Wednesday 27 February 2013

Handy gadgets and stuffed stockings



Welcome back little learners! Welcome back team! 

And a very warm welcome to any new readers to 
Sunnysiders 2012!

 The little learners rushed into the classroom this morning, bursting at the seams to share their half term holiday news and adventures.

The team heard wonderfully detailed stories about, flat batteries, "chicken pops", wallabies, birthday parties, and nail varnish!

It was evident that the little learners had enjoyed their half term break. They also seemed equally happy to be back with their friends in the little school called Sunnyside.

After a morning of phonics, story, and numeracy activities, the little learners enjoyed an afternoon of expression and creativity. 

The construction equipment made up of the cogs and gears that produced the "Chinese plunger" recently, is proving extremely popular among the little learners.

This afternoon a little learner couldn't wait to share his magnificent cogs and gears construction, with Mrs Caring.

"It's a gadget to help people." He told her excitedly.

He went on to explain that his gadget, at the one end, could release people if they're were trapped in a toilet, and at the other, it could help people to find things if they were having trouble with their "rememembories."


Mrs Very Jolly and Mrs Crayon in particular have trouble with their "remembories" when it comes to finding their glasses. So the clever little learner's brilliant invention will be a very handy classroom gadget indeed!!!

Mrs Very Jolly worked with the little learners outside making grass heads today.

This involved the little learners filling sections of tights and stockings with grass seeds and sawdust and then creating funny faces on the front. With careful and regular watering the grass seeds will germinate and grow, eventually creating a stylish hairdo for each grass head.

By the end of the day, there was a row of delightful little grass heads sitting on the classroom windowsill, looking every bit as happy and smiley as the little people who created them!

Well done little learners! The team anticipates some outrageous and original hairdos!!!



Friday 15 February 2013

Busy days and holidays


It's really true! The Sunnysiders break for the half term holiday today, and what a busy six weeks it's been.

In between trips to the jungle, visits from sniffer dogs, playdough eating puppies and tea drinking parrots, looking at rhyme, addition, and money, making hand puppets, papier mache puppets, camouflage hats, Chinese hats,  biscuit baking, pancake flipping, pancake racing, learning new sounds, blending new words, and inventing the all new... "Chinese Plunger," the Sunnyside little learners have continued to make huge progress in all areas of their learning and development.

The time taken to change for a PE session has now reduced to just a few minutes, and it is only the odd one or two little learners who enter the hall with plimsolls on the wrong feet. But little learners everywhere are forgiven for this mistake and that's because plimsolls are very strange things. Even when they are on the right feet, they look as though they are on the wrong feet.

So with all this increased independence and self reliance, it came as a bit of a surprise today, when Miss Kind heard her name being called (with some urgency) from the little learner toilets.

"Miss Kind! Miss Kind!" Came the little voice. "Come quick!"

Fearing there might be the real need for a "Chinese plunger", Miss Kind took to heels and dashed to toilets at some speed.

"What's wrong poppet? Are you alright?" She asked, practically stamping out the flames on the heels of her shoes.

"I'm fine!" Replied the little learner very calmly. "I just wanted to show you the robots on my pants!"

Miss Kind nearly feinted with relief!

So, all that remains to be said now, is that the Sunnysiders will be back on Monday 25th February for more fun and learning. There will also be compost, bulbs and seeds. Songs about Spring, Mother's Day and growing and no doubt if one little learner is to be believed, Uncle Robin Hood and his Easter Egg deliveries!!! 

Happy half term little learners! Happy half term team! Happy half term faithful readers! 



Robot Pants

"I love ice cream, I love scooters.
I love cats and elephants.
But what I love most of all... 





...Are the robots on my pants!"


Tuesday 12 February 2013

Pancakes and Chinese makes

  

Happy pancake day everyone! Happy Chinese New Year Everyone! 


The little learners have been celebrating both in equal measure today. This morning it was all about the pancakes. That is, making them and then eating them with Miss Kind and Mrs Crayon, where as this afternoon the little learners participated all manner of Chinese New year themed makes.

Miss Kind supported groups of little learners to make Chinese fans, Mrs Very Jolly worked on the Chinese masks table and Mrs Crayon helped the little learners to create Chinese New Year hats.

One little learner decided he didn't want to make a fan, or a mask, or a hat. Instead he headed straight off to the construction area. Some time later he marched up to Mrs Crayon waving an unusual construction that he'd put together from a variety of plastic cogs and gears.

"Look what I've made Mrs Crayon." Said the little learner bursting with excitement.
"Wow!" replied Mrs Crayon. Desperately trying to find the end of the sellotape for the umpteenth time.  "What have you made?" 
"It's a Chinese plunger!" Declared the little learner.
"Oh!" Said a somewhat surprised Mrs Crayon. "What do you need a Chinese plunger for?"
"To clean Chinese toilets!!!" Came the emphatic reply.

Fancy not knowing that Mrs Crayon!


"When we've eaten all our pancakes, let's make plungers!!!!"


Sunday 10 February 2013

Teacups and feathery friends







There was a moment today, when the team thought they'd suddenly and inexplicably fallen asleep and experienced some sort of weird and wonderful dream, whereby an African Grey Parrot flew once round the classroom, with a small plastic tea cup in it's mouth. The parrot then gracefully came to rest on the shoulders of it's owner, and sat quietly and calmly to study the 30 pairs of wide eyes all staring back at it.

However, this was no dream, the team really did see such a thing... and what's more, so did a classroom full of very excited little learners.

The parrot in question belongs to one of Sunnyside's little learners, and she very much wanted to introduce her exotic pet to her school friends.

The little learners recently met an extremely friendly and chatty parrot, when they visited the Whippy Cove Tropical House, so they were very eager to meet  and chat with Jean the African Grey. 

Jean didn't say much though, mainly due to the small plastic tea cup that she  chose to keep firmly in her mouth. She did however take the whole business  of meeting so many little learners in her stride. She sat quietly on the shoulder of the very kind daddy who brought her in, while the little learners asked parrot related questions. 

Fortunately, there were no concerns about Jean finding traces of playdough on the classroom floor to eat, that was all taken care of by Mrs Very Jolly's puppy when she came to visit the other day. The carpet has never been so playdough free!!!!

     
"I'm sorry, we're right out of playdough. Would you like a piece of freshly baked Lego with your tea!"


Thursday 7 February 2013

Dominoes and Little Mo


It was Mrs Caring's turn to enter the jungle den and put her hand in Lester the hungry lion's mouth today.

Apart from the letters and words the little learners are encouraged to feed Lester, Mrs Caring also retrieved the following items: A set of dominoes, two pastry cutters, a pig puppet, four pegs, a pair of PE shorts, a small (but very informative) book about fire fighters and a courgette.

It is a well established fact, that little learners love to post all sorts of things in all sorts of places, the puzzling thing is how they manage to do it without anyone noticing! They are absolute sleight of hand champions. To date, no grown up at Sunnyside School has ever spotted a little learner posting something they shouldn't, somewhere they shouldn't. If the grown ups were able to see the little learners up to their tricks, then every puzzle would be complete, every felt pen would have a lid and every little learner would have two plimsolls!!!!

This afternoon the little learners welcomed a very special visitor into the classroom. This tiny little visitor at 14 weeks old, trotted in with the shortest legs imaginable and a teeny weeny tail that just did not stop wagging. 
Mo, is Mrs Very Jolly's new puppy and her visit was arranged to coincide with the little learners' current animal topic.

The little learners adored Mo, and Mo adored the little learners. Miss Spic and Mrs Span, the very special people responsible for keeping Sunnyside School shiny and bright, will adore Mo too, when they find out that she's eaten all the squashed playdough off the carpet! 

No need to vacuum tonight ladies!!!
   


More please!

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Rhyme time and grubby sheep



Mary had a little lamb,
It's fleece was sort of grey.
She took it to the launderette,
And washed it clean away!


It's poetry week this week.

The little learners will be looking at poems and verse from around the world, as well as traditional rhymes and picture books with rhyming text.

Traditional rhymes are great fun, and all little learners enjoy reciting them. Whilst they are doing this, they are learning a very important skill, that of recognising rhyming words and hearing the rhythm in rhyme. This skill ultimately helps little learners with their reading and writing.

It is certainly the team's experience, that once the little learners hear rhyming words and rhyming patterns they seem to make it their mission to identify every single rhyming word in every word the team says. So for instance, when a grown up says something like, "It's time for lunch." There will be an excited chorus of little voices all shouting out words that rhyme with lunch!
It's wonderful to hear and the team are thrilled to have such firm evidence that the little learners are gaining a sound understanding of rhyme, but it can make a numeracy lesson a little long winded, when all the little learners want to do is find words that rhyme with the number names.

The team is hoping that as the week progresses, the little learners may even come up with some rhymes of their own. And if they do, they are sure they will be a darn sight better than Mrs Crayon's dodgy offering at the top of the page.   


"Oh my! I may have overdone the Vanish!"

Saturday 2 February 2013

Hand puppets and sticky feet




Inspirational week is certainly living up to it's name!

So far this week the little learners have met; PC Mick, the Police dog handler and his trusty four legged colleague Bonnie, Malcolm the puppet man and an author of children's picture books.

Today was a particularly industrious day, with wall to wall inspirational activities on offer.

The little learners had the opportunity to bake cakes, experiment with oil pastels in their paintings and make puppets of varying kinds.
Some little learners chose to make hand puppets with Mrs Jolly. This involved them having a go at real sewing with little learner friendly needles. Other little learners chose to work independently, making puppets from junk. And then the bravest little learners of all, chose to make papier mache puppets with Mrs Very Jolly.

Mrs Very Jolly loves papier mache activities and she is known for spreading her love of it twice round the classroom and all over the floor. On one sad and sorry occasion  her enthusiastic approach  caused a dinner lady to stick to the floor! The poor lady only came in to return a mislaid lunchbox, but then found she was unable to leave. So, it was with some trepidation that Mrs Crayon agreed to carry out her cooking activity just a few feet away from Mrs Very Jolly's papier mache table.

However, the morning's activities were a huge success. The sewing circle produced some beautiful and highly original hand puppets. The junk modelers created a wonderful variety of puppets from yogurt pots, cereal packets and cardboard tubes. And the chefs baked biscuits of every shade of brown imaginable, (depending on who remembered to get to the oven in time before they turned black!)

And then there was Mrs Very Jolly's papier mache. Let's just say..... least said!

   
"I only came in for a dustpan and brush......but that was three days ago!!!"