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This term we are looking at houses, homes and buildings as a topic. With this in mind we have begun with the story of “The 3 Little Pigs”
We have read the story and explored props to match the story. We have also made our own versions of the pigs. Next we will work on making a house for our pigs to stay in.
The built environment is an integral part of our lives. Buildings and houses not only provide shelter, but they also have a significant impact on our physical and mental well-being. Recently, our group had the opportunity to visit some places around Aberdeen to observe the houses and buildings in the area.
One of the highlights of our visit was the David Welch Winter Gardens at Duthie Park, one of Europe’s most extensive indoor gardens and Scotland’s third most visited gardens. The garden spans over 11 acres and is home to a vast collection of plants worldwide. It is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, who enjoy the garden’s beauty and tranquility.
The David Welch Winter Gardens is a prime example of how buildings can enhance our lives. The glass walls and ceiling allow natural light to flood the space, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The plants and flowers provide a sense of serenity and calm, making it an ideal spot for relaxation and contemplation.
We also visited Footdee, an area in Aberdeen that was once known as ‘Fish Town.’ Footdee refers to the housing squares built in the mid-19th century to house local fishermen and their families. Over time, the name ‘Footdee’ was used to refer specifically to the housing squares, and the name ‘Fish Town’ was forgotten.
The houses in Footdee are unique and charming, with small gardens and colourful doors and windows. The area has a distinctly village-like feel, with narrow streets and alleyways adding charm. The houses are built close together, creating community and neighborliness.
The visit to Footdee reminded us of the importance of community in building design. The layout of the houses and streets creates a sense of togetherness and belonging, which is crucial for a healthy and happy community. The small gardens and bright colours of the houses also add to the importance of pride and ownership that residents have for their homes.
In conclusion, our visit to different areas of Aberdeen highlighted the importance of buildings, homes, and houses. From the David Welch Winter Gardens to Footdee, we observed how well-designed buildings could enhance our well-being and foster community. As we continue to build and design our environments, it is essential to keep in mind the impact that buildings can have on our physical and mental health and the importance of creating spaces that foster a sense of community and belonging.
In Room 5 we have started our new topic of ‘houses, homes and buildings’ by learning about shapes.
We have been exploring 2D shapes made from different materials and made house pictures from them. We painted with different shapes and used playdough and straws to make shapes.
Room 16 have had great fun at PE this term. We have been playing table football using switches to activate hairdryers that move the ball across to our opponent’s goal. Some of us have been climbing up steps, along benches and down a chute. We have also been playing tennis. Thank you to the PE staff for making our sessions fun every week!
The pupils in Room 12 have been collecting data and making charts about the planes and helicopters we have seen flying overhead. We did this for 4 weeks. It was a great opportunity to talk about the idea of “more than”.
During Steam Week we had an amazing opportunity to visit a helicopter hangar, to see the size and scale of real helicopters as well as the details. We got to sit in the seats, try on their ear defenders and experience the noises and smells of the heavy machinery. Thank you to the welcoming staff at NHV!
The staff team and pupils in Room 2 are on a mission to further raise the amount of recycling which we do at Orchard Brae. We now collect the recycling which states that it must be recycled at supermarkets. If you have any of this recycling (often the bags which have multi-packs of crisps in them or fruit bags) please send them into school for us to collect.
Giving and receiving become synonymous with presents.
Giving and receiving are partners. To do both gracefully is a beautiful balance to achieve at any age. When you receive, you are giving the gift of receiving. The internal feeling of genuine giving of oneself and proper receiving are particularly kindling for peace of heart and mind. When ulterior motives enter into either domain – of giving or receiving – the precious purity and resource of both are diminished. If children can come to know through experience that there is an internal glow present with pure giving and receiving, they will develop a heritage of warmth and closeness which will be priceless in their life journeys.
Usually, we like to connect when giving and receiving with direct eye contact and heart-to-heart connection. We want to thank you so much for our gift from Shell – our great green sofa that is loved and valuable in Room 8. Thanks a lot, Alison, for making this happen.
We managed to send them a card having this in our mind: “What comes from the Heart goes to the Heart…. What comes from the Heart goes to the Heart.”
It encapsulates the most powerful lesson with SUPERKID POWER skills today for the Easter season. Giving and receiving from the Heart. It’s not just with presents, but giving the gift of being a good listener and commenting for acknowledgement, giving and receiving a hug, being there for someone… So many ways to give and receive. Definitely, we are going to practise more of these beautiful skills.
Over the past month the pupils in Howes Hoose have been taking part in a fundraising project to raise money for those in need as a result of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Pupils were shown a variety of causes and videos to explain each then voted which one they wanted to raise money for. The majority chose the earthquake.
We did an Easter themed ‘guess how many in the jar’ fundraiser where we filled a huge jar with tasty chocolate treats and went round classes asking to make a guess at the total and collect donations. The last few pounds are coming in but we have raised roughly £60 which we are very proud of! Incredibly one member of staff guessed the exact number of eggs in the jar so that very fortunate person is all sorted for Easter!
In room 4 we went out to the polly tunnel and planted our pea seeds. The boys were very interested to see the seeds and investigate the soil. We will need to remember to water them to make sure they grow! This will give them the experience of looking after plants and if we are lucky their hard work will pay off and we will see the plants growing!
Our flight study has continued exploring a new body study, this time “Up, Up, Up!” about flying in a hot air balloon. We’ve interacted with this story through story massage, aided language boards and expressive arts and movement activities. We’ve had parachute play to replicate our own hot air balloon ride too!
Our bucket time sessions have explore vocabulary from the story, we’ve aimed paper planes at targets, sat inside a “hot air balloon” in class, made a “bird” with mouldable soap and feathers and raced around the room on outdoor play equipment (thank you P.E.!). We’ve also had some fabulously messy sensory play sessions – I’m sure there’ll be more of those!
Through all of these we have built fabulous extended attention and communication skills, transferring skills we developed from our last book study to a new context.
We’ve also had some seasonal fun added in there, with pancake themed activities for Pancake Day (including a pancake toss for bucket time!) and a Mother’s Day theme for bucket time at the moment – fingers crossed our game of “Don’t wake mum!” passes on the correct message for this weekend!
(Most of the resources mentioned above are on our Room 10 Google Classroom for families if you wish to continue this at home.)
