Here's another home idea.

Kia Ora All,

How much work you do with your child over the next few weeks is, of course, entirely a family decision. You should not push yourself to achieve learning tasks with your child if it causes you stress. In saying that, having a bit of a focus to the day might make entertaining kids a bit easier so here are some suggestions:

• Have your child read daily - with a bit of luck you have a selection of books at home. If not, I'm in the process of locating some good online ideas. I reckon 20-30 minutes daily, for most kids, is realistic. Let me know if you have concerns around this though and I'll do what I can to assist.
• Read to them daily - I'm reading Olive Stories of the Wild West Gang by Joy Cowley, which is going down well. 
• Keeping a diary or writing a story is a good idea.
• Maths Buddy is a good maths resource. Your child could do a few sessions a week - perhaps completing a lesson per session if you're trying to keep screen time to a minimum.
• I'll send out ideas via the blog to supplement the above. I encourage students and parents to visit the blog regularly and post comments. If we get enough people making an effort in this area, it'll be a nice way of staying connected and seeing what we're all up to. To that end, here's today's task:

Draw A Map

At 12.01 am on your birthday you receive a phone call from your much loved but extremely eccentric Nana (who also happens to be incredibly wealthy). She tells you that she's giving you an island of your own just off the coast of New Zealand. Your task is to draw a map of your island (I recommend A3 sized paper or even bigger if you have it). 

• You must include colour (coloured pencil looks best)
• Compass markings
• You must have at least 5 major landmarks on your island e.g., a forest, mountains, volcano, haunted cave, buried treasure etc. More landmarks are encouraged.
• Your island must have a name
• Include labels showing what the landmarks are

When you have drawn a map of your island, I encourage you to send a photo of the map to me so that I can post it on the blog. You might also like to do a short video telling us all about your island while showing us your map. I will post work that's sent to me on the blog and I encourage everyone to check back and leave comments saying what you like about other people's work. Siblings from other classes and parents are highly encouraged to contribute their own maps. 

Rock On,

Mr M