Willowbank School, KilmarnockThe Bluebells have been enjoying learning about life on a Scottish Island through Katie Morag stories. Today we learned about how people travel from an island to the mainland using a boat. We created our own foil boats and used a fan to make them sail across the water in our tuff tray. We enjoyed a little competitive boat race against our friends.
To help celebrate Robert Burns and all about Scotland, the Snowdrops have been participating in lots of Scottish themed activities. Some of the Snowdrops have been learning about 2d shapes and made a thistle using triangles, a circle and a rectangle. Some also made a handprint mouse in honour of Burns’ poem ‘To A Mouse’. The Snowdrops showed interest in lots of Scottish items as we went through the Scottish alphabet. ‘H’ for ‘highland coo’ was a firm favourite! The Snowsdrops also had the chance to dress in a kilt and experience some traditional Scottish foods. Opinions were mixed on the haggis, neeps and tatties!
The Bluebells have enjoyed learning about activities that happen during a traditional Scottish Highland Games. We took turns trying out some of the activities. We tossed the caber, threw the hammer, played tug of war, threw the wellie and our favourite was hurling the haggis.
Well hasn’t this weather been wild!!!
Again, I think we have had every possible weather – some times all in one day!!!
In my back garden I found a piece of ice about the size of a small surf board!! And my neighbours made the cutest Snowman, about 6cm high and sitting on their wall. Have any of you spotted anything exciting when you have been out?
In Scotland we have loads of words to describe the weather, and we like to talk about the weather a lot! Do you know what these weather words mean – Dreich, Drookit, Smirr, Lashing and Haar?? Do you know any others?
Numeracy 
Now the Scottish weather is going to continue to be mixed for this week and into the next, so there are two suggestions for Numeracy this week.
Firstly make a weather chart (or we will email you one out) and record what the weather is like and adding up after 7 days, how many days have been rainy, snowy, windy ….or sunny!
Secondly, counting games in class we really do enjoy Dominoes, Snakes and Ladders and also Bingo – keep counting as you go – remember no cheating!!
Literacy
The books we are going to recommend this week are –
There was a wee Lassie who swallowed a Midgie
Now this story is being read by the Heart and Mind Clowns and the Pine Class loved the Clowns.
Which animal was your favourite?
Read by Elaine C. Smith – which is great!! Were there any words you hadn’t heard before? Or any you thought were really funny?
Couple of Scottish Movie choices for this week, what about ‘Brave’ and ‘The Water Horse Legend of the Deep’.
Lets do some Signing 
Now do you recognise the person reading this poem???
Ye canny shove yer Granny aff a bus
with the Singing Hands.
Arts and Crafts 
What about creating a sensory plate of Haggis, for this craft activity you need:
Or create you own Loch Ness Monster – we would love to see photos of your creations.
Porridge is great for sensory play. Put some in a tub add some plastic cups and other objects, this is a great way to do our hand exercises, filling and pouring. You can add some water and let it soak for some messy play or what about making Porridge Play dough. Below is a link for lots of ideas for Sensory and Messy Play using porridge.
Music and Movement 
Well to start us of, instead of ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’, lets see how confused we all get with this version.
Heids, shooders, knaps and taes
Now a class favourite is the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, especially with the boys (sometimes they just need a rest from Frozen!)
Cookery 
Well did anyone have Haggis this week?
There are lots of different Scottish foods you could try, clottie dumpling, tablet, black pudding, cock-a-leekie soup, flat sausage and irn bru.
Below is a wee link for Shortbread, you could help weigh and measure and mix up all the ingredients. The raw mixture is nice to touch, help flatten it with your hands and grip and squeeze it all together – great hand exercises.
Well have a lovely week Pinettes.
Love The Pine Ladies
xxx
Literacy
Learn about Scotland and living on an island by watching Katie Morag on iPlayer – what episode did you watch? Did you enjoy it?
Have a look at this clip where Katie Morag is playing pooh sticks. Have you played pooh sticks before? Did you like it? When you are on a walk you could have a go and play pooh sticks too. Video – Katie Morag – pooh sticks
Now have some fun doing the Shooglie Wooglie. This a clip from Scottish Book Trust doing the Scottish version of the Hokey Cokey. Have fun and hopefully you learn some Scottish words for different body parts.
Numeracy
Our theme this term is Scottish castles can you use kitchen roll tubes to create castles. Places a different number on each castle you make. Then you can play a game, placing the correct number of straws or pencils inside the numbered castle – you could even add flags to the top of each straw/pencil. Have fun. 
You could also get help from someone in your family to draw a castle with a number on it and place the correct number of toys on top on the castle drawing. You could also create a number line. Draw a castle with battlements then use a toy character to count to 10 and back again moving him along the battlements.
Health and Wellbeing
Put on your own mini Highland games in your house.
Toss the caber – use a cardboard tube for this.
Hammer throw – use a cushion and see who can throw it the furthest.
Catch the Haggis – use a bean bag or a sponge or even an orange. How many times can you catch it before it drops?
Art
Have a look online at different tartan designs. Then have a go of making your own tartan. This can be made drawing lines with pencils, pens or crayons. You could even get messy and use paint. Or you could cut or tear paper into strips creating you own design by sticking them to a piece of paper.
Well Happy New Year Pine Class – different start to the New Year from what we had hoped!!!
There is a pack with different activities – you can pick and choose the bits you want to do or do it all – remember we love to see your photos and lovely art work.
While Wilson and Logan were in the Beech Room last term they heard the lovely Mrs Wilson reading the story Spinderella to some of the class during Numeracy – what a great story for counting!!! So for this we are going to base all our activities on Spinderella ….and Spiders!!!!
Who likes SPIDERS???
LOGAN is not a fan – used to be really scared, but she loves the Spinderella Story.
SHIELDS only likes tarantulas!!!!!
WILSON is the Spider Catcher – no squashing spiders on her watch -Joan the Janitor comes to get her when there is one in the school!
BOYLE is fine with them as long as they aren’t too close, but loves how they can spin their magic webs.
Spider’s Web are very impressive indeed, check out the link below.
Natural History Museum – Spider’s Webs
Literacy – Click on the Link below to hear the Story of Spinderella
Spinderella is a spider that wants to learn to count, and enjoys a game of Football!
Well did you like this story?
Think this might be a new favourite Numeracy Story in the Pine Room.
Some more Numeracy – concentrating on the number 8 – like the legs of a spider!!
Click the Link below for a story – watch the waves and the shapes.
Okay – time for some signing!
So let’s join the Singing Hands for some Incy Wincy Spider – click on the Link below.
Arts and Crafts
What about making a spider hand print? Below is a Link to the site Messy Little Monsters – this is a really good web site with loads of good art activities.
Below is a Link to a lovely wee Spider Story – if you like it there are lots more episodes.
Spider! Episode 1 – Spider in the Bath
Some spider information from the BBC Bitesize Science Site 
Cookery
Can you help make a spidery treat??
Oh! think we need to do some singing and dancing – ready…1,2,3…go!!!
Now this Term we should have been studying our Scottish Topic – so we will add a Scottish Inspirational Spider Story.
Robert the Bruce and the Spider
So have you changed you mind about Spiders???
Now please send in a photo of a SPIDER – it could be one you have made….or one you have found!!!!
Take care Pinettes
Love
The Pine Ladies
Monday was St Andrew’s Day. The boys listened to a story and looked at pictures on the board. We then made a Scotland flag using tissue paper and cotton wool. We also used cars to create a lovely tartan picture. They were confident individuals dipping the wheels in the paint and rolling them across the paper to create their very own tartan design. We also used crayons to follow the lines on on our pencil control worksheets. We listened to some Scottish music which we were not keen on.
We have been trying to make different Scottish foods throughout our theme, and today we enjoyed making and trying Scotch pancakes.
We measured out the ingredients and mixed everything together before being very confident individuals and trying what we had made.
We have been trying to increase our independence through using the iPad to follow visual recipes, and to check what ingredients to add next.
Today we had fun exploring different Scottish traditions and created our own tartan using strips of coloured paper.
We were confident individuals trying to independently cut, glue and stick the paper.
Our new theme is based around Scotland. We have been reading Hamish McHaggis and the great Glasgow treasure hunt. We then matched images from the book. They included places like Pollock park, Kelvingrove Museum and Riverside Museum, It was great fun. We looked at each of these places and the different things we would see if we went there.
