Over the past couple of weeks, we have been enjoying getting creative with the Nativity story in the form of puppet making. We had our annual visit from Bronia, a puppeteer, who joined us for an entire day to make characters from the story of Christmas. Year 2 prepared for the visit by spending an afternoon planning their projects. When Bronia arrived, we began by carefully crafting the puppet heads from compressed paper balls and adding facial features. Who would have thought that this task would take an entire morning! The children really took pride in their attention to detail, but the part they enjoyed the most was the adding on of the final details that really brought their puppets to life, giving them their individuality. Just take a look at the finished pieces, wow!
The children then used these characters to work in teams to create their own script for the Nativity performance, which is in equal parts full of charm and humour. As the children sadly won’t be able to perform to a live audience this year, they have delighted in creating their very own show-stopping puppet show, complete with songs they have been rehearsing with Matthew each week. I can guarantee you will be in for a treat!
This time of year is also for giving, and under normal circumstances the children would have the opportunity to visit Mildmay Elderly people’s home to sing Christmas Carols. This year the children have all made Christmas cards for them, with beautifully written heartfelt messages inside.
Although we have been readily getting into the Christmas spirit, the children have been hard at work in maths, solving problems with addition and subtraction. We used tens and units blocks to demonstrate how to use the column method. At first, they found it a little tricky, but in the words of one of the Year 2 children, “that was easier than I thought it was going to be!” We also programmed bluebot robots to follow a route, giving instructions using clockwise, anticlockwise and right angle turns. It is always a pleasure to be able to see the children tackle their learning with such perseverance and resilience.
With one more week to go, we are looking forward to continuing our Christmas creativity. I also cannot wait to see what amazing outfits are in store at next week’s Christmas party.
Aisha