SCHOOL TOUR WEEK
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Once you have finished reading this blog, turn off your screens, dust off your schoobag, pack it up and off you go! First, build your camp! You can do this indoors or outdoors and there are many ways to do it.
SPY EYES You're going to need to keep an eye out for other campers or dangerous animals that might be lurking around!! You could spot some birds or other creatures around your camp so you're going to need a pair of binoculars. You should have plenty toilet roll inserts around!!!  Some things to do: BINGO: On a piece of paper, write the words B-I-N-G-O. Either on your own or with a parent or sibling(s), have a look or wander around and find somethIng beginning with each letter. As you do, colour in each letter until BINGO is all coloured in. You could do the same using your name or the alphabet.  Rubbings Art: Get some paper and crayons and collect leaves from your campsite. Or travel round to find different textures. Place the paper over the leaf/texture and make a rubbing. You could then cut out the rubbings you make to make a really nice picture. Here are some ideas!
Give me some direction: When camping, you need to be able to find your war around. Blindfold a partner and take them away from the camp. Spin them around 3 times and then call out directions to them to find their way back to camp. e.g. 2 steps forward, 1 step to the left, 4steps forward, 2 steps to the right etc. If you have a compass , you can use north, south, east and west for this activity by starting the person off facing north. Aiming/Target Games Many hunters will camp out in the wilderness and while they camp, they will set up a spot to practice target shooting. Can you gather up some materials to make an aiming game: think of filling water bottles for skittles,or a tin can stack, or draw a target on a wall and use beanbags/balls to hit the target. Add in some scores and get adding to include a little number work!
Of course no camping trip would be complete without a song to sing. So here is a really easy song to learn before you 'set off. Once you have the chorus, you will be able to ' sing it on your trip, and change the words to suit your group. I bet you can make up many verses. There are endless possibilities for a camping trip at home whether in your garden , under your stairs or in your room. These are just a few suggestions. no doubt you can think of lots of cool camping activities too. We would love to see photos of your camps or how you get on so email them to [email protected]. Have fun!! Bain taitneamh as do turas ag campáil!!!
How are you feeling? Let's make facesBeing away from school and our friends is an usual situation for us all. Home feels kind of different because now it’s sort of school as well. In some homes, its school and work and home all mixed up together and maybe many others things going on too. Some days everything can feel a little upside down and our feelings can change a lot. Some days you might feel great, other days not so great. Maybe you feel lonely, worried, confused, uncertain, afraid as well as excited, happy, relaxed, or safe. I think we are experiencing all the different emotions on any given day. What sort of feelings have you been having? Here is a nice way to get outdoors and using whatever you can find, make some faces to show how you might be feeling, or how you think others might be feeling.
 To make the tree faces, just mix mud and water together and make a paste.or for a ‘cleaner’ option make this outside putty/playdough. Here’s a recipe:
https://theimaginationtree.com/natural-dyes-for-play-dough/ This playdough will keep for a long time in an airtight container or ziplock bag for other indoor playdough activities . Bluebells, bluebells everywhere!If you are lucky enough to be near a woodland area you will see bluebells everywhere. It is believed that bluebell woods are enchanted, so keep an eye out for fairies.....they ring the bluebells to summon all the fairies together for meetings! Here are 2 poems you can read. Which one do you like best?
 The poem on the left is an acrostic poem. This means you write down all the letters of a word vertically and then write word, lines or verse beginning with each letter to go with the theme. The poem on the right using 'rhyming couplets' when the last word of every second line rhymes....e,g, about/out, there/Hare This is the acrostic poem I wrote: Dotted along thegrass All around my neighbourhood I sit and make some chains Sitting in the sun relaxing Yes, I do love summer! If you were to write a poem about summer flowers, would you use the acrostic style or rhyming couplets? Give it a go!
Who is singing?All those birds you identified visiting your gardens, and neighbourhoods,.......do you know who's who??? Listen to the different birdsong and learn to identify birds without seeing them! https://greennews.ie/know-your-birdsong-click-through-our-quick-guide-to-the-calls-of-common-irish-birds/  Bug Hotel How did you all get on with making bug traps? Did you manage to capture any creepy crawlies? If you didn't, what about trying to build a bug hotel? You can use all sorts of materials that would usually end up in the bin: plastic bottles, yoghurt pots,straws, tin cans, toilet roll inserts etc. Fill your containers with moss, leaves, sticks, bark, stones, pinecones, grass etc. Make it nice and cosy and before you know it, all sorts of little creatures will be 'checking in'.
Thank you Mother NatureWhen you have found any of these natural treasures, give thanks to Mother Nature for all the joy she brings. Being off school is a very special time to connect with and enjoy our natural world. We can find joy in the most simple of things.  Play Soldiers Now is the time of year that ribworth plantain is abundant. The Irish word for it is 'slán -lus' or healing plant because of its history in healing cuts, bruises and insect bites. You might know these stalks as 'soldiers'. Try playing this game with a parent or sibling while on a walk. One player holds out their stalk while the other player uses their soldier to knock off the flower head. The first to succeed wins. Did you know that this game was mentioned in a Norman French poem written in England way back in 1219 where the boy played 'chevaliers' or 'soldiers' against King Stephen while the monarch waited to go into battle. I bet there was no nintendo switch back then!! Here is a little video about a whale who wanted to clean up his environment. See how the shrimp, though very small made a HUGE difference. Remember to dispose of rubbish properly. Best of all, cut back on the amount of rubbish we produce. If you have gloves and a large bag, could you do a clean up of your area? Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands before and after. https://www.youtubekids.com/watch?v=xFPoIU5iiYQ
Bird Feeder You can make a birdfeeder to attract more birds into your garden.
All you need is a toilet or kitchen roll insert, some peanut butter or margarine and some bird seed. Spread the butter on the insert and roll it in the seed. Thread string or wool through the insert and hang it somewhere out of the reach of cats or other animals. Keep an eye to see what birds come to feed? SUMMER POEMS FOR OUTDOORS Have you taken a dandelion head in your 'dimpled hands' and blown the hair away? Don't forget to make a wish!  taken from 'I AM THE SEED THAT GREW THE TREE. A nature poem for every day of the year' selected by Fiona Waters
Usually in the month of May we would celebrate the Biodiversity of our school environment. Here are some activities for you to get outdoors and explore the other living things in your environment. We would love to see any drawings or photos of what you find. Remember you don’t need a printer or anything fancy to do these activities…..good spy eyes, a keen sense of smell, good listening ears, and patience is really all you need!! Minibeast HuntBe a detective and see can you spot these creatures in your garden, balcony, park?  Draw pictures or write a list of what you find. If you have a printer you can get recording / reference sheets here: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/48349/minibeast-hunt.pdf http://botanicgardens.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Spring-Nature-Hunt.pdf Tree IdentificationWhat trees are growing around you? Can you be an observer and an investigator by looking at leaves, twigs and branches to identify them. What words would you use to identify the leaves?  Broad, narrow long, short, small, smooth, bumpy, furry, flat, wide, ridged, veined, fragrant, glossy, pointed, shiny? These 2 identification keys may be useful https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/48347/twig-id-sheet.pdf https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/48345/leaf-id-sheet.pdf Garden VisitorsHow many of these birds are visiting your garden, park or neighbourhood?  You may see some new visitors now that the streets are quieter? Why is this? http://birdwatchcork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Challenge-ID-Poster.pdf Bug TrapMake a trap to collect tiny creatures. Dig a hole in the ground, big enough to fit a glass jam jar. Put a little soil and grass and leaves at the bottom of the jar and place it in the hole so that the top of the jar is level with the ground. Put a piece of plastic or wood on a couple of sticks to stop the rain from getting in while leaving space for insects to get in. Leave it overnight and then see what you have caught. Record what you have found: How many legs have they got? What colour are they? Have they got antennae? Make sure to release your captives after you have investigated! Make a Flower Petal CollageWith permission, collect different coloured and sized flower petals and leaves. Assemble them to make a collage. You can stick down on paper or if you have contact sticky paper, you can make a suncatcher like in this picture.
Make Cloud StoriesWhen the weather is sunny, with nice white clouds passing over, lie on the grass with your family or on your own and look up at the sky. It is fun to see different shapes like faces, animals or and objects and make up stories! You could record one of your stories by writing it, drawing it, telling it or videoing it. Be creative!  |
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