We're Going To Asia ...

... well our schoolroom is going to Asia.

You got excited for me didn't you.

 

The family I work for don't do celebrations but we are still having fun making things and this time it is Asia. Miss S is studying Japanese and Mr E, Miss E and Mr R looked at Asian stories throughout the year so to finish it off we are going Asian in our schoolroom. Bring on Asian stories, food, crafts and games.

 

 

To start the ball rolling yesterday after pulling down our sea themed decorations and artworks the kids painted some large paper lanterns to hang in our room.

 

 

They are bright and colourful making the room look cheerful. I found these lanterns in a cheap shop in The Towers.

 

 

 

Next up we are going to make some Chinese Dragons after a bit of story telling.

 

Note: Did you notice the countdown in the background of the last photo ... scary.

 

 

 

 

 

Water Colours and Tool Shops

Interesting combination that is ... water colours and tool shops but that was the kind of day we had.

Actually come to think of that is how most of our days are ... combinations of the unlikely ... of the practical and the inspired.

Today at 12:30pm was the end of our last on air lesson for the year so I had children lamenting about how much they will miss their teachers (it is ok we will see them around next year). Nothing says the year is winding down like the end of on airs. Sometime in what remains of this week we will all make cards for the teachers thanking them for the WONDERFUL job they have done this year.

Sooo ....

Today Mr Preppy made a tool shop for everyone to visit.

Best shop ever ... you pay for something and get the same amount back plus more if you want it.

 He also did some wax crayon painting on a fish template.

First he had to trace around the fish and cut it out. Then he had to draw an invisible secret pattern on the fish using a crayon (or you can use a candle). Once he had done that he put a red wash (super runny paint) over his fish so that the pattern would be revealed.

Everyone else got in on the painting caper doing some water colour painting this afternoon. The cool thing about it is you really don't need anything special just mix you normal acrylic paints with water and use that. Also when doing water colours it is much more effective if you paint over your paper with water first.

I hope everyone else had a day filled with as much variety as ours was.

Now I am off to take care of that iced coffee sitting in the freezer, that is in need of my undivided attention while I daydream of cool places like this ...

 

The End is in Sight

It is official, ALL children are now on their final unit for the year. When this is all over I think we will ALL deserve our holiday and some of us may need to imbibe in something a bit stronger than water, purely for medicinal purposes I assure you.

We now have (including today) 8 days to get our work finished in as the family are leaving on FRIDAY! OH CRAP!

This has been my tightest term ever for timing we have had a good slab of time off that couldn't be helped but we WILL get there, I know we can. See positivity ... 'I think I can, I think I can'.

Today just so happens to also be the first day in over a week that I have all four of the school kids in the schoolroom together.

Please excuse our messyness ...
you will be pleased to know the floor is tidy now
but I had to have picture of all the kids back in the schoolroom

Yesterday Mr Preppy and Miss Yr6 helped their dads take away the weaners (thank goodness they are the two that will have no problem getting their work finished).

Today Mr Preppy played around with paper.
He made sspirals and concertinas and had to put them in order.

Mr Preppy's spirals

Mr Preppy's stairs

We are in the process of making rainbow pompom Echidnas
(because that's the only colour wool we have)

Learning about static electricity

This one speaks for itself

Creative Classroom

I am so lucky with the creative kids I have in my classroom.

They will often think of something they want to make during the day and the rules are as long as you clean up after it ... go for it, and they do.

On Tuesday this week we had some very interesting creations.

From the two girls we had some birds in their nests.

The two girls used part of an egg carton, buttons, card, feathers, paper, pipe cleaners, pompoms and some pre cut stars that we got from somewhere.

Earlier in the day Mr Preppy and Mr T created things with boxes.

Mr Preppy made a robot that sucks up the smoke and has a hose to put out the fire.

Mr Preppy used a tissue box, some egg carton, some pieces of drinking straw and a pipe cleaner.

After spending some time sticking things Mr T had fun making himself a robot.

They do say that imitation is the finest form of flattery.

Mr T used an oats box, some cut up patty papers, pieces of drinking straw, coloured paper, cellophane and a pompom. For him I put the bits and pieces on a plate for him to choose from. Nearly three year olds rummaging through the cupboard is not a good idea unless you want to clean it out.

Mr T has just discovered gluing and loves it "I make, I stick, I make" is a constant phrase when he is in the schoolroom.

Actually Mr T has just discovered the schoolroom and how much fun he can have doing things instead of being home with Mum. So now I regularly five bodies joining me in the schoolroom every day.

• Our little bits and pieces for craft are all stored in a box together and the kids love rummaging through it to get ideas. The box holds anything from glitter and feathers to paddle pop sticks and pipe cleaners. A great place to pick bits and pieces up is a cheap shop like Crazy Clarks.
• Our paper and cardboard is stored in a box and on a shelf in the cupboard. We collect all kinds of papers including wrapping paper, cellophane (even off flowers), tissue paper. Sometimes when I see some cool wrapping paper or and interesting textured paper I will get some to add to the box. 
• I also collect boxes of various sizes, magazines and egg cartons for the the kids to cut up.
• Glue ... we have glue sticks, PVA or wood glue and for the tricky to stick stuff craft glue which is always used under supervision with the littlies.
• I use to put down newspaper to work on but now we use a piece of plastic on the floor (that wonderful table cloth stuff). When painting I will usually put out newspaper as well so there is somewhere to wipe wet brushes.

Fun Friday - Icy Fun

It is yet again Fun Friday and how convenient that it coincided with the last day of term (wooohooo!). As I mentioned last Fun Friday, two weeks ago, the plan was for an Antarctic Fun Friday and so today was born. 

This morning when the kids walked into the schoolroom their faces lit up when they saw how our room had been transformed. Miss Yr6 thought the room even looked cold like Antarctica. She has been studying Antarctica as part of her school work which is where the idea originated from. Earlier in the week Miss Yr6 was lucky enough to be able to talk to a man who had been to Antarctica, thanks to a friend of a relative of mine. She loved it and we learnt all kinds of interesting information about living there. 

Miss Yr6 shared some interesting things she had learnt with the others and we did various activities like cooking, craft and games (all after the small amount of school work left to be done today was finished, of cause). Over all I think it was a success and the kids agree.

Our view from Antarctica, clear blue waters and ice burgs

View from the other side of Antarctica.

Antarctica ... the kids loved the streamers at the door. I would have loved to do a white sheet floor for the ice but there were none to be found plus that equals more washing YUCK!

The kids cooked an Igloo cake with Boss Lady R. They iced it in whipped cream and covered in in blue tinted snow.

The kids cake Igloo. Very creative and very tasty.

Making seal masks. The kids chose what materials and colours they wanted and we ended up with four very different looking seals.

Miss Yr6 working on her seal mask. Our piece of plastic for the floor is very handy.

Mr Preppy's seal mask. In the background you can see the paint equipment box, we keep all our craft stuff in boxes so you can pull out what you want.

Mr Preppy making a penguin.

We thought we would give making an igloo from ice cubes a go. It wasn't very successful but it was plenty of fun. It was a good lesson in problem solving.

It takes lots of concentration to get icecubes to stack.

Our icy blackboard.

We added to our window dioramas. The kids made origami whales and some penguins. This penguin is ready for a swim.

After we added to our Antarctica schoolroom.

The kids all working away this morning.

Even though our day is done the kids are still hiding out in our cool looking schoolroom playing, so today must have been a good day ... either that or it is just the allure of the new train set that they have set up all over the floor. Not even the temptation of drawing all over the blackboard could get them away from it.

The teachers are coming out on a home visit first day back next term so I think I'll leave our lovely creations up until the kids have proudly shown them off, and it saves me packing it up.