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We are pleased to be able to offer a new training programme for professionals and families. The sessions will run until December 2023 and we are planning to run some more sessions after January.
Training sessions are bookable on Eventbrite and start on the 2nd October. All training will take place at Orchard Brae School.
Do not miss an opportunity to learn more about autism and emotional regulation, autism and anxiety, classroom environment, understanding autism and more.
The pupils of Howes Hoose have been sprucing up their outdoor environment since returning to school. One of our first tasks was to wash and paint our garden furniture. Running out of paint called for a trip to the shops which gave us the chance to practise our life skills out and about in the community. We also helped tidy up the school sensory garden to make it a welcoming place for our peers as well as some litter picks along the farm track to care for our local area.
The children at our Howes Road Nursery have been busy settling back into Nursery after the summer break and have done a fantastic job of doing so. We have been making the most of the beautiful sunny days with children engaging in their favourite activities both indoors and out thanks to the wonderful donations of parasols and a swing for our outdoor area. The children have been showing an interest in things that move and how we can make that happen. We used salad spinners, vehicles and tall flowers that were blowing in our nursery garden to create some lovely artwork and have taken part in baking activities making yummy round biscuits, round pizzas and cheese swirls. Some children enjoyed using a switch to activate the foot spa, splashing their feet in the bubbles they created.
Since returning to school after the summer holidays, we have been lucky enough to be able to enjoy the extended period of warm weather as we have reflected on our Summer holidays and some of the different activities we may have done. In particular we have thought about going to the seaside and have enjoyed exploring different themes alongside the Julia Donaldson story “What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside”. We have engaged in a variety of sensory activities, including exploring sand (some ground up cereal), enjoyed feeling slimy seaweed (leaves collected from the playground and fresh runner beans) and of course enjoyed some water play whilst thinking about the different creatures that live in the sea. We have demonstrated our attention and listening skills, as well as communication (we especially liked when the whale splashed its grey tail!)
Introduction: This week in Room 6, our vibrant classroom dedicated to our incredible pupils, we embarked on an exciting journey to understand the magic behind rain clouds. Through the ‘Rain Cloud in a Jar’ experiment, our pupils experienced first hand the beauty of cloud formation and precipitation, making abstract concepts tangible and interactive.
Setting the Scene: The tables were adorned with clear jars, each waiting to hold its miniature sky. Pupils gathered around with twinkling eyes, eager to dive into the day’s experiment.
Materials We Used:
Clear jars for every pupil
Shaving cream
Blue food colouring
Water
Pipettes
Our Step-by-Step Adventure:
Creating the Sky: Each jar was filled about three-quarters with water. This acted as our atmosphere, a canvas for our clouds and rain.
Cloud Formation: Pupils added with some support, a dollop of shaving cream atop the water, giggling as the fluffy “cloud” floated.
Rainfall Begins: A few drops of blue food colouring were mixed with water, and pupils, using their pipettes, gently added this mix onto their shaving cream clouds.
Magic Unfolds: The room was filled with gasps and smiles as the blue “rain” seeped through the clouds and cascaded down into the jars, beautifully mimicking a rainy day.
Behind the Magic: We learned together that clouds in our skies hold water. When they can’t hold anymore, they release it as rain. In our experiment, the shaving cream represented these clouds, and the blue water was our rain. When the clouds (shaving cream) became too heavy, they let the rain (blue water) fall.
Moments of Joy:
Touch and Feel: Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed the tactile experience, from the shaving cream’s softness to the water’s coolness.
Visual Delight: Watching the transformation from a plain jar of water to a weather phenomenon was a treat for all eyes.
Learning Together: This simple experiment provided an avenue for understanding complex concepts, proving that learning has no boundaries.
Reflecting on Room 6’s Experience: Our ‘Rain Cloud in a Jar’ experiment was more than just an activity; it was a testament to our pupils’ boundless curiosity and capabilities in Room 6. While we dabbled with water, shaving cream, and food colouring, we uncovered lessons about patience, observation, and the wonders of nature. Here’s to many more weeks of discovery, learning, and joy!
Our new pupils are settling in to their new classroom down at Ashgrove and really enjoying getting their hands on to the different tools and toys. They have been using shape cutters during Cooking lessons, paint brushes for Art and rolling pins for play dough during Sensory play. They have been using their hands to control the flow of water from the hose, manipulate the toys with moveable parts and create with bricks.
Aberdeen City Libraries is consulting on how Aberdeen’s library service can best meet the needs of its citizens and communities between July and October 2023.
This presents an opportunity for all to reflect, share ideas and shape the future of our library service.
We have developed a separate version of the consultation for children & young people aged 0-18 years, providing an exciting opportunity for Aberdeen City Libraries to capture the views and voices of children and young people, their parents/carers and those who work with them.
Our Secondary Awards and Leavers Ceremony was held in school on Wednesday. Congratulations to all of the Award winners and thanks to the families that joined our celebration.
Today we bid a final goodbye to another fantastic group of young people who have all made huge progress over their years in Orchard Brae. It was an emotional day all round as we celebrated their success and wished them well.
Thanks to Nadine of Elm Music Therapy for making our Leavers video this year:
To our leavers, it’s been an honour and privilege to work with you all and we wish you all every success in the next stage of life. We will miss you all!
Room 17 are getting creative through their artwork! We have been using elastic bands to give a fun sensory experience and produce our art work. We had great fun pinging the bands full of paint and watching where the paint landed. It made different noises as we were doing it, which we all found very funny!
