As part of our class minibeast topic and after keeping a watchful eye on our class butterfly garden over the last few weeks, the children in Primary 1 reluctantly released five of our butterflies into our sensory garden.
Minibeasts
This term, Primary 1 are learning all about minibeasts.
We introduced our new theme with the story of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, by Eric Carle which illustrates the life cycle of a butterfly and we have some live caterpillars in our classroom which we are looking forward to watching changing into butterflies.
Our role play area is a “Minibeast Investigation Lab”, where we are having fun using different pieces of equipment to investigate some pretend minibeasts up close.
We visited our outdoor garden area on a minibeast hunt equipped with bug finders, magnifying glasses and minibeast observation sheets so that we could record our findings.We were lucky enough to discover slugs, snails, beetles, woodlice and some tiny spiders.
We will continue with our outdoor learning experiences with a visit to Beecraigs Country Park on 31st May.
Learning Outdoors
ASD1 are looking at a variety of Scottish Habitats this term and this will mean lots of Outdoor Learning.
We started by exploring our school grounds to find out what wild plant life and animal life we could spot there and what evidence we could gather.
We spotted things we expected to see, like the jackdaws that we regularly feed, but we also spotted an oystercatcher in the playground.
We also looked for mini-beasts in our sensory garden, lifting logs and plant pots to see what we could find and photographing them. Do you know what these are?
We brought these things back into our classroom to look at in more detail and to start an entry in our Nature Journals.
On Wednesday 3rd May we focused on the different types of mini-beasts that we could find. We searched on plants, in the soil, under bark, logs and leaves and various plant pots, as well as the container and eaves of the outdoor classroom. This time we collected various mini-beasts in bug spotters and recorded them on our spotting sheet.
We then carried our discoveries into the outdoor classroom where we finished recording our data, before we looked at each mini-beast up close using the bug spotters. The two creepiest were definitely the leatherjacket and the big spider! However we all liked the little ladybird.
It was such a lovely day it was nice just to relax in the outdoor classroom after we had let all our creatures back into their habitat.
P2 Castles
Primary 2 worked incredibly hard last term and thoroughly enjoyed learning about castles. The children did a fantastic job telling the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and sharing their learning about castles at their assembly. They all looked fantastic in their royal costumes and enjoyed preparing food for their very own castle feast.
The children visited Stirling Castle where they were able to see the Great Hall and were lucky enough to sit in the royal chairs. They also explored the Great Kitchens where they were able to see the food that was cooked and were surprised to see that children would have also worked in the kitchens during medieval times.
A very big well done to all the children in primary 2 for their hard work throughout this topic! Below is just a small snapshot of some of the fantastic work that has been created.
Lagganlia Day 3 evening and Day 4
On Wednesday evening the children went for a blindfolded rope walk and thoroughly loved it. On Thursday one group went for an all day mountain hike making use of all the skills that they had learned the previous days. The other group went Skiing again in the morning and in the afternoon went to an assault course that was designed to promote team working. Although this was a huge challenge the children all mostly had fun and learned a lot.
Lagganlia Day 2 evening & Day 3
On Tuesday evening after dinner we played a game of rounders and then after dinner were taken out to build a fire and have some marshmallows. It was then off to bed for a well earned rest in preparation for Wednesday morning. On Wednesday one group went kayaking in the morning whilst the other were taken gorge walking. The groups then changed activities in the afternoon and the morning gorge walkers went kayaking and the other group went bouldering. Another fun day was had by all.
Lagganlia Day 2
After settling in on day 1 we were all up bright and early (some earlier than other) and we split into our two groups for the week. In the morning one group went gorge walking and the other went bouldering. Both groups came together in the afternoon to try their hands (and feet) at Skiing. There were many challenges the children faced throughout the day and all were met with determination and resilience. Above all everyone had great fun and im sure you will see that in the pictures.
Sampling Victorian School Subjects
Pupils from ASD1 have been trying their hand at sewing. One of the subjects taught in Victorian Schools was sewing and often children made samplers to show off their skill.
We planned our samplers using dotty paper to make sure our lines were straight and all decided to use our full name (or nickname) plus the year as our sampler. We also chose the colours we wanted to use and chose thread that was a close match. This activity went really well as you can see.
Then came the practical part. It took us two sessions to transfer the design onto hessian (in a frame) and then sew over our design with blunt, large-eyed needles. Some pupils needed a little help with their work but others were able to follow the lines and sew independently – see for yourself! Our finished samplers will be stretched and framed.
P1 and P2 Generation Science
Yesterday Primary 1 & 2 had a visit from the Generation Science Team who presented the topic, “Ready, Teddy, Go”, where the children found out all about forces from the bears, Isaac and Newton.
The children participated in activities where they demonstrated pushing and pulling, gravity, floating and sinking and friction. They were engaged in experiments where they were encouraged to predict the results just like real scientists!!
World Book Day
In the run up to World Book Day ASD1 have been looking at the story of “Alice in Wonderland”. This book was written in Victorian times, which fits in beautifully with our IDL context. This week we have used ICT to research the book and its author, made a Mad Hatter style hat and coloured in characters from the book for our door display.
On Friday we joined a “Where’s Wally?” search with Miss Cleland and other pupils from various classes before coming back to class to make sandwiches, complete some Alice themed activity sheets and decorated cup cakes all ready for our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
This was fun! We put on our hats (or ears) and then enjoyed all the food we had made – there wasn’t any to take home!
