Tag Archives: core

Dancing

There have been a few sessions of traditional dance this term. The class have been learning the Grand Old Duke of York. The Circassian Circle, The Grand March and the Boston Two Step.

Lots of great listening to follow instructions and keep time to the music.

They also had a session dancing with their Buddies. The Primary 2’s got P6 buddies for the dances. It was so much fun.

Then we had a whole school dance which included the Early Years children and school staff.

Buddying

Every week the Primary 1’s meet up with their buddies in Primary 7. This is always exciting and the bairns really look forward to it. They do lots of fun things together inside and outside during this time. Below are just some of the things they have been enjoying doing together.

Parachute games

Robots with Rectangles

Plasticine Creations and Presentations

Puppets and Puppet Shows

Name Collages

Our Christmas Concert

We only managed a few rehearsals in school before the snow came and we had to close. The children were so good at listening and following instructions. They made their own props and practised songs as often as possible.

The children did so well remembering their lines and singing their songs on the big stage. It was a great experience for them performing in front of such a big audience.

Symmetry

The children have just begun a topic on symmetry and have really enjoyed the first few activities. They had fun looking at reflections and using mirrors to make pictures complete.

They worked with a partner to create a giant symmetrical design using classroom objects.

They made symmetrical body shapes with their partner.

They had great fun investigating symmetry with the little mirrors.

The children had a go at painting symmetry butterflies. They make a very colourful corner in the classroom.

They then had a go at creating their own symmetry paintings for their gallery.

Tiling in p2

The primary 2’s went outdoors to search for tiling patterns around the school. The found lots of great examples.

Back in the classroom they spent time investigating with flat shapes to see which ones tiled and which ones didn’t.

They had a go at creating their own tiling designs usisng the 2D shapes they have been learning about,

Numbers in P1/2

The primary ones have used a variety of materials to learn more about the numbers to 10.

They have been learning about adding and subtracting and loved making these addition towers.

The Primary 2’s having been learning about number bonds and how numbers can be constructed in different ways.

We still try to head outdoors to do maths when the weather allows us. Here the children were practising ‘Counting On’ skills and had to find the washing which was pegged out amongst the trees to be their starting numbers.

They have also been learning about the connection between the addition and subtraction processes and creating lots of ‘fact families’. They again use lots of different materials and different activities to practise this.

More about Autumn

This little area of the classroom is all about Autumn. The children have been thinking about all the changes that happen with this season and about animals who hibernate – focusing on hedgehogs in particular. 

They have been making little hedgehog homes\nests using the loose parts.

We have been outside again spotting signs of Autumn and having discussions about  the changes we see and things we find.

Signs of Autumn

We are very lucky at Whiteness School to have such an amazing outdoor space. The children went exploring in the wildlife garden for signs of Autumn. The noticed the fallen leaves and how the trees were changing. They looked at the different colours and found berries, seeds and seed pods.

We are looking forward to going out again and noticing more things as the seasons change.

p1/2 Assembly

The P1/2 class presented their IDL learning in a whole school assembly on Friday. They shared drawings of themselves with things they like and are good at. They had lovely drawings of their families, including some writing done on the computers.

 

 

They dressed up as what they would like to be when they grow up and showed their paintings to the rest of the school staff and children.

 

 

The paintings are on display in the classroom now.

Dying with Beetroot

The children pulled up the beetroot from the Polycrub. They washed it and chopped it and put it on to boil.

 

They cut a square of material and put it in a pan to boil with vinegar.

Once everything had boiled the beetroot was drained and the material put into the purply red juices.

This is Sophie’s instructions describing what we did.

 

Off to the Beach

We took advantage of the lovely morning and headed off for a walk to the beach. Dylan and Ross joined the class and everyone had such a super time.

The children were so curious about what they found at the beach, little whelks that ‘waved’ at them, lovely bits of pottery and seaglass(treasure), speedy crabs running side-ways, different kinds of shells and hopping creatures under stones.

They explored the rocks and the boats at the beach. They were really respectful of the environment and were aware of keeping themselves safe duiring our walk and at the beach.

Number formations in p1

The children have been practising the correct formations of numbers. They listen to stories, play outdoor and indoor games and practise writing them in sand and on whiteboards.

The children worked in groups of 2 to go out and collect lots of threes  of things. They worked really well with their partners and created lovely displays of their findings.

They are practising their counting by playing games and through lots of play and everyday activities.

They have been doing ‘speedy skills’ as part of their morning routine which is a great way to get in a little bit  more practise of how to write those numbers correctly.

last week they created Feathery Four who is the peacock in the story which is all about 4. He looks fabulous and the children were great at following instructions for making his tail feathers.

The children made jumps out of lego for Frisky 5 the kangaroo character to jump over.

The children made a swamp for Snappy Six which had 6 trees, 6 ducks, 6 rocks etc. This was great fun and  super exercise for those little fingers.

Beginning Phonics in P1

The primary 1’s love hearing their new sounds. They listen to a story, sing along to a song, play games on the whiteboard and practise formations.

They practise the letter formations in various ways including, in the sand, shaving foam, with playdough and on the whiteboards.

 

They have been doing speedy skills everyday to practise the letter formations and lots of hiding and searching games. They also have had ‘s’ for spaghetti, ‘t’ for tea to play in and ‘i’ for ink experiments.

They enjoy using the Jolly Phonics books to retell the stories and find all the things in the pictures which begin with the sounds they are learning.

I love seeing how well they are doing practising their formations at home. Lots of great ideas and support.

 

Counting in 2’s

The primary 2’s have been practising counting in 2’s. As well as counting eyes, feet, ears etc in the class they have been counting pairs of wellies, pairs of socks and finding pairs of objects to count. They practised with a partner playing clapping games and pegging up washing.

They worked together to display their items and write numbers to 20 and beyond by counting them in 2’s.

The class display looks great and they love counting the socks as they walk past.

Rocket Mole

We read the story Rocket Mole in class then the children made their own little moles to launch into space!

Initially this needed careful cutting, designing, colouring and folding to make a little cone shaped mole.

The children all listened really well to instructions and loved getting their moles as high as they could by blasting them with the plastic bottles.

Day One At School

The children had a super first day back at school and loved exploring the play provision in the classroom and shared area.

It was lovely to spend time chatting with each child to hear what they had been doing in their summer holidays and what they are looking forward to doing at school this year.

They had snack in the class and then went out to play with all the other children in the school.

After playtime they met Mr Travins the new music teacher. It was lots of fun and they sang and danced along to lots of cool songs.

We had a chat about the Zones of Regulation and the emotional check in system we use throughout the school and the children showed me all their happy, sad, angry and worried faces!

Everyone managed really well at lunchtime lining up and telling the cooks what choices they would like. Lots of clean plates and great manners.