It was great to see so many parents in school last Friday. The children loved sharing their learning and showing them around the classroom and the school. I think everyone got dragged along the ‘Kindness Trail’ which the children have loved this term. The art work throughout the school is amazing and the children are very proud of their pieces.
The children have been learning about how much containers can hold. The Primary 1’s started off by figuring out which containers holds more/ holds less by pouring and filling different sizes tubs, bottles etc.
All the children practised measuring the volume of different containers using non standard units. They counted how many cupfulls the different containers held.
The older children moved on to using litres to measure the size of the containers.
The children have recently been learning about measuring length. They loved being outdoor with their ‘friendly sticks’ to practice using the correct mathematical language of longer, shorter, etc.
They worked well with partners to use non-standard units to measure some larger lengths…………
…..and some smaller lengths……
The Primary 2’s moved on to measuring lengths in metres and half metres. They also worked together to make an underwater display of one metre long fish, with a few smaller half metre ones swimming along too.
The children have been finding lots of insects and minibeasts in the School Wildlife Garden. They used the magnifiers to look closely at them and watch how they moved.
The school pond also has a couple of resident frogs and lots of tadpoles. There were also other water beetles and insects around the water.
Back in class the children have been learning about different minibeast and insects. They have been doing some research about them during writing lessons and learning how to label diagrams.
They used oil pastels to create this amazing wall display.
Last term the children were learning about fractions. Their favourite activity was making toast! They had to then cut up their toast and put toppings on their halves and quarters. There was lots of discussion about making fractions equal sized as well as lots of chat about their favourite toppings.
It was lovely to welcome lots of Grandparents into the school and classroom again. The children were so delighted to be able to share their learning and show them what they love doing at school.
The primary 1/2 class are the Eco-Committee for this term. They shared their plan in assembly last week of how they were going to involve the whole school in planting and growing their own food in the Polycrub this year.
Each class have been given a section of the polycrub to be responsible for planting in. There is also a rota for watering and looking after the plants throughout the term.
There have been lots planted already – tatties, peas, radishes, carrots, lettuce, beetroot, to name a few.
The children have also planted sunflower seeds and tomatoes in little pots which will need careful looking after and re-potting oncce they grow a little bit.
Each class is responsible for not only looking after the plants but keeping the polycrub tidy and organised for the next class or group of children who come in.
it is also a great space outdoors at Whiteness Primary to play. The children took a break from planting to work on their teamwork skills and have a lot of fun on the hill.
The children, and staff had so much fun on World Book Day. So many great character costumes and books were brought in.
They loved listening to stories, acting out stories, reading and making books.
They painted their own book covers and wrote stories inside. They loved using their favourite stories to help. So much excitement and enthusiasm for reading- it was so lovely to see,
The children loved the story of the Hickory Dickory Dock Clock and set to work creating their own versions.
Their clock needed tp have numbers, hands, switches and passcodes to work. The final Clocks were great and the children loved showing them to the class.
Many of the children wrote about their clocks and how they had made them.
The children had a great time today exploring and playing with the new resources ready for them in the classroom.
The vets area was really popular and the children worked together to plan out what they would need in the vets to look after the animals.
They collaborated and worked well together to build the train set. It was great to listen to their conversations and how they shared their ideas. The children also loved investigating the snow and ice in the water tray.
Lots of great vocabulary and science going on.
They spent part of the day outdoors, making the most of the snow. It was amazing to see the friendships, teamwork, problem solving and creativity going on. They had so much fun.
Just before they headed back indoors it was time for a photo with their igloo and snowman.
The children have been learning about the numbers from 0 to 100. There have been lots of practical activities, games, paired work and online activities to support their learning.
They have all done so well and are always keen to work hard in class. We are lucky to have such an amazing selection of resources to practise number skills in so many different ways,
The children have had great fun learning about 2D and 3D shapes this term. They have had lots of opportunities to familiarise themselves with the shapes through practical activities both indoors and outdoors.
There have been lots of conversations about the faces, corners and names of the new shapes. They have enjoyed finding examples of these shapes in the environment.
The Primary 1’s and their school buddies get together every week. They have been learning about dates and months in class and created these beautiful birthday cakes to pop their birthday candles in. they are absolutely beautiful and really brighten up the school corridor.
The children arrived back at school today and were delighted with a bit of Halloween fun in and around the classroom.
Many of the children loved the dressing up and Witch’s kitchen area.
During art they followed instructions well and made little pumpkin collages.
It was such a nice morning that the class went out and did a scavenger hunt for spooky images hidden around the school grounds.
In the afternoon they listened to a story and all took part in Drawing Club.
In between times there was practical maths lessons and reading activities so a very busy first day back.
The p1/2 children have been the school’s STEM committee this term so they set a challenge to the pupils in the whole of primary. The children presented the task to the older children and provided them with the resources required.
The children were put into mixed age groups of 5-6 pupils. They were given a set of materials and had to work together to create a paper chain. There was a time limit and limited resources.
There were prizes for the longest chain and for the team who demonstrated the best ‘teamwork’. It was amazing to see how the children collaborated and shared out the different jobs within their groups.
The final chains were laid out and measured against each other to find the winner.
The Primary One children have been learning the letter formations this term. This begins as a character in a story, a little rhyme, some creativity and lots of practise.
For number 1, the children made penguins like the character in the story. This was great for practising those scissor skills and listening to instructions.
For number 2 the children made little nest models with two eggs made of plasticine, they also had two feathers for tickling each other like the character in the story. They worked with a partner to collect outdoor objects (two of each) and create a picture together.
Number 3 was a butterfly so the children added lots of ‘3 things’ to their pictures
For number 4 the children made these beautiful peacocks and learned a few facts about them.
Number 5 was a jumpy kangaroo so the children made jumps out of lego. Great for their fine motor skills.
For number 6 they used 6 sticks to make their own shapes and designs. They also used plasticine to make a swamp scene with 6 snakes, 6 rocks etc. This was a great opportunity for communication for collaboration.
Number 7 is a giraffe with 7 little birds on his back, 7 spots, 7 leaves etc.
For number 8 the children made spiders with 8 bendy legs and spider webs with 8 ‘spokes’ and 8 flies on their paper collage.
They also used plasticine to make ball shaped spider bodies and strengthen those little hands. Matchsticks were used as legs.
Number 9 was great fun practising in the shaving foam.
Tiger 10 was a favourite and the children made masks. They all had ten whiskers.
As part of our IDL this term the children have been finding out about items from the past. We got a selection of items from the Lerwick Museum to investigate which were fascinating.
There were lots of opportunities for discussion, investigation and figuring out what some of the items were.
They particularly loved the old typewriter. They got to try and type some messages and loved the mechanical element of it.
They made their own typewriters in art with Miss Whelan and decided what the paper would have typed on it as it came out of the top.
They had great fun learning how listening to music has changed over the years. The record player was great for listening to and swaying to some Bing Crosby tunes. They also looked at cassette tapes and CD’s which some of the children had seen before.
They practised drawing and cutting circles to make their own records for display in the classroom.
Ms Sinclair also brought in an old gramophone and gave a demonstration of how to work it. The children got a chnce to wind up the handle to get the turntable moving. There were some scottish dance tunes to dance to this time.
They loved hearing about how watching TV has changed over the years with limited channels and black and white images. They made their own old style TV’s and made themselves the stars of the show.
The children were so excited heading out on the bus to Voxter Woods for the morning.
Being in the trees was so much fun. There were swings, balancing ropes, a saddle swing and a zip line to play on. The children were really good at taking turns and helping each other on these.
There were trees to climb, dens to build or add to, bugs to investigate and lots of places to explore. What a fantastic place for children to exxperience.
They had snack in amongst the trees.
We all went to the top of the hill and got a class photo before heading back to the bus.
By the time we got to the Soft Play in Voe it was time for lunch. The children enjoyed their packed lunches which the school had provided.
The children spent the afternoon playing with their friends in the Soft play. There was so much to do and they never stopped.
There were some very tired bairns on the way back to school on the bus, but what a great day out.
The children have started learning the sounds and formations of some letters this term. As well as learning with songs, stories, speedy skills and actions there are many other ways they practice these in class.
For ‘s’ they also had a go at making ‘s’ shapes with spaghetti and cutting out snakes which they covered with lots of s’s.
There are always visuals available for them to use and a roll-and-write card with a little ball on it which shows them the correct formations. Ellis is practicing ‘a’ below.
T was for tea! and what fun they had making tea.
They use the interactive whiteboard to practise formations and play games. They also use sand, little whiteboards, chalk, shaving foam etc. Lots of different opportunities to keep them engaged and enthusiastic.
For ‘i’ we got out the ink and lots of different stamps. They really enjoyed turning their pictures into works of art.
They practise recognising the letters and matching them to the initial sounds of words.
The children practised ‘p’ in many different ways. It is a tricky one to master but they really enjoyed opportunities for using ‘p’ words while using petals to make perfume.
The children get a focused loose parts and outdoor play session on Friday mornings. The water trays with pipes, half pipes, containers and connecting parts are always popular. The skills the children demonstrate here are fantastic.
They also learn how to climb and play safely in the trees together.
Imaginative play outdoors creates so many opportunities for developing social skills. it is particularly important for developing and establishing new friendships amongst the children.
