Tag Archives: curiosity

Measuring

The children have been measuring length using different body parts, uniform objects and moving on to metres and half metres. They have really enjoyed these practical fun activities and challenges. I just haven’t managed to get many photos.

Following on from length and capacity the children have been learning about weighing objects.

The children worked really well in pairs to weigh small items using uniform objects like cubes and pegs.

They were very good at estimating and recording their answers.

They went on to use kgs and half kgs and enjoyed estimating each others weights and the adults too.

The Primary 2’s have also been learning about Area and how to cover a surface with different uniform objects and then moving onto squares.

 

 

 

Taing Beach Exploring

The children had a great morning at the beach and they loved searching in the seaweed and amongst the rocks for crabs and shells.

 

Carina made this wonderful pattern with lots of similar sized whelks which she had collected on the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed at the beach for snack which is always a treat.

 

We do live in the most beautiful place with fantastic opportunities for learning outdoors.

 

Capacity

The children have been learning about capacity in maths. For part of this topic they have been learning outdoors so we have been glad of the dry weather.

The Primary 1’s had a variety of containers to choose from and then had to decide on a suitable ‘measuring’ container. They got the hang of making good estimations before working together to find out the correct answer.

The primary 2’s have been learning about litres and half litres. Their containers were quite big so we were glad to be able to work outside with all that water.

They worked really well with a partner and their estimations were getting pretty close to the actual measurements once they checked.

Polycrub Produce

Today was an exciting day as we pulled up the first vegetables ready in the polycrub. These radishes will be used by the cooks in school. Carina loved taking them in and giving them a wash before delivering them to the canteen.

The children are very good at looking after the plants with daily watering, transplanting seedlings and re-potting plants.

Spring Flower Science and Literacy

The children have been learning about about flowers. They have been finding out about the different parts of a flower and how they grow and change.

They have been investigating and naming the different parts of flowers and learning about how dandelions use the wind for seed dispersal and bees take the pollen to different flowers.

This all ties in with discussions about Spring in the classroom and when we are outdoors.

The Primary Two’s used lots of verbs to write poems about Spring. They did a great job of making a good copy to display on the wall using ICT skills they have been practicing recently.

 

 

Lambs for Show and Tell

We had a special Show and Tell this week from Jack. His mum brought along three caddie lambs for the children to meet.

This was such a good experience for the children as many of them haven’t really been  close to lambs before. They had a go at feeding them with a bottle and loved getting cuddles and stroking them. They named them Rosie, Sally and Annie.

Freyja also brought in her caddie lambs for Show and Tell. The children were very amused to see them wearing nappies. They had great fun cuddling them and playing chasies up and down the hill. Freyja could tell us a lot about how to look after them.

Strom Beach

We are so lucky to have wonderful places to walk to from our school.

There is always plenty to chat about, investigate and be curious about on our walks.

Once we got to the beach it was time for snack! It is always quite exciting having food outdoors with friends.

the sun came out for us and there was plenty of interesting finds on the beach.

The longer we stayed the more curious and creative the children became. Some of the children began re-routing the water flowing across the beach and building dams and new channels.

Easter Fun

The children have been learning a liitle bit about the symbols of Easter and they enjoyed listening to the story from the Bible.

They had great fun today doing an Easter Egg Hunt in the school grounds which resulted in some yummy chocolate treats at snack time.

This tied in with the patterns which the children have been doing in maths as they created repeating patterns using colours and shapes to design beautiful Easter Eggs.

Have  a great holiday everyone!

Polycrub planting

We finally made it out to the polycrub to start planting. The soil was really dry so a lot of watering was needed and then the bairns planted carrots, onions and tatties as well as their own little pot with a sunflower seed.

Learning Out in the Snow

Opportunities for using loose part to create dens. Great for developing problem solving and teamwork skills.

Collecting the melting snow from icicles dripping from the roof. Great science and STEM opportunities outdoors.

Some of the melting ice was collected in a different way!

 

 

Deciding which containers are best for different purposes. Evie’s snowman needed three different sized containers.

Opportunities to develop creativity, confidence and take risks- so many skills being developed.

Collaboration, choice and commitment in play develops so many social skills and friendships. It can also be exhausting!

 

Testing to see which snowball goes fastest- big or small? Does lifting the guttering higher or lower? So many opportunities for conversation, developing vocabulary and communication skills outdoors.

 

 

Checking out footprints and the different patterns boots make in the snow.

 

 

 

 

Data Handling

The children have been doing a lot of data handling recently in maths. These lessons are always really active and busy so its difficult to capture on camera how much learning has taken place.

The primary 1’s have been learning about different ways to sort items and explaining the criteria they used to put items in different groups.

The primary 2’s have been doing a lot of surveys in the class and in the other classrooms too. They have been using this data to create graphs and diagrams.

The primary 1’s have also been creating graphs using practical materials.

by sorting the information they have they are getting good at answering the types of questions necessary to explain their data.

Viking Warriors

The children love learning about the Vikings and have been enjoying role play opportunities in the classroom. It is great to see them all getting on so well together using what they have been learning in their play. Below is a snapshot of Wednesday afternoon’s adventures.

The galley is now finished and they have been taking turns and sailing around the world discovering new places to settle.

Sometimes,  just their imaginations are enough. They set out chairs and rowed their longship – even before it was built.

Once in their new lands the children have been learning how Vikings trade items to get what they need. Their are jewels, gems, furs, food and  jewellery to swap, using the scales and balances to work out different amounts.

They would also need to cook over an open fire in the middle of the longhouse using foods available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These viking warriors are getting ready for another attack.

 

The children are enjoying using the Viking longships in the water tray to set battle scenes and talk about their topic.

 

 

NGUHA

The children were already for their visit from the Nesting and Girlsta Jarl Squad.

In class they made axes, shields and helmets with Viking runes and designs on them.

The children all designed individual shields and they voted for the best one which was enlarged and put on the Jarl Squad’s galley. Esme won this and her shield looked amazing.

The Jarl Squad came in singing and cheering. The Jarl enjoyed his quiz which the children helped prepare and then everyone enjoyed a Boston Two Step with the jarl Squads’ band.

 

Chinese New Year

The children have been learning about Chinese New Year. This year is the Year of the Rabbit and they loved hearing the story about how the Emperor decided how to name the years after animals.

They have been counting to 10 in mandarin and having a go at using chopsticks in our little chinese restaurant.

Long long ago

As part of their topic this term the children have been learning about how we find out about the past. They made salt dough and created their own dinosaur fossils.

They have also been having a go at being archaeologists using tools to carefully search through the sand for important clues to the past.

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.

Around The World

This terms whole school topic has been  ‘Around The World’ which included a little bit about the World Cup. The primary 1/2 class showcased some of their learning in assembly last Friday.

They loved learning about different countries in the World and keeping tabs on who is playing and still in the World Cup.

Archie loved matching countries and flags and finding places on the maps

 

 

As part of the project the children worked in pairs/small groups to create their own imaginary country. Whether it was hot or cold? Where the cities, forests, mountains etc would be, what animals lived there, what was the country called and design a flag for it.

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,