Today the children went down the road to the beach to do the Voar Redd Up.
They found lots of sweetie wrappers and lots of net but really not a lot of rubbish to collect which is great news for the community.
As part of our ‘Changes’ IDL learning the children loved the activities around lifecycles and metamorphosis. It all started with a visit to our school pond when we spotted several frogs.
The children worked in groups to create a 3D collage of a pond showing the different stages fo the lifecycle of a frog. it was lovely to see them collaborating and supporting each other with this.
The final ponds looked fantastic……..
As part of their learning about lifecycles they discussed the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly. It was so much fun learning this through drama.
These are the eggs!
Out of the eggs hatch the little caterpillars
The chrysalis/cocoon/pupa hangs while the caterpillar transforms inside.
The butterflies emerge from the cocoons, dry their wings and fly away.
Then they lay eggs!
The children are learning about what is ‘On Our Doorstep’ this term so every Monday we are heading out to explore.
Our first trip out was down to Taing beach.
During each trip out the children have a little challenge or activity to do in mixed age groups of four pupils. For this first visit the children had to collect 10 shells each and work together to create a design.
it was great to see the pupils of different ages working together on this task.
The children have been having fun learning about length. The Primary 1’s created these flowers and talked about longer, shorter, taller, tallest, smaller etc. Lots of great discussions and vocabulary used.
They used their ‘magic sticks’ to compare the size of objects outdoors.
All the children used different body parts to measure objects eg. ‘heel to toe’ steps, and handspans. They loved doing this and got good at estimating their answers before actually measuring to check.
The Primary 2’s used different units to measure objects in the classroom and outdoors. They then went on to learn about metres and half metres.
They worked in pairs to create a snake which was exactly 1 metre long.
The primary 1’s showed their buddies how to measure objects using their sticks and the p7’s recorded the answers.
They have had fun using the playdough to make long and short worms.
Go Furt means get outdoors………It was a chilly 3 or 4 degrees on Friday morning but the children were still keen to get outside to build shelters and play together.
We will be heading out every Friday to make the most of our wonderful outdoor space at Whiteness. There is a shed full of loose parts which the children use to develop so many important skills including problem solving, cooperation, teamwork, etc.
It is fantastic seeing them having so much fun together and there imaginations are just the best!
It was great to see the children dressed up as all different characters or wearing their pyjamas to school last week.
It was also wonderful to see how enthusiastic they were about stories and books.
During Buddying time they got to share some of their favourite books with their buddies and draw some favourite characters together.
Today the children came to school dressed in red and learned a little bit about Comic Relief and the fundraising they do.
it was lots of fun playing games and doing activities that the p7 pupils had planned.
In the afternoon they watched as the p7’s got a soaking in the stocks followed my Miss McLoed and Mrs Colclough.
There have been visits from local babies Daniel, Kit and Orla this year so it has been great to chat about how the children have changed since they were babies.
They love playing with the babies in the role play area of the classroom and are very good at looking after them.
It was great fun to chat about and compare all the things they can do now that they couldn’t when they were babies.
Thy have also been learning about the different parts of their bodies and about how they will continue to grow and change as they get older.
The children worked in pairs to create a kite using a variety of materials. Lots of skills were being developed through this activity – for example collaboration, co-operation, problem solving, listening etc.
The wind was blowing so it was great to go and test the kites. The children soon found out that in order to fly the kites well they had to work together.
The children were excited to get back out to the polycrub and have a think about what they are going to be planting this year. The raised beds are all ready and the water butts are full.
The primary 1’s have been completing lots of different games, puzzles and practical activities to learn about the numbers to 20.
They can count, sequence, order and sort all these numbers using lots of different materials.
They have also been learning about addition and subtraction, again with lots of practical resources and games as well as using technology.
As part of our topic the children listened to the fable about the Wind and the Sun. They acted out the different parts of the story.
The primary ones made books sequencing the story.
The primary 2’s wrote the story, remembering all the different parts. Below are two examples of the p2’s writing. They all did so well.
This term the children are enjoying African Drumming lessons with Joy. Lots of concentration and confidence building going on in these classes.
As well as drumming the children learn about the drums and where they come from. There is also time for lots of games, dancing and singing during the lessons.
Today was the start of the swimming lessons with Mr Kirkness at Scalloway Pool.
The children did so well listening to instructions and following all the new routines. Everyone had a great time in the pool.
There is also time for snack at the poolside and also a bit of spelling, reading and maths. It is a very busy morning for the children.
The children worked in mixed groups to make rain gauges to measure rainfall.
They then had to find a suitable position outdoors to place their rain gauge and dig a hole to place it in to keep it stable.
There was a lot of excitement around the pond as they all spotted our very large resident frog!
We will go out at regular intervals to check on the rainfall and record the results in class.
The primary 1’s are making amazing progress with their reading and writing. There are not so many photos to show as literacy time is so busy – but here are a few examples of some of the resources they have been using to practice their blending of sounds.
It was great to meet Chloe who shared lots of songs, rhymes and stories with the children. They were all so excited and engaged and really enjoyed joining in and having a go with the puppets and actions.
The primary 2’s never received their Read, Write and Count bags before Christmas so Chloe sorted that and they arrived yesterday. We will look at them in class this week, and try out the resources and ideas and the children will them home at the end of the week.
There was a lot of love in p1/2 this week. The children did a great job of making Valentines cards for loved ones at home.
The primary 1’s love their buddying time in school and made these little guys together during their session this week.
They have also had the freedom to be creative in the craft and modelling area and have made some of their own creations for loved ones there.
The children measured, cracked, poured, mixed and got all the ingredients combined to make a perfect pancake (dropped scones) mix.
The children learned how to look for the bubbles in the cooking pancake mix to know when to turn it. While the pancakes were cooking they all had a go at tossing a pancake in the air- great fun!
At snacktime the children chose their favourite topping and enjoyed their pancake day treat.
