Monday, March 18, 2013

The Day After St. Patty’s


    march 18 007  march 18 009    
This morning at school the children quickly checked the trap to see if we had caught a Leprechaun.  No, there wasn't a Leprechaun but he did leave footprints and a string hanging from the table that led to the floor.
                march 18 015  march 18 016
The children followed the foot prints but they faded away.  No Leprechaun, no gold, no wishes.  Oh well maybe next year.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Leprechaun Shenanigans

               march 12 093
The Story of the Leprechaun is a new book for me.  It grab
my attention right away with it's images.   It is based in a
forest with fairies.  It explains that Leprechauns earn their
gold by making shoes for all the wee folk that live in the forest.    march 12 096
It is beautifully illustrated and reminds me of our Fairy Lane.

But let me tell you our Leprechaun story.
              march 9 008
Our story started last weekend as I was walking through
the woods close to my home.  I thought I heard a tapping
sound coming from a big beautiful old tree.
             march 9 005
As I walked around the tree I saw a movement and there
at the base, where the roots form a hollow, I saw a wee little
man running inside.  I was too slow and didn’t catch him
nor did I find any gold.  But I think he followed me home
and on to school.

        march 11 039
On Monday when we got to school, there on our rainbow table,
were little tracks that look like footprints.
Could it be a Leprechaun?
We searched and searched but couldn’t find him.

But the question arose, could a Leprechaun be a girl?
Hmm interesting question.  Do you have an answer?

     march 12 001
On Tuesday when we arrived at school, there on the floor, all of our
baskets of animals had been dumped.  Who would have made
such a mess?  After we printed the picture we looked closer and there
in the middle of all those animals was a wee little man.
            He had tricked us.

march 11 046  march 12 034
That’s the day we started to build a trap.  Maybe we could catch the
Leprechaun before he played another trick.

        If we caught him what would we wish for?
L wants to be a superhero, N wants to be a dinosaur.

             march 12 037
Well while we were busy that tricky little man sprinkled gold dust
in our hand washing bowl and we didn’t even see him.

    march 13 001
On Wednesday all of our Leprechaun and rainbow books were spread all
over the carpet.  One little book was standing, the title “Look for a Leprechaun”,
we did look but didn’t find him.
Can you see him waving at us from inside the book – tricky little guy.

march 12 097 march 12 098
We read another book about a Leprechaun on the Loose in a school
and got more ideas for our trap.
IMG_4980  IMG_4983

On Thursday we found our basket of duck stuffies covered with
green shamrocks.
             march 14 002
    The children dug into the shamrocks but no Leprechaun.
march 14 006 march 14 007
           We did find his hat.  A sparkly little green hat.
march 14 008  march 14 009
               It was too small for all of us.

        march 15 052
This morning when we were making our Irish Soda Bread we opened
the buttermilk container to find that it was green.  But not only was the
milk green but when I sliced a loaf of white bread, that I had made for
snack, look what we found inside.
      march 15 090
                                    A rainbow!

Our trap is set for the weekend. 
   march 13 049
Will we catch the wee little man on St. Patrick’s Day?
We’ll check on Monday when we’re back at school.


       “May you always have walls for the winds,
          a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
      laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
             and all your heart might desire.”

You can find the recipe for the rainbow bread here

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Squirt & Blow

          march 14 054
        For today’s art we pulled out the blow dryers again.
           march 13 056
Using eye droppers in water colour the children squirted
           paint on to watercolour paper.
march 14 017  march 14 019
         march 14 042
Then using the blow dryers they made the paint dance across the paper.
  march 14 016  march 14 041
            march 13 054
I think they enjoyed the dripping more than the blowing.
I’m also glad I only have three blow dryers.  Anymore and
                 it would be very very noisy.
march 14 055  march 14 056 march 14 057

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Bubble Discoveries

              march 12 077
The weather has turned to rain, again, and I planned an
outdoor art activity to do in the rain but just before we
were to go out, the rain stopped.
march 12 048 march 12 050
   So we quickly changed it to "bubble blowing and catching".
       march 12 054 (2)
       We didn’t go far, just outside the front of the school.
march 12 052  march 12 053
We placed the clipboard with paper on to the ground as a target then
started blowing bubbles.  That was our first discovery; which way is the
wind blowing?  We needed to move to the other side of the clipboard.
march 12 057  march 12 055

march 12 062  march 12 060 march 12 074
       Then we blew and blew and blew.
march 12 068 march 12 075
    And tried to catch the bubbles as they floated around us.
march 12 066 march 12 069
          We started to collect bubbles to make art.
      march 12 071
      Our second discovery;  bubbles will disappear from the paper.
         march 12 079
    Our third discovery; bubbles will last longer stuck to the wall then
                     they did on the paper.
      march 12 082
     The children began to build bubble sculptures on the wall.
        march 12 083
They learned that the sculptures could be changed by popping some bubbles
        march 12 085
                         and adding more.
      march 12 091
        And look what we could see inside the bubble – us!
              We saw our reflection and a rainbow. 
      Such a simple idea was not only fun but educational.