Sample Week: Lesson 1
Healthy Animals
OBJECTIVES:
To notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults.
To find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air).
To ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
To observe closely, using simple equipment.
RESOURCES:
Babies and adults matching game Download Babies and adults matching game | Question Aids Download Question Aids | Card | Glue | Baby dolls and baby equipment for child to explore
VOCABULARY:
food | like | dislike | favourite | label
What to Get Ready
Today your child will be learning about being a parent.
If possible, invite friends who are pregnant or with babies or toddlers to visit you or to video call. If this is not possible, your child could ask you questions about your own experience.
Introduction
Start today’s lesson by asking your child what their earliest memory is.
How have they changed from what they are like now?
New Learning
Play the Babies and adults matching game Download Babies and adults matching game from the resources with your child.
When you have played it for a little while, ask your child to stick the images in pairs onto card.
While they are doing this activity, ask questions such as, ‘What do you notice about the babies and adults?’
Look at one pair at a time and ask, ‘What are the similarities and differences? Does anything surprise you? Why do some babies look different to their parents?’ (Some change environment as they grow, like tadpoles or ladybird babies.)
Explain that humans are animals too, and that we produce babies, as do the animals in the game.
If you have arranged for friends with babies or toddlers to visit, tell your child that they are coming to answer questions about their babies and young children. If you don’t have visitors, explain that you, as a parent, will be happy to be interviewed by your child.
Say, ‘We are going to think like real scientists. We will be talking to each other, asking lots of questions about babies and children and trying to find the answers, just like scientists do.’
Practical
Show your child the Question Aids Download Question Aids from the resources which will help them to think of questions for the visitors or for you.
Give your child time to think on their own, as well as giving them the opportunity of asking you for ideas.
Ask them to consider:
- Do my questions sound polite?
- Will the answer be useful to me?
When you are satisfied that the questions are both appropriate and useful, organise a line-up for your child so they know in what order they can ask their questions.
Remind them to look the visitors in the eye when asking the questions – and to listen to the answers! When the children ask their questions, write down the answers for them so they don't have to write but can concentrate on listening.
Consolidate
When they have finished, ask your child to thank your visitors, or to thank you, for co-operating in the interview and for being very helpful.
Together, look at the answers you made notes about and ask your child what they learned - and if there was anything surprising that they found out.
Ask your child to review their questions by asking:
- Were the questions useful to you?
- Have you gathered the answers you were looking for?
- Are there any questions you now realise you should have asked?
If it is possible, tell them you will pass on those questions to the visitors later, by email or video calling, for example.
At the end of the lesson, give your child time to role play with dolls and any baby equipment (bottle, blankets, for example).