Useful Resources & Activities
Below you will find a number of useful resources and activities you can do with your child whilst at home.
Stories and Music Links
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For stories and Music Sessions with Redcliffe Staff, Please click here! Redcliffe Nursery School Youtube Channel Please feel free to listen to our stories and videos available on our channel.
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Children's Stories Read Aloud Diverse Children's stories read by Children
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Bookstart Youtube Playlist Have a listen to some of your favourite authors read you their books, while the pages come to life before your eyes.
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Book Start HomeTime for children aged 5 and under We’ve put together some fun stories and activities to help keep you and your child entertained when you’re at home.
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The Colour Monster - Facebook Link One day, Colour Monster wakes up feeling very confused. His emotions are all over the place; he feels angry, happy, calm, sad and scared all at once! To help him, a little girl shows him what each feeling means through colour. What is the Colour Monster feeling? And can you help him feel a little less mixed up? A gentle exploration of feelings for young and old alike.
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I Don't Want To Wash My Hands read by Tony Ross If you've a Little Princess (or Prince) who doesn't want to wash their hands then here's the legendary Tony Ross to read his classic story to them and explain why it's so important.
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Stickman read by Axel Scheffler Axel Scheffler reads aloud from Stick Man, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
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We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Read by Michael Rosen Michael Rosen performs We're Going on a Bear Hunt
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SingingHandsUK Learn more about how to sign with Makaton for users of all ages! We have everything from nursery rhymes, stories and games through to pop songs for older learners! Here you'll find clips from our range of DVDs, weekly #MakatonMonday signing clips and footage from live shows and educational concerts plus footage of some of our little (and not-so-little friends) who enjoy signing with Makaton too.
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Makaton Signing with Singing Hands and Out of the Ark Music We have collaborated with leading children's Music publisher Out of the Ark Music to bring you five of their songs now with Makaton signing. We hope you enjoy signing along!
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Dear Zoo Bring stories to life for toddlers with these brilliant video books and activities, for hours of booky fun. In this video, enjoy the story of Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell.
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Where Are You, Blue Kangaroo? (The Big Little Book Corner) Bring stories to life for toddlers with these brilliant video books and activities, for hours of booky fun. In this video, enjoy the story of Where Are You, Blue Kangaroo? by Emma Chichester Clark.
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Colours: With Characters From Acorn Wood (The Big Little Book Corner) Bring stories to life for toddlers with these brilliant video books and activities, for hours of booky fun. In this video, learn about colour with the characters from Acorn Wood by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
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Tales From Acorn Wood: Postman Bear (The Big Little Book Corner) Bring stories to life for toddlers with these brilliant video books and activities, for hours of booky fun. In this video, enjoy the story of Postman Bear, from Acorn Wood by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Video content (c) Macmillan Children's Books 2020. Find out more about the Acorn Wood books here: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/...
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Tales From Acorn Wood: Hide and Seek Pig (The Big Little Book Corner) Bring stories to life for toddlers with these brilliant video books and activities, for hours of booky fun. In this video, enjoy the story of Hide And Seek Pig, from Acorn Wood by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
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Ladybird Sing-along Rhymes: Five Little Ducks (The Big Little Book Corner) ring stories to life for toddlers with these brilliant video books and activities, for hours of booky fun.
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Ladybird Sing-along Rhymes: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Big Little Book Corner) Bring stories to life for toddlers with these brilliant video books and activities, for hours of booky fun.
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Ladybird Sing-along Rhymes: Five in the Bed (Big Little Book Corner) Bring stories to life for toddlers with these brilliant video books and activities, for hours of booky fun.
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Books Alive! Children's Stories Read Aloud.
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Time for Stories Under 5's Playlist 7 Authors reading their stories.
Elefantasy - a story written and illustrated by a member of staff for children in her family and the children at Redcliffe Nursery School
A book about Staying Home by SALLY NICHOLLS VIVIANE SCHWARZ
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The Tiger Who Came to Tea - Channel 4 - limited time available - Channel 4 have made many videos available ‘On Demand’ that you could watch together as a family. The most popular video that people are enjoying is ‘The Tiger Who came to Tea’ as written by Judith Kerr
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Olivier Jeffers I have been reading my books and talking how I made them. We are all at home, but none of us are alone.
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Bill the Music Man - Facebook Page Bill will be live at 10.30am for half an hour every Wednesday
Animal, Nature, Outdoor and Space related links
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Chester Zoo - Virtual Zoo day LIVE VIRTUAL ZOO
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Identify Trees, Birds, Plants and Minibeasts in your garden or local green space Woodland Trust Activities
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African Animals Live Webcam Explore LIVECAMS - All over the world - Free live webcams
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San Diego Zoo Live Cams From Hippos to Penguins
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Georgia Aquarium Webcam Indoor Pacific Barrier Reef Camera
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Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights Explore LIVECAMS - All over the world - Free live webcams
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Muddy Faces - Outdoor Hub The Outdoor Hub is a massive FREE resource filled with activities, information and events to support you to get outdoors. Connecting to the elements, nature and each other has incredible positive health and wellbeing benefits.
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RSPB Bird song identifier But wouldn't it be great to identify a bird just from its song alone? To help, we've created a bird song ID playlist with some of the common birds you'll find in and around your garden or local area.
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RSPB - Bird Watch Big Garden Birdwatch is a great way to boost your mood in January. Count the birds that land in your garden or park, or on your balcony. Ignore any birds that are still in flight
Garden Bird Watch Sheet - downloadable & Printable
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National Geographic - Animals This is where you’ll discover fun (and furry!) animal facts about our planet’s incredible wildlife. From majestic mammals and soaring birds to super sea creatures and curious creepy crawlies – it’s an animal lover’s dream! Discover rare and unusual species, brilliant bears, fierce felines, awesome reptiles and incredible marine life, just to name a few. Learn animal facts about habitat, behaviour, speed and appetite (beware, the great white shark!) and most importantly, discover the threats that many of these amazing animals face today.
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National Geographic Discover Animals, Science, History and Geography
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NASA Images and Video Gallery
Physical Activity Links
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PE With Joe Keep fit at home with Joe. Fun workouts for children.
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The Ballet Coach ballet classes for all ages as well as fun & imaginative ballet story videos for children to practice dance at home. My aim is to keep us all dancing from our living rooms and help children build self-confidence, creativity and increase their physical activity through dance.
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Cosmic Kids Yoga Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation for kids. Interactive adventures which build strength, balance and confidence - and get kids into yoga and mindfulness early!
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Gympanzees - The Inclusive Activity Centre Our vision at Gympanzees is that every disabled child and young person in the UK can enjoy a life filled with exercise, play and friendship.
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Boogie Beebies Children's music programme. A chance for viewers to dance with Nat and Pete
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Tumble Tots Active Physical Play Programme for Children Aged 6 Months - 7 Years.
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Spectrum Bristol Bears Community Foundation The Spectrum Project aims to increase and develop SEND provision in the areas of sport, leisure and personal development through tailored programs, within special schools and with other specialist providers. Spectrum targets service users with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across Greater Bristol. Service users experience a wide range of needs, including: • Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) • Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) • Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) • Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) • Hearing Impaired and Deaf Disability is not inability - we just like finding new ways to do things! #FunFunFun
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Flamingo Chicks inclusive active-learning dance classes for disabled children! These first-of-their kind virtual classes will help keep disabled children moving during lockdown and are inclusive to a wide range of needs. Everyone can join in!
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Active Learning Virtual Workshop Our unique active-learning online sessions unite STEM with dance and are delivered in partnership with Flamingo Chicks CIO
Maths Resources
How many...
Join Hugo with reading a poem and seeing how many things you can count.
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Number Blocks This is a educational website that has been created by the BBC where children are able to sing along to various videos surrounding numbers. These videos have been created by many mathematicians in UK.
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Hungry Little Minds Simple, fun activities for kids, from newborn to five
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Cbeebies help your child with Maths Give your child a head start in Maths: everything parents need to know about Numeracy development from 0-6 with fun activities you can build into everyday life and play
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Supporting the learning of mathematics at home Mathematics matters. Developing an understanding of mathematical concepts when we are young is essential, and children’s early mathematical understanding is strongly associated with their later school achievement
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Maths Activities for Ages 3-5 A collection from our Early Years Foundation Stage activities which are suitable for parents and children to explore at home together. We hope you enjoy being mathematical as a family!
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Early Years Foundation Stage Activities Welcome to our set of EYFS activities. We have designed these, in partnership with our Early Years Practitioner Partners, to support you in developing the initial building blocks for mathematical thinking, reasoning and problem solving with your children.
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Counting: With Characters From Acorn Wood (The Big Little Book Corner) Bring stories to life for toddlers with these brilliant video books and activities, for hours of booky fun. In this video, learn about counting with the characters from Acorn Wood by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Video content (c) Macmillan Children's Books 2020. Find out more about the Acorn Wood books here: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/...
Food & Recipe Links
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BBC Food - Jo Ingleby Recipes Jo is a chef, artist and cookery teacher. She teaches vegetarian cookery at Demuth's Cookery School in Bath, and is the chef-in-residence at the Redcliffe Children's Centre in Bristol, as part the food and creativity project for pre-school children.
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The Children's Kitchen Tasty, Family Recipes
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Change 4 Life - Meals and activities to do as a family Easy ways to eat well and move more
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Healthy family recipes Planning and cooking healthy family meals can seem like a big task. But with these simple recipes you'll find it much easier to prepare quick, balanced meals.
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The Nomster Chef Recipe Library Illustrated recipe picture books that get kid chefs excited about cooking
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CBeebies My World Kitchen Talented young cooks take over the kitchen and celebrate their heritage by cooking some very special recipes. We find out where these dishes and ingredients come from along the way.
Activities and Resources
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Home Learning Resources Out of tricky times can come some amazing opportunities. Many families are at home with their children when usually they would be at school, nursery or with a childminder. This resource is here to offer some support for parents, teachers and practitioners who need ideas and guidance about stay at home learning for children aged 0-5 years.
Pine Cone Animals and Smelly Playdough Making Activities


- Making play-dough together: be creative with this! You could add food colouring to change the way it looks or add food essences to change the way it smells. In nursery we often use peppermint, lemon or orange essence which has been very popular. A very simple recipe is… Mix together 2 cups of plain flour,1 cup of salt and 1 cup of boiling water. There are lots of other recipes you could explore together online.
- Water-play: this can be in the bath, in your garden or using your everyday washing up bowl. All you need is a few empty bottles or pots, or some bubbles!
- Ball games (where appropriate): use your outdoor space.
- Making reading resources available for your children to freely use. This could be a time where you have a more focused time together.
- Arts and crafts activities- using what you have available in your home to enable your children the opportunity to be creative. You could use paper, pens, paint and chalk to create some wonderful pieces of art work. Or even raid your recycling box and do some junk modelling!
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If you are healthy and able to leave your home, it is very important to go for walks together. This can provide a break in your day and allow your children to let off some built up energy. It is also an opportunity for you to get some well deserved fresh air! If you have smaller and quieter parks near you, make the most of them and encourage activities such as bug hunting and outdoor art. You could use sticks, mud and loose feathers to create wonderful pieces of art work.
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FREE Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler Home Learning Packs Is your child a fan of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s wonderful picture books? Now you can download a range of home learning activity packs to complete as your read the books!
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Literacy Trust Our parent-facing site Words for Life provides milestones, tips, fun resources and advice to help parents support their children’s literacy development.
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Twinkl School Closure Remote Learning Free Resources
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Little Owls FREE & FUN Printable LEARNING Activities, Games, Displays FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
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EYFS Home - Daily Activities for 3-5 year olds A free, daily set of activities for 3-5 year-olds linked to the English Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) educational programmes
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PlayThings Loose Parts Play in Good Times and Bad
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Pintrest This is a social media website and mobile App that is available for anyone to use. All you need is a valid email address. This is a brilliant community where members of the public post their ideas and activities that they do with their children both at home and at school.
Supporting Children's Communication Links
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Tiny Happy People Tiny Happy People is here to help you develop your child's communication skills. Explore our simple activities and play ideas and find out about their amazing early development.
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Tiny Happy People - Stay connected with friends and family Video calls with kids, letters, phone calls... creative ways to help your child stay connected with friends and family
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Family Resources - Early Years Looking for ideas to support your 2–4-year-old’s communication skills? Check out these expert but fun and friendly guides, designed for parents, carers and the whole family. For further ideas take a look at the Department for Education's Hungry Little Mind's initiative.
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I Can Home-based activities for toddlers and young children Home-based activities for toddlers and young children
Support Links
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FREE AUTISM RESOURCES I wanted to pull together the free resources that I already have so they are easily accessible. I hope that you find something useful here and do let me know if you have ideas that you would like to see added in the future:
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Woman's Aid Chat hours are Monday to Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-12:00pm
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NSPCC Advice and Support for Parents and Carers
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Supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities Advice for parents and carers on supporting SEND children during coronavirus (COVID-19).
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Parents Action for Children Concerned about Covid-19? You’re not alone. We’ve pooled practical advice on everything from family life to home schooling.
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Every Mind Matters - NHS Support on a wide range of areas
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Advice to parents and carers on keeping children safe from abuse and harm This guidance brings together sources of information about the main risks children may be particularly vulnerable to during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and signposts you to help and support available.
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Bristol Mind Our emotional support helpline MindLine is running an extended service during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and is now open 7 nights a week, 7pm-11pm.
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Bristol Mind Youtube Channel We're Bristol Mind, a mental health charity. We're here to make sure that people who have a mental health problem have somewhere to turn for advice and support.
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Young Minds Supporting your child during the coronavirus pandemic Tips, advice and where to get support for your child's mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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Bristol Early Years Out of tricky times can come some amazing opportunities. Families everywhere are at home with their children when usually they would be at school, nursery or with a childminder. This resource is here to offer some support for parents, teachers and practitioners who need ideas and guidance about early learning for children aged 0-5 years.
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Speech and Language Therapy - Youtube Channel Aimed at supporting speech and language development in early years