Aistear week 19/3/13

This is Aistear is based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. The children are building grandma's house, making cakes and buns for Grandma from water and playdough, making junk art items from the story and working in the post office and posting letters to the wolf that they wrote in their English lesson.

Aistear week 11/3/13

This week the infants are exploring the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They are building the bears' houses from Lego and shoeboxes, making junk art constructions inspired by the story, learning about capacity in the sandpit by filling and emptying the bowls with 'porridge' and shopping for the bears' dinner

Events

January 2013

We’ve been very lucky with our winter thus far. Some rain but very mild. Despite this colds and flu continue to torment us all. Please keep wrapped up and advise your children of the same. I realise this falls on deaf ears much of the time!

We had a lovely run in to Christmas with our Christmas Fair, Infants Songs and Carol Service. A long break followed and here we are again ready to face a new term.

4th Class visited the Natural History Museum whilst our Junior Classes enjoyed a visit from the author, Benji Bennett. 6^th Class went to see the production of Phantom of the Opera performed by New Park Comprehensive School. The Infants expended some of their pent up energies at the Playbarn. Activities were enjoyed by all.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity

This year we are applying for our 8^th Green School Flag. This flag is for Biodiversity. We have been working on this as a school for two years. At first the children had no idea what all of this entailed but by now they can speak knowledgeably about it.

Biodiversity is the huge variety and variation of life that surrounds us, from the tiniest bugs to the biggest whales in the sea.

It is the basis for all our lives and without it we would simply cease to exist! We are currently losing it at alarming rates! Simple steps can help maintain and enhance it! Biodiversity as a theme slots easily into the curriculum!

On 8^th March we had our school inspection. Dean Eaton came to see our displays, play and garden which incorporated all we had done on Biodiversity. He spoke with our Green School Committee. Our application is now in and fingers crossed we will be flying our 8^th Flag shortly.

Aistear

JUNIOR INFANT TEACHER - Katie Fox - Rathmichael School

Aistear Programme (A Journey)

In October the Junior and Senior Infants learned all about farming in their Aistear lessons. They learned about the jobs a farmer does, how all of our food comes from the farm, what produce we get from farm animals, harvest time and farm machinery. We talked about safety on the farm. The children constructed tractors, they made scarecrows and pumpkins. They learned about the story of bread and acted out 'The Little Red Hen' and 'The Enormous Turnip'. They ran a farm shop, a vet’s surgery and played in a farmyard. They built a supermarket and sheds and homes for 'The Three Little Pigs'.

For Halloween both Infant classes dressed up in their Halloween costumes put on a Halloween concert for each other. Lambert Puppet Theatre put on a puppet show in the hall called 'The Witch in the Woods' for Infants to Second Class.

This month, the children are learning about 'habitats' in Aistear. They are printing with Autumn leaves, planting bulbs, learning about caring for the environment and where different plants and animals live. The Aistear programme continues to be a huge success.

Aistear week 4/3/2013

This month's Aistear theme is "Fairytales and Nursery Rhymes". This week the Infants are building Mr.Wolf's house, making houses out of junk art, playing in the restaurant, building the village where the three little pigs live and making playdough cupcakes!