like to know that, according to the staff of SENDIST, in London their jobs end in October and the Darlington office closes shortly after end April 2009. There is talk of a kind of 'call centre' in Loughborough! The new system is scheduled to come into effect in November! If allowed to happen it will make appeals to SENDIST much more difficult for parents. 'Consultation' must be in by 11th July but for the new regulations to become law they must have Parliamentary approval and so be tabled in the House. Unless, however, we warn our MPs it is very likely that the new regulations will end up in Parliament and, if left unchallenged, will go the way of most delegated legislation and become law without debate."

I have also received a letter drafted by lead counsel regarding these new proposals / regulations for SENDIST which will impact on parents' right of access and appeal against their children's statements and creates an unfairness to many low income families ofdisabled children. Asking for it to be circulated to familiy and friends and sent to MP's and copy into SENDIST at Mowden Hall, Darlington - consultation finishes on the 11th July 2008.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear

Re: Children with Disabilities, changes to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal Regulations

I write to you as my member of parliament, because of proposed changes to therules involving the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. I amextremely concerned that these changes are being produced as a result of a general legal reform which pays no regard to the special role of the Tribunal, and its jurisdiction, which outside of the Family Court, is unique.

The current reforms are providing for an upper / lower tier of tribunals, and are convenient to lawyers, and to the legal administration. They have the following detrimental effect on families of children with disabilities, and special educational needs, and particularly are unfair and handicap the parents. The problems are as follows:

Firstly, the system favours local authorities, by abolishing a restriction on witnesses, and by getting rid of the substantial written elementof the case, which means that the Tribunal is a short cost effective and highly expert body.· Introducing directions hearings, and other administration orders,which will increase the costs.· If the restrictions on witnesses are abolished, plus the introduction of directions will mean that hearings which are generally one day or less, willbe much longer and much more expensive. The current system was brought in because local authorities had a substantial advantage and could call a large number of witnesses. Parents had limited budgets, and were concerned by their children's needs and disabilities, not by the budget. The new system helps local authorities unfairly.·

There is also a proposal that the Tribunal can order a child examined. The Family Court, which has jurisdiction in this area, only does so in certainset circumstances. Special needs appeals take place in circumstances where the authority is bound by statute and regulation as to how far and in whatcircumstances it can examine a child. The current proposals would seek to abolish parental rights, and in addition, create greater power for a local authority to examine a child in tribunal proceedings, than it is given bystatute.

Overall, I am extremely concerned by these changes in rules, and the fact thatthe consultation is really one for lawyers. It is unfair to parents and is only convenient to the Legal Administration. I would be grateful if you take this matter up, not only with the Department for Children and Families, but the Department of Justice. It would seem the bestway to deal with this is to call for these regulations to be actually debated inparliament.

Yours sincerely

Product Fault: Key Words Flashcards

It has come to our attention that some of sets of Reception Key Word Flashcards; are missing two of the high frequency words - 'we' and 'went'. If you have recently purchased this item please can you check that you have these cards.

We are trying to contact customers who may have been affected. If your set of flashcards is affected please let us know and we will send you these additional two words to add to your pack.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

The Queen's Birthday Honours (Part 1)

About a year ago I posted about a petition to get Justin Fletcher made an OBE. This years Queen's Birthday Honours have now been announced and I'm pleased to report that Justin has been awarded an MBE for Services to Children's Broadcasting and to the Voluntary Sector.

So what has Justin done? Justin is the presenter of 'Something Special' which has raised awareness of signing (using Makaton) and put children with special needs onto mainstream children's television (Something Special is shown on CBeebies). Each programme focuses on aspects of the children's world about them (for example, shopping, food, pets and toys) and the format is simple, fun and informative with the language used throughout each programme being supported by Makaton signs and symbols.

Well done Justin.

The New Baby - Preparing for a new sibling

Any parent with more than one child has had to help that child through the transition of being an only child to having a sibling or more siblings and help prepare them for the new baby's arrival. The arrival of a new baby can cause lots of sudden change in a family and before the baby is born, parents typically spend a lot of time on preparations and then after the baby arrives a lot of attention involves meeting the newborn's basic needs. This change can be difficult for older siblings to handle and it is not uncommon for an older sibling to resent the newborn for getting the attention and to react by displaying negative behaviours.

To try and minimise the upset to your existing child(ren) there are steps you can take to prepare your child for all the change, by discussing the pregnancy in terms that make sense to them, by carelful planning and including your child in the care of the newborn, you can make the transition a little easier for the entire family. This post will hopefully give you some good ideas to help your toddler / pre-schooler understand what is happening and help them to look forward to the new baby as much as you are.

To start with, at some point you need to tell your child that you are having a baby, when you do this is up to you. If it is important to you that you tell them rather than them finding out from someone else this may need to be sooner rather than later, we told our four year old after the 12-week scan, mainly because we didn't want him telling people before we did! Young children find it hard to understand the length of a pregnancy so it is a good idea to frame the baby's expected arrival time around fixed events - luckily for us we had our eldest's birthday, then our youngest's birthday and then the baby is going to be born; our four and two year old both seem to have accepted this and are now aware the baby could be born 'any day'. Talk to your children about the new baby by calling him "your little brother or sister" / "our baby" instead of "mummy's new baby" or even "the new baby" so that they know that they are not being replaced but that the baby is someone special to them.

Some activities for during your pregnancy that can help your child prepare for their new sibling are:

• showing them their baby pictures and how they've grown
• reading books about new babies; for example - The New Baby
• visiting friends who have babies
• letting them sort out baby things
• asking their advice about potential baby names
• letting them come to antenatal appointments and involving them in measuring the bump / listening to the baby's heartbeat
• making a scrapbook of baby pictures from magazines, showing nappy changing, baby feeding, sleeping, crying etc
• making a 'birth' day cake

You may find it helpful to involve your child in the decisions about what is going to happen to them during the time you are having your baby. Explain to them what will happen if/when you go to hospital, who is going to look after them and when they will be able to see you. Also discuss the fact that the midwives and doctors will look after you and the baby so you will be ok, in talking to our four year old we found he needed reassuring that these people worked at night so it was ok if the baby was born at night time.

Try to keep your older child(ren)'s routine as regular as possible in the days and weeks surrounding the baby's arrival. If you plan to make any room shifts to accommodate the baby, do it a few weeks before the baby's expected due date. If your older child is approaching any major milestones, like potty training or moving from a cot to a bed, you may want to make those changes well in advance of your due date, or put them off until after the baby has been at home for some time. Some children regress after a younger sibling is born, the best way to deal with this is to give your son more attention for positive big brother / sister acts, than for the baby acts - even negative attention can be motivation for acting "like a baby," so make sure you only reward the behaviours you want to continue. It is important to encourage your older child to talk about feelings they may be having about the new baby. If your child cannot articulate his or her feelings, don't be surprised if he or she acts out by knowingly breaking the rules or reverting to whining or speaking in baby talk. If your child misbehaves, don't bend the rules, but understand what feelings may be motivating that behaviour. It may be a sign that your child needs more one-on-one time with you. Let your child know that although his or her feelings are important, they have to be expressed in appropriate ways.

You might want to plan for your child(ren) to visit you in the hospital as soon as possible after the baby is born and to 'bring their baby' home to show other visitors. The first introduction of the new baby is very important, you might want to have your son choose a present to give to his new sibling and have presents from the baby for the big siblings to exchange the first time they meet. When you introduce the new baby, plan for his new little brother or sister to be in the crib and not in mummy's or daddy's arms so that you can cuddle your older child.

Once the baby is born there are some things you can do to help your older child to adjust to all of the changes. First, it's a good idea to include your child as much as possible in the daily activities surrounding the baby, so that they doesn't feel left out. Your child may be willing to help take care of the baby or they might enjoy role playing with a doll. There will be occasions, for example during breastfeeding, that your older child can't be involved with the baby, and you may find it useful to have toys on hand (last time we had a special box of books and toys that were just for feeding times) so that you can feed the baby without being interrupted or worrying about your older child feeling neglected.

Also remember to try and take advantage of any opportunities for one-on-one time with your older child(ren). Spend some time together while the baby is sleeping and if possible, set aside some time each day for your older children to get one parent's undivided attention. If your child knows that there is special time exclusively for him or her, it may help reduce any resentment or anger about the new baby. You may also want to remind relatives and friends that your older child might want to talk about something other than the new baby!

Have you got any other ideas to share? Please let us know!

Changes / Transitions

Things are constantly changing and there are lots of changes that children experience during their lifetime. Either positively or negatively our four year old is going to have several changes over the next few months; first he's going to gain a new sibling, then he is going to move house and then he is going to start school.

Over the next few weeks there will be a series of posts on this blog about these transitions and how to prepare children for the changes they will experience - do let me know if you have any experiences / information to share!

The changes will also be affecting us here at Littlesheep Learning due to the maternity leave and relocating, your orders maybe slightly delayed from our usually quick despatch. We will also be having a Sale over the next month or so to reduce stock for our move. Unfortunately this move means that some items will be out of stock for longer than usual, please contact us if you need something that is out of stock and we will try and let you know an expected restocking date.

Sign up to Littlesheep Learning's newsletter to stay up-to-date with our news and details of our products, special offers, competitions and special discount codes!

Sign Up Today!


Email Address:






Email Marketing by VerticalResponse

Down Syndrome Awareness Week

This week (2nd-8th June 2008) is Down's Syndrome Awareness Week, organised by the Down's Syndrome Association.

Awareness Week this year will focus on empowering families and carers of people with Down's syndrome by providing them with knowledge about their rights so that they may demand appropriate services and treatment. The Down's Syndrome Association are producing an easy-to-read guide about the Human Rights Act and how to use it. We will also be asking our members to find out whether their local authority is paying sufficient attention to the Disability Equality Duty and the Human Rights Act.

Every year Awareness Week gives all our wonderful members and supporters the opportunity to stand-up and shout-out about Down’s syndrome and the Association. It is the perfect chance to raise awareness of the work of the DSA and to champion the rights of people with Down’s syndrome.

This video clip was put together especially for this week by Stepping Stones Down Syndrome Support Group, I'm sure you will agree the children are all gorgeous.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

To celebrate this week the code DSAW08 will save you 10% at Littlesheep Learning (offer ends 9th June).

Are the School Holidays too Long?

Everyone in the UK is used to us having an academic year that starts in September with three terms (September-December, January-March/April and April-July) of 10-14 weeks with a half-termly holiday week in the middle - October, February and May, two weeks holiday at Christmas and Easter and a six week summer break, but The Institute for Public Policy Research has said studies suggested pupils' reading and maths abilities regressed because the summer break was too long. Instead, the think-tank said the school year could have five eight-week terms, with a month off in the summer and two weeks between the rest of the terms. You can see more details here.

I'm not sure where I stand on this - I can see the point that a six week break is a long time if children are left to 'stagnate' but this is assuming that children only learn at school and we know from experience with pre-school children and those who are home educated that learning can occur anywhere at anytime.

There are always books, educational toys and games available to support children's learning in fun ways during holiday times and although the article suggests that children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not get the same opportunities during the school holidays I think that better advertising and targetting of the 'free' activities / resources that are available to everyone through libraries (both the traditional type offering books, DVDs and computer programmes plus toy libraries where you can borrow toys, games and other play equipment), plus local councils often run subsidised playschemes and activities during the summer holidays.

Another practical reason for needing a six-week summer break is family holidays, if the Government are going to continue their crack down on parents taking children out of school for family holidays reducing the 'window' in which families can take a holiday will mean that the 'peak' holiday price will increase, employers will have to juggle more employees wanting exactly the same two weeks off to go away and children will spend less time at home learning about local atractions and taking part in local activities.

Lastly I'd be concerned that having a ten week block without a holiday break would be exhausting for younger children. They are often becoming ill and tired towards the half-term / end of term especially when it is an eight week half term so parents may end up spending the whole of the 'holiday' weeks looking after an exhausted / ill child - not much fun for anyone.

What do you think?

Spring Competition Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered Littlesheep Learning's Spring Competition to win a set of 10 in the Bed Song Mitts - it certainly seemed popular.

The answer to the question "What number is shown on the dice?" is Five

And the lucky winner is - Ruth from Chesterfield.

Look out for more Competitions coming soon.

Spelling

It doesn't take many words to demonstrate how tricky the English language is when it comes to spelling; try: accommodate, commitment, bureaucracy, diarrhoea , psychologist for starters. Then there are all the words with similar sounds spelled in different ways for example, the 'eez' sound (breeze, cheese, knees, fleas, tease, these, seize) and the words spelled the same way but sounding different, for example the 'ough' letter combination (bough, cough, dough, enough, though, through).

Spelling is not just a case of identifying sounds in a word and being able to relate them to letters, though this is a big help in many cases.

Being a good speller also involves:

• breaking words into component parts and writing each one correctly
• remembering some spelling rules
• being able to see the word in your head and 'read it off'
• learning some 'word families'
• having good visual recall and being able to tell if it 'looks right'

There are many ways to help children learn to spell:

• encouraging them to 'have a go' if the word they want to use is regular: 'Well let's see, there are five letters in that word let's put five dashes on this bit of scrap paper. I'm sure you know what the first letter is..'
• supporting them to build up the word as appropriate; the middle bit is often the tricky part − fill in this part for them if necessary
• praise for trying 'that's nearly right, well done'
• providing the word straight away if its irregular and can't be 'built up' eg 'two'
• give a visual model of the word rather than just spelling it out verbally , then encourage him to do LSCWC (Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check) to help them remember the word next time
• encourage children to look at the words carefully − 'take a photo' in your head; notice its shape and any double consonants, or any small words inside the bigger word
• say it aloud − using a mnemonic for tricky words can help
• identify word families; for example, fight, light, might, night, sight, tight
• make use of word banks, use a (spelling) dictionary / word book or other dictionary and look it up
• play word games for example, hangman, wordsearches, crosswords or games such as Pass the Word

3 - Stories, Songs and Rhymes

Welcome back to our number rhyme series - so far we've had 1 - Hickory Dickory Dock and 2 - Two Little Dicky Birds.

Three is a bit more tricky as most of the counting songs are to five or ten, however three is a popular number in fairy tales with Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the Three Billy Goats Gruff to name but a few stories that include three. So here are some ideas linked to those popular tales.

As with one and two, practice counting - 1,2,3! Again play with number bean bags , foam / magnetic numbers and number flashcards / number fans to help children learn to recognise the number and practice drawing / painting or chalking the number three. The number three also is great to start sequencing numbers, and investigating other properties / adjectives; for example big, medium and small.

The Three Little Pigs

Activity Ideas

• share the story of the Three Little Pigs
• building with a variety of materials
• make a three houses collage, sticking on straw, sticks and printing bricks
• make pig masks using paper plates
• play with Three Little Pigs puppets and act out the story
• huff and puff like the big bad wolf and practice blowing games - blow football, blow painting or just blow whistles!

Songs and Rhymes

• Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf (Frank Churchill and Ann Ronell)
  

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Activity Ideas

• share the story of Golidilocks and the Three Bears
• make porridge
• investigate sizes - small, medium / middle sized and big - sort them and match them
• playing with Goldilocks and the Three Bears puppets to act out the story

Songs and Rhymes

• When Goldilocks Went to The House of the Bears (listen here)

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Activity Ideas

• share the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff
• go for a walk and find a bridge to 'trip trap' over
• investigate sizes - small, medium / middle sized and big - sort them and match them
• play with Three Billy Goats Gruff and act out the story

Happy Birthday Littlesheep Learning

We hope that you had a good Bank Holiday weekend - we certainly enjoyed the sunshine!

Yesterday Littlesheep Learning celebrated it's 3rd birthday and to celebrate we have three special offers for you:

For THIS week only you can SAVE 10% by using the code 'happy', or you can claim FREE POSTAGE by using the code 'birthday', plus with every order over £15 (after discounts) we'll send you a FREE GIFT.

So hurry and place your orders today - all these offers end on Monday 12th May.

Triangular Pencils

Littlesheep Learning has just taken delivery of some new slim triangular pencils alongside our popular jumbo triangular pencils. We started stocking the jumbo triangular pencils as a replacement for the Berol Handhugger Pencils which unfortunately have been discontinued by the manufacturer and are pleased that they have been as popular among our customers.

Several customers with older children who still require a triangular pencil commented on the thickness of the jumbo triangular pencils which led us to look at other options and we are now pleased to stock the slim triangular pencils. These slim triangular pencils are preferred by the Handwriting Interest Group and are ideal for writing and drawing activities - they have a standard thickness break-resistant HB lead.

Case Study Requests

I have some friends who are writing a book about how to look after your relationship when your child has special needs and they are in need of people to complete questionnaires and be case-studies. Here is the full request if you feel that you can help them:

Antonia Chitty and Victoria Hill are looking for parents to help with their research for a book is about how to look after your relationship when your child has special needs.

If you have had a baby (without special needs) in the last few years, we have a short questionnaire to help us find out about the impact of having a baby on parent's relationships. Please email mail@antoniachitty.co.uk with BABY in the title.

If you have a baby or child WITH special needs, we want the book to be packed full of case studies of parents talking about their experiences, good and bad, and how parenting a child with special needs has impacted on their lives. If you don't mind sharing what you have been through, to help other parents, please email mail@antoniachitty.co.uk with SEN in the title.

Thank you very much for your help: we hope this book will be a really useful resource in a neglected area.

I hope that you can help!

2 - Two Little Dicky Birds

For the second of our number rhyme posts we are featuring the rhyme 'Two Little Dicky Birds'. This is a very short and simple rhyme - if you don't already know it, here are the words;

Two little dicky birds sat on a wall,
One named Peter, One named Paul,
Fly away Peter, Fly away Paul,
Come back Peter, Come back Paul.

Some activity and learning ideas based on this rhyme - looking at the number two, birds, walls, and the entire rhyme are featured here:

The Number 2
Now we've got past one we can start counting - 1,2! Again play with number bean bags , foam / magnetic numbers and number flashcards / number fans to learn to recognise the number and practice drawing / painting or chalking the number two.

It is also a good place to start to look at teaching children quantities in relation to the number - so look for things that come in pairs; for example, socks, shoes and gloves or just collect groups of two objects - two teddies, two cups, two toy cups etc,

The Birds
There are many activities involving birds.

Firstly spend time looking in your garden or a local park - see how many birds you can see, older children might enjoy identifying magpies, pigeons, sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, bluetits etc. You could also look at what birds eat and start having a bird table in your garden so you can feed the birds.

Draw or colour pictures of the birds you see - there is a FREE bird colouring page available at Littlesheep Learning (drawn as a robin but could easily coloured as a sparrow, bluetit, blackbird or whatever takes your fancy!).

The Wall
Build walls using different types of bricks - Lego, wooden blocks, cardboard boxes or anything else you can think of! Look at the overlapping pattern needed to stop your wall falling down.

Look at house bricks and make rubbings using paper and wax crayons.

Use a wooden block, a Lego brick or a sponge to paint a wall - dip your item into the paint and then print the bricks onto your paper - don't forget to make the bricks overlap!

The Rhyme
The rhyme is a very simple finger play - teach your children the following actions;

Two little dicky birds sat on a wall [use the index fingers on each hand to bend and flex like bobbing birds]
One named Peter [wiggle left hand finger], One named Paul [wiggle right hand finger],
Fly away Peter [put left hand behind back], Fly away Paul [put right hand behind back],
Come back Peter [bring back left hand / finger], Come back Paul [bring back left hand / finger].

Also, enact the rhyme by covering a small box with the brick rubbings / printing and stick two bird pictures on cardboard tubes and move them on and off the wall (you could use finger puppet birds if you have them).

Or just make a Two Little Dicky Birds collage by making a wall of your printed bricks / brick rubbings and sticking two bird pictures on the top.

Customer Feedback

As always it's lovely to get feedback from Littlesheep Learning's customers - I arrived back from a weekend away to an e-mail from a recent customer with this feedback:

"I just wanted to say what a brilliant service you provide. Being emailed the status of the order is a fab idea. The goods were received within a few days which is great."

Feedback like this makes it all worthwhile!

Do let us know what you think about our services or add your reviews of our products to the site.

Carnival of Family Life

This week Littlesheep Learning has had a one of our blog posts accepted into this week's Carnival of Family Life - check out this Carnival for lots of exciting links.

If you didn't already know a Blog Carnival is a blog community with Blog Carnivals typically consisting of a collection of links pointing to blog articles on a particular topic or theme. They are like a magazine; with a title (topic), editors (weekly hosts), contributors, and an audience. Each edition is itself a blog article that consists of the links to all the contributions submitted, often accompanied by commentary, remarks and/or opinion offered by the editor (host). As the title suggests, the Carnival of Family Life features family-related articles on a weekly basis.

Blog carnivals are great for discovering other blogs you might find interesting - if you have a family related blog, why don't you consider submitting your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Family Life.

Number 1 - Hickory Dickory Dock

Hickory Dickory Dock is a popular nursery rhyme that contains the number one so it seems a good place to start for this series of number posts.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the rhyme it goes like this:

Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one (DONG!)
The mouse ran down
Hickory Dickory Dock (tick tock tick tock)

There are lots of activities that you can do using this rhyme as a theme. You can focus on the number one, the mouse or the clock. Here are some ideas for you:

The Number 1
Obviously as this is the first number we don't need to practice counting up to 1 but it's a good place to mention that counting and number recognition starts here! Play with number bean bags , foam / magnetic numbers and number flashcards / number fans to learn to recognise the number. Draw / paint / chalk the number one - as a straight line down it's also one of the easiest numbers to learn to write.

The Mouse
Make a finger mouse puppet - make a cone from a piece of card and add ears, eyes, a tail and whiskers. Talk about mice generally - what noise do they make, where do they live, what do they like to eat etc.

The Clock
Make a pretend clock - use a paper plate or a circle of card to make the clock face, write on the numbers, make some hands to turn using some card (don’t forget the minute hand is longer than the hour hand) and attach them with a paper fastener. Look out for clocks - how many different ones can you spot?

Check out the range of telling the time items available at Littlesheep Learning if your child is older and interested in learning more about the the time.

The Rhyme
Attach your pretend clock to a box and make a grandfather clock and use your mouse finger puppet to act out the rhyme.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five - Stay and Play with Numbers

I thought I'd do another series of posts based on the Stay and Play sessions I have recently attended with my children. Last term the sessions were based around numbers so this series of posts will be looking at number songs and rhymes - I hope you find it useful and get some great ideas to share numbers, counting and other numeracy skills with your children.

Reading

I've just been reading a report about some research into the role of dads in bedtime reading by the National Year of Reading.

According to their research less than half of dads (42%) say they regularly read bedtime stories to their children, while mums are twice as likely (76%) to do so, despite bedtime reading being one of the best ways of establishing the reading habit in children. The main barrier (58%) cited by dads was work pressures including stress and long hours, while a lack of confidence meant one in ten felt the role was better suited to mums.

The study of over 2,000 adults was conducted by the National Year of Reading and YouGov as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the pressures dads face and the impact this has on children’s reading habits.

39% of dads think a better work / life balance would help them read more to their children
33% of dads think employers should do more to help parents read to their kids

A recent report conducted by the National Literacy Trust also found that while three-quarters of children said their mum encouraged them to read, only half said the same of their dad. Sadly, nearly a quarter of pupils stated that no-one in their family encouraged them to read.

Honor Wilson-Fletcher, Director of the National Year of Reading, said:
“Reading has never been more important, but we know boys lag far behind girls when it comes to reading. Boys need to see their dads enjoying reading if they are to become readers themselves as they grow up. Football programmes, blogs, newspapers and sports magazines are just as valuable reading as fairy tales. Reading is the best private investment you can make in your child’s education, it’s free and makes you feel like the best parent on earth. Just spending ten minutes a day reading something you enjoy with your children can make a real difference.”

Secretary of State for Schools, Children and Families Ed Balls said:
“Reading opens doors to everything in life, from applying to jobs to enjoying your favourite hobbies. Getting your children - both boys and girls – to be passionate about reading is something all parents can do. Reading to your children for ten minutes at bedtime is the best way of improving our kids’ chances when they get to school.”

The National Year of Reading is calling on all large employers to make their workplaces more reader-friendly. There are a host of simple, practical challenges for businesses including:

• Turn old smoking rooms into a staff reading area
• Adopt-a-book for all staff to share
• Create a book swap shelf for children’s books at work
• Encourage staff to join a library
• Encourage night shift workers to pre-record bedtime stories for their children

For more information about the Year of Reading, and to find out more about how your business can support reading both at work and at home, visit: http://www.yearofreading.org.uk

New Articles!

I've written another article for Treehugger Mums, this article is about the use of puppets to support children’s learning and how to make some of your own.

There is also a new article at Littlesheep Learning. This article is the first in a series of new articles looking at Self-Help / Independent Living Skills. The Dressing Skills article is full of helpful information and tips to help you help your child learn to be indpendent in the task of dressing themselves.

Our top suggestions for encouraging your child to learn dressing skills are:

Start with simple clothes without fastenings, for example jogging bottoms and t-shirts.

And Keep it fun - using teaching aids such as the Fabric Skills Book.

I hope you find these articles useful.

Spring Competition

Enter Littlesheep Learning's Spring Competition to win a set of 10 in the Bed Song Mitts.

Designed to fit an adult’s hand, song teaching mitts are perfect for using with young children and will provide hours of fun. This pair of glove puppets feature the popular counting song '10 in a bed' will help children join in the rhyme and learn counting skills.

To enter, simply email us the answer this question about one of the products sold in our shop:

What number is shown on the dice?

Competition closes at midnight on 18th May. See our Competitions page for full terms and conditions.

April's Special Offers

To celebrate the winning entry in our 'Write a Review' Competition this month's special offer at

Littlesheep Learning means you can save a third off the RRP for all the Usborne First Experiences books. Unfortunately stocks of some titles are getting low so this offer is only available whilst stocks last - check out your order today!

The collection of First Experiences stories, are fantastic for introducing young children to situations they might find themselves in for the first time. They feature Stephen Cartwright's illustrations full of things for children to look at, learn from and talk about.

Competition Winner - 'Write a Review' Competition

The winner of a copy our 'Write a Review' Competition is Stephanie, who wins a copy of The Usborne Book of Everyday Words for her review of review of the Going to the Hospital book from the First Experiences series.

Stephanie says:

"I have bought a few of these books because I do find they help my son before a new situation. He had to go into hospital for a little operation and this book helped him know what was going to happen and what to expect."

Rating: ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]