Middle Room brought to their senses!

November saw the Middle Room becoming more acquainted with their own senses. Our topic in science was ‘Sound’ and as part of that we learned all about our ears. We also looked at how sound is actually made. In SPHE we tried out Mindfulness. As part of our introduction to Mindfulness, we undertook some ‘mindful eating’, paying full attention to the eating experience and all the senses involved, sight, touch, smell and taste.

Continuing on the same theme we wrote a sensory poem called ‘Winter’. Below is a sample of some of the amazing poems that the children wrote.

 Winter

Sounds like fire burning, people laughing and snowballs.

Smells like turkey, Brussels sprouts, carrots and Christmas pudding.

Tastes like chocolate and sweets.

Looks like a Christmas feast.

Feels like Santa’s coming!

Winter

Sounds like children playing in the snow and people putting on fires.

Smells like Christmas dinner and Christmas pudding.

Tastes like hot chocolate with marshmallows and hot tea.

Looks like sticks being brought in and fires lit.

Feels like warm, cosy duvets.

To link with the work on the season of winter we used the technique of using a ‘vanishing point’ in art to give perspective to our drawing of a winter scene – a tree lined avenue. It was beautiful to drive into Castlecomer during the last week of November and see the trees looking just as sparkly as our pictures.

Another theme for this month was ‘Egypt’, forming a central part of our history, geography and RE lessons. The children learned some fascinating facts about Ancient Egypt. They compared the similarities and differences between life in Ancient Egypt and Modern Egypt. In Art the children made Egyptian collars which look very ornate on the wall.

At the start of the month Dogs Trust came in to visit the children. They learned all about the work they do. They learned specifically how to safely approach a dog without spooking it.

As we are nearing the end of November minds are beginning to turn to Christmas.The children painted giant toy soldiers for display in Kilkenny’s new Yuletide festival. They will be displayed in the gardens in Butler House in Kilkenny City.

They also made some lovely decorations to hang around the classroom. Won’t they look lovely!