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The Primary One pupils at Ashgrove, would like to say a massive thank you to Friends of Orchard Brae. They very generously bought us some new equipment for our playground. We have all had a great time playing with them and our playground looks amazing now. Thank you Friends of Orchard Brae.
In RME we have been learning about the Hindu festival of Diwali. We listened to the story of Rama and Sita, sang some Diwali songs and learned about rangoli patterns and diya lamps. Some classes dyed rice to make rangoli patterns, others made Happy Diwali cards and others made diya lanterns. Happy Diwali to all!!
In Room 5 we celebrated the festival of Diwali with lots of different activities. We learnt the story of Rama and Sita through a sensory story which we all took part in every day for a week. It was exciting to experience being in the forest and seeing the scary, 10 headed demon Ravana. We also enjoyed mark making with rangoli paint and painting diva lanterns for our families.
“How to Catch a Star” by Oliver Jeffers is about a boy who really wants to catch a star. He tries different creative ways to reach the stars but learns that sometimes you need to think differently to make your dreams come true. It’s a sweet and imaginative story about perseverance and finding your own way to shine.
Transforming “How to Catch a Star” by Oliver Jeffers into a sensory story for our children in Room 6 was an absolute delight. We used simple yet effective elements to engage their senses and make the story come alive in a whole new way.
Sun – Yellow Cellophane:
We brought the sun to life by using bright yellow cellophane. The children could feel its warmth and vibrant colour, creating a tangible connection to the story’s sunny setting.
Window – Curtains:
For scenes involving windows, we hung curtains that the children could open and close. This simple interactive element allowed them to participate actively in the narrative, enhancing their engagement.
Up and Down – Opposite Words:
To explore the concept of “up” and “down,” we incorporated simple visuals and movements. For “up,” we raised props or stretched our arms high; for “down,” we lowered or crouched low. This interactive play with opposite words added a dynamic layer to the storytelling.
Seagulls – Feathers:
When seagulls appeared in the story, we handed out feathers for the children to hold. Feeling the softness of the feathers helped them connect with the seagull characters, creating a memorable sensory experience.
Sea – Feeling the water, shells, and sand:
For scenes by the sea, we created a sensory station with water for the children to dip their hands into, shells to touch, and sand to feel. This hands-on experience brought the beach setting to life, fully immersing them in the story.
Rocket from cardboard:
The rocket in the story was crafted from cardboard, turning a simple prop into a tangible representation of the boy’s adventure. The children could touch and explore the rocket, fostering a connection to the story’s imaginative elements.
Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed this sensory adaptation of “How to Catch a Star.” The combination of visual, tactile, and interactive elements transformed the storytelling experience into a multisensory journey, making the narrative more accessible and engaging for each child. The joy and excitement on their faces reflected the success of this sensory exploration, turning a beloved book into a truly unforgettable experience.
All of the boys in room 8 have been working hard on their targets this term. Some children are becoming more familiar with activity boards while playing with bubbles, making art or playing music. Others have been working on recognising their photographs. Mark making skills are being developed, number recognition is being worked on and following instructions is being worked on by copying an adult in PE and dance sessions.
Our Disney topic has continued to bring to life a variety of magical tales.
For Halloween week we explored “baddies” with the story of “101 Dalmatians”. We danced to Cruella DeVil, found our photos hiding in the old DeVil house, made Dalmatian art, dressed up for our soft-start choices and had a pumpkin themed sensory play with red lentils (and communication boards!). Our numeracy activity counted “Ten Little Monsters” and our spooky Halloween bucket featured a chance to make our own magic potion, and alongside the fun of seeing the bubbles when we combined ingredients it was also great to see how much more confident the class were to transition for a turn-taking activity.
We then moved on to “superheroes”, and who better than “The Incredibles” to animate the theme?! We all enjoyed playing with superhero masks as our signifier for story time, so when we got to art we each had a chance to make our own superhero masks. We sang superhero songs and looked out for our superhero selves flying across the interactive board.
Last week we explored the theme of “Princesses” with the story “Aladdin”. We danced to songs from the film for our listening activities, spotted our photos flying across the interactive board on a magic carpet, counted Princesses for numeracy, for bucket time we were invited for a magic carpet ride, and in art we designed our own magic carpets. Our messy play communication activity saw our princess picture on the tray with some amazing cornflake hair!
Room 12 have been making dog biscuits to sell at the Christmas Fayre. We had great fun mashing up the banana! We added oats (which are also great to play with) and a dollop of peanut butter, then rolled out the mixture. We then popped our trays of biscuits into the oven to cook.
Once they are done, we will stamp out labels and put them into Christmas bags ready to sell. Please come and visit our stall to buy!
In Room 17, we have been thinking about our personal health as part of our SQAs. We have been participating in different activities, such as relaxation, yoga, body awareness, and using our different pieces of equipment. We have been enjoying trying and participating in the different activities, which help us to feel better about ourselves.
We have been celebrating Guy Fawkes night, Remembrance Day and Autumn by creating lots of different art in Room 18. We used cardboard tubes as stampers for fireworks, rulers and corks to make poppies and dried leaves to make Autumn trees. We can’t wait for Christmas art to start!!
Last term room 16 were learning to play simple melodies using Figurenotes notation on Chime bars, Electric keyboards and switches. Everyone has worked really hard and have had a great time in the process and some even had a bash at the drum kit! Well done room 16.
