Art is a wonderful subject for allowing us to express ourselves and grow in confidence. Linking with our work in science, we have been looking at the flora and fauna that all too often we might miss in our busy daily lives. The biggest tip has been to look ninety per cent and draw ten per cent , never assuming that we know what we are drawing from memory. With careful observation the children have produced some impressive results.
Out residential visit has been one of the major highlights of our first term together – a real experience on so many levels. From climbing and abseiling to aeroball and tunnelling the whole weekend was non-stop action. Juniper Class were so impressive in their attitude and willingness to step out of their comfort zone. They made new friends, and helped and supported each other from Friday until Monday. It always gives me great heart to see them working together in such a positive manner. In the main the weather was kind to us and allowed us to participate in relative comfort, apart from those pesky harnesses! The air at Osmington was filled with laughter, constant cries of encouragement and yelps and squeals of delight as individuals conquered new challenges. Well done Juniper Class!
The splendours of autumn were really on show today as we walked around Harnham Slope, using our senses to help appreciate just how lucky we are to be in such a beautiful area. The colours are changing as summer slips away and makes way for the new season. We stopped frequently on our walk just to savour the view, or to listen to the birds – to marvel at nature’s miracles that were all around us. We collected many examples of nature and plan to use them in our science and literacy work. The subsequent poem was written by the class, based in style upon the work of Ted Hughes.
We have been getting to know each other in these first few days, and this week, as part of our learning in PSHE, we found out all the amazing things that our classmates think about us. They wrote down on post-it-notes stuck to our backs all the positive things they believed to be true about us. When we looked at their comments we were so pleased at the characteristics that they had noticed. We then created some beautiful hearts that displayed all these fine qualities. They are on show in our Juniper Cloakroom.
Today we learned a lot about our world and how different countries work together to improve trade and relations. The class were divided into seven different world areas and each part of the world had a product to make. One of the main things we learned is that the world we live in isn’t fair. The inequalities concern money. People are paid very different wages and some have to work really hard for very little financial reward. It was amazing what we could achieve when we worked together and helped each other out. Resources mean money and we also learned how important it is to look after those resources and also how we must take care of our planet if it is to survive. It was a really good social experience as well, helping us work together as one effective team.
