7

Back in the Classroom – Our Senses, Animals, Butter and Valentine’s Day

Teachers travelling to the future from a bygone age may not recognise the schools they visit in the 21st Century – well our school certainly is one they might think was created from creatures from another planet!   It appears that no work is ever done – it’s just fun, fun, fun.  Songs and movement, dressing up, outings to exotic places – well I never – is this what the world of the future has come to –  I am sure they would wonder.

Yes – it is fun at our school but wow – do our children learn – and they don’t even know it!  On Thursday we went to Higgledy Piggledy Petting Farm at Imhoff’s Gift and used our senses to learn all about farm animals and also how to make butter.   What is butter?   asked one little girl.   mmmm – I guess some people only use margarine on their bread in these heart safe days!    The jury is still out on the truth of this one though. Personally I like to think a little bit of butter is better for Betty.

The girls smelled the stinky farm smells, listened to the cocks crow and other animal noises, touched the furry creatures and they were beside themselves with joy to be able to feed them first hand.  Even the pigs were adorable.

The goats got loose and I got a photograph!

The goats got loose and I got a photograph!

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If we hold our food up high we won’t be stormed by hungry birds

I'm not too sure about this piggy

I’m not too sure about this piggy

The goat is back in his pen

The goat is safely back in his pen

Cuddling a furry creature is just the best

Cuddling a furry creature is just the best

We're trying to tempt the guinea pigs out of their safe place

We’re trying to tempt the guinea pigs out of their safe place

He is so soft

He is so soft

Love is holding a pet

Love is holding a pet

The bunnies were the best

The bunnies were the best

After washing our hands carefully we went on to make butter while brother class connected with the animals.  What a fun thing that was.  We learned that milk actually comes from a cow and that we could shake the cream from the top of the milk to change it into a solid that is called butter. And boy does it taste lovely and creamy on the biscuits our teacher gave us the next day.

Ready to learn about making butter!

Ready to learn about making butter!

Churn it up , Churn it down, Churn it all around

Churn it up , Churn it down, Churn it all around

And what do you get - creamy butter!

And what do you get – creamy butter!

This so amazing

This so amazing

It tasted delicious

It tasted delicious

We also learned how to milk a goat – yes we did – but it was not a real one!

It feels weird

It feels weird

Is this really where milk comes from?

Is this really where milk comes from?

What a crazy thing to do!

What a crazy thing to do!

I'm getting the hang of this

I’m getting the hang of this

What is my mother going to say!

What is my mother going to say!

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We ate our homemade butter on biscuits on Valentine’s Day

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mmm Creamy and delicious

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Well – I’m not so sure about this

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I think its okay

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Yum Yum

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Oh – yes – this is good!

On Friday there was more fun at school – we all dressed up in pink or red and white and celebrated Valentine’s Day.  I was so spoiled by my little girls who brought me flowers and chocolates – Thank you girls and parents – I felt very pampered.  Everybody looked amazing but we chose four specially lovely outfits and then the girls voted for a winner who was quite overcome with joy.  The others made her feel very special when she was presented with a heart-shaped eraser and a lollipop!

The princesses all dressed up

The princesses all dressed up

Aren't they gorgeous

Aren’t they gorgeous

Cuteness in pink red and white

Cuteness in pink red and white

But the kids weren’t the only ones dressing up – the teachers joined in the fun too.   We also decorated the teachers’ lounge and had some romantic music playing.   We were treated to a cupcake and a cutesy poem telling us how fab we are!

Don't you love the tie!

Don’t you love the tie!

Full of fun she is!

Full of fun she is!

Love you daaarling

Love you daaarling

The gorgeous girls

The gorgeous girls

Ladies in Red

Ladies in Red

Love you my friend!

Love you my friend!

Nothing like sharing Valentinés with a handsome young man!

We all love each other at SVPS

The girls were fascinated by the story of Valentine – ask them about it parents – I hope they remember it and can repeat it to you.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.   Happy Valentine’s Day!

5

Back in the Classroom – A Good Start to Term Four

I can hardly take in that the final term is already upon us.  And it is such a short and busy one too.  All too soon I will be bidding my little princesses farewell as they shoot up to Grade Two!

They have come such a long way since that first exciting day and what a pleasure to see how ready they are for more advanced work.   The plan is to have lots of fun with the Dr Seus stories and one of their first activities was to draw their favourite scene from The Grinch.

Drawing scenes from The Grinch

Drawing scenes from The Grinch

Starting new Maths Cards was a challenge that they rose to with enthusiasm.  Some of those tasks were pretty tricky!

You can't catch me out, Mrs F.

You can’t catch me out – I know all the answers

The girls could tell me all about email and the internet but some of them were not too sure what  postage stamp was or how ‘snail mail’ actually worked. So we designed our own stamps and created post cards with street addresses on them which they thoroughly enjoyed!

Creating a beautiful post card

Creating a beautiful post card

Of course their favourite subject is Information Technology and up until now they have been having lots of fun learning core skills while playing fun games.  This week for the first time they learned how to browse the internet!   Our upcoming outing will be to Rondevlei and the girls got to find the nature reserve’s webpage and researched what they were likely to see there!

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I’m not too sure what to do right now

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This is how to scroll through the images

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Just a second – I’ll show you what to do

Birthdays are such huge events in a young lady’s life.   At our school the children wear ‘civvies’ on their special day so that everyone knows to wish them.   On Friday there was great excitement when one of the moms (who is also a teacher at the school) came in bearing a tray of cupcakes, lit up with candles.

The girls all broke into the birthday song

The girls all broke into the birthday song

Just look at the delight on that face

Just look at the delight on that face

After all that excitement the girls settled down to their tasks before we took a break to eat the delicious treats.

We are all looking forward to a happy, hard-working last term.   It promises to be filled with plenty of new and fun experiences.