Newsletter: Monday, 14th Dec 09

Clare Family Learning Project Newsletter

Date: Monday 14th December
www.clarefamilylearning.org

Winter Newsletter 2009.
What's new in our work?
1. Bilingual Storybags
2. Irish Storybags
3. Sewing for the family which is very popular
4. Fun 4 Health Dads and children programme. Lots of fun activities e.g.
senses games.
5. Updating Family Learning Guide: have you any updates for the FL programmes in Ireland publication? Changes of contact person, telephone numbers, email addresses, new programmes delivered this year? Please contact me before Christmas with details as we will update it in the New Year. Find blank sheet attached. [Email removed]. Save this sheet to your computer, complete it, save again and then attach as an email.

New ideas!
6. Parents and children could have a literacy and numeracy walk from home to school.
7. Better support for parents on their child's move from preschool into primary school.
8. Develop a booklet/scrapbook for your child called All about me: add bit about the family relatives, family tree, which countries/area parents are from etc. Idea suggested by Elaine Hooper, Millstreet, Co. Cork. Can be used in FL FETAC modules.
9. Also suggested: Do up a flier about what is on offer in your local Family Learning Programme and drop into parent and toddler groups/crches locally.
10. Get an ICT class to create a newsletter for parents from their own existing knowledge of what is available to parents locally.
11. Playing games for maths e.g. use bridge/card games with young teenagers
12. American raps for maths online versions. Google for a variety of maths topics
13. Set up a market co-op e.g. fruit and vegetables. Learners estimate costs, profits, sales etc.
14. Many cultures make life work have a culture day in your centre.
15. Growing together parent and child gardening. Can use containers if no land available.

Good websites to support family learning work
16. www.makingbooks.com Lots of ideas and images of books that are easy to make.
17. For a really good resource on rhymes and songs from around the world use http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=eh .
18. Very useful sheets and 2 minutes film on how to do the new subtraction on www.ncca.ie . Click on Information for Parents, then click on 5th item down.
19. Free numeracy worksheets to support parents who want to help their primary school child with Maths at http://www.skillsheets1.freeserve.co.uk/ Scroll down to free sample pages.
20. Changing the way we teach Maths by Kate Nonesuch 2006. Canada.Visit
http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/mathman/mathman.pdf
21. Step into learning. A UK based initiative to help staff and managers working in early years and childcare to identify parents and carers who might have literacy difficulities, to signpost them to local supports. http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/socialinclusion/earlyyears/stepintolearningpractice.html
22. Learning Skills LF 2492 and Home Study Skills LF 2493, family learning Level 3 FETAC modules now online on www.fetac.ie. Click on Awards across the top, Scroll down and click List of Current Certificates and Components, then click on Level 3 Components. Learning Skills is on page one, Home Study Skills is on second page. These are now under FETAC so no need to contact Clare FL project if you use them.
23. Digital stories can be used with parents to record family events/outings, music and voice while a written script can be also added. You need a relatively new computer to download the free Photo Story package. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx

Research findings
24. Effective and inclusive practices in family literacy, language and numeracy. A Practitioner Handbook David Mallows Institute of Education/NRDC 2008. A full version of this report is available on www.cfbt.com (Centre for British Teachers)
25. http://www.niace.org.uk/lifelonglearninginquiry/docs/IFLL-Sector-Paper9.pdf
The impact of learning as a family: a model for the 21st century
23. http://www.familyandparenting.org/familyTrends Scroll down to find useful facts from report can be included in any funding proposal especially for fathers.
24. Report on child literacy and social inclusion 2009 is available at www.nesf.ie click on above title under Latest News on the upper right of the page. It mentions family learning/literacy as an example of best practice literacy support for children outside of school.




Clare Family Learning Project would like to wish all our wonderful family learning friends
around the country and beyond
a veryMerry Christmas
and a Happy New Year.

Best of luck with all your family learning plans for 2010


Please complete this update form for Family Learning Programmes in Ireland if there have been any changes during the past year. Thank you.


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