Talking for Fun
Developing a child's oral language and vocabulary is very important so that they can express themselves and communicate with those around them. Talking for Fun involves parents coming into their child's class, one day a week for 4 weeks and playing some simple talking games with a small group of children. The children love to see their parents coming into the classroom to help the teacher and we have great fun!
Developing a child's oral language and vocabulary is very important so that they can express themselves and communicate with those around them. Talking for Fun involves parents coming into their child's class, one day a week for 4 weeks and playing some simple talking games with a small group of children. The children love to see their parents coming into the classroom to help the teacher and we have great fun!
Storysacks
A Story Sack involves parents/caregivers of children under the age of six choosing two books for their child, a story book and also a fact or non-fiction book related to the theme of the story. The parent then decorates a bag - the "Sack" - with the name of the story book applied to the front and they then create a background with relevant props to bring the book to life for the child. A game (e.g. flash cards, board game, or jigsaw) is also made, relating to the storybook to give the book another dimension. These props help the parent and the child to bring the story to life and encourage conversation and vocabulary building around the story. The fact, or non-fiction, book is used to bring learning about the "real" world into the conversations and learning for the child.
All of these different elements are then placed in the bag, and the Story Sack is complete. The parent presents the Story Sack as a gift to the child and shares the contents with them.
Story Sacks is a lovely, enjoyable course. It aims to encourage parents to read and tell stories to their children and to develop and nurture a love for reading. It also aims to help parents to recognise their role as their child's first and most important teacher. Children, too, can put new value on learning if the parent is seen to enjoy the process.
This course is run in conjunction with Lána from Youngballymun and all materials are provided free of charge. Storysacks will start this year on Wednesday 16th of March for 6 weeks. Please contact Siobhan if you are interested.
A Story Sack involves parents/caregivers of children under the age of six choosing two books for their child, a story book and also a fact or non-fiction book related to the theme of the story. The parent then decorates a bag - the "Sack" - with the name of the story book applied to the front and they then create a background with relevant props to bring the book to life for the child. A game (e.g. flash cards, board game, or jigsaw) is also made, relating to the storybook to give the book another dimension. These props help the parent and the child to bring the story to life and encourage conversation and vocabulary building around the story. The fact, or non-fiction, book is used to bring learning about the "real" world into the conversations and learning for the child.
All of these different elements are then placed in the bag, and the Story Sack is complete. The parent presents the Story Sack as a gift to the child and shares the contents with them.
Story Sacks is a lovely, enjoyable course. It aims to encourage parents to read and tell stories to their children and to develop and nurture a love for reading. It also aims to help parents to recognise their role as their child's first and most important teacher. Children, too, can put new value on learning if the parent is seen to enjoy the process.
This course is run in conjunction with Lána from Youngballymun and all materials are provided free of charge. Storysacks will start this year on Wednesday 16th of March for 6 weeks. Please contact Siobhan if you are interested.
Maths for Fun
This involves parents coming into the classroom and playing Maths board games with children. Games include number bingo, clock bingo, a pizza fraction game, tanagrams, shopping games, dominoes and playing cards. It is a fun and lively way for children to engage with Maths concepts, helped by our parent volunteers.
This involves parents coming into the classroom and playing Maths board games with children. Games include number bingo, clock bingo, a pizza fraction game, tanagrams, shopping games, dominoes and playing cards. It is a fun and lively way for children to engage with Maths concepts, helped by our parent volunteers.
