Congratulations graduates!
Our topic this term was ‘Green fingers’. We spent a lot of time in the forest exploring plants and insects and we discussed their importance for the planet. We also observed how our plants continued to grow and give us fruits and flowers. We also replanted our zucchini into the school garden and watered them as needed. As part of the school’s chicken project we welcomed some fertilised eggs and watched a couple of them hatch. We observed as one of the chickens grew and changed.
As the school year came to a conclusion we also used a lot of our time preparing for our Summer Fête by preparing or show and also making our artistic creations to contribute to the Art auction.
This term we spent lots of time outside enjoying the warm weather; some of our outdoor activities included swimming, playing in water, playing games in the forest, visiting different parts of our neighbourhood, and finally enjoying Sports Day.
Replanting zuccini
We started this project by planting zucchini seeds during term 4. We nurtured and cared for our growing plants until they outgrew their pots and needed to be transferred to our community garden. We had wonderful activity in which we worked together to help our plants make that transition; we were mindful of being gentle with the roots, we discussed why we needed to make this change, and we made predictions as to how the plants would change and wether they would give us a zucchinis.
Preparing for the art auction
We worked really well together to put together our beautiful art pieces. We made a big Eco friendly canvas, a sparkly clock and our individual art pieces inspired by our favourite day of the year visiting the zoo.
For our main group piece we decided to use an old canvas that has been previously painted but was no longer being used. We used paper scraps that were leftover from other projects and leaves from the forest. During Terms 1 and 2 we learned about Van Gogh and this was our version of an impressionist style landscape. We worked together on this piece over the course of three sessions inside the classroom and in the forest.
For our clock project we decided to use a mixture of messy paint; we experimented with mixing different colours and finding new shades. Over the paint we used lots of glue and a mixture of beautiful sparkles. We hope whoever took this shiny piece home is reminded of how precious time is and to make each moment sparkle!
One of our favourite topics this year was learning about animals. A major highlight was going to the zoo together and getting to see our favourite animals up close. The best part of the day at the zoo was getting to see the lionesses come right up to us and jumping on the glass roof above us!
For our individual art pieces, each one of the students chose an animal, they painted their canvas and coloured their animal with crayons and pencil crayons.
Summer Fête presentation
We worked together with the Maple class to put together a fun show for our end-of-the-year presentation. Our French teacher, Marie, helped us a lot with her musical expertise and lovely guitar sound. The Chestnuts are still a little shy when singing in front of a lot of people so we decided to have our main song to be “5 little monkeys swinging in tree,” This musical game has been a favourite throughout the year and we knew it would be fun as it’s interactive and funny. The Maple class students helped us to get organized and confident for the big show.
Chicken project
This term we spent some time talking about chicken and engaging in activities inspired by chickens. We welcomed a few fertilised eggs and for twenty five days the eggs stayed in an incubator that we could visit daily. We visited them and discussed what was happening inside them. One of the eggs hatched and a cute little chicken demonstrated how chicks eat, what kind of noises they make, what they look like, how their feathers changed, etc. It was really lovely to have a school pet for a few days before it had to relocate to a place where we can still go visit.
We complemented our theory learning by creating chicken and egg inspired a 3D project. We made a nest using a bowl, paper, and a flour and water paste; once our nest hardened we painted with our colours of choice. We also created big eggs using balloons, lots of paper and glue, and we decorated them with paint and paper mache. Finally we used the big egg as the body of a chicken by making a chicken head and adding it on top.
Special adventures
We had a very special opportunity to walk thought the orchards with a beautiful white horse. We also got to visit his home and we took turn to pet it.
We also took a long walk to a different part of the forest where we found a big natural jungle gym; lots of old hollow trunks and trees served as a great play area where we could engage in dramatic play as well as climbing, balancing, and crawling.
Sports day
We had a lovely day competing with the Maples in our teams. We had a spoon and egg race, a bowling competition, high jump, a jumping race, and a parent-child tie breaker.
THANK YOU!
What a wonderful journey we have had together this year! It has been an incredible privilege and joy being the Chestnut class teacher, and I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to all of you. You have all welcomed me into your child’s life with open arms, which really means the world. The trust you placed in me as your child’s teacher is a responsibility I have held close to my heart every single day. Your support, understanding, and cooperation have made our classroom a nurturing and loving environment where your children have thrived and blossomed. I am so incredibly proud of what we have all accomplished together this year. Thank you!
Swimming gallery
Water play gallery
Fun in the forest
Fun in the classroom
Father’s Day Presents
Mother’s day Presents
