Saturday 19 February 2022

Spring has Sprung in Room 1


The children recently enjoyed exploring the theme of  'Spring' during Aistear. The girls and boys observed and discussed signs of spring on a nature walk and examined changes in plant and animal life during this seasonal change.

 Creative Station

During art the children made farm animals using clay. The boys and girls explored the clay by pinching, pulling, rolling and twisting it before creating their selected animal. They sculpted textures into their designs using clay tools. When the clay dried, the children painted their animals using coloured paints. Ms Martin thinks the animals look 'farm'tastic!


SESE Station

The children were very busy at the SESE Station. The children listened to the famous tale associated with one of Ireland's patron saints, St Brigid. The boys and girls learned about the legend of her cloak and coloured a beautiful picture of it. They also observed and recorded signs of spring on various worksheets. 

 
 
Fine Motor Station

The children developed their fine motor skills by engaging in a range of cut and paste activities. They carefully coloured an image of a chicken before pasting it onto a spring garden. They also cut out different parts of a flower and pasted them onto a worksheet provided. Ms Martin is very impressed by their excellent cutting skills.

 
Role - play Area
A Farm Shop opened in the classroom to celebrate the beginning of spring. The children acted as farmers, customers and shopkeepers in this area. Farm produce such as milk, eggs, vegetables, fruit and fresh meat was sold in the shop. Beautiful bunches of daffodils were also available to buy. It was very busy every day and products flew off the shelves.

 
Undoubtedly it has been a superb fortnight in Room 1. Ms Martin and the children can't wait to observe more signs of spring in the natural world in coming weeks. 

Saturday 12 February 2022

A Fascinating Fortnight in Room 1

It has been a wonderful fortnight in Room 1. During Aistear the children explored 'The Opticians.' They investigated the role of an optician and developed an understanding of how to maintain good eye health.
Creative Station

The girls and boys used superstar colouring skills to design optical illusions. The children experimented with bright colours to create patterns in their artwork. Ms Martin displayed the masterpieces in the classroom as seen below. 

 

SESE Station


At the SESE Station, the children explored the five senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. The boys and girls learned the role of each sense in detecting information about different environments.

Fine Motor Station


The children designed eye charts using elastic bands and geoboards. They made letters, numbers, shapes and pictures as seen below. The boys and girls also used play dough to construct glasses and eye patches on faces.

 

Role - play Area


The children adopted the roles of optician, receptionist and patient in this area. They had lots of fun attending check ups in the consultation room. The mini opticians used equipment such as torches, magnifying glasses and eye charts during examinations. Some patients were prescribed glasses for reading and watching television. Others were advised to wear glasses daily. The children had great fun as some had never visited an Opticians before. It was definitely an 'eye - opening' experience!

 

It has been a superb fortnight in Room 1. Ms Martin and the children can't wait to start the next Aistear theme soon.