13th April 2020 - 3

Hi Everyone,

Happy Easter

I hope you have had a good week and are enjoying this beautiful weather.

As always, thank you for taking the time to answer my telephone calls. I love chatting to you and

your children. It’s good to hear what you have all been doing. It sounds like everyone is embracing

technology by face timing family and friends. I’ve had to get a few lessons from my son Zac to face

time my family. It’s a brilliant way to keep in contact with the outside world. You don’t feel so

isolated.

I have been working from home as I have been self-isolating for 21 days. In that time I have learnt

how to play Dungeons and Dragons with my family using Skype, painted a giant rainbow, got my

roller blades out, started the couch to 5k though I’ve had more rest days then running days, joined in

with Jo Wicks, had yoga lessons over zoom (needed another lesson on how to work that app) and

discovered the Disney channel. Any recommendations for Disney films please let me know!

Mrs Lewis has continued to work at school looking after our key children. If you have been checking

in with Instagram you will see she has been very busy making Penguins, Easter Rabbits, Mod Roc

Creatures and lots more. When she isn’t working she has been on her daily walk with Miss Lewis

and has enjoyed seeing some of you from a safe distance. She is also going to spend time in her

garden this weekend. I know she loves to read while drinking a good cup of tea.

I can imagine over the next few weeks the novelty of being at home for your children will begin to

wear off. They may start to become tired, argumentative, fed up, sad and even bored. Please don’t

be disheartened, this is natural they are missing their family, friends, the routine of school and being

able to go out and play. Remember you are doing an amazing job in a very difficult time. If you need

help, advice on school work and wellbeing or need someone to talk too, please contact me via my

email address or Mr Bessant on mrjsclosure@millrythe-jun.hants.sch.uk

Thrive Approach’s Week 4 timetable is attached and I have also included activities that you might be

interested in and the next Breathing Pose.

Reminder: Thrive Approach has a Group Facebook page that you can join. You can find and share

ideas and activities. It’s called: Thrive Approach – supporting the community to weather the storm

Happy Easter, relax and enjoy this time with your children. I will speak to you all again on Friday.

Be Safe, Take Care and Be Kind to yourselves.

Sarah Hodgson

Thrive Lead

Buzzing Bee Breathe

Buzzing bee breath is a yoga breath called ‘brahmari’ from the Sanskrit for a humming black bee. Bee breathing will give you the chance to focus on your breathing and help you to relax.

How to do the Bee Breath Pose Bee Pose for Parents and Carers

Start by finding a comfortable place to sit

Relax your shoulders. To do this it is often easier to imagine you are increasing the distance between your ears and your shoulders. Let your shoulders move downwards and slightly backwards but be careful not to force this movement. Breathe normally and close your eyes.

Keeping your lips lightly sealed, breathe in through your nose and then breathe out making the sound of the letter ‘M’ (a humming sound), until you need to breathe in again.

The longer you sustain your ‘bee hum’, the more relaxing bee breath pose is likely to be. However, forcing the breath beyond your capacity can have the reverse effect, causing even more stress. Therefore, only do bee breathe for as long as it is comfortable.

With your eyes still closed, repeat this buzzing bee breathing pattern for a few minutes, or less. Just hum for as long as it feels good.

To make the sound feel more ‘intense’ you can put your hands over your ears whilst you do the hums.

Finally, spend a few breaths sitting quietly and seeing if you notice a change in your mood – hopefully you should be feeling calmer!

Bee Pose for your child

Now encourage your child to ‘buzz’ along with you!

Guide your child to take a deep breath in and then to make a buzzing sound like a bee ‘bzzzz!’

Once they have the idea of buzzing, see if your child can put their hands over their ears and try buzzing again. Ask your child if the buzzing seems louder or softer? Does it feel nice?

Remind your child not to do more than 3 breaths in a row, otherwise they may feel dizzy!

The benefits of Bee Breathe Pose

Increases focus and concentration

Great way to relax and bond with your child

Relieves anxiety and promotes calm

Lowers the heart rate

As with all exercise, please take care and do not force your body into anything that might cause you harm or discomfort.

.

A Poem written by Miss Harrison 4SH

One day this will be over

One day we will open our front doors And walk care free in the sunshine

Laugh with our friends And pause for a while

To watch the world go by

One day we will open our front doors Embrace the ones we love Spend time with our family

And plan for the future For the future will be ours

One day we will open our class doors And the children will flood in

Homework will be lost and found And we’ll laugh together once more

Like no time has passed at all

One day this desperate time Will be a distant memory

The world will have taken time to heal Communities will have strengthened

And strangers become friends We will have mourned the ones who left

But treasure so much more the ones who remain We will appreciate the smaller things:

(a seagull’s cry and the buzz of the bees) That get lost in the everyday hustle and bustle

We will be kinder and more patient to each other And more protective of the world

One day this will all be over And time will go so fast

For we’ll be busy making memories Memories that will last

Stay safe everyone x

Thrive activities useful for parents of children up to 7 years old – week fourThe role of the parent and carer is to support children to find out who they are and what they like to do. With this comes greater independence and responsibility, with children learning that they can still ask for help. We have put together some activities to support healthy social and emotional development through creativity, art and play. Here are some creative activities that you can use with your child age 3 to 7.

Monday Create a magic potion from what you can find around the house or garden.

Tuesday Do the 5-star breathing exercise.

Wednesday Make a collage of you! What can you find in the house or garden to make it? Upload your picture to our Facebook page.

Thursday Play the “who am I game”. Stick the name of who you are on your head and let others try and guess!

Friday Make a hideout – is it a castle or a lair? Send us a photo!

Saturday Pick 5 kind things you can do today and carry them out.

Sunday Write a story all together by adding a line each – send us your funny stories.

Top Tips: Imagination can help manage big feelings for both children and adults

It’s ok to feel frustrated as the adult when times get hard – take a deep breath and have a cuppa.

Remember – it’s ok to say no. Learning about boundaries is an important life skill

© Fronting the Challenge Projects LTD 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Family Handprints I thought this was a lovely idea. Simple to make - draw around handprints, cut and stick.

Draw a clock outside and use sticks to tell the time. Could use with the game - What’s the time for

Mr Wolf or make up your own game.

How to Make a Paper Boat

All you need is a sheet of paper letter sized or A4. Regular print paper is perfect for this project. Use as many colours as possible.

1. Start off with a sheet of paper and fold it in half downwards. 2. Fold in half again as shown on the second image (you don’t need to make the crease

from top to bottom – you just need to mark the centre). 3. Bring corners to the centre so that you get a triangle shape with a rectangle under it. 4. Fold the rectangle part under the triangle upwards (as shown with the purple spots)

– flip your origami and do the same on the other side 5. Grab the centre of the triangle shape as indicated on the first image above with the

red spot and pull both sides (holding the red spot) out. Flatten. 6. You’ll get the shape as shown on the second image above (ignore that red spot in the

left bottom corner – I have no idea how that one came there haha). 7. Fold the front layer up (as shown with the green spot) flip the origami boat to be and

do the same with the back layer. You’ll get a triangle shape. 8. Pull the sides outwards and you’ll again get the square shape as shown on the first

image bellow 9. Slowly pull the top parts outwards and you have your paper boat!

Easter Activities for Families

Egg and Spoon Race

Try this good old-fashioned outdoor game after your Easter egg hunt is over! Egg and spoon races date back to the late 1800s. All you need are eggs (hard-boiled are the least messy) and metal or wooden spoons for each participant. Race individually or relay-style.

Jelly Bean Guessing Games

Here's an easy indoor game for all ages! Simply fill a jar with jelly beans and ask each family member to guess how many candies there are. Winner (the closest without going over) takes all! Another jelly bean-themed game involves asking players to guess the correct flavour of fancy jelly beans they taste.

Read Easter and Spring Children's Books

Gather the kids and curl up with a good book, especially if Easter falls on a rainy day this year.

Plant Flowers

Easter symbolizes rebirth, so what better day to plant some tulips or daffodils with your budding gardener? Fall is technically the season to plant bulbs in most regions, but you can plant them indoors any time of year, or buy flowers already in bloom and transplant them outdoors on Easter.

Decorate an Easter Egg Tree

Here's the perfect activity for kids experiencing Christmas tree withdrawal! Decorate a tree (indoors or outside, depending on the weather) with plastic Easter eggs and any other spring decor (such as pastel ribbons or tissue paper flowers).

Make Chocolate Fondue

Encourage your kids to share their Easter loot with Mum and Dad! Melt down that giant chocolate bunny and dip those marshmallow chicks into a bubbling bowl of fondue. (Hint: This will also get your kids to consume some fruit on this sugary-sweet holiday).

Create Easter Crafts

Put the kids in charge of making adorable decor for your Easter table, or fun bunny ears or creative Easter bonnets for all your guests to wear! See below

Easter Bunny Ears

Because what kid wouldn't want to be the Easter bunny for a day?

Materials

Construction paper in white and pink Scissors Glue Stapler

Directions

1. Use white and pink construction paper to cut out bunny-ear shapes: two white and two pink, the pink being slightly smaller.

2. Glue the pink ears onto the white ears. 3. Glue the ears onto a long strip of construction paper, measure to fit your child's head, and

staple the ends together to form a headband.

Easter Egg Maracas

Rock out with these fun Easter egg maracas.

Materials

Small plastic Easter eggs Pennies, dried beans, small rocks, popcorn kernels, beads, buttons, and so on Glue gun Empty egg carton

Directions

1. Gather a variety of items to fill the plastic Easter eggs. Try pennies, dried beans, small rocks, popcorn kernels, beads, buttons — anything that will make a nice rattling noise.

2. Fill each egg with a different substance and securely glue the two pieces of the egg together. 3. Store in an egg carton. Kids will enjoy taking the eggs in and out of the carton and shaking

them to hear the different sounds they make.

For an older child, fill two eggs with each substance. Have him shake the eggs and match up the pairs by listening to the sounds they make.

Easter Bunny Mask

Materials

Paper plate Scissors Pink construction paper Glue Pink or white pipe cleaners Yarn/wool Hole punch

Directions

1. Hold the plate against your child's face and mark where the eyes and nose holes should be. 2. Cut out the holes for the eyes and nose and draw in the rest of the bunny's face. 3. Use pipe cleaners for whiskers. 4. Cut out bunny ears from pink construction paper and glue to the plate. 5. Punch a hole on each side of the plate, and attach two pieces of yarn on both sides to tie the

mask onto your little bunny's head.

Egg Carton Ducklings

Don't throw those empty egg cartons away — hatch your own family of these adorable egg carton ducklings instead!

Materials

A two-cup section from an egg carton (with the sections still attached) Glue Construction paper Scissors Feathers, beads, or other decorations

Directions

1. Bend the egg carton cups towards each other, rim to rim (making an oval shape). 2. Glue the cups together to form the duck's body. 3. Cut out a bill and feet from the construction paper.

4. Glue the feet and bill to the duckling's body. 5. Add feathers, beads for eyes, or other decorations to your ducklings!

Easter Egg Holder

Your family has decorated their Easter eggs, but how can you show them off? These egg holders make perfect little displays for your colourful masterpieces.

Materials

Empty paper towel roll Scissors Construction paper Glue Glitter or stickers for decorating

Directions

1. Cut the paper towel roll into 2-inch sections. 2. Cut strips of construction paper 2 inches wide and long enough to wrap around the paper

towel roll. 3. Glue the construction paper strips to the pieces of paper towel roll, and decorate with glitter

or stickers.

Easy Easter Baskets

Skip the preassembled baskets — this cute (and super-easy!) craft adds a personal touch to your children's Easter baskets.

Materials

One large, round margarine container (empty) Construction paper/card (at least two colours) Scissors Glue Stapler Easter grass Jelly beans, chocolate eggs, or other Easter candy

Directions

1. Cut a piece of construction paper into a rectangle that will be long enough to wrap around the outside of the margarine tub (approximately 4" x 10").

2. Fold the rectangle in half (width wise) in order to "weave" your basket. 3. Draw a line (lengthwise) an inch from the top of the open edge of the paper (opposite the

folded edge). This is your "stop cutting" line. 4. Measure and mark lines an inch apart starting at the folded edge and ending at the "stop

cutting" line. 5. Cut along the lines you just drew, up to the "stop cutting" line. Then unfold the rectangle. 6. Cut 10 four-inch strips of different coloured construction paper (1/2" x 4"). 7. Weave the strips (from top to bottom) in and out of the cuts you made in the rectangle. To

hold each strip in place, add a drop of glue at the top and bottom of each woven strip. 8. Wrap the woven rectangle around the outside of the margarine tub, and glue it in place. 9. Cut another strip of paper approximately 8 inches long (1-inch wide) for the basket's handle.

Glue the handle over top of margarine tub. 10. Your child can decorate her basket with artificial or construction paper flowers. Fill it with

Easter grass, candies, and jelly beans.

Place the basket on your dinner table where everyone will be able to see it!

Paper Plate Easter Bunny

You can make this cute little Easter bunny out of items you likely already have around your house.

Materials

Large paper plate Small paper plate Glue Stapler (optional) Pink construction paper Scissors Crayons or markers Cotton ball

Directions

1. Glue a small paper plate to a large paper plate to form the head and body of a bunny. 2. Cut out bunny ears from pink construction paper and glue or staple to the head. 3. Draw the bunny face with crayons or markers, and glue a cotton ball on the back for a tail.

Easter Bouquet

It may not be an Easter lily, exactly — but these baking-cup flowers are sure to brighten up your Easter table anyway.

Materials

Paper baking cases Scissors Pipe cleaners Glue Ribbon Glitter

Directions

1. Poke a hole with scissors or a pen through the bottom of the baking cup. 2. Stick a pipe cleaner through the hole. 3. Bend the top of the pipe cleaner over and glue into place. 4. Spread glue over the paper baking cup and decorate with glitter. 5. Bunch together four or five flowers, twisting the pipe cleaner stems together. 6. Tie with ribbon to make a springtime bouquet.

Eggshell Mosaic

After you've enjoyed your Easter eggs, recycle the colored eggshells into works of art.

Materials

Coloured eggshells Construction/card paper Crayon, pen, or marker Glue

Directions

1. On a piece of construction paper, have your child draw a simple design. 2. Fill it in with glue and add the bits of coloured eggshell. 3. If you don't have coloured eggshells available, dye your eggshells just as you would dye

hard-boiled eggs

Give a Gift Basket

Teach kids to perform a random act of kindness this Easter and put together a gift basket for an elderly relative or neighbour. Get creative with the contents to make this a more fun and meaningful activity. For example, have the kids fill plastic Easter eggs with nice notes that say things like, "You're egg-cellent!" and "Sweetest neighbour ever. Being mindful of social distancing.

Make Brunch Together

Involve your kids in the kitchen by making brunch or dessert items for your Easter feast. Keep things really easy, and buy biscuits or buns for your family to make into strawberry shortcake (by adding sliced berries and whipped cream) or hot cross buns (by marking with a cross in frosting) — two traditional favourites on Easter.