Building A Bird House with Bailey
It turns out that Bailey is quite a capable builder, so when the time came to construct a bird house for our (about to be) renovated garden at VP, Bailey was my first choice. Bailey did a wonderful job on the bird feeder as you can see from the photos above. A big thank you to Avie who very kindly offered his time to supervise as we used power tools, hammers & nails. Bailey will come down to the Learning Hub to whip up some bird feed with me shortly, and then we will hang it up in the trees next to the garden. I'll keep you posted!
Learning New Games
A team of VP students came down to spend the morning with me to learn how to play some of the amazing educational games we have in the Learning Hub. The children were put into groups and then issued a game that was completely new to them. As a team, they had to read the instructions, understand the rules of the game, set the game up & then play it. Sounds easy right? - think again! We discovered that we all learn differently, and what makes perfect sense to one person on the first go might be quite confusing for another. The children experienced emotions of confusion, frustration, felt like it was all too hard, had a-ha + I get it moments, and eventually experienced pure joy when it all started to fall into place & the game started to roll. One student said that it was really challenging to learn something new as a group, and at times he felt uncomfortable playing the game when he still wasn't too sure of the rules. There are learning opportunities abound for children when they play games, it is more than just entertainment or filling in time. Here is a link to a really interesting article that showcases the educational benefits that can be derived from game playing via Scholastic if you have a few minutes to spare : )
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/creativity-play/benefits-board-games
Spare seedlings anyone?
A big thank you to Caroline Campbell for bringing in a huge tray of Basil Plants to the Learning Hub for anyone who wanted them - for free! If you have extra seeds or seedlings & you don't want them to go to waste then please feel free to bring them down to the Learning Hub, I always have plenty of takers!
Cooking in The Learning Hub
Biscuit baking in the Learning Hub just moved into the realms of EPIC! Under the expert supervision of Kate, Talei and Minya baked the most amazing 3-D jungle biscuits. They used a series of different biscuit cutters, baked the biscuits, let them cool down, and then pieced them together like a jig-saw puzzle. They looked too good to eat! I love observing other peoples creativity, it gets me so inspired! I'm now going to look for my own 3-D baking projects, thanks for the fantastic idea!
Teamwork
Being a part of a team isn't always easy, especially when you have to work with someone who doesn't operate the way you do. We went on a story telling journey with RJ who faced many personal challenges when it came to sharing and being a part of a team. As we worked our way through the book, we discovered that it is really useful to;
- Be clear about the teams goals
- Work to our own individual strengths
- Help each other out
- Prepare a project plan that everyone is on-board with
- Communicate, listen & share ideas along the way
Thanks For The Feedback?
Do you feel uncomfortable when someone gives you an honest & genuine compliment? If so, you are not alone. We met up with RJ again to find out why it is so hard to accept a compliment, as well as learning how to deliver and accept positive + negative feedback. I had a fantastic session with Rachel Jackson's class where we learnt that all feedback is information. We also talked about how to deliver our feedback in a respectful way. There was a lot of fascinating discussion going on around these topics, loved it!
Building Houses
Sometimes we can imagine the most magnificent thing in our brain, we know just how it will look, we know just how it will work & we know just how to make it - so why is it SO difficult to make it a reality sometimes? Mrs Z's class, Amy Austin & I went on a beautiful story telling journey with a little girl and her trusty assistant (her pug dog) in her quest to build her most magnificent thing. When things don't go to plan she tries again and again, again and again until frustration finally gets the better of her & she screams ... I QUIT! Her able assistant suggests that they take a walk to let off some steam & lo and behold as she takes her mind off her magnificent thing, the answers she is looking for start to appear! Yes, she does build her most magnificent thing in the end & it really is quite amazing! The children were then put into teams & went on to build their very own magnificent houses - they are on display in K8, pop in and have a look! The children worked really well together & I enjoyed watching them work as a team, negotiate resources and help each other.
New Books
I just ADORE new books, so you can imagine my delight when 6 brand new "Growth & Development" books tagged for the Learning Hub arrived last week. These books hit the ground running as soon as they came in, and are fast becoming a golden resource not only for the Learning Hub, but for the Teaching Staff as well. Topics covered include;
- Teamwork
- How to accept/give compliments & feedback
- Persistence, reaching goals & managing frustration
- What to do with an idea (This is such a beautiful book!)
- Being OK with who you are. It is OK to be different!
- The fantastic elastic brain. Exploring how our brain grows & how we learn
Please feel free to pop into the Learning Hub to have a look if you are interested in reading these fabulous books.
So, what's new? The new garden beds are getting built next week, with the drainage chip + soil following soon after. I hope to get some vegetable seedlings planted shortly with the Freedom Friday Eco Warriors - I'll post an update when I do. I am exploring what it means to be a refugee with the Mahuri syndicate, and I have just started an exciting art/photography project with George Kay that I am really looking forward to sharing with you.
Here's to a great weekend, and for everyone starting a winter sport this month - good luck & have loads of fun!
Karin Grice
Learning Hub Coordinator
Island Bay School