School days – gymnastics and learning lines
This week’s School Days has been a little more relaxed than normal, in part due to N being more interested in the books he’s brought home. Phew, it was getting hard work previously. Oh, and obviously there’s a bank holiday which is always exciting for children to remember they’ve an extra day off.
Gymnastics
N’s school are really good at providing external coaches to come in for specialist lessons. The coaches rotate around the classes at different points in the year, and the sports change as well. For N’s year, it all kicked in after Christmas and they’ve already done football, dance, drama, tennis, and this week they’ve had gymnastics.
According to the newsletter there will be a yoga session although I’m not sure that applies to N’s class, or whether it’s all incorporated into the normal sessions.
N said he enjoyed the gymnastics. I imagined old school gym climbing up ropes, jumping over boxes and mat work, but as far as I could understand, he learnt a backwards roll. Well, maybe. N can do a forward roll (if a little lopsided), but did proclaim that backwards rolls are really difficult. I can only imagine a whole class of 4 and 5 year olds rolling all over the place!
The funniest comment was when N told me that his teacher does gymnastics at home. Ok. So I’m not sure where he got that from, but maybe he does. Or maybe it was gym and yoga, and it was the yoga practised by the teacher?
Exercises
It’s definitely noticeable how easily mouldable N is with anything he hears at school (shame, it doesn’t work at home). Quite often he’ll make a comment how he’s going off to practise his exercises, and how doing certain activities are exercise. Although the other weekend he went for a bike ride and commented that he’d have to do his exercises another time. He obviously didn’t understand that riding his bike was exercise as well as fun.
Bad Lad
We seem to have had a bit of a breakthrough with reading books. This week N had a more interesting book brought home for him to read, still Phonics Bugs books, but it was about a naughty boy ‘Bad Lad’. I’ve never seen N so animated about one of his reading books. It was more of a proper story, he was laughing at the naughty boy, asking questions about the book, pictures and characters, and happily read it each day. Result. And he got some good comments in his reading journal after reading to one of the mums who goes in to read with them.
We now have a different book again, but it looks like it might be up a level – we’ve gone from 8 pages to 12. And again, there was only minor moaning about reading it. It’s hard getting him to learn and remember his words he knows without sounding them out, but he seems to be getting more confident. Hopefully the stories will get more interesting and continue grabbing his interest.
Money
N loves counting his money from his money box and I’m trying to encourage him to learn the actual values but he’s not keen. Instead he told me they’ve been counting money at school. I’m not sure it’s quite what I was trying to teach him when he explained they’ve been counting 1p, 2p, 3, 4p. Ah, just counting the number of coins not the actual values.
‘No mummy, the actual money is a 3p and 4p’
‘It can’t be, there’s only a 1p and 2p’
‘There is, Mr H says’. Hmm, think he’s getting a little confused there.
Learning lines
N’s class assembly is rapidly approaching and each child has 2 lines to say which they came home with in an envelope to practise.
I used to do a lot of readings in church and school as a child, so I reckoned I’d be able to help N make his voice heard. I’m not sure he’s going to be audible given how quiet he gets after saying the first word!
He remembers the lines better than I do when I’m testing him, so hopefully he won’t freeze when he has to say them on his own in front of the school and his class’ parents. I will make sure I’m there, although he did ask why Daddy couldn’t come, then noted
‘Because he has to work?’
‘Yes, although I’m sure if he would think about it, he could take the time off. He just doesn’t’. Grr, to the fact that it’s not noted that I also have to work but will make the effort to work from home, so I can make up the extra 20 minutes or so to get there.
It will be interesting to watch (I hope), although this summer term is going to be hard to manage with all the assemblies, sports days and other sessions that he’d like me to go to.
Onto the #SchoolDays linky
I love how much you support him with his learning. I think he’ll get the hang of values of money soon, he sounds like a really bright young man
Selectively bright I think. Similar to his hearing! Everything needs to be when he wants to do it, but not very helpful with school. Thanks for stopping by Zena
Eliza wants to do gymnastics but the closest her school does is cheerleading. Sounds like he is doing well at school
Cheerleading sounds fun – bit more dancey possibly, but unusual to do that
Awww bless him, I really want to get my little ones into gymnastics.. I did it from the age of 4 until 16 and loved it, and she’s already showing signs of wanting to do it too. Xx
It’s probably in the genes then. It probably feels natural for her if you show an interest too. That’s what i’m hoping with music and tennis for N!
Ooh this is such a lovely post – sounds like a busy week with gymnastics, money counting and reading! Yes, not sure what the 3p and 4p is about… I can’t imagine they’d just count the coins at school rather than the monetary value – what would that be teaching them? Hope the assembly goes well!
Thanks. We’ve had a session learning coins the other day at home thanks to him permanently wanting to get his money out of his piggy bank. Maybe it’ll sink in a bit more now.
Aww, bless! It is amazing to see them grow from little toddlers to little children ready to take on everything. Good luck with the assembly.
How great that N’s school offer a wide range of physical activities, I’d have loved to have had more variety as a child, sadly PE wasn’t a big thing in our school, apart from a run around the hall…
I love that the school are doing various sports activities, I think it’s important to try and get kids into exercise early x
It’s great that he’s making progress with his reading – finding the book engaging is half the battle! I hope the assembly is good too. I’ve been to a few as a governor and they’re cute, but a bit boring if I’m totally honest. I expect it will be different when it’s my own child I’m going to see though. 🙂
You’re right. I’m sure the rest of the assembly may be a little tedious for what’s probably only about 10 minutes of their class but it’s the first assembly I’ve been able to make so should be sweet.
I can sympathise with his confusion over money! When I was in Infant school my teacher told me to bring her “Thruppence”. I had never heard the term and uncertainly brought her back some coins. “NO! Thruppence! Bring me thruppence.” Again I tried but again it was wrong. I think the teacher thought I was being deliberately obtuse as she snapped “thruppence, you silly girl. Go and get it!” I brought the entire box that time. I can remember this whole thing but I don’t know what happened after that.
It is hard once slang comes into play. We’ve been practising coins this evening because he was yet again playing with the money from his piggy bank. He’s getting there with them, but by tomorrow he’ll probably have forgotten.
My nephew is obsessed with counting money and even more so exchanging it for notes, which he seems to do very successfully x
Haha yes N riding your bike does count as exercise! I love that he is doing so well with his reading too!
Hi Ana, I’m so relieved it seems to be going better now. Just shows how little break can impact it, and how quickly they can progress if they just focus on it better!
I remember when my eldest was younger she use to love counting money, she would spend ages counting the money in the penny jar. Gymnastics sounds good, I hope they have activities like these when my little girl starts school next year x
Sounds like I was too. I used to love being the swimming monitor at primary because I’d get to count everyone’s 30ps in.
We home educate our kids but its nice to hear of schools doing so much variety and fun things and that your little one enjoys it
Thanks Marie. I think we’re very lucky with such a small school having these opportunities for the kids.
I remember my Daughter coming home from school saying they are doing yoga, I asked if I could go and join in as well x
Oh how lovely to have found a story that really engages him – it makes all the difference doesn’t it!
It really does. These longer books are more like stories and less repetitive with longer words he has to work at more, but they’re certainly engaging him more. They’re only level 1+ or 2 so not complicated at all.
It’s lovely to hear that N is making so much progress. T’s school is the same, they do introduce different things to their students. I think there was something like an introductory class to taekwando to whoever wanted to try it 😉
It’s a great idea. Especially as it’s a really small school and we can’t get to clubs during the week due to work and after school club, so good to give them the chance to try things within the school day where possible.
I love reading about N did in school as I get to see a glimpse of someone else the same age as Z. Z is so mouldable at school too. He came home the other day and told me he was giving up chocolate for Lent!! He doesn’t even like chocolate :). Numbers are a big thing for him this month and his reading books have suddenly increased in page size too which I guess is good news on the reading front. Next term they are being introduced to their year 1 teacher. Can’t believe it’s going so fast!!
Glad you like reading these. I like reading about others at the same stage too. It’s interesting to see the norm and what others do around the country.
Lol to Lent and chocolate. N’s school is CofE but I don’t think he even mentioned Lent, although they did do the Easter story.
Crikey, seems so quick that they’re going to be in year 1. Although I think N will still be in the same class next year as Y1 gets split in their school.