welcome to junior and senior infants 2019-2020.
simple ways to improve oral language skills
Oral Language skills are a hugely important part of literacy development. It lays the foundation for reading and writing skills and children use it in all aspects of their education. It has a huge effect on reading comprehension and it is uniquely intertwined with overall reading development. We spend a lot of time working on oral language development at school. Here are some simple ideas to try at home.
Twinkl.ie has some fantastic oral language activites for Junior and Senior Infants. Just search 'Oral Language Activities' in the search box.
- Nursery Rhymes/tongue twisters/songs-great for introducing new vocabulary, teaching about rhyme and rhythm, which helps children to identify syllables in words, which in turn helps with reading!
- Listening to stories read by a grown-up, eg, bedtime stories. Adult should ask questions before reading (what do you think this story is about?, etc. ) During reading (what do you think is going to happen next? What would you have done differently there?, etc. ) and After reading (What was your favourite part of the story?, Who was your favourite character?, etc. )
- Riddles-great for developing critical thinking skills and vocabulary
- Complete the sentence- Begin a sentence and ask child to come up with an ending to it, eg, "If I won the lotto, I would...." "If I were the Taoiseach, I would...."
- Practice phone conversations. Many children find this difficult,as do many of us adults nowadays. Get them to call their grandparents/cousins/etc. for a chat to practice conversation skills. You might also let them use Whatsapp voice notes on your phone for this too (supervised by an adult).
- Look at pictures and photographs and ask the child to describe exactly what they see and to make inferences using these details. (The boy is wearing a blue jumper and black trousers.....he has blonde hair.......he has a schoolbag on his back so he must be going to school.......
- What would you see? game Get them to list what they would see at a petrol station/supermarket/school/football stadium/zoo/airport, etc.
- Miming and charades games
- Use puppets and masks to make up simple dramas and plays
- Classifying-making lists of clothes, fruits, vegetables, animals, etc.
- Tell jokes-read from a jokebook or children's joke website
- Compare objects by shape, texture, size, function, etc.
- Play " Who am I?" think of a famous person or a cartoon character that they like, and get them to ask you questions to help them guess it, (Are you male or female?, etc. )
- Think of a question: Many children have great difficulty in coming up with a question after being given the answer first-eg- "Today is Monday"-the child asks "What day is it?" This can take lots of practice.
- Have a debate: You're never to young to have your say and practice getting your point across. Simple topics such as "Should homework be banned?", "Who is the best superhero and why?" , etc.
- Topic Talk: This one is difficult even for adults. Give the child a topic they know plenty about and ask them to stand up and speak about that topic for 20 seconds/30 seconds/40 seconds, building up to a minute as time goes on.
Twinkl.ie has some fantastic oral language activites for Junior and Senior Infants. Just search 'Oral Language Activities' in the search box.
TUESDAY 2ND june
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important: farm safety for children
Keeping safe on the farm is so important at all times. We live in a rural area and many of us either live on farms or have access to relative's farms such as grandparents or even neighbours. We neeed to be aware of the rules for keeping ourselves safe. Farms are not for playing, they are a workplace and can be extremely dangerous if we aren't careful. Here are some resources with information to help keep everyone safe. Be Farm Safety Aware!
Click on the images below to take you to the websites.
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important: WATER SAFETY FOR CHILDREN
At this time of year at school, we revise water safety rules, especially with many children using paddling pools at home, and visiting beaches or using swimming poos on holidays (usually). This year, it is still just as important to ensure all children are aware of the rules for keeping safe around bodies of water. PAWS (Primary Aquatics Water Safety) from www.watersafety.ie is a great resource for water safety in homes, farms, pools, beaches, rivers and canals. We use this every year in school and I urge all families to read it Below find the downloadable presentation, or click on the images below to take you to the links and activities.
| PAWS Water Safety Presentation |
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If you complete the form at https://www.teachpaws.ie/certify , Irish Water Safety will email you a digital PAWS Hero certificate!
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important: road safety for kids
Check out the links below by clicking on the picture or watching the videos to go over the road safety rules you learned in school this year.
SUN SAFETY STORY FOR KIDS:
gEORGE THE SUN SAFE SUPERSTAR
The lovely story of George the Sun Safe Superstar teaches us about how to protect ourselves from the sun!
MONDAY 25TH MAY
| Senior Infants 25th May |
| Junior Infants 25th May |
monday 18th may
| Senior Infants May 18th |
| Junior Infants May 18th |
READING RESOURCES
With our local libraries and bookshops closed, here are some online books for anyone who is looking for some new reading material while schools are closed. Just click on the pictures to take you to the website!
1. oxfordowl.co.uk
Oxford Owl includes tablet-friendly books, free levelled readers organised by age level. Include the Oxford Reading Tree programme which we use as Paired Readers at school. Free for duration of school closures.
Oxford Owl includes tablet-friendly books, free levelled readers organised by age level. Include the Oxford Reading Tree programme which we use as Paired Readers at school. Free for duration of school closures.
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2. readingeggs.co.uk
Reading Eggs includes songs, games, golden eggs and other rewards to motivate children to read. Parents can register for a 30 day free trial. Includes a handy placement quiz to ensure children start at the right level and comprehension quizzes to assess their understanding of what they have read. |
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3. Vooks.com
Vooks is a library of animated much-loved storybooks which aims to encourage a love of reading through storytime. Offers one month free access.
Vooks is a library of animated much-loved storybooks which aims to encourage a love of reading through storytime. Offers one month free access.
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4. stories.audible.com
Audible's kids stories section has a huge range of audiobooks for kids of all ages, from Harry Potter to Winnie the Pooh. |
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SUMMER OUTDOoR FUN!
Check out the slideshow below for some cool ideas for things to make and do outdoors! Science activities, art ideas, fun and creative ways to learn and enjoy the world outdoors in your own garden! I hope you find something that you'd like to try. Just click on the photograph to take you to the ideas and instructions!
LOTS MORE IDEAS FOR YOU TO TRY!
Just click on the images below for lots more incredible ideas!
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Monday 11th may
| Junior Infants 11th May |
| Senior Infants 11th May |
TUESDAY 5TH mAY
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Twinkl.ie have some really nice resources for May, the month of Mary. Maybe you could set up a May altar at home, or decorate a May bush outside your house! Click on the images below!
Remember to go to twinklhq.twinkl.co.uk/offer to claim your free month's access to Twinkl, and use the code CVDTWINKLHELPS.
Remember to go to twinklhq.twinkl.co.uk/offer to claim your free month's access to Twinkl, and use the code CVDTWINKLHELPS.
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"DRAW OUR HEROES" ART COMPETITION!
The "Draw our Heroes" art competition is calling on all children under 18 to draw a picture of their real-life hero to honour the heroes in our lives and society. Your hero could be a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, ambulance service, gardai, fire service, army, an post, shop assistant, van driver, Leo Varadkar, Simon Harris, Dr. Tony Holohan, your granny cocooning – in fact anyone who is playing their part to keep us all safe.
If you'd like to take part, here are some details:
You can use paints or draw with pencils or use anything you like once it’s on an A4 page. Feel free to give your own unique ‘Title’ to your entry.
There are 4 age categories and prizes range from €50 to €500. The artists and their heroes in the winning portraits will also be honoured at a special presentation in August 2020 (which will be confirmed at a later date)
Entries must be submitted by the 30th June 2020 and the artwork will be displayed online at the end of the competition.
For more details, click on the image below. Have fun drawing!
If you'd like to take part, here are some details:
You can use paints or draw with pencils or use anything you like once it’s on an A4 page. Feel free to give your own unique ‘Title’ to your entry.
There are 4 age categories and prizes range from €50 to €500. The artists and their heroes in the winning portraits will also be honoured at a special presentation in August 2020 (which will be confirmed at a later date)
Entries must be submitted by the 30th June 2020 and the artwork will be displayed online at the end of the competition.
For more details, click on the image below. Have fun drawing!
STAY HOME SUPERHEROES!
It can be difficult to understand the huge changes which have taken place in our lives over the past weeks, but this lovely book written by Sophie Marsh (www.sophiesstories.co.uk) explains things in a very child-friendly way, helping children make sense of what is happening. I hope you like reading this book as much as I did!
Click on the picture to the left to read, or watch the video below, and remember,
YOU ARE ALL SUPERHEROES!
The NCSE also has some links to some nice Social Stories to support children with ASD here: ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Supporting-children-and-young-people-with-ASD-during-the-Covid-19-pandemic-Social-Stories.pdf
Click on the picture to the left to read, or watch the video below, and remember,
YOU ARE ALL SUPERHEROES!
The NCSE also has some links to some nice Social Stories to support children with ASD here: ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Supporting-children-and-young-people-with-ASD-during-the-Covid-19-pandemic-Social-Stories.pdf
superhero activities! click on the pictures!
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POETRY DAY IRELAND
30TH APRIL 2020
EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF POETRY!
We love poetry in Newtown N.S.! Poetry Day Ireland celebrates poetry and encourages us to write, read, listen to, illustrate, perform, share-and above all, ENJOY poetry! Here are some ideas you could use at home to celebrate poetry today, or any day of the year!
www.familyfriendpoems.com/poems/children/funny/
www.seussville.com/dr-seuss/
www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/
www.themeasuredmom.com/the-ultimate-list-of-books-that-rhyme/
www.freechildrenstories.com/rhyming-stories
www.storyberries.com/category/poems-for-kids/rhyming-poems/
We love poetry in Newtown N.S.! Poetry Day Ireland celebrates poetry and encourages us to write, read, listen to, illustrate, perform, share-and above all, ENJOY poetry! Here are some ideas you could use at home to celebrate poetry today, or any day of the year!
- Read some of your favourite poems with a parent
- Think about all the different types of poems we love: nursery rhymes, playground rhymes, nonsense rhymes, funny poems, raps, chants, poems we learn in school, poems we learn at home, rhyming storybooks, songs as poetry put to music, the list goes on and on.......
- Write out and illustrate your favourite poem
- Ask your parents and grandparents what their favourite childhood poems were. Maybe they'll teach you a new one you haven't heard before, and it will become a favourite of yours, to!!!
- What are some of your favourite rhyming picture books? Some of my favourite authors who write rhyming stories are Dr. Seuss, Julia Donaldson, Martin Waddel, Judith Kerr and Eric Carle.
- Write your own poem about any topic you like! When you have finished it, read it for your parents and grandparents!
- Look for some new poetry. Some great poetry websites for children include:
www.familyfriendpoems.com/poems/children/funny/
www.seussville.com/dr-seuss/
www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/
www.themeasuredmom.com/the-ultimate-list-of-books-that-rhyme/
www.freechildrenstories.com/rhyming-stories
www.storyberries.com/category/poems-for-kids/rhyming-poems/
- Try out some new ways to write poems. Try writing an acrostic poem, a list poem, or just a simple 'I Like....' poem. Click on the images below for more. Have fun and if anyone would like to email us a poem they have written themselves we would love to read them! Happy Poetry Day!
Monday 27th april
| Junior Infants 27th April |
| Senior Infants 27th April |
EARTH DAY 2020
Today is Earth Day, a day to inspire us to learn about ways we can help to make our planet cleaner and greener. Here aresome fun ideas if you would like to learn more! Happy Earth Day!
Check out some child-friendly videos about Earth Day:
https://www.simplykinder.com/earth-day-videos/
Maybe try a craft activity using recycled objects! Here are 25 ideas:
https://iheartcraftythings.com/25-earth-day-crafts-for-kids.html
Or attempt a fun Earth Day science experiment!
https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/preschool-earth-day-activities-for-science-and-sensory-play/
Here's a nice song that gives us tips on how we can Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to help our planet!
Check out some child-friendly videos about Earth Day:
https://www.simplykinder.com/earth-day-videos/
Maybe try a craft activity using recycled objects! Here are 25 ideas:
https://iheartcraftythings.com/25-earth-day-crafts-for-kids.html
Or attempt a fun Earth Day science experiment!
https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/preschool-earth-day-activities-for-science-and-sensory-play/
Here's a nice song that gives us tips on how we can Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to help our planet!
Fun on the farm activities
Hi everyone, I hope you are all enjoying the lovely sunny weather with plenty of playtime outdoors! Here I've added some activities based on the theme of The Farm. I've included ideas for Art, Science, SPHE, Geography, Music and lots more. Please note these are totally optional-feel free to pick and choose activities if they interest you. Have a good week!
| The Farm Powerpoint |
FINE MOTOR SKILLS
& WRITING
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Fine Motor Skils Development Ideas:Fine Motor Skills Playdoh song from Early Years Emily on youtube:
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More letter formation ideas:
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Monday 20th APRIL
| Junior Infants 20th April |
| Senior Infants 20th April |
p.e. AT HOME ACTIVITIES!
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Hopefully this nice weather will continue and we will be able to spend lots of time outdoors going for walks, cycling, playing in our gardens and enjoying the fresh air. Here are some outdoor movement ideas. Below that you'll find links to some free online ideas which may be useful on a rainy day also!
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INDOOR PE AND MOVEMENT BREAKS!
bOREDOM BUSTERS!
HERE ARE SOME FUN ACTIVITIES TO TRY AT HOME!
march 30th
| ideas_for_time_off_school_for_junior_and_senior_infants_week_3__2_.docx |
| book-talk-supporting-interactive-book-reading.pdf |
| comic-strip-writing-worksheet-2.pdf |
| resources-for-poetry-week-there-was-old-lady.docx |
| sentencebuildingworksheetsfree.pdf |
| beginning-sounds-alphabet-cover-mats-compressed.pdf |
March 23rd
https://www.gillexplore.ie/gill-explore-resources/over-the-moon-senior-infants-skills-book
USEFUL ENGLISH RESOURCES FOR SENIOR INFANT ENGLISH BOOKS
USEFUL ENGLISH RESOURCES FOR SENIOR INFANT ENGLISH BOOKS
Hi there Juniors and Seniors,
Hope you are all doing well. Here are some ideas for you to try out at home with Mammy and Daddy.
Best Wishes from ,
Miss Malone
Reading Log - Each day, read for 5-10 minutes and choose one activity from your reading log to complete
1. Read a book by yourself or with a grown-up.
2. Put your name and the title of the book at the top of a new page.
3. Choose one of the ideas and write one or two sentences about your book. Remember, not all of the questions make sense for every book.
4. Don’t forget to tell why or how you know or both if you can!
How did the story end?
Who is your favourite character?
Is this book like any other book you have read? Which one?
How does the main character feel in this book?
Which words in the book were tricky?
Where does the story take place (the setting)?
What is your favourite part of the story?
What is the big problem in the story?
How is it solved?
When does the story take place (the setting)?
What did you learn from reading this book?
At the end, did any characters change
from how they felt at the beginning?
What friend or family member might like this book?
What is your favourite picture in the book?
What did the author want you to learn?
What surprised you in the book?
• Today I…..
• I went……
• I learned…..
• I saw ……..
• Or …pick your own way to start!
Hope you are all doing well. Here are some ideas for you to try out at home with Mammy and Daddy.
Best Wishes from ,
Miss Malone
Reading Log - Each day, read for 5-10 minutes and choose one activity from your reading log to complete
1. Read a book by yourself or with a grown-up.
2. Put your name and the title of the book at the top of a new page.
3. Choose one of the ideas and write one or two sentences about your book. Remember, not all of the questions make sense for every book.
4. Don’t forget to tell why or how you know or both if you can!
How did the story end?
Who is your favourite character?
Is this book like any other book you have read? Which one?
How does the main character feel in this book?
Which words in the book were tricky?
Where does the story take place (the setting)?
What is your favourite part of the story?
What is the big problem in the story?
How is it solved?
When does the story take place (the setting)?
What did you learn from reading this book?
At the end, did any characters change
from how they felt at the beginning?
What friend or family member might like this book?
What is your favourite picture in the book?
What did the author want you to learn?
What surprised you in the book?
- Writing- Each day, write some news about what you did on a Daily News page
• Today I…..
• I went……
• I learned…..
• I saw ……..
• Or …pick your own way to start!
- https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SLT-OT-Top-Tips-Junior-and-Senior-Infants3.pdf
- https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sensory-Processing-booklet-for-parents.pdf
- https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gross-Motor-skills-Parent-Booklet-Primary.pdf
- https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Fine-and-gross-motor-info-sheets-for-the-home.pdf
- https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/OT-Parent-Websites.docx.pdf
- https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SLT-Useful-Websites-for-Parents.pdf
| the_3_poem_challenge.docx |
| ideas_for_time_off_school_for_junior_and_senior_infants.docx |
Christmas Play
On the 13th December, Junior and senior infants performed their nativity play. Parents were invited in to see the performance. A great performance on the day. A special thanks to parents who made the costumes and the Parent's Association for providing tea and treats on the day.
halloween
skipping workshop
history workshop
Welcome to Junior and Senior Infants 2018-2019
Orienteering - PE
Aistear "The Garden Centre"
Easter Egg Hunt
Easter ART
Easter Aistear
Visit From the Veterinary NUrse
Valentine's Day
In Art we made beautiful love hearts for our parents, using crepe paper we decorated the edge of the heart and then used glue and glitter to decorate the heart. We had so much fun!!
Grandparents DAy
As part of Catholic Schools Week, 1st and 2nd Class and Junior and Senior Infants invited their Grandparents into school. We had an prayer service, said poems and sang our Grandparents song. To remember our grandparents who were no longer with us, we planted a holly bush in their memory. Our grandparents enjoyed a nice cup of tea and we enjoyed the bars and biscuits. Each class completed a piece of art or writing for their grandparents. We had a lovely time having our grandparents in school and we especially enjoyed thanking them for all they do for us.
At the Vets
As part of Aistear we have been learning all about the vets. The children have had so much fun in all the different areas in our classroom. We set up a veterinary surgery where many sick and injured pets were treated. The children booked them in for appointments and treated them with so much care, taking x-rays and bandaging up all their injuries. The pets were always wrapped up overnight in their cozy blankets.
We really enjoyed the small world area where there was a vets set up along with a pets grooming service. The children had so much fun playing with washimals, decorating their pets and washing them off in the pet's bath, once or twice a bull escaped from a field destroying the veterinary surgery.
There was lots of wonderful pet food made in the sandpit and play dough areas. The children constructed and re - constructed the veterinary surgery from day to day. In our writing children wrote ways to care for their pet dog. We also set up a missing dog's notice board where the children wrote about their missing dog. We read lots of books relating to animals and pets. We would like to thank all the parents and teachers who donated, animals, bandages and pet blankets and much more to our classroom.
We are really looking forward to the visit from the Veterinary nurse and dog to our classroom.
We really enjoyed the small world area where there was a vets set up along with a pets grooming service. The children had so much fun playing with washimals, decorating their pets and washing them off in the pet's bath, once or twice a bull escaped from a field destroying the veterinary surgery.
There was lots of wonderful pet food made in the sandpit and play dough areas. The children constructed and re - constructed the veterinary surgery from day to day. In our writing children wrote ways to care for their pet dog. We also set up a missing dog's notice board where the children wrote about their missing dog. We read lots of books relating to animals and pets. We would like to thank all the parents and teachers who donated, animals, bandages and pet blankets and much more to our classroom.
We are really looking forward to the visit from the Veterinary nurse and dog to our classroom.
A Visit to the Fire Station
Halloween Dress up Day
Some of our Art work
Working with SCience
Junior Infants
1st Day at school
Junior and Senior Infants 2018-2019
OUr Favourite Toys
Our first Day of School
Junior and Senior Infants 2017-18
Welcome to Junior and Senior infants
Seachtain na Gaeilge
Lego Workshop
Pancake Tuesday
Christmas Art And
Bring and BUY Sale
Our Christmas PLay 2016
Junior and Senior Infant 2016-2017
Easter egg hunt
Junior infants class photo 2016
Art - Painting
The Book fair
mother's Day Gifts
Oral Language/ Geography
Valentine's Day Art
Classroom fun
pancake tuesday
Lego Workshop
Christmas Bring and buy sale
DANCE Class In Junior and Senior INFANTS
Classroom Art and Activities completed For Winter and CHristmas
Junior And Senior Infant's Christmas Play
"A Snowman at Sunset"
HaLLOWEEN DRESS UP 2015
School Tour 2015
Mellowes Adventure Centre 2015
EASTER FUN
Children learned all about baby chicks and Spring this term. We talked about how Spring bring new life. Children created their own collages of Chicks with their own individual Easter Eggs. Have a look at some of our wonderful creations.
EASTER EGG HUNT
There was great excitement in Junior and Senior Infants when they discovered they were going on an Easter Egg hunt. Egg were scattered all round the school and it wasn't long before all the eggs were collected, minus one which we reckon the Easter Bunny ate while we were in class. We counted our eggs and divided them equally among the class and enjoyed the treat which we found inside. We had lots of fun.
There was great excitement in Junior and Senior Infants when they discovered they were going on an Easter Egg hunt. Egg were scattered all round the school and it wasn't long before all the eggs were collected, minus one which we reckon the Easter Bunny ate while we were in class. We counted our eggs and divided them equally among the class and enjoyed the treat which we found inside. We had lots of fun.
Classroom Displays
Have a look at some of the work we completed so far this year.
In Science we learned all about the parts of the body, children cut and stuck the different words to label the diagram of the body.
In English we read the story of Elmer, sequenced it from beginning to end. We revised all the colours and the children coloured their own individual Elmer.
In Science we learned all about the parts of the body, children cut and stuck the different words to label the diagram of the body.
In English we read the story of Elmer, sequenced it from beginning to end. We revised all the colours and the children coloured their own individual Elmer.
In Geography and History we learned all about different homes, homes in the past and homes today. We spoke about and looked at photographs of apartments, bungalows, two-storey houses, castles, caravans, detatched and terraced houses along with many more. In Art children made their own houses, cutting and sticking on many features to their homes.
HallOween
Halloween brought lots of spooky children to Junior and Senior Infants, parading around the school showing us all their magic powers and casting spells on anyone close by. Along with this a flying broomstick that kept wandering around the classroom, all our magic spells couldn't stop it from moving from place to place. To make things worse the teachers parked their broomsticks after flying them to school.
We became very creative during this spooky period making, spider bags to carry sweets when trick or treating. We also made pumpkin collages using crepe paper and exploding fireworks using paint and glitter.
We became very creative during this spooky period making, spider bags to carry sweets when trick or treating. We also made pumpkin collages using crepe paper and exploding fireworks using paint and glitter.
Maths is all around us
From the activities below you can see that Junior and Senior Infants encounter many opportunities to use a range of resources to help them with their Maths. All of these hands - on, practical activities make Maths fun and enjoyable for the children.
Some of the activities include:
- Matching and sorting sets, according to colour, size, amount and those of similar kinds.
- Counting objects
- 2D shapes - making 2D shapes such as triangles, rectangles and square on geoboards
- 2D shapes - using shapes to make 2D shape pictures
From the activities below you can see that Junior and Senior Infants encounter many opportunities to use a range of resources to help them with their Maths. All of these hands - on, practical activities make Maths fun and enjoyable for the children.
Some of the activities include:
- Matching and sorting sets, according to colour, size, amount and those of similar kinds.
- Counting objects
- 2D shapes - making 2D shapes such as triangles, rectangles and square on geoboards
- 2D shapes - using shapes to make 2D shape pictures
Autumn Trees
In Geography children learned about how trees change through
the different seasons. As the weather began changing we could see that the
leaves were beginning to change lots of different colours such as brown,
yellow, orange and red.
Children understood that these changes were occurring as the trees were preparing for Winter. We enjoyed painting our own trees using a variety of the Autumn colours. Have a look at our wonderful creations
Children understood that these changes were occurring as the trees were preparing for Winter. We enjoyed painting our own trees using a variety of the Autumn colours. Have a look at our wonderful creations
P.E
Junior and Senior infants had great fun, practising their throwing and catching skills in PE. Children learned to throw, clap and catch beanbags. All the children were busy seeing how many they could catch without letting the beanbag touch the ground. Another area which was explored and mastered was balancing beanbags on heads while walking and running, there was much excitement when this was turned into a competition.
Junior & Senior Infants 2014- 2015
Junior Infants First DAy
jUNIOR SCHOOL TOUR 2014-TAYTO PARK!
On Thursday, June 12th, 2014, the pupils from Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd Class jumped on a bus to Tayto Park for our annual school tour. We could not have been luckier with the weather for the day, and the sun shone gloriously from beginning to end! When we arrived the children were welcomed to the Geronimo Thrill Zone, where they had the opportunity to go on a climbing tower, bungee swing, bucking bronco, pony monorail and playpark. Next we had a quick picnic before heading on our tour of the Tayto Factory, where we witnessed first hand how crisps are made, and learned that a staggering 2 million packets are produced there each and every day!!! Afterwards, our lovely guide Laura brought us around the fantastic animals in the Pet-Tayto Corner, Wild Cat Plains, Critter Country and Buffao Ridge! We saw meerkats, raccoons, amur tigers, buffalo, mountain lions, emus, pygmy goats, pot-bellied pigs, ocelots, coati mundi, donkeys, highland cows, ducks, rabbits and lots, lots more! We then returned to our picnic area and enjoyed a sunny picnic lunch before heading into the Pow Wow Playground for lots of fun and activity. It was here that we got to meet Mr. Tayto!!!! What a treat! All too soon, it was time to head back to the bus and return home. We all had a great day and the children were so well-behaved that Mr. Tayto gave them all 2 free packets of crisps to take home!
Learn-it with lego workshop!
On Tuesday, May 27th, we had another cool workshop which was funded by our Parents Association. The 'Learn-It with Lego' workshop provided lots of fun actvities and learning opportunities. We learned all about cogs and levers and the children built lots of cool creations, from spinning tops to racing cars! Everyone had lots of fun, thanks to our PA for providing this opportunity!
crazy CLAY CREATIONS!
We recently had a visit from Finn O'Hara, a potter from Finn's Pottery in Kilkenny. We had great fun working with the clay and we made fun sculptures which are also musical instruments-they whistle when you blow into them! Finn took our creations with him to fire in his kiln and we were delighted with the finished results! We love working and experimenting with clay! Thanks to our Parent Association for funding this interesting workshop!
easter fun in infants!
We had lots of fun learning about Easter recently. We learned all about Easter traditions, some Easter songs including 'Hot Cross Buns', 'Have you seen the Easter Bunny', and this term it was the Infants turn to perform in the assembly in front of the whole school! We said a poem all about Easter celebrations and we read out a special story explaining the importance of Easter which involved sweets!:-) We finished with a song from our Alive O. After Assembly, we made nests using shredded wheat, melted chocolate and mini eggs; an extra-tasty Science lesson! We had an Easter Egg Hunt outside and we were really good at following the directions! We made an Easter chick collage and played Easter maths games on the Interactive Whiteboard. We hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
All about owls!
We have been learning all about Spring over the past while in our Infant room. We had a nature walk and saw bird nests in the trees and listened to the beautiful song of the birds. We learned about the life cycles of birds, in particular one of our favourite birds, the Owl. We love owls in our classroom and we have lots of owl-themed resources based on the acronym 'O.W.L.-Outstanding Wonderful Learners'!!! We read the book 'Owl Babies' by Martin Waddell and we made our own picture from the story using printing sponges, card and oil pastels. We think they turned out pretty well! We were very excited to have a visit to our school on Wednesday, 9th April, by Neil from Dublin Falconry, who brought along some very special friends!!! Not only did we get to meet a beautiful barn owl and a long-eared owl, but also a peregrine falcon, the world's fastest bird! We had a great day and learned lots about these amazingly clever birds of prey. We thank our Parent Association for funding this interesting visit!
Shooting for the stars in Junior and senior infants!
We recently did a unit on Space in the Infants Classroom. The Space theme opened up a wide range of possibilities for integration of learning across the curriculum. Some of the many activities we did based on the theme included:
- 2D Rocket collage (Visual Arts/Maths)
- Designing our own rockets (Visual Arts/English)
- Created rockets using cardboard boxes and other recycled materials (Art/Science)
- Learning about our solar system (SESE Geography)
- Making our own space centre and rocket (Drama/Aistear Role Play)
- Lots of alien and planet counting and addition (Maths)
- Sequencing of the planets and their position from the Sun (History)
- Read stories based on the theme of space, including 'Papa please get the moon for me' by Eric Carle, 'Aliens Love Underpants' by Claire Freedman, 'We're off to look for aliens' by Colin McNaughton.
- Learned a song about the solar system (Music)
- Writing stories about going to space (English)
SEACHTAIN NA GAEILGE AGUS Lá 'LE PáDRAIG 2014
Tá Seachtain na Gaeilge thart anois ach bhí an-spraoí againn i rith na seachtaine! Bhí a lán cluichí, ceol agus spóirt trí Gaeilge, mar shampla: Céilí Mór sa chlós, Taispeántas, Ciorcal Cómhrá gach lá, agus ghlac gach duine páirt ann. Ar an Aoine, bhí gach duine gléasta suas in éadaí glasa agus bhí a lán gruaig 'Wacky' le feiceáil timpeall an scoile! Is breá linn Gaeilge!
PaNCAKE tUESDAY-lá na bpancóga-2014
Junior and Senior Infants really love their pancakes! Pancake Tuesday offers excellent opportunities for learning and cross-curricular integration and linkage. Here are a few of the ways we integrated Pancake Tuesday into our learning this year!
- In English, we learned the poem 'Mix a Pancake' by Christina Georgina Rosetti. We read 'The Runaway Pancake', then discussed what happened in the story. The children did a great job of sequencing the different events in the story!
- In Science, we looked at how pancakes are made, and the effect of heat on the pancake batter. Again, we practiced our sequencing skills, focusing on the different steps in making pancakes. Senior Infants even wrote out their own recipes for making pancakes, and offered tips on what to eat with them! Junior Infants designed their own pancakes and drew on their favourite toppings.
- In Maths, we collected data on the favourite pancake toppings of everyone in our class. We then entered this data on a pictogram and a bar graph to analyse our results. We found out the most popular pancake topping in Infants is chocolate spread! Check out our results by clicking on the file below!
- In Gaeilge, under the theme 'Bia', we discussed what we like to eat on our pancakes in our Ciorcal Cómhrá. We also enjoyed the story 'Pancóg ag Rith!'
- In History, we learned about the origins of Pancake Tuesday and Mardi Gras.
- In RE, we learned about Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, and began to think of ideas for our Lenten Promises.
- In PE, we had a pancake race using tennis racquets and beanbags! This was lots of fun!
| favourite_pancake_toppings.docx |
pancake fun in infants 2014!
