New Milton Advertiser 2nd Oct 2020

Friday 2nd October 2020 · 31

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Every day is a learning day - getting it right for your child

Milford-on-Sea C of E Primary School Loving learning outside!

explore and appreciate the great outdoors and to really look, listen and feel nature. As part of our programme, we study British Coastal Wildlife – shells, seaweed, plants, fish, migratory birds and other animals. Sustainabil- ity and protection of our oceans is a fundamental part of what we teach. Pupils carry out a beach clean each time we visit and record and catego- rise the waste we find. The beach is an inspirational place to take other curriculum subjects. It is a great location to be creative and you will often see our pupils drawing, painting, taking photographs and writing poetry. The success of Forest and Beach School has led us to learn outside across the whole curriculum. We encourage teachers to take children out of the classroom for lessons and every topic has a curriculum visit linked to it, including visits to Fish- bourne Roman Villa, Sea City Muse- um and Stonehenge to name a few. At Milford-on-Sea C of E Primary School we believe the world is a won- derful and precious place - so let’s use it, protect it and enjoy learning outside!

acorns, leaves and conkers. Count, describe, investigate and play with them. Observe the changing seasons, play a game of ‘I Spy’ during a walk in the woods. • Make time and space for family mealtimes. Switch the television and other electrical devices off and eat together at a table. • With less of a hurry to be somewhere, use the time to encourage independence. Encourage your child to put their own shoes on, feed themselves using a knife and fork, learn to fasten their coat and perhaps even walk for a while longer without being carried. Parents often worry that they don’t have the knowledge to support their children with their learning. If you are not sure how you can help, please ask us. We are here to help, and we under- stand that a strong partnership between home and school helps everyone get it right for your child. However, research shows that you can make a big differ- ence to your child’s progress just by showing an interest in their work and encouraging them. You don’t always need to know the answers!

By Claire Holly, Head of Pre- Prep at Walhampton A lthough the children are back at school and en- joying learning with their teachers, we are well aware that it feels different for parents this year. Drop-off and pick-up pro- cedures have changed, there are less resources being shared between home and school, and we are all living with the uncer- tainty of whether we will need to isolate for short or long periods. I know that some parents are also anxious about how best to support their child emotionally and with their learning. I want to reassure you that you are al- ready teaching your child many of the skills they need, just by being with them. The time your child spends with you and the family is essentially all learning time. COVID-19 has given us all chal- lenges to deal with, but there are some silver linings if we look for them. With social lives cur- tailed and work hours changed, there could be an opportunity to reinvest time in your family. Here are our tips for support- ing your child through this au- tumn and winter: • Our own happiness and emotional well-being are as important as that of our children. Go easy on yourself,

A t Milford-on-Sea C of E Primary School we love to learn out- doors whatever the weather. As an extension of the classroom, it has many wonderful benefits for Pupils in YR to Y4 attend Forest School, led by our fully qualified prac- titioner. Each session takes place in ‘Little Wood’ and begins and ends with a campfire gathering where everyone shares their learning. Children acquire life skills such as fire safety, tying knots, constructing rope swings, whittling and an appre- ciation of nature with pond dipping and bug hotels. Children actively risk assess and are creative in their play whilst enjoying the natural surround- ings. Activities, such as the mud kitch- en, allow children to use skills from maths and science, as they measure and talk about cooking processes to make some marvellous mud meals! Working as part of a team they learn sound social skills and diplomacy. The freedom of learning outside helps develop attributes that are not always possible to achieve in the classroom. This sense of freedom is proven to have a positive impact on mental health and learning attitudes. children’s learning. Forest school

Beach School At Milford-on-Sea we make the most of our seaside location! As one of the only schools to offer a Beach School provision on Dorset/Hamp- shire coastline, pupils in Y5/6 take their learning to the beach led by our fully qualified practitioner. In a busy life, Beach School allows children time to stop and pause, to

if your bucket is empty you cannot give meaningfully to your children. We are juggling a lot right now and perfect is often impossible, doing our best is enough. • Children are barometers of our mood and feelings. It is normal to be feeling the strain at the moment and we must try to show our children how to deal with stress and resolve disagreements in a healthy way. • Changes to our normal routines can be difficult for children who do not understand why we need to do things differently. Every behaviour from our children is amessage and is often their way of telling us something. They may be feeling a range of emotions but talking about their feelings and concerns is healthy and will help their development. In school we have been using the book ‘The Colour Monster’ to help the children to identify and regulate their feelings and emotions.

• A flexible approach is important for everyone’s sake and sanity – if things are not going according to plan – change direction! • Time spent with our children doesn’t need to be elaborate or take great swathes of time out of our day. The three most important ways to support your child are simply to ‘chat, play and read’ with them. On a car journey you can talk about what you see around you, during bath time you can sing a song, at the weekend try dusting off the board games and try to spend some time each day reading together. • Get outside as much as you can. Even in the rain; it is never the weather, only the clothing. Children are naturally curious and need to explore their world. They do not need expensive toys – there are lots of different everyday objects and natural materials for them to investigate on your doorstep. Collect autumn treasures;

www.walhampton.com

Open Morning 9th October, 9am - 12pm

WALHAMPTON SCHOOL, LYMINGTON, HAMPSHIRE SO41 5ZG. Independent co-educational preparatory day, flexi and full-time boarding school, ages 2-13. Contact the school Registrar 01590 613303 or email registrar@walhampton.com