Our final day was filled with a handful of activities including Manor Olympics, Bivi and Initiative. In Manor Olympics, the children played a variety of different games including relay races where they had mini challenges to complete, wellie throws and even some teamwork games.
In our final sessions, Bivi and Initiative, the children used their problem solving skills to build dens and complete tricky challenges. We had such a fantastic experience and we are all excited to head home to tell everyone all the exciting things we got up to!
The children enjoyed a fun-filled, action packed day yesterday where they had a chance to participate in Bivi (den-building), obstacle course, initiative (problem solving tasks), axe throwing, archery, abseiling and finishing up with a camp-fire where we sang songs and toasted marshmallows. The children enjoyed all the activities and were all extremely tired by the end, so no late nights last night! One morning to go before we head back after lunch.
We arrived safely at Lockerbie yesterday afternoon around 2pm and the children all managed to get settled in quickly before getting organised into our groups for our first activity. Our first activities were climbing and axe throwing which the children all really enjoyed.
In axe throwing, the children had an opportunity to throw darts and an angel axe to score points!
In climbing, the children worked together to help their group make it to the top of the climbing frame. They worked hard to make it to the top and they all gave it a go which was amazing (even Miss Martin ).
After dinner, we had another activity where the children enjoyed the obstacle course and some abseiling! Although the abseiling looked scary, the children gave it a go and managed it well. The obstacle course was fun and the children loved getting muddy throughout the course!! We are up and early for another fun day ahead
On Friday, our classes came together to celebrate Burns Day with a fantastic assembly filled with Scottish culture, music and tradition. It was a wonderful tribute to Robert Burns and showcased the talents of our pupils. Both classes performed Scottish songs such as ‘The Jeely Piece Song’ and ‘Coulter’s Candy’, we heard various Burns poems read aloud which brought his famous words to life and we discussed the life of Robert Burns and the traditions of Burns Night, including the famous Burns Supper, complete with haggis, neeps and tatties!
To end the assembly, we all joined in a Scottish dance which was a fun and fantastic way to honour Burns’ influence and enjoy a bit of Scottish tradition together. A huge well done to everyone – ye did yersels proud!
On Wednesday, P1-3 explored the importance of using our voice to stand up for fairness. Building on our Health and Wellbeing topic of relationships, we discussed how we should treat others – with kindness, respect and inclusion. We read the book All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold to help us understand the importance of celebrating diversity and equality. We had a thoughtful discussion about what fairness means and how we can speak up when we see someone being treated unfairly.
We created posters for a competition on the theme, ‘The Power of Our Voice’. We used our collaboration and communication skills to work together in small groups to create the poster and share our ideas.
On Monday, Primary 1-3 explored Scotland’s diverse landscapes. Using Google Maps, we discovered famous landmarks like Edinburgh Castle and The Kelpies. From there, we explored the rich variety of Scottish Landscapes, from the Highlands to the familiar features of our own local area. We used the 3D function to help highlight the geography of the land.
As a class, we compared the different landscapes, identifying the key features such as mountains, hills and rivers. To bring our learning to life, we created maps of our local area which was a fantastic way to connect geography with the world around us!
In our Creativity Hour, Primary 1-3 took their coding skills to the next level by programming the Micro:bit to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Building on what we’ve learned previously, this activity was slightly more advanced as we had to use variables to create this game. We used Micro:bit Classroom – this is a digital classroom where we can connect iPads to manage and guide children through the coding sessions. This allowed us to follow a tutorial together and provide support through each step to make sure we could manage the task effectively.
We coded the Micro:bit to generate a random number (1-3) whenever it was shaken and the number would represent either rock, paper or scissors. We then programmed the Micro:bit to display an icon for each choice which introduced the idea of variables.
It was exciting to see the children test their creations, shaking their Micro:bits and watching the results appear on the screen. Once we had a functioning game, the children went around the class, challenging their friends and teachers with the Micro:bit – we wanted to find out who would win, Humans or the Micro:bit! By the end of the session, the children had a working game and a better understanding of using variables in code!
This week, Primary 1-3 looked closer at the language in The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson, with Primary 1-2 focusing on how authors use rhyme to create fun and engaging stories. The lesson began with an opportunity for the children to share their prior knowledge through discussion about what they already knew about rhyming words. Together, we revisited the story, carefully analysing the text to identify rhyming pairs; some rhyming words that we found were “spotty” and “grotty”, “see” and “tree”, and “pink” and “stink”. They worked collaboratively by sharing ideas and supporting each other to uncover the rhymes within the text.
During this time, Primary 3 focused on developing a new skill: using an online thesaurus to find synonyms. The children enjoyed this task, as it allowed them to discover new words they hadn’t encountered before. Using an extract from the book, they selected specific words and found 2-3 synonyms for each one. This activity helped them build their vocabulary and improve their research skills, as they practiced navigating a digital resource.
Despite the snowy weather, we’ve had a wonderful first week back in Primary 1-3. The class has been hard at work on a book study which has combined reading, creativity and hands-on learning. Our book study is focused on the book, ‘The Ugly Five’ by Julia Donaldson which explores five animals in the African savannah who are often called “ugly” by others.
After reading the book and making predictions on Wednesday, we explored the animals in the book in more detail and created fun character descriptions. We began by looking at real-life images of each animal using iPads, then we looked through the story to create our own descriptions which can be seen below. This activity helped us better understand the story and sparked our imaginations.
Our curiosity about the animals in the story and their environment led us to design and build our own habitats. Using a variety of materials such as LEGO and building blocks, we created models of environments such as a rainforest, a polar habitat, a garden and a city. We learned about the varying needs of animals and plants within different habitats, which then led to a discussion about the unique needs of the animals and how their habitats help them survive.
Building to withstand Artic habitats.A house in a city that is built to support people.A doghouse that includes a grass area and a place to sleep.Rainforest habitat with a small river and different plants.
Creating Games with Micro:bits!
On Friday, we continued to explore coding through Micro:bits during Creativity Hour and had an exciting time putting our skills to use! We learned how to programme the Micro:bits to function as dice – by shaking the device, a random number would appear on the screen! Once we completed this, we used our Micro:bit to create our own games.
Some of us incorporated the Micro:bit dice into board games we had in the class such as Connect 4. In this game, the children would shake the device to generate a number, which determined the number of tokens they could use to play for that round. Others, made up fun challenges where the dice decided different movements. It was a great way to combine problem-solving and teamwork while learning more about technology and coding.
Last week, the children enjoyed a fantastic Christmas dinner at school. The lunch hall was set up for the occasion with a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and some festive touches on the tables – sparkly table cloths, Christmas themed placemats and some Christmas crackers. The children had a great time enjoying a delicious festive meal with yummy turkey, steak pie and some pasta. But of course, no Christmas dinner would be complete without some ice cream for dessert! After the meal, the children settled in to watch a Christmas movie, Santa Clause 3, and then enjoyed some games in the gym hall.
It was lovely to see the children enjoying an amazing day, full of good food, lots of fun and plenty of Christmas spirit. Everyone left feeling happy and excited for Christmas!
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