Little Penguin

We made these cute little penguins, using some pretty simple materials. Each child was given a penguin and they were asked to colour it black. They then glued cotton balls onto the stomach and a pom pom for a nose. They painted the background with blue water colour paint.

My children did this as part of a class buddy system with the Reception class. All term we had been talking about the continents of the world and this activity was about the Antarctic. It was simply a fun way of ending a unit of work. The classes loved it!

You could also do this activity if you were talking about Australian Animals as the waters around Australia are home to Little Penguins. The background could easily be changed to a beach or a rocky hill. 

School Values: Responsibility

As part of the new Values Education program at school, I have been talking about Responsibility with my class. The Reception teacher and I decided that we would make some art work about roles and responsibilities the children have at school. We gave the Year 1s a Reception buddy and they drew together a scene of children being responsible. We watered down paint and they painted over their pictures. They turned out quite well.

Responsibilities they listed were things like, picking up rubbish, keeping their tables tidy, asking before they leave the room, keeping their things safe and more along these lines. We went on throughout the term discussing responsibilities at home, in our environment, at the public library etc.

They were so excited about their posters, they showed them at the assembly.

Making Cube Mobiles

We used the nets found on SEN TEACHER to construct these cubes. They worked very well. 

I have 24 students in my class, many with limited English skills, therefore it was much easier to help a small group at a time on the carpet. 

I asked students to cut out the net pattern at their tables and write their name somewhere on the net. 

When they had finished cutting, I had  a task that they could independently complete. 

I called a small group of approximately 5 students to come to the carpet with glue and their net. I made sure to have some scissors handy to fix the nets that had not been cut out properly. They glued the net onto cardboard with the net facing upwards (so the lines can be seen). They cut around net again and glued it together. Children went back to their tables to decorate. When they had finished decorating, they resumed the independent task and waited for their turn again (if needed).

3D Shape Nets

I am planning on making some 3D Shape class mobiles. I found some excellent nets online at SEN TEACHER