Balance Skills with the Boys

Today we worked on balance skills with our helpers from the Sport and Recreation Trust. It was a lot of fun - and not quite as easy as we imagined.

It's Show Time!!!

It's show time tomorrow and I can't wait. There was such a buzz around school today as the marquee went up - it is amazing - and quite a learning experience in itself watching such a structure appear on our netball court. I have some more pictures - a fantail, a parrot, a rainbow lorikeet and a flamingo. Hope you are as excited as me that the show is here.

Thank you again to everyone for the many hours of work you have done at school and at home. It would not have been possible without you all.

It just keeps getting more exciting!

Just wanted to show you some more of the nearly finished designs we have - it's very exciting! I know I say it often - but thanks to everyone who is helping out - the garments are truly spectacular. Today we have our puffin (love that tummy Callum!!), our dandelion seed head, our two beautiful buttercups and our budgie.

Check This Out!!!!

Today I learnt something new at my ICT professional development (how to make a slideshow to add to my blog) - thanks Juanita - it's easy and so, so good!

Take a look at the journey we have been on this term - the children have taken all the photos themselves - and we are all incredibly proud.

If you roll your mouse over the photos you will get a quick explanation of what the photo is about.

Roll on Friday - we are ready!! (well we think we are - fingers crossed!!)

Not long to go now!!!

With only two and a half weeks to go until show night we are working very hard in Room 4. We have 4 finished outfits - and I am so impressed with the talents and teamwork that have been developed by the children. We love showing you all what we have been up to ... and the progress we are making... and we hope that it makes you want to come along on the night to see everything up close. This time we have a budgie, a woodpecker, a dandelion, a frill-necked lizard and a fantail in the making.

Dates for this weeks WOW Sessions

Hi everyone
This week we will be hard at work on our garments on Monday/Tuesday/WEdnesday 1.30- 3.00pm and Thursday 9.00 - 10.30pm.

I hope you can make it.

Here are a couple more photos - our flamingo and our Rainbow lorikeet.

Another great day - and more photos to show our progress

What can I say??? It has been another couple of great days in Room 4. A huge thank you to Ms Sutherland for accepting the challenge and jumping in to carry on with our WOW session when I was home with a sick boy.

Dates for this weeks WOW Sessions

In the week of the 25th - 28th May we will be having whole class sessions on: Tuesday 1.30-3.00pm, Wednesday 9.00 - 10.30 am and Thursday 9.00 - 10.30a.m.

Hope to see you there.

Pictures As Promised

Well - we have updated our plan on what we have yet to complete - and while the list is long - I know we can make it. The kids are really working hard - still - and there has been some real progress made this week. There are flowers and birds starting to emerge - and the tree looks great.

More Photos

More photos next time of the peacock, parrots, fantails..... and much more!!!!

Photo Update

Well - last week was fun!!!!!! Getting the children started was busy -and some are yet to get going - but every day there is more and more happening. The time goes incredibly busy and I must admit to feeling like I am treading water and not getting anywhere - but at the end of each day - more is done.

A huge thank you to all of you who either turn up - or send things with your children for them to do. It's so busy - and a little bit messy - well - a lot messy - but the children are a credit to all of you - they are patient, caring - and when it comes to tidying up they are champions.

Take a look at some of our work

WE HAVE STARTED!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness!! What a busy afternoon we had. Thank you to all the parents who made it in today - or who sent along bits and pieces to help their child start. It was busy - and noisy - and lots of fun. It was not possible for everyone to get started today - as the adults who came and helped were physically unable to get around everyone at once. However, the ones who got started have made some progress - and the base of what they are trying to achieve is starting to take shape.

SO... because it is so "hands on" and everyone really does need help - then please see if you can come in - if it doesn't work to come at the times I have set you are welcome to come in at any time during the day.

We have made our plans!

Well - today the children had another go at their plans for their garment. It has proved to be a very tough process for them - it is hard for them to visualise how things will look. However - I believe it is an essential part of the process and makes them "own it" more. I have had discussions with everyone on how they think they can make it work - and yes - I have tried to steer them sometimes in a direction that I think may work - but then again - it may not!.

Tonight the children have all brought home their plans to show you. They are now asking for your help to get them started - to help them create the chicken wire structure that they can papier mache or find the bits and pieces they need to get started.

I have quickly worked out that, while as a school we decided that it is to be the children doing all the work, this is not always feasible. By this I mean - that if we do not help the children to get a good base structure to work from then things will not hold together further down the track.

the children that come prepared on Monday are the ones that will be able to get started. So... please get your creative energy flowing.

Bird netting

Does anyone have any old bird netting (chicken wire)? that we could have to make bird body shapes. Once we have made the shapes we will be able to papier mache over them. If so, can you please drop it in to Room 4.

We also need any old bike helmets that anyone has as these will form a good base structure for our flowers or bird heads to come off.

Class Discussions

In class this week we have talked a lot about what Wearable Arts means and how it differs from costume making. We looked at You Tube clips of W.O.W shows and the children were very excited by what they saw - it was almost like I could "see" their thinking changing. It was a great afternoon of discussion.

From this they were asked to go home and think about what they could be - and I told them that I was not interested in them becoming bears, tigers, giraffes or the like - I want to keep the theme more bird and flower based as I think this will work better for the show - and will create them more learning opportunities in terms of design - and give them "creative license" when it come to the final product. By that I mean - it is easier to make a bird a little "different" from the original but harder for children to change their ideas of what a lion has to look like.

We also talked a lot about how this is a school project and how all the making and designing is to be done at school - HOWEVER - I would and do really appreciate you all talking it through with your children and working alongside them on how they can possibly make their design "come to life". It is also great to see that some of you are already bringing in and finding bits and pieces that may be useful.

It is now Friday and the children have decided what they want to be - and today they have had a go at drawing what they think they will look like. They were also asked to look at what sort of bits and pieces they could make this out of.

So.... please ask them what they are going to be - and please feel free to start sourcing anything you think will help them with this.

At this stage I see us starting our actual making in Week 3 and I will let you know the time slots that we will do this at as I will require a lot of help.

Wearable Arts Updates

Hi guys - well - this is going to be my way of communicating to you all about what we are up to - what we need and where I can also show you photos of us hard at work.

As you know our theme for the Wearable Arts is "Flora and Fauna". I talked to the children about what they thought this meant today and what they thought they could possibly be.

It proved to be interesting, with children wanting to be everything from bats to trees - and even a gorilla! - but I think we will keep away from the jungle and stick to things a little more local.

So... thinking caps on. I have already had some of you come in with ideas - and bits and pieces - keep it up - bring it all! I love your ideas and I will find somewhere to store the bits until next term. We even went out and collected acorns today because we thought they may come in handy.