tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69869308945480078192024-02-19T02:20:19.337-08:00stories under stonesclaire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-20319642510503100902014-01-04T06:11:00.000-08:002014-01-05T02:52:01.391-08:00woodland, leaves, rooks and why its good to share ideas...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been working with print for many years but in the last year have been really focusing on this and experimenting with some techniques that are new to me - and I've been loving that wonderful sense of playful creative exploration! I'm now part of the Sherwood Printmakers, led by the wonderful Christina Williams, a studio group based in Nottingham which is incredibly inspiring and supportive - its a big reminder of the difference it makes when you create things alongside a group of like-minded people (and our lovely fuddle lunches are a huge treat too because we all cook vast amounts of food to share!).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial;">I've been really loving working with my photographs and using different print techniques to explore these further. The combination of photos I've taken on long explorations outside being then combined with layers of inks and papers is really appealing to me! Its proving to be a really lovely way of re-visiting woodland walks etc. I've especially loved using a technique with gum arabic and oil based inks: a kind of lithography process which then creates an image very like an old faded photograph.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I love using print with the groups that I work with, its such a tactile medium and it really lends itself to the explorations in marks and textures that very young children make. Transferring textures and patterns through print invites you to look at objects in a different way - you notice all sorts of additional things. The intensely tactile nature of print means there's all sorts of wonderful sounds, movements (its a very physical process), layers of colours and so many textures to feel your way around. There's lots of images of this on the print-making page of my website:</span> </span><a href="http://storiesunderstones.weebly.com/print-making.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://storiesunderstones.weebly.com/print-making.html</span></a> </div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial;">I've been cutting lino too as part of exploring images and ideas gathered through woodland walks. I've been really enjoying experimenting with printing onto pages of old books (I have a collection gathered from charity shops and (clean) bins!), there's something really lovely about the way little words peep through the marks created by the lino... </span><a href="http://storiesunderstones.weebly.com/using-words-and-poems.html"><span style="font-family: Arial;">http://storiesunderstones.weebly.com/using-words-and-poems.html</span></a> </div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of my work is now for sale on Folksy: </span><a href="http://folksy.com/shops/StoriesUnderStonesClaireSimpson"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://folksy.com/shops/StoriesUnderStonesClaireSimpson</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Exploring ways of making little books is another thing I love to experiment with and I've been really enjoying how print-making lends itself </span><span style="color: #0c343d;">to the creation of small books... Its a way of working with all the tiny scraps of textures and patterns that build up through testing out ideas and its also a way of exploring different combinations of images and words. More images of these are on my website <a href="http://storiesunderstones.weebly.com/hand-made-books.html">http://storiesunderstones.weebly.com/hand-made-books.html</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been adding collections of twigs, bark and leaves and found words onto old papers, mono-prints and card scraps that I've bound together in different ways...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Collagraphs are another medium I've been enjoying experimenting with - they really sit alongside my collections of little scraps of papers, cards and odds and ends of different textures! Its the joy of never quite knowing how different textures will respond with the printing process - unexpected results and "happy accidents" lead to all sorts of further experiments...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The importance of sharing ideas with others and constantly experimenting is something I try to hold on to as much as possible - and its a bit of a life-line when you're self-employed. I created the prints bellow several years ago when I was working on an early years project in West Sussex with a really gorgeous group of artists - including Teresa Grimaldi: <a href="http://www.teresagrimaldi.co.uk/">http://www.teresagrimaldi.co.uk/</a> We ran sessions in several early years settings across the county and a big part of the project was for us to share ideas and create new work together. We explored the use of vegetable cooking oil and powder paints - printing with all sorts of things and especially loving the feathers left for us by the peacock who lived on the farm where we were staying!</span></div>
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-33390936973509333172013-11-14T12:55:00.003-08:002013-11-14T13:07:56.610-08:00the flock is flying...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The birds are flying...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;">Yesterday and today we were incredibly busy installing the birds in the ceiling space at Abbey Campus of Dunkirk Primary School (Nottingham). It's so wonderful to see them hung in the space, they look amazing (if we say so ourselves!) and its so special to be able to hang up children's creations in this way. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The birds are hung in the large Victorian ceiling area of the central space that will become the school library. Every child in the school - and very many parents (see previous blog post) have made at least one bird each to add to this flock. The birds have been made in a variety of ways and we really love how this gives a quirky feel to the flock - there's such an essence of individuality as well as wholeness and togetherness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The project is a real illustration of team work. Julie Wise and I (both artists working at the school) have led the project with wonderful help from Abbie Balkitis, a fine art student on placement with me. As part of that placement Abbie has done a brilliant job spending several days checking through all the birds and adding strengthening where needed (she's done a wonderful job of not altering any of the children's creations at all, just ensuring they had enough strong points to take the wires).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ceiling area is really high, so we've used a scaffold tower to reach - with an excellent basket and string contraption to pull the birds up to the top! All of us were excited by this piece of engineering and the children were fascinated watching us as we worked - they loved the basket full of birds being pulled up into the roof space! My lack of a head for heights meant Julie (who can cope with heights!) did an amazing job tying the birds in at the top of the tower; I've spent the last two days hunched over on the floor tying fishing line onto the birds and popping them into the basket! And all of us kept having to stop and gather at various points underneath to assess where the next set of birds should hang!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The birds are all created from old books that were part of the library when the building was Lenton Primary School - it feels special to give the worn books new life in this way. We now intend to plan some storytelling sessions underneath the birds with the children who made them. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's rare to be able to install children's creations in a school in this way. We've been lucky to have an empty space to work with; from a practical point of view it enabled us to have a scaffold tower up and move it along the room. But it also sums up so much of the ethos of </span><a href="http://www.dunkirkprimary.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dunkirk Primary School</span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in terms of wanting the project to truly be the creations and ideas of the children; for it to be something that enabled each individual to be recognised and valued but which also celebrated community. Its a project that illustrates wonderfully the importance of involving families in school and we are so pleased that so many parents and carers came along to make birds with their children.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The natural light flooding into the space has illuminated the birds wonderfully - and we've loved watching it change throughout the day. There have been some really gorgeous shadows cast onto the walls and great reflections into the windows too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;">We've also found ourselves transfixed by the way some of the birds just very gently spin on their own axis - its quite mesmerising to stand / sit / lie underneath and watch them. We think there are at least 300 hung up there, all at different levels - every time you look you notice new things and different details.</span></div>
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-82960015370666035082013-10-23T04:49:00.000-07:002013-10-23T05:05:19.602-07:00A flock of book birds emerges…<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Last week at Dunkirk Primary
and Nursery School the entire school was busily involved in creating a huge
flock of birds – and we’re really excited by the ideas, thoughts and
imaginations of the children and adults who worked together to make them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The birds are going to hang
up in the library area of the school’s new campus and every class in the school
took part in sessions to make the installation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were joined by lots of parents and family members too, which
feels incredibly special and is something that always really shines out in
projects with Dunkirk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LqUy0J0enrW0DGhJTa71KZES4jeoAijRyVJZEi1f8fPuv36Qc8b_AOw8o1FDxwPqsfLp3tI4R24HnUkXo_4mUbuV9kOQ5DP3hrMNZ7dI1VFsywdy8_katxzZ43PkpeQA0Xef96-KMGg/s1600/IMG_8599+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LqUy0J0enrW0DGhJTa71KZES4jeoAijRyVJZEi1f8fPuv36Qc8b_AOw8o1FDxwPqsfLp3tI4R24HnUkXo_4mUbuV9kOQ5DP3hrMNZ7dI1VFsywdy8_katxzZ43PkpeQA0Xef96-KMGg/s320/IMG_8599+web.jpg" width="213" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Abbey Campus, the new part
of the school, is in the old Lenton Primary School site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was artist in residence at Lenton
Primary for a few years and knew the space really well then – so its felt very
special to see it brought back to life and given new purpose as a part of
Dunkirk School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lenton Primary was
closed when school role numbers fell and the building stood empty for about 5
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of renovation has now
taken place and we are busily making the Abbey Campus a place that lets the
schools ethos shine through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRC0WuPlO2TpNttL_wlYaHBVr4r5bZut9vn6XK4diBanGDxQhPZ6im-5pTOQu91MMBQ7o66-Ywrsd2zy0qktjHV2Us5OHf0-KtQuqcypL5V5IwWV5DtWKeiP_I7eXV4wa-jto6P-WXahE/s1600/IMG_8831+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRC0WuPlO2TpNttL_wlYaHBVr4r5bZut9vn6XK4diBanGDxQhPZ6im-5pTOQu91MMBQ7o66-Ywrsd2zy0qktjHV2Us5OHf0-KtQuqcypL5V5IwWV5DtWKeiP_I7eXV4wa-jto6P-WXahE/s320/IMG_8831+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The library area is in the
older part of the building and has a wonderful high ceiling which cries out for
something special to be placed there…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had lots of ideas but wanted to make something that everyone in
school could create a part of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its
become a key part of projects at the school that we make things in which each
child (and as many adults as possible) can place their mark – so that both
individuality and community identity is valued.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8mWWdb65LzWT_g2UNmQCQ2Kb6JZpW-yr2KVXDkZa55rQqOOEQp9aSkwqzhBZpKnxLQFBiFPTLzKzC3rK4lWSZCbL4AB_YQAc9Ott1zktgL4rR2miMr16MfonKpIAwKGr-x_0ZQ10xuU/s1600/IMG_8812+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8mWWdb65LzWT_g2UNmQCQ2Kb6JZpW-yr2KVXDkZa55rQqOOEQp9aSkwqzhBZpKnxLQFBiFPTLzKzC3rK4lWSZCbL4AB_YQAc9Ott1zktgL4rR2miMr16MfonKpIAwKGr-x_0ZQ10xuU/s320/IMG_8812+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We had a wonderful stock of
old books from Lenton Primary, most are now being used in Abbey Campus but some
had become damaged by damp whilst the building had stood empty or were rather
worn through use – so, to give them new life and purpose we have transformed
these old books into the flock of birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It felt a really fitting use for them, especially as they are to hang up
in the library.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMkUpdEHDOWiLsH7yGDdE5qnLP7jhzSGfe12jYHTRkAT5ktO9-1iMB-aEiRcwuEla3zSpBrxWSSXRh1A9xBREt3MYiDKXXK-bOp-q_GA6IL9FGnYBZE0wjRMj4k5QbUoMvAfESbq6sCA/s1600/IMG_8618+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMkUpdEHDOWiLsH7yGDdE5qnLP7jhzSGfe12jYHTRkAT5ktO9-1iMB-aEiRcwuEla3zSpBrxWSSXRh1A9xBREt3MYiDKXXK-bOp-q_GA6IL9FGnYBZE0wjRMj4k5QbUoMvAfESbq6sCA/s320/IMG_8618+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, last week Julie Wise
(another artist who works in the school) and I set up a bird studio in one of
the empty classrooms and throughout the week the whole school came along and
made their birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a rare treat to
have empty classrooms to work in so it was wonderful to be able to set up a
dedicated space and create a studio atmosphere (my bird-song identification CDs
played in the corner!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It meant we
could cover the walls in images to give ideas and we could hang up all the
birds as they were made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLScsTZWY9JJv4gZfM7diALkCdC33KHuQFR_pw018dF-VKXUiLuAUFTOjlaLEorYP_sEq-aG3j3hj4oeyyWGn6x8MaMruGFMzqy3qVI8rWmuhGdNm-PnwgfbHtRlcWI4hoe-efj9-QNTM/s1600/IMG_8742+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLScsTZWY9JJv4gZfM7diALkCdC33KHuQFR_pw018dF-VKXUiLuAUFTOjlaLEorYP_sEq-aG3j3hj4oeyyWGn6x8MaMruGFMzqy3qVI8rWmuhGdNm-PnwgfbHtRlcWI4hoe-efj9-QNTM/s320/IMG_8742+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHer5j8k6qEC7PVGF7a4EZKjirNfAcRaeIDtfWpsCJ1YHxPR25KIWcUer35RfSHLkDMtoKvIZOLQYNXSCcuVxopiZXsZo9s5BAD3c24Dfnl6V0zSKJvHx6-Mp9gWxWjsIv1lXIitCCR0/s1600/IMG_8682+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHer5j8k6qEC7PVGF7a4EZKjirNfAcRaeIDtfWpsCJ1YHxPR25KIWcUer35RfSHLkDMtoKvIZOLQYNXSCcuVxopiZXsZo9s5BAD3c24Dfnl6V0zSKJvHx6-Mp9gWxWjsIv1lXIitCCR0/s320/IMG_8682+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The space worked really well
and we also got very excited by the light as it flooded into the room and
illuminated the birds, there was a particular time of day in the afternoon when
the sun cast the most wonderful shadows through the big windows…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hQpKO1TEWreowclsoOUFp1IWIbM1vgwzF6NIk4Zsw5PXaIhV3SCjaM___RIy2N8jiJzEMKiQfacxB0fe5EDIFHzA8Tyvuk1R2HLhZPP5ow7Y306OWobxoeByTJIi36PLBOx1v3vI15E/s1600/IMG_8647+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hQpKO1TEWreowclsoOUFp1IWIbM1vgwzF6NIk4Zsw5PXaIhV3SCjaM___RIy2N8jiJzEMKiQfacxB0fe5EDIFHzA8Tyvuk1R2HLhZPP5ow7Y306OWobxoeByTJIi36PLBOx1v3vI15E/s320/IMG_8647+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We had decided to have quite
a tight design brief with the birds, which gave some interesting parameters for
the children to work within.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally
we are really open to the children investigating very wide factors, but in
order for the flock (which was being made by children aged 3-11 and adults too)
to hang together and have a “wholeness” to it, we decided that we would use
black and white pages as much as possible and create the birds just with the
paper – by folding, cutting, scrunching, tearing and gluing…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTMjH2AFNi4Q_OmxNPYQPfPIvAdDzgBd4Wsgx1dWFCc_SeLNDlgT-zvUQ0FqtTUCdCM6xDqSl18pZQIC38S7ydCuDU2YqDUASHrPFXsEOqFzSljaYYc1oSWp4AsITC56d9-WbB8UFLPo/s1600/IMG_8842+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTMjH2AFNi4Q_OmxNPYQPfPIvAdDzgBd4Wsgx1dWFCc_SeLNDlgT-zvUQ0FqtTUCdCM6xDqSl18pZQIC38S7ydCuDU2YqDUASHrPFXsEOqFzSljaYYc1oSWp4AsITC56d9-WbB8UFLPo/s320/IMG_8842+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There was a lot of really
interesting problem solving involved in the project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really interesting to have conversations with the children
around use of colour (“can we paint them?” etc) - they actually began to look
incredibly closely at the book pages to find pattern, shades of black / white /
grey and little details of colour etc within this tighter colour palette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So in many ways a huge aspect of the
project was about looking really closely and noticing interesting things about
the old books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HUG29GkyWCFrIQKGVYYC3UAtbiZL7OJ4NDlU9dILKf1QHFZzqm1RcxmBQMvCmNIe3aAyise7Tg1P4ywlGRM88cLMkADhCtW9N6n_XwGHWiK6Rv6teQN1giUi2lgC-pw5qIjPE1cL52o/s1600/IMG_8666+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HUG29GkyWCFrIQKGVYYC3UAtbiZL7OJ4NDlU9dILKf1QHFZzqm1RcxmBQMvCmNIe3aAyise7Tg1P4ywlGRM88cLMkADhCtW9N6n_XwGHWiK6Rv6teQN1giUi2lgC-pw5qIjPE1cL52o/s200/IMG_8666+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xQA-VYQZ3tRQQTOpUKTsuC7OrAli617GAM2DPQ6WADgWJro_RC-y-FNlQwpqQSjBpUwUfb7CziIl7orxaa7FBawzvx5oCRbW7k7K1A6_IoBd6SXQShZGyR7Uc94vqn9AlcblYsGK4bs/s1600/IMG_8670+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xQA-VYQZ3tRQQTOpUKTsuC7OrAli617GAM2DPQ6WADgWJro_RC-y-FNlQwpqQSjBpUwUfb7CziIl7orxaa7FBawzvx5oCRbW7k7K1A6_IoBd6SXQShZGyR7Uc94vqn9AlcblYsGK4bs/s200/IMG_8670+web.jpg" width="200" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It also provided the
children with several technical / dexterity challenges – we didn’t want to use
tape because that risked coming undone, so the birds had to be glued / stapled
/ stitched together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The birds also
needed to be as three-dimensional as possible, which gave another interesting
sculptural challenge to the children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZ4hkN0ctjgNRJwvIxP81iZHYgUbJMknmZM0h_ez7zXOF_431JanqNiAV0h-ds8RaQcSoWJWILUUEfZxQZaxrhTMU9BafcPFezMo01nzyFZTc3vOUTE40H05AV69bS1hjWv8vPnMKLCM/s1600/IMG_8610+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZ4hkN0ctjgNRJwvIxP81iZHYgUbJMknmZM0h_ez7zXOF_431JanqNiAV0h-ds8RaQcSoWJWILUUEfZxQZaxrhTMU9BafcPFezMo01nzyFZTc3vOUTE40H05AV69bS1hjWv8vPnMKLCM/s200/IMG_8610+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We had several basic
techniques which we gave each class as starting points – but they could then
take these and make them their own, or use totally different ideas to make
their birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to have
techniques which we knew would work for the wide age range of the children –
and also techniques which could be adapted and added to in lots of quirky
decorative ways.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiclgO2lc73Jl4V3lMPKDQqzI6X37vehJHBBviPJz68CDAMLJlv1mCQxP6SKUovk0B-IceRS37AnB3S_LK8gL2qkDaVgY3LVMMlPp-RPPMq79ayGBEwRlhkpRKmTcC_fFkjftU09a5WU/s1600/IMG_8790+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiclgO2lc73Jl4V3lMPKDQqzI6X37vehJHBBviPJz68CDAMLJlv1mCQxP6SKUovk0B-IceRS37AnB3S_LK8gL2qkDaVgY3LVMMlPp-RPPMq79ayGBEwRlhkpRKmTcC_fFkjftU09a5WU/s320/IMG_8790+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGh-coGUDhP1GKFeukUxTyvcuG5Hxz8y08m-lIVwWbtV3NWlQJdWz7eINnD6DKTLG30YJMjt58_NaRwAzN2i1busylRBoiIq7Qetly-mCHgeQMyUNVumLXnBoOZ5T9obpmf_zWgi-00g/s1600/IMG_8690+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGh-coGUDhP1GKFeukUxTyvcuG5Hxz8y08m-lIVwWbtV3NWlQJdWz7eINnD6DKTLG30YJMjt58_NaRwAzN2i1busylRBoiIq7Qetly-mCHgeQMyUNVumLXnBoOZ5T9obpmf_zWgi-00g/s320/IMG_8690+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Of course because we were
folding paper, origami cranes made a big appearance – and these really took off
in a huge way with the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
ended up as a bit of an addictive thing with some children (and adults!)
striving to see just how small – and big – they could make their cranes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was amazed by what was created – origami
cranes as small as my fingernails, origami cranes that carried messages, cranes
with babies…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it was wonderful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMJXDrkrtNpvdx4ODMnSkdVIFWR3LyRAmDfIW6_d4sRUVibqOBDjhzPQjTZC7ZNrJhK0FgEe_zg_5qCCemDszyuyUv3ybUXArpLzhFTBgxxM2V72OOxrT-9PUwnkVvcX4i48UuV_xPTw/s1600/IMG_8660+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMJXDrkrtNpvdx4ODMnSkdVIFWR3LyRAmDfIW6_d4sRUVibqOBDjhzPQjTZC7ZNrJhK0FgEe_zg_5qCCemDszyuyUv3ybUXArpLzhFTBgxxM2V72OOxrT-9PUwnkVvcX4i48UuV_xPTw/s320/IMG_8660+web.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgof4xPuCJqJUfKnOfxGxv0tgVgs3xkYv87MN_2xcZb-LYDC57AwmE-Xwg0OEonFwbJuk0JExKvhqgI8OMYL6DMHNvlg2wE6tMkyxiFLv9AAmk2wGHWiIn8C1xWOLMGohw1KxqJuaEyzo4/s1600/IMG_8748+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgof4xPuCJqJUfKnOfxGxv0tgVgs3xkYv87MN_2xcZb-LYDC57AwmE-Xwg0OEonFwbJuk0JExKvhqgI8OMYL6DMHNvlg2wE6tMkyxiFLv9AAmk2wGHWiIn8C1xWOLMGohw1KxqJuaEyzo4/s320/IMG_8748+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Another really key aspect to
projects at Dunkirk is the asking of Big Questions – it’s a crucial part of the
school ethos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, with this project, it
was vital that we were not just making birds, the conversations had to be
deeper and explore the issues around this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What do birds symbolise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why a
flock of birds?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does the library
space feel like now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How might it feel
when the birds are hanging up?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does
it feel making things out of old books?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What do you notice in the old books?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What happens when we each make something that is individual but we put
them together to form a group?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
does being individual mean?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
questions went on…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrYYAgiXoDhoD67CGkQaMmquto4grz7IwJvoXfy0DC2rNwAKrbgxWctZ-HVdiE3x_M4afHmXInulx9CCb1oZ6klbCrVSjclrD53qI-FEXtaLwcHdR8nmdcsiu9jX4wUs5Xcn3J8mpFBQ/s1600/IMG_8816+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrYYAgiXoDhoD67CGkQaMmquto4grz7IwJvoXfy0DC2rNwAKrbgxWctZ-HVdiE3x_M4afHmXInulx9CCb1oZ6klbCrVSjclrD53qI-FEXtaLwcHdR8nmdcsiu9jX4wUs5Xcn3J8mpFBQ/s320/IMG_8816+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We talked a lot about birds
as metaphors and symbols, birds in myths and legends around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of our wonderful colleagues from
Raastala School in Finland was visiting last week and it was really interesting
to have conversations with her around stories of birds there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children at <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dunkirk</span> come from many
countries and were able to draw upon all sorts of ideas from all over the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope to use the space as a
story telling area once the birds are installed – the idea of sitting
underneath them and watching them as a story is created is really appealing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrN5riKQWBsHOtLiKhtb-h2NE3OrO87f6oJVlv9729-pFFap0TGSceYYCJGBYlNaIOsHcjkMOKvkizryrtHbWIN2fQNiul6Mawikn9iF1_PGGQipOzYF3Xddy9kgKRI66UtcT5XOraOUc/s1600/IMG_8720+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrN5riKQWBsHOtLiKhtb-h2NE3OrO87f6oJVlv9729-pFFap0TGSceYYCJGBYlNaIOsHcjkMOKvkizryrtHbWIN2fQNiul6Mawikn9iF1_PGGQipOzYF3Xddy9kgKRI66UtcT5XOraOUc/s320/IMG_8720+web.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQG6Ffw-4WXVp8zvutpZeHxY8NlhDr4MQtILrJMHiYnmzEpBUbOYxu48exE7NDidh6r8NDkT5uTg4a-L6v0L5R5k4TNW2RSe3W1eZktKKj-rnKFGIg-4jO7gvUtu1SFBnp-OqtexgUak/s1600/IMG_8740+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQG6Ffw-4WXVp8zvutpZeHxY8NlhDr4MQtILrJMHiYnmzEpBUbOYxu48exE7NDidh6r8NDkT5uTg4a-L6v0L5R5k4TNW2RSe3W1eZktKKj-rnKFGIg-4jO7gvUtu1SFBnp-OqtexgUak/s320/IMG_8740+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Many children also created
stories about their birds as they made them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A really stunning tale was created by one of the nursery children when
Julie spent an afternoon working with them – the little girl had made a bird
the previous day and then adorned it with stories of lights, coats, covers,
nesting, friends and all sorts of really imaginative ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqcJD46fY-lE1dOJ142J5x_JxWZzogPhFlDytVPEd26fh-BfFLsoZqBYj52NkQTHD56iDkfTRu40vXDHthwG9VWJIlZD1S6qTw5JNf0xIQ-0iWpE07Swe9du3kWmOGJ60dfyH33RPHrs/s1600/IMG_8562+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqcJD46fY-lE1dOJ142J5x_JxWZzogPhFlDytVPEd26fh-BfFLsoZqBYj52NkQTHD56iDkfTRu40vXDHthwG9VWJIlZD1S6qTw5JNf0xIQ-0iWpE07Swe9du3kWmOGJ60dfyH33RPHrs/s200/IMG_8562+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivliR30mTGUO-X6dRjaLYE1zU2oB3YqoVPqX8imOcun0XaMIV5b4xfGkg4z0A21LQNXLF5tyEW1BBZ5_r_Rl7gbffM2SRLpHOPqtzvvVGKvmEYh4_YxszWqvX4gZKI-s4ZQKAyN-Yenes/s1600/IMG_8566+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivliR30mTGUO-X6dRjaLYE1zU2oB3YqoVPqX8imOcun0XaMIV5b4xfGkg4z0A21LQNXLF5tyEW1BBZ5_r_Rl7gbffM2SRLpHOPqtzvvVGKvmEYh4_YxszWqvX4gZKI-s4ZQKAyN-Yenes/s200/IMG_8566+web.jpg" width="200" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">One of the crucial things
with projects like this is all the things that happen around the periphery of
the design brief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, with the birds we
had everyone busy making their own bird to add to the flock and then many
children went on to invent additions or extensions of this – lots of sculptural
ideas with paper folding emerged, birds on nests were made, elements of
costumes appeared and lots of children wanted to “play” with their bird before
we hung it up to dry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a busy week for us
and I’m also really luck at the moment to have Abbie Balkitis, an art student,
on work placement with me for a few months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Abbie got stuck into the bird project brilliantly (and set the ball
rolling for creating teeny origami cranes) and it makes a huge difference
having that extra willing and interested person around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also wonderful to have so many adults
with us – parents came along with each class and that feels very special, it
really adds to the community feel of the school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We’re really looking forward
to seeing the birds in situ soon after half term – and just aware that there’s
a lot of climbing up and down and large ladder to make that happen!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqHKZNqOeylkeUy3SlDo1lm3P3WBJiD2EdWa55CyZqNtb8gNVkamkQGDvUHRTlwimbFbl-du8rynU8nHmkKS5trRdc5UQMQInrQMzxKMXyUbiCZqEIktw38B1XptLUjVvEYZ-k36x-50/s1600/IMG_8650+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqHKZNqOeylkeUy3SlDo1lm3P3WBJiD2EdWa55CyZqNtb8gNVkamkQGDvUHRTlwimbFbl-du8rynU8nHmkKS5trRdc5UQMQInrQMzxKMXyUbiCZqEIktw38B1XptLUjVvEYZ-k36x-50/s200/IMG_8650+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeq0ZMpT8fUMgI_ZKWw_lkJtIik2H5iQZnpjCTkjB3oBFUQ36SyO8VcLb4-EnM_hvRG4ewrpbK2T7-5oRVce9y9u2-INgKocagzO5mXpJ1ELZSX22gPWiuiw7nXjcvalYA7ecGsbrftzM/s1600/IMG_8655+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeq0ZMpT8fUMgI_ZKWw_lkJtIik2H5iQZnpjCTkjB3oBFUQ36SyO8VcLb4-EnM_hvRG4ewrpbK2T7-5oRVce9y9u2-INgKocagzO5mXpJ1ELZSX22gPWiuiw7nXjcvalYA7ecGsbrftzM/s200/IMG_8655+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Hf9MbiaN8_GBKAZ6nU0fIpgbvbXkOZMWhJcsRBLIZ1p0oS9sptC_7wE2E3xdmVMEX5vpZP-5oEqta5kmbbJbqG292pyONamCnPwcZd-bRE3QOsw92ZmHewf0KEzbpZa7K2SzKxvBfOE/s1600/IMG_8676+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Hf9MbiaN8_GBKAZ6nU0fIpgbvbXkOZMWhJcsRBLIZ1p0oS9sptC_7wE2E3xdmVMEX5vpZP-5oEqta5kmbbJbqG292pyONamCnPwcZd-bRE3QOsw92ZmHewf0KEzbpZa7K2SzKxvBfOE/s200/IMG_8676+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6gHORRaCYuWrLvjAEhAj_GdRsuvzkGTz83ZOgEQcJE2CAR-LQz_1IuHMBIzJT0E3PQAwVFhh34oiRHTNKYFp4fVqfXpY7Kbxbea4tZgyySwq7MY43gRcuA9bBQGIGXYIF1C6OxM6dpo/s1600/IMG_8810+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6gHORRaCYuWrLvjAEhAj_GdRsuvzkGTz83ZOgEQcJE2CAR-LQz_1IuHMBIzJT0E3PQAwVFhh34oiRHTNKYFp4fVqfXpY7Kbxbea4tZgyySwq7MY43gRcuA9bBQGIGXYIF1C6OxM6dpo/s200/IMG_8810+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-35333773038274998352013-09-23T12:36:00.002-07:002013-09-23T12:52:05.015-07:00Do trees have passwords? Do trees go to fancy dress parties? And other important Big Questions about trees…<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">September is firmly here and
as autumn begins we’re starting a new investigation as part of the on-going
<a href="http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/comenius-2012-2014.html" target="_blank">Comenius link project at Dunkirk school</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">We always work on projects
that explore <a href="http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/school-of-creativity.html" target="_blank">Big Questions</a> with the children, and this takes many different
shapes and formats, but we aim to be as child-centred as possible and for the
children and staff together to really ask searching questions and explore many
different avenues of enquiry.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCy3enf0xUT11QYumXIOAIWXQc6I4iZ2TDe15wNib6vdLK2JtU7Bp5mkv3deyJPWn8MP_KVWZnKwaIHoC9KhNI4f_HwJNJkLMosjUhH49OJpOWIlI0WRrxrgA6Pze1aYAkPyw-sFGkz64/s1600/IMG_2793+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCy3enf0xUT11QYumXIOAIWXQc6I4iZ2TDe15wNib6vdLK2JtU7Bp5mkv3deyJPWn8MP_KVWZnKwaIHoC9KhNI4f_HwJNJkLMosjUhH49OJpOWIlI0WRrxrgA6Pze1aYAkPyw-sFGkz64/s320/IMG_2793+web.jpg" width="213" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">As part of the Comenius
Project we are exploring issues around ‘Why Are Trees Precious’; with ideas,
resources, work and impetus being shared between all the linked schools
(Norway, Finland, Italy and </span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">ourselves</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIkbT30M2e89GcHlRt9l6qfMfaSYBNVKWjcuMG9GdbyDrOWgqQh9eowfT1PrK7m8dVrAeLKeJeHeKxyqlTJVSFmhmTcew7KMJKOIIpI-rL8ofJOGe4wgmSPWJ5zuR97wf35OwnJZTN0E/s1600/IMG_7860+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIkbT30M2e89GcHlRt9l6qfMfaSYBNVKWjcuMG9GdbyDrOWgqQh9eowfT1PrK7m8dVrAeLKeJeHeKxyqlTJVSFmhmTcew7KMJKOIIpI-rL8ofJOGe4wgmSPWJ5zuR97wf35OwnJZTN0E/s320/IMG_7860+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">I’m excited always by
children’s questions and lines of enquiry but looking at trees in this way is
especially wonderful, I’m deeply drawn to trees and woodland – so to look at
this afresh with the children and staff is really inspiring.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">We’ve been exploring the
trees local to the school – something we do all the time anyway but this now
takes on an additional emphasis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re
lucky in having quite a lot of trees within an easy walk of the school, we’ve
visited them with the children and we’ve held staff planning meetings under
some of them (complete with a picnic).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">We’ve begun to ask questions
– the children have generated some brilliant lines of enquiry so far and much
more will emerge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They've been thinking
about the questions they would like to ask a tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve been talking about what they know already about trees
and what they would like to find out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’ve had various wonderful scientific questions but these also enable a
deep philosophical angle to be explored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are stories waiting to be created, all sorts of things to be made,
songs to be sung and experiments galore to be undertaken…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyXGgURyeXck6P_yqQ9QMt5coUhO_v45tm3S69HTpjdPpNhWgAEWlof-W07OaEZMx65cxezIAEmTj1ys0jbTHL0nQMlRNArjy6W6BgjFB1tQe3Bc8cDKx_-1ZrL8ID9VSw39XDNNhiNU/s1600/IMG_6207+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyXGgURyeXck6P_yqQ9QMt5coUhO_v45tm3S69HTpjdPpNhWgAEWlof-W07OaEZMx65cxezIAEmTj1ys0jbTHL0nQMlRNArjy6W6BgjFB1tQe3Bc8cDKx_-1ZrL8ID9VSw39XDNNhiNU/s320/IMG_6207+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aXbs1ib3gPPPyTUf8ndEYNrtRcwjWOq0KgrPTwFUBo0zDcjkaimkdTK81GR_S6oEdz-yumQ2YKbIeJBIyMtWwNSBr1HcdfUqIoAOA-IOJhb4KPatJXLxpETlq92zRQC4xqwXR7nWSkU/s1600/IMG_3888+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aXbs1ib3gPPPyTUf8ndEYNrtRcwjWOq0KgrPTwFUBo0zDcjkaimkdTK81GR_S6oEdz-yumQ2YKbIeJBIyMtWwNSBr1HcdfUqIoAOA-IOJhb4KPatJXLxpETlq92zRQC4xqwXR7nWSkU/s320/IMG_3888+web.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Just a few of the children’s
questions:</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #660000;">Do trees like drawing? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #660000;">Do trees fly? </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #660000;">Do trees go to school? </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #660000;">How do the trees make their leaves fall? </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #660000;">Do trees have to sleep? </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #660000;">How many trees are there? </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #660000;">Can trees learn all about playing?</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNAPxY1rxB2Use0flslECmyM2MDkJJuD_lLuC85rVa8hQWkAdcGKdA3az6IXIM2qD92Vr93Lpe13kvAZX23I8sWK7Kwb2GGwkm4Kkgah4so3g93XjBmh_lErsZCRrraygYwMXD8iAWS8/s1600/IMG_7944+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNAPxY1rxB2Use0flslECmyM2MDkJJuD_lLuC85rVa8hQWkAdcGKdA3az6IXIM2qD92Vr93Lpe13kvAZX23I8sWK7Kwb2GGwkm4Kkgah4so3g93XjBmh_lErsZCRrraygYwMXD8iAWS8/s320/IMG_7944+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Trees and woodland are one
of my favourite things to work with - as a subject matter in photographs,
prints etc, in terms of story-generating and in terms of materials that I
use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also turn to woodland as an
inspirational, soothing, calming and rejuvenating space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m lucky to live close to some incredibly
stunning ancient broadleaf woodland in Derbyshire; its rich in wildlife and
also in stories of human history (traces are evident through from ancient
history, Roman workings to the Industrial Revolution and well beyond).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdE79W6h4n1e6iKKt7O2gsZ9eiGDIqJklzP0AQQOGzgzEixZ-J9egWkswRF8LDhLLTBO0TNW6G-92VIjtMtmbKA-2M5SZxrdBhbHEcesgJiLpdMl1e-DGthKG9XQMx0NvQJU79nVj-CI/s1600/IMG_0166+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdE79W6h4n1e6iKKt7O2gsZ9eiGDIqJklzP0AQQOGzgzEixZ-J9egWkswRF8LDhLLTBO0TNW6G-92VIjtMtmbKA-2M5SZxrdBhbHEcesgJiLpdMl1e-DGthKG9XQMx0NvQJU79nVj-CI/s320/IMG_0166+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #783f04;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">So, as I watch the leaves
turn from green to yellow to gold to orange and begin to twirl off the trees
and onto the ground… I also want to know if trees go to school, or if trees
have a best friend, or whether trees like to play hide and seek…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5cdCCFgljAcJqzLGGDgXmZOhFkL5EEoqWMOo_khK9cH7QMvPYPmAlLoZpzYMaDMZfzUygBwdzJMVgxoA-JRraLx-cBNDsM4ZQtuC7z42ttohxAudBK8GdO3VAlXgvQ25VRuD_rYsUks/s1600/IMG_1110+one+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[endif]--></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[endif]--><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc9m_SIK59F7LLIK4-T84R3P5K01edzh6rYiWPkHFRtVeI8X3FGioZN1km5drJVTrWNKe6Md6cKUyPa9zmw5Fj3Ds2lQFw16YJwnpgFfaBnwKiL8dovcocPQLbVX21Z7r3nOmXyb0Qhk/s1600/IMG_0144+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc9m_SIK59F7LLIK4-T84R3P5K01edzh6rYiWPkHFRtVeI8X3FGioZN1km5drJVTrWNKe6Md6cKUyPa9zmw5Fj3Ds2lQFw16YJwnpgFfaBnwKiL8dovcocPQLbVX21Z7r3nOmXyb0Qhk/s320/IMG_0144+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-64673179275715062472013-09-03T13:32:00.001-07:002013-09-03T13:42:43.412-07:00The discoveries of late summer…<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWEuGpAXM7WMz_3P1YnF_x1RjEL_oureDHy82S3Vu_86MNGl3bZsci_LUYP_SnQEQK_mv83K3JhXbkHWlMy5-PzGOvgGgJjMUXYo-ya-bGdhBDJiQcsGUcrNKxrb5gPiKbkrk4oze8aw/s1600/IMG_5022+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWEuGpAXM7WMz_3P1YnF_x1RjEL_oureDHy82S3Vu_86MNGl3bZsci_LUYP_SnQEQK_mv83K3JhXbkHWlMy5-PzGOvgGgJjMUXYo-ya-bGdhBDJiQcsGUcrNKxrb5gPiKbkrk4oze8aw/s200/IMG_5022+web.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvN3DsM-WBi5JMnkIfjQ_S3Bvu_2D2tpxnAf3KYGeqv6VFubkFnyD9HEF1aEL6OAaN6p_f_TCnRfdJH4Ok-q-wIlCAH3GZ8A2BdEhk8aNwpb6TP0LIHxNOtmWeYJbN31ms4yq5GmUCMs/s1600/IMG_2011+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvN3DsM-WBi5JMnkIfjQ_S3Bvu_2D2tpxnAf3KYGeqv6VFubkFnyD9HEF1aEL6OAaN6p_f_TCnRfdJH4Ok-q-wIlCAH3GZ8A2BdEhk8aNwpb6TP0LIHxNOtmWeYJbN31ms4yq5GmUCMs/s200/IMG_2011+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">September is upon us and the
school year has begun again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
sessions get underway in schools for me it’s a time of year when lots of
reflection seems to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Despite it being very (very)
many years ago, I still have the feelings of being at school myself and the
sense of “new beginnings” – with new pencil cases and school books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s something “in the air” as summer
draws to a close and autumn starts to make its presence felt (“back-endish” as
a friend of mine would say!).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I love September, the
temperature is usually wonderful for lots of long hours of work outside, there
are (hopefully) berries in abundance and nuts and seeds are beginning to be
very apparent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also feels a wonderful
time to light fires and share stories, to gather natural objects for creating
images and of course to find ways to make use of blackberries and all the other
hedgerow abundance…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Blackberries must be one of
the first ways many people start to forage for wild food (perhaps its also the
only foraging that many people do).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are a wonderful food – easy to find and as long as you follow a few
simple tips (e.g.: don’t pick from road verges because of traffic fumes /
residue and always pick above “dog-wee” height!) then you can have a wonderful
supply of fruit to cook and create with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The berries, leaves and canes of brambles make a good natural dye...</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOilWun4-6QlHVoaiHqZp8vxB2IFrus_prUzDshhMy_691QESVs0iNMCV74ftbtTnX5o0Rc6pUQLdPdjPusqIwfudXDvpWs8_RNH-_jNWfI-JYia8lTBor8uJuyk_Aq9FTQR1EYiATUU/s1600/IMG_5160+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOilWun4-6QlHVoaiHqZp8vxB2IFrus_prUzDshhMy_691QESVs0iNMCV74ftbtTnX5o0Rc6pUQLdPdjPusqIwfudXDvpWs8_RNH-_jNWfI-JYia8lTBor8uJuyk_Aq9FTQR1EYiATUU/s200/IMG_5160+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4ErgRNfl0IwZmkd8W86rUdEMsoOmMJQ5QxbNzaAUwSOuLTNMKgLLjTMZaEIFnY7Nrl1XutaOgVAQ2vAxgG6tmzdv8yw_fZiEnOmRHLhd0476jWG5wkNLkWp82PjLwSio0eg18VfnV5Y/s1600/IMG_5298+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4ErgRNfl0IwZmkd8W86rUdEMsoOmMJQ5QxbNzaAUwSOuLTNMKgLLjTMZaEIFnY7Nrl1XutaOgVAQ2vAxgG6tmzdv8yw_fZiEnOmRHLhd0476jWG5wkNLkWp82PjLwSio0eg18VfnV5Y/s200/IMG_5298+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypQ4vS94sgYMEWkJ84ZkNNX9_pKyxH2hTVi7WbZ086QocJrdDfAoeRUh4MgtoJWbVbS5Id5oQHHnYmUJoWAs1kL5Qkg0l3gsuVAxGa9PZG3WREwVT_ZXr3jgTO7Wr_Dghk9ev7kSMyLA/s1600/IMG_5166+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Apparently it’s also a cure
for a child with whopping cough if you pass them (several times) through an
arch made where a blackberry shoot has rooted naturally at either end…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My wonderful book “Discovering the Folklore
of Plants” (Shire) says the patient should be eating bread and butter whilst
this happens! The bread and butter are then fed to a passing animal or bird and
the cough would disappear…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book
also mentions an old tradition that blackberries should not be picked after 29
September (loads of time to go then), Michaelmas Day, because “the Devil
variously ‘waves his club over them’, ‘spits on them’ or ‘curses them’ "… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Last year the children I
work with were so excited by all the blackberries in the hedgerows around
schools – they used them as paints as well as eating them in various recipes
(and of course tasting them straight from the bush too).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were transfixed and as these were
inner-city children it’s a wonderful reminder that hedgerow foraging is just as
much an option in urban areas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">It was really interesting to
see some of the same children looking for the berries again earlier this summer
– they were confused about why there were none: so it was great to be able to
look at the flowers on the brambles and talk about how these would turn into
the blackberries (with the help of bees too).</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The rowans and hawthorns
here are laden with berries at the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gathering the hedgerow harvest is a wonderful thing and it also provides
an important connection with the past I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This goes hand in hand with the sense that the nights will soon
start to draw in and a desire to stock the store cupboards (my freezer!) with
foraged goodies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">There are many exciting
mini-beasts to spot<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- and some stunning
dragonflies on the wing (we would love it if some laid eggs in our pond in the
Discovery Garden at Dunkirk).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There are so many
interesting natural textures to explore and intriguing sights spring up - such
as various fungi, which really intrigue the children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlynnyyXvUlgICpo5-UPEQ3mWlZgIfywMEeCKBFrXIfhimGnNkSZE0j-wHmtw7EHth_MZhyphenhyphenB7bmCB6JpKAlqXrgYe9ZuvFaZZ6K3CFciRXr1Y63yNPJe-W6nnJZcBcUzQmDeUd5SJdgmo/s1600/IMG_0106+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlynnyyXvUlgICpo5-UPEQ3mWlZgIfywMEeCKBFrXIfhimGnNkSZE0j-wHmtw7EHth_MZhyphenhyphenB7bmCB6JpKAlqXrgYe9ZuvFaZZ6K3CFciRXr1Y63yNPJe-W6nnJZcBcUzQmDeUd5SJdgmo/s320/IMG_0106+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">There is much seed to be
gathered and stored (so making labels and decorating paper bags for this is
very much on the agenda over the next few weeks).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We planted lots of wildflower seed this year and that seems to
have done really well (possibly we have the right soil for this in the
Discovery Garden) and we aim to collect as much seed as we can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll also store any beans and peas that
have “gone over” so that we can plant them next year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The light is also really
special in September, the trees and hedges are laden with leaves still but the
angle of the sunlight drops at certain times of day - so that long shadows are
cast and the sunlight glistens on golden seed-heads and through leaves...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3v398VdWVZ4DaY9DFvd_WTmAMifaAQdNBPOIGyegeueU5bNEX8bu94PD9VYAAjVsEZVoPjhZ2ktnK3ygfD7WZoOa65IeDQpb0iapCFcQRuGHdjQRJ75ORgt7OwBO_OpGuMzeF0p4XMew/s1600/IMG_2133+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <span style="color: #274e13;"> <span style="font-family: Arial;">The sounds of the natural
world change so much throughout the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #274e13;">In September t</span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;">he</span> birds begin to gather and flock and call in a different way
(although only very recently I watched recently-fledged sparrows being fed in
my garden) and I’m always very aware of the absence of the swifts, who left
much earlier in August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I adore autumn – but this
part of the summer feels really special; summer is still here but not for too
much longer, you want to grab every moment of being outside, of gathering fruit
and vegetables, of soaking in the heat of the sun… of making paint with
blackberries and watching the house martins swooping overhead…</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-75128173546252660782013-07-10T14:34:00.000-07:002013-07-10T14:40:42.742-07:00See what I found?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tjUDoIpSubxeuNoZjwG9u50kqO2Q55JGperE0cvFpw_E93j2eEFJKoZGWUsHdaf8USoNw6VtvckCPjcRk0tyk05kKn-X6XMEMf9QqPYyev7tXzt6xRzMLxOkgjj3JQ72bj8GOaTZbKA/s1600/IMG_7026+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tjUDoIpSubxeuNoZjwG9u50kqO2Q55JGperE0cvFpw_E93j2eEFJKoZGWUsHdaf8USoNw6VtvckCPjcRk0tyk05kKn-X6XMEMf9QqPYyev7tXzt6xRzMLxOkgjj3JQ72bj8GOaTZbKA/s320/IMG_7026+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><!--[endif]--><o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">See What I found?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">A tiny wooden chair</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Old, twisted, dirty, rough and curly</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Found it near the fire circle in the grass</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Do fairies us it as a chair?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I adore gathering words and
questions with children – and adding thoughts onto luggage labels is something
that I (and many others) love…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I often use luggage labels
in projects for children (and me!) to add thoughts, questions, words and
phrases to objects and places…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq81UhjhZAPHX0utQZOQsNmSOkRUbgGj9z10bU84BA0SQpXJqeq0TZqydA-FFZa7XY74QNajKAjM8mgC2RQ8Pdy6gqHpFioCh7LwfabIpCMLEQReGQQh9WVdJI2wWONB6zVYKMu5qNfg/s1600/IMG_7024+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq81UhjhZAPHX0utQZOQsNmSOkRUbgGj9z10bU84BA0SQpXJqeq0TZqydA-FFZa7XY74QNajKAjM8mgC2RQ8Pdy6gqHpFioCh7LwfabIpCMLEQReGQQh9WVdJI2wWONB6zVYKMu5qNfg/s320/IMG_7024+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Today in the Discovery
Garden at Dunkirk year 4 worked with me and we created a set of poems for tiny
objects we found – and we made a little Garden museum of treasures…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I love simple poetry formats
that follow a set of “rules” but then take on a million different meanings when
created by a group of people… There’s something so inspiring and wonderful
about a group of poems all made following the same pattern - but each poem has
its own beauty, inspirations, quirks and ignites its own questions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I’ve used lots of different
poetry patterns in projects and today we used one of my favourites – this was
suggested by Juliet at Creative Star Learning in a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>really lovely blog post about outdoor poetry <span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://creativestarlearning.co.uk/">http://creativestarlearning.co.uk/</a></span> .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve used it with adults and children (in
schools and when I’ve run INSET sessions) and it produces results that are
really captivating.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></span> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxygd7ELujs0VZxhqobgUKrOP-zG_asqONo_PQX9c_HEX2w1cNGbSiNSlPbf3ENfcfJb8M03yIQy8q2UE3QzcPDV7bkmpEVHF-JR4Nkmfvel4XXPSkAd8wXcwJj_HHa4Kd1jZS0HqiQOQ/s1600/IMG_7018+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxygd7ELujs0VZxhqobgUKrOP-zG_asqONo_PQX9c_HEX2w1cNGbSiNSlPbf3ENfcfJb8M03yIQy8q2UE3QzcPDV7bkmpEVHF-JR4Nkmfvel4XXPSkAd8wXcwJj_HHa4Kd1jZS0HqiQOQ/s320/IMG_7018+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I’ve just been sorting
through the photos I took of the children’s words in the garden – and have been
smiling lots of their ideas – a million stories are suggested here I think (and
a brilliant image in my head of a bug doing push-ups with a stone…)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9dZY__2RSxMjBb52chyphenhyphenZridNSFbU1DmMQa2MBJHr_mpcz8FTSd3MjqKZPBeSClJX-ybaoz9ewwS2hGmmTnP1HwAuFQFAiZREhJZ4sRnBAGV_HLbIm08n5rS9X8hraB_AjM0CYHvcpNc/s1600/IMG_7021+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9dZY__2RSxMjBb52chyphenhyphenZridNSFbU1DmMQa2MBJHr_mpcz8FTSd3MjqKZPBeSClJX-ybaoz9ewwS2hGmmTnP1HwAuFQFAiZREhJZ4sRnBAGV_HLbIm08n5rS9X8hraB_AjM0CYHvcpNc/s320/IMG_7021+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">See What I found?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A broken white jug<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Broken, smooth, hard, bendy
and white<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I found it in the mud</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Is this a piece of a jug and
how did it get there?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAYIhGS4RpK1IcK68qjHzkjSzCYvoHcA6AkljcTZj5sGgpr8lFZubwaiGTGWciX4sB7xwiITkRRFCpiiteZU1VY8ofeYeiy29N2T9xmARz2PpEfeHypw1wY_RKQIPLcfklJz7uCXxGI8/s1600/IMG_7014+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAYIhGS4RpK1IcK68qjHzkjSzCYvoHcA6AkljcTZj5sGgpr8lFZubwaiGTGWciX4sB7xwiITkRRFCpiiteZU1VY8ofeYeiy29N2T9xmARz2PpEfeHypw1wY_RKQIPLcfklJz7uCXxGI8/s320/IMG_7014+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times New Roman;"></span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">See what I found?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">A flower</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Beautiful, green, pink and
colourful</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I found it on the floor</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I wonder if it’s been an
animals habitat?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">See What I found</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">An interesting rock</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Smooth, rough, bumpy,
multi-coloured small rock</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I found it next to some dirt</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">It might have come from
space?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times New Roman;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">See what I found?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Two sticks to peel</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Old, big, small, rusty</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I found it on some bricks</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I wonder that you can make
something out of it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvtv94Uocv_lAvUnN1Z_Rjrn8yScERahunyJTZPc0Wb6eL5-6G4V3ZpktvpQk5XKitDLP5_wjWFxxakEbs_6253vDBCLYu2RBFgFsZExTjWUxdAsN0CyRdrISGwMKQnA50ivQXxaAjYA/s1600/IMG_7056+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvtv94Uocv_lAvUnN1Z_Rjrn8yScERahunyJTZPc0Wb6eL5-6G4V3ZpktvpQk5XKitDLP5_wjWFxxakEbs_6253vDBCLYu2RBFgFsZExTjWUxdAsN0CyRdrISGwMKQnA50ivQXxaAjYA/s320/IMG_7056+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">See what I found?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">A hard stone<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Strong, does not break<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">I found it in the fire
circle<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">I think a bug uses it to get
muscles…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">There are many more…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The poetry form is as
follows (I’ve also changed it to “did you hear what I heard?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and other things in a similar vein…) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">First line: See what I found<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Second line: say what the
object is<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Third line: four or five
descriptive words about it<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Forth line: say where you
found it<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Fifth line: a question about
it<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">And the poems will flood
in….<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">With very many thanks to Juliet at Creative Star
Learning for the format and her wonderful blog posts…</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://creativestarlearning.blogspot.co.uk/">http://creativestarlearning.blogspot.co.uk/</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="http://creativestarlearning.co.uk/">http://creativestarlearning.co.uk/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were also really pleased
with the wonderful crop of strawberries we were able to pick and eat there and
<span style="color: #660000;">then t<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">oday</span>!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Discovery Garden is nurturing
us well!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-21227467062712942382013-07-09T10:08:00.001-07:002013-07-09T10:09:26.356-07:00Summer... long grass, wildflowers in the hedgerows, birdsong in the trees and the buzz of insects…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Summer is firmly here and
this week the real heat has kicked in, which means for me that VERY early
starts and then days in the shade are best for making things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been exploring woodland and hedgerows
really early to research and gather ideas for projects; and with groups I’ve
been trying to find some shade as we celebrate the summer by creating things
with natural materials…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">An incredibly early start this
morning found me up at one of my favourite spots in Derbyshire, where a thick
mist covered almost everything: you could feel the hint of the hot sun waiting
to appear later – it was really atmospheric.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Birds were calling loudly, a raven flew by “cronking” and there seemed
to be jays foraging for food almost everywhere I looked…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The wildflowers in the
woods, meadows and hedgerows are looking stunning here at the moment and I so
love their names (foxglove, bladder campion, corncockle, monk’s-hood, selfheal,
herb-robert, fox-and-cubs… I could go on and on…) there’s a gorgeous mixture of
colours and textures and especially so when the sunlight is filtered in the
early morning or evening.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">With children we’ve been
really exploring the properties of different plants – in terms of their
colours, textures, their smells and tastes (where applicable!) and the habitat
they provide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children I work with
have been fascinated by the tiny creatures found amongst the plants –
cuckoo-spit, leaf galls, spiders, damsel-flies, caterpillars and other grubs
are all holding a deep fascination for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m glad to have a constant supply of ID charts and books nearby because
the children can then immediately look things up and it generates some
wonderful questions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">At Dunkirk we’ve been
creating pictures by the wonderful technique of transferring leaf and petal
pigments onto cloth with a mallet!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
deliberately allow lots of things to grow so that there is plenty to pick and
make things with, as well as plenty for small creatures to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also ensure there are certain areas of
plants clearly demarked so that the children know not to pick from those.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhnPLGpsIIT1BzOg8lnkt4gj0afspcIKYALTIvLcU3QQnRoNQ6tlskf8WlznGIIhc0vy56hqmX-bxaKs6vvrn9LwvAmolDp9WPLRZrC4_WIYt3ZwYY5cS7i8XmAlnG4SR2k_xowaX1lU/s1600/IMG_6864+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhnPLGpsIIT1BzOg8lnkt4gj0afspcIKYALTIvLcU3QQnRoNQ6tlskf8WlznGIIhc0vy56hqmX-bxaKs6vvrn9LwvAmolDp9WPLRZrC4_WIYt3ZwYY5cS7i8XmAlnG4SR2k_xowaX1lU/s320/IMG_6864+web.jpg" width="213" /></a></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75WwhsTVIYSwBGEnIIUcwM1cXYrTd_9cu1FbcxJRDeJDjm9bBCQRojwEdsM0_oDQQC8B_BtN4E4ZtAYNZyvT6OZ88daM5z-RIXrUn7tufcSOYF523uwbwUgOfL3VdNHZPZ7kTo8fFmL4/s1600/IMG_2409+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75WwhsTVIYSwBGEnIIUcwM1cXYrTd_9cu1FbcxJRDeJDjm9bBCQRojwEdsM0_oDQQC8B_BtN4E4ZtAYNZyvT6OZ88daM5z-RIXrUn7tufcSOYF523uwbwUgOfL3VdNHZPZ7kTo8fFmL4/s320/IMG_2409+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The grass is really long now
and I adore the textures and shades in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a wonderful setting for photographing the grass itself but also
other things placed within the grass…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>there’s something really special about being able to lie back in the
grass and contemplate the clouds, the birds and the sounds all around you…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvChAdr3h-3xnEwC5p4rx9WwhdEbGO8bcb25hc-PoN6pv8YhyphenhyphenTaoKwu3RSdwLrCvM7ekOgXq4oZuSnPiSp7PKHHuCdAIobTFJE63YUw4ZIzUue7afBLEoPa7T1MIy3u6sVp6cPW0beHEg/s1600/IMG_1257+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvChAdr3h-3xnEwC5p4rx9WwhdEbGO8bcb25hc-PoN6pv8YhyphenhyphenTaoKwu3RSdwLrCvM7ekOgXq4oZuSnPiSp7PKHHuCdAIobTFJE63YUw4ZIzUue7afBLEoPa7T1MIy3u6sVp6cPW0beHEg/s320/IMG_1257+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I love watching the creative
discoveries the children make outside when they use things like grass,
plantain, clover and daisies to make things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve seen all sorts of winding, weaving, plaiting, binding and twisting
going on to make things.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVQcisSigp1B1pm8r76u_BM6jo7RybC-HyDFe9qxtBGsyKU1vBKWYAWCigXOnvY8dXnfai5IqE9MgOFbgTwWyotR_z-n54W5Pd-XiJhulGoNcnwMcXj_APRk23LG_VQEm8lqoCa45e5w/s1600/IMG_3951+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVQcisSigp1B1pm8r76u_BM6jo7RybC-HyDFe9qxtBGsyKU1vBKWYAWCigXOnvY8dXnfai5IqE9MgOFbgTwWyotR_z-n54W5Pd-XiJhulGoNcnwMcXj_APRk23LG_VQEm8lqoCa45e5w/s320/IMG_3951+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[endif]--><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fAIeGqMW9zcvWG0OlphQ35XdA69TsIdQ1R7BGyP9aeW5UaHoGeFlA31ZKjnz8_bDg9Ow1U3KXP_wo89S-oKJU6f8Z4Ttkf4LZujHNY_W4aOFczAv998ufC-K5s4LWe1k6d7B9V4Hgdc/s1600/IMG_6877+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fAIeGqMW9zcvWG0OlphQ35XdA69TsIdQ1R7BGyP9aeW5UaHoGeFlA31ZKjnz8_bDg9Ow1U3KXP_wo89S-oKJU6f8Z4Ttkf4LZujHNY_W4aOFczAv998ufC-K5s4LWe1k6d7B9V4Hgdc/s320/IMG_6877+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">In my own wildlife-friendly
garden I’m really fascinated by my pond at the moment, there are several adult
frogs present, loads of beetles and other water bugs, damsel-flies, hoverflies,
water-snails galore… and the tadpoles have almost all grown their legs and
emerged as froglets…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNK-qQPvi17_nYR93_3arpuj5dnM7BpGcD87oWhaO5FLbpiIPNK0BWtYr42oVaLCLUEBgqGw-Ya-LouajQwgU7Pe7m1MQikGmvi3lfbaw28YFmCDQ6ZxtRmGVbVpY2XPfEp1dP8Lc5Ns/s1600/IMG_0058+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNK-qQPvi17_nYR93_3arpuj5dnM7BpGcD87oWhaO5FLbpiIPNK0BWtYr42oVaLCLUEBgqGw-Ya-LouajQwgU7Pe7m1MQikGmvi3lfbaw28YFmCDQ6ZxtRmGVbVpY2XPfEp1dP8Lc5Ns/s320/IMG_0058+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">In the Discovery Garden at
Dunkirk our pond is also thriving with so many insects, I adore sitting by the
water with the children watching for things, contemplating, describing and
exploring the habitat offered by having a pond.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">One of the other plus sides
there at the moment is the abundance of fruit that is ripening – strawberries,
raspberries, blackcurrants and more are now all becoming ready daily, so when
working outside with the children there are always a few to be picked and eaten
as a snack there and then.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-0silTHFwYgAO3q5pi4BCcJNlRbkT26QTwjLY-eTWtQIcBNCGgGrkdg6cx5r3vVvvYr6d3pcVgRa9AfCFcTUa4G2K0nTTZ84o0u5aJybFpKI70Aqxn-GEF-IXUopvcMYKnqQRYT4ibs/s1600/IMG_6889+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-0silTHFwYgAO3q5pi4BCcJNlRbkT26QTwjLY-eTWtQIcBNCGgGrkdg6cx5r3vVvvYr6d3pcVgRa9AfCFcTUa4G2K0nTTZ84o0u5aJybFpKI70Aqxn-GEF-IXUopvcMYKnqQRYT4ibs/s200/IMG_6889+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9-Pzk2vALXd1fgq0qW67-IkEwdTNEBq8F_ndkZrxvhXgXM6DL93e0KSutkHmiBK6YhIZhs1kfgT_SX7eAqfMYDuRgSU_Ck-V7Q04nJ72CL4Ff9sxES2HVwgerGGf2CAZf3TnaOPLz5E/s1600/IMG_6910+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9-Pzk2vALXd1fgq0qW67-IkEwdTNEBq8F_ndkZrxvhXgXM6DL93e0KSutkHmiBK6YhIZhs1kfgT_SX7eAqfMYDuRgSU_Ck-V7Q04nJ72CL4Ff9sxES2HVwgerGGf2CAZf3TnaOPLz5E/s200/IMG_6910+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqQEOHCMkYCvcb27V__duubUsOJkyTdRjSxKnN_amE65YqWcFcW2gp_FD34fDiREQgrRhqUbrd238K0WzX03iBTOec7A68_W2nCfJzGpY5dbcpEE7rvmb8NQKlq9zk-fHmHiGLSZBa0k/s1600/IMG_2434+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqQEOHCMkYCvcb27V__duubUsOJkyTdRjSxKnN_amE65YqWcFcW2gp_FD34fDiREQgrRhqUbrd238K0WzX03iBTOec7A68_W2nCfJzGpY5dbcpEE7rvmb8NQKlq9zk-fHmHiGLSZBa0k/s320/IMG_2434+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">An abundance of clover –
smells wonderful, is rich in bees and also I’ve found it naturally generates a
host of songs being created amongst children as they observe bees busily
collecting…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJnJBupisTMOQi5KEkutIN3qLz1dqhnKvvkCmysA3HN-suN7yB8vtiFq907rIdKC6kDU8O6iW25cY0xLv1b1lpFT0KsYH4fEE5kLlnXbVAV6Gg71G0v6zCSiN4qFILNZItf75wCO0gIU/s1600/IMG_3727+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJnJBupisTMOQi5KEkutIN3qLz1dqhnKvvkCmysA3HN-suN7yB8vtiFq907rIdKC6kDU8O6iW25cY0xLv1b1lpFT0KsYH4fEE5kLlnXbVAV6Gg71G0v6zCSiN4qFILNZItf75wCO0gIU/s320/IMG_3727+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Water on hand is crucial on
hot days – to drink but also to cool your feet in…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVpX6tQoFMjOL8e_HAwjNyQMg3gL5ROV51rvRWztJi9JkQj5NjAJR_ycqA5jw4FXW79rZhLN6aoFmmsi_d6ekFM3i-VcfOpC6CFd2hf6wo_rme-DH2zQAGgBsowhs_Hkuf0zknKbH9ig/s1600/IMG_6991+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVpX6tQoFMjOL8e_HAwjNyQMg3gL5ROV51rvRWztJi9JkQj5NjAJR_ycqA5jw4FXW79rZhLN6aoFmmsi_d6ekFM3i-VcfOpC6CFd2hf6wo_rme-DH2zQAGgBsowhs_Hkuf0zknKbH9ig/s320/IMG_6991+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">And water mixed with other
things generates all sorts of discoveries… last week a couple of boys showed me
exactly how much dry and sand and water were needed to mix together to create a
perfectly round sand ball…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had
spent ages getting their mixtures exactly right…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokcROoJwOIlAFopF2m3zAiYeq7eYlAoag_tC2spDI-khnRWRBXXLh0TA5KCw_4vM_cdp11k-Xqv8iksAqu_iuSXdgwwJKgBpBMvxWYaqTeVpcj5JOFjMiOKrWk0Jjt_gJYCBx0VXDBR0/s1600/IMG_6998+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokcROoJwOIlAFopF2m3zAiYeq7eYlAoag_tC2spDI-khnRWRBXXLh0TA5KCw_4vM_cdp11k-Xqv8iksAqu_iuSXdgwwJKgBpBMvxWYaqTeVpcj5JOFjMiOKrWk0Jjt_gJYCBx0VXDBR0/s320/IMG_6998+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">When there is plenty of
flowers and grass it means you can pick a few select items to make things…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we’ve been creating potions, dens,
garlands, adornments, bunting and adding grass etc onto double sided tape to make
a selection of striped images and descriptions…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like the addition of sand onto some of these…</span></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiauHFk7L6WlR3Ti2SkSo3jvlWnIO6bSWIbwsrJVRpCKElsMkbcGD_sszkP927-OoGg6SaQQUyUjpMojGpmahof70ehJ24GvEoPuadSEUDvGqCbgAzI6-LNrW0Yu07-PdCKMXjmSd-F_0/s200/IMG_6866+web.jpg" width="200" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFwgkYazFXRirtCcNSWTRZvVukl1Qr8nZ41ABwx5yBS5JNuCugGGnbGIUeZg1NqPn6TS8RDGcITqwJNT4lpgeYKiZPuw29dq4hUcrNFi0MfgR9_LFa0duKza5krcQBFhSO6wv5u5FJWs/s1600/IMG_7011+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFwgkYazFXRirtCcNSWTRZvVukl1Qr8nZ41ABwx5yBS5JNuCugGGnbGIUeZg1NqPn6TS8RDGcITqwJNT4lpgeYKiZPuw29dq4hUcrNFi0MfgR9_LFa0duKza5krcQBFhSO6wv5u5FJWs/s200/IMG_7011+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I love to use clay
throughout the year and at the moment there are so many wonderful natural
objects to add to it in creating figures, creatures and mystical beings…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHVhgRQdlzpGTvxTHxO5IinHkvtgSXxAxNb5MBYD5iGrHXRuzJBxyKrH7ultXK0w7oPrLLTrqPd_K1wVCHcyP1kBshond5RyWF6IRY1TUgnH_h-3qJ-yfGVS8NhFtO8xS8KmIanqPGw0/s1600/IMG_6922+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHVhgRQdlzpGTvxTHxO5IinHkvtgSXxAxNb5MBYD5iGrHXRuzJBxyKrH7ultXK0w7oPrLLTrqPd_K1wVCHcyP1kBshond5RyWF6IRY1TUgnH_h-3qJ-yfGVS8NhFtO8xS8KmIanqPGw0/s320/IMG_6922+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Because the grass is long
and insects thrive it means there are endless opportunities for
discoveries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the boys in the
reception class at Abbey Campus (Dunkirk has two buildings now) found this
beetle last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beetle was
already dead when discovered – which prompted all sorts of questions about how
he had died but it also meant there was a perfect opportunity to study the
beetle closely and really get a great look at the exquisite detail in the
beetle’s body.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhJEO80DiLsrI4qGKIxSzEhzYcFnYKcZCSpJ3rHtZAuz5oANwKuMpsWxG56hMJqFmE461DP2c7PeQvQJEUENYIbsx6vpJ7Rk4b2Nk53G8i2G9Gjo3OfGb0yFJs_QUt5yrlJJAZbh5mPs/s1600/IMG_6984+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhJEO80DiLsrI4qGKIxSzEhzYcFnYKcZCSpJ3rHtZAuz5oANwKuMpsWxG56hMJqFmE461DP2c7PeQvQJEUENYIbsx6vpJ7Rk4b2Nk53G8i2G9Gjo3OfGb0yFJs_QUt5yrlJJAZbh5mPs/s320/IMG_6984+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Taking objects you’ve made
outside to place amongst the foliage brings a whole other dimension to them…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-56682636905926809752013-07-01T07:46:00.001-07:002013-07-01T07:46:09.439-07:00Pizza in the cob oven…<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #660000;">“Almost anything you can cook in your domestic oven, you’ll be able to cook in a clay oven, and in most cases the food will be better for it… So if you can find around two square metres in your garden, and three spare days in your life, you could build yourself something truly special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your humble backyard could be transformed into a Mecca of gastronomy.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #660000;">the River Cottage Bread Handbook by Daniel
Stevens.</span></span></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5NDT1HcwHG27C4i_sJOhb-tDQ1fTC3T8c73aONogxCBiTVRm_T7dNyBnJ3FLrf5HHu32aR9Wfcn_lxsODvTU3oUMxr1bdRAFE_3Bj3lIkjbAq4k6WrIzxnGGFI4XOLfCJ6Gn-qCF1Vo/s500/IMG_6830+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5NDT1HcwHG27C4i_sJOhb-tDQ1fTC3T8c73aONogxCBiTVRm_T7dNyBnJ3FLrf5HHu32aR9Wfcn_lxsODvTU3oUMxr1bdRAFE_3Bj3lIkjbAq4k6WrIzxnGGFI4XOLfCJ6Gn-qCF1Vo/s320/IMG_6830+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">What a great set of
experiments – firing up our new oven and cooking food in it to test out the
different ways things work…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">We’ve done bread and last
week we made pizza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week we think
we’ll try baked apples, roast vegetables (with fresh herbs from the Discovery
Garden) and possibly biscuits…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8FJ_Sv4WyMPVz_YiAZzsYUIPKBiXj2F4Jr3bCPXZL8RFGJFOEpK_OGuq3eoChyphenhyphenlbayqaqis0CY25CVYVPIhbKCiVjVJ1eMqodNAeiIHYSs-CfRtiywRZ0t86gIHkSbza9I6-6gH452A/s500/IMG_6812+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8FJ_Sv4WyMPVz_YiAZzsYUIPKBiXj2F4Jr3bCPXZL8RFGJFOEpK_OGuq3eoChyphenhyphenlbayqaqis0CY25CVYVPIhbKCiVjVJ1eMqodNAeiIHYSs-CfRtiywRZ0t86gIHkSbza9I6-6gH452A/s320/IMG_6812+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The practicalities of using
the oven begin to take a firmer shape the more we use it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does take a good 3 hours to get to the
right temperature to cook bread and pizza and it does need someone staying with
it during that time to stoke it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Obviously in a school this means</span><span style="color: #274e13;"> that if we set the oven going at 9am
then its ready to cook by lunchtime, which works well if you are trying to cook
a class lunch in it, but not if you are wanting to make a mid morning snack!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqcUfbby7nX0f8mN3PFtOLxRM0ExHXV8PmK8LsG_IZgj6nv-lKbOq1zXfbCCeDpS8yJruIZPdWQd-wyPbrcKuNsV1eLK5usgvHaUAgEJs-XhE5_aEcAJ18a1BoAEkgqi3x3mSdqB74k4/s500/IMG_6819+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqcUfbby7nX0f8mN3PFtOLxRM0ExHXV8PmK8LsG_IZgj6nv-lKbOq1zXfbCCeDpS8yJruIZPdWQd-wyPbrcKuNsV1eLK5usgvHaUAgEJs-XhE5_aEcAJ18a1BoAEkgqi3x3mSdqB74k4/s320/IMG_6819+web.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">If we want to use the oven
in a morning with a class then it might be that we set the oven going at 8am or
maybe we choose to cook a selection of things that don’t need the oven to be so
hot.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZaLRMEsFM0i7v9vNA2q9ytlzRJ_p3hRnixu8IWkPr0S2gv917m5PBgs1NbuWLLlYhGykmugR1ElIFat9i3n71ghenpISdgJ-fAgaLnT2w2YNeX-4sqT791QXrdWey6J1xDPC-BAE8hM/s500/IMG_6804+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZaLRMEsFM0i7v9vNA2q9ytlzRJ_p3hRnixu8IWkPr0S2gv917m5PBgs1NbuWLLlYhGykmugR1ElIFat9i3n71ghenpISdgJ-fAgaLnT2w2YNeX-4sqT791QXrdWey6J1xDPC-BAE8hM/s320/IMG_6804+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The pizza tasted great, year
5 did a wonderful job creating small pizzas with their chosen vegetable
toppings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They made very thin dough
bases but these still did need the oven to be incredibly hot in order for them
to cook through.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-EvJ0z4G5UDn1eTGkf_iVVw4BVWrVV_FMcUqCcTZD7-1RM5AX9JmGEVLFTHI4vla_vLAaSCu007OLmMR18zc-7NLokVHQ9KFdKLC-5bDxXFRpK0bKDs7Eo7pzzl7cLj45Nudsf0u1ZY/s500/IMG_6811+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-EvJ0z4G5UDn1eTGkf_iVVw4BVWrVV_FMcUqCcTZD7-1RM5AX9JmGEVLFTHI4vla_vLAaSCu007OLmMR18zc-7NLokVHQ9KFdKLC-5bDxXFRpK0bKDs7Eo7pzzl7cLj45Nudsf0u1ZY/s200/IMG_6811+web.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tbP0EvTjtwR0rU_w7h0285sfydAsY6OzfpFpVl9RYWLFIpPjn87RFPff-WEFwkyiKI0AI-pBDjNbl1qxmFvFeM1TCc6zc2LQp-ZXOhcg5MJ6cRM7KGMlfZL1zx-sWyZw3vsx6eJQxAs/s500/IMG_6805+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tbP0EvTjtwR0rU_w7h0285sfydAsY6OzfpFpVl9RYWLFIpPjn87RFPff-WEFwkyiKI0AI-pBDjNbl1qxmFvFeM1TCc6zc2LQp-ZXOhcg5MJ6cRM7KGMlfZL1zx-sWyZw3vsx6eJQxAs/s200/IMG_6805+web.jpg" width="200" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Making bread and pizza dough
from scratch is brilliant and I feel really strongly that all children should
be able to experience this. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Food
shouldn’t appear in an instant and good things are worth working at and waiting
for!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our modern world we have
become more and more alienated from having to make things ourselves and
understand the time (and joy) it really takes to create so much that we want to
consume and use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But equally we may
need a few ways we can cook things that won’t need the oven to get so hot!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdWaKW7QXp-jAZcHqLM_MJeIAip1lLayF0Bng3Z3c8C_OSTUniY5JN5kMcLixKOXeAHKWEBHrFMf5tIjYYC3WceqsvKZYqhA0eejAZP9vBt31dm5fwtyHNB5Pa8s7Ew2neOW04UL1bak/s500/IMG_6816+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdWaKW7QXp-jAZcHqLM_MJeIAip1lLayF0Bng3Z3c8C_OSTUniY5JN5kMcLixKOXeAHKWEBHrFMf5tIjYYC3WceqsvKZYqhA0eejAZP9vBt31dm5fwtyHNB5Pa8s7Ew2neOW04UL1bak/s320/IMG_6816+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I’ve had some really lovely
feedback and questions about the whole process of creating our oven at
Dunkirk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a big team effort and I
think a project like this wouldn’t work without that team of people wanting to
be involved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIugV3juh0r_WUXAI0qI61nSpKJ4rJuNBlgJuVyiy8wKGZESw0cfbhlT23GTQLfXh0vXlABVJONDLRhcOcD7SaKd0qaOOy88FuVxCzmW5ZlyPsNFln8YUOGHlvd9OPUkMVUfVh-TGmINw/s500/IMG_6824+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIugV3juh0r_WUXAI0qI61nSpKJ4rJuNBlgJuVyiy8wKGZESw0cfbhlT23GTQLfXh0vXlABVJONDLRhcOcD7SaKd0qaOOy88FuVxCzmW5ZlyPsNFln8YUOGHlvd9OPUkMVUfVh-TGmINw/s320/IMG_6824+web.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I think one of the things
I’ve found really exciting is that the cob oven is like a work of art in its
own right (and creating it was an amazingly powerful community project) but
it’s a thing that is then used and takes on a life of its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its not an object that just sits there – we
interact with it, we create food to cook in it, we share food around it, we chatter
and we build friendships by sharing it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">In terms of having a cob
oven in school it has to be something that is taken on board by a team of
people who will use it and look after it.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">If considering building one <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">in school</span>,</span> some of these things are key:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">You need some funds to
create a cob oven, but actually not much – most things you need can be begged
and borrowed and found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can dig the
clay up if you have the right soil (we bought ours because our soil is very
sandy and we used about 10 bags because the children made cob models too), you
can find stone for the base if you hunt around and you can maybe scrounge a
bale of straw…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The materials are heavy to
move on site – we had to move all of the bags of sand from the builders
merchant, piles of the bricks which were donated and the concrete we used to
set the base on a firm level. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The building of it needs to
be overseen by someone who either has used cob or clay or who has an
understanding of the process, (there are a few techniques that need to be in
place when its built for it to work as a structure), so maybe the greater
expense is actually either paying for someone to come in and facilitate the
build or to attend a cob building course – or just the time to experiment a bit
beforehand to get the feel for the techniques.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The building of it needs to
be done by as many people as possible so that there is a real sense of
ownership and an investment in it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">You can only get a small
number of children round the oven when building it, so its vital there are a
set of interesting parallel activities going on alongside it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Building it is messy and
wonderful fun – you need the right space, the right clothing and loads of room.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The cob oven sits on a base
of stone or brick – and that has to be put in place first (we are really glad
that our bricks were donated).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">When built, it needs a
shelter building over it, which can be really simple but it needs protecting
from the elements, at least in the UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can cover it with a tarpaulin when not in use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a simple gazebo at the moment but
are going to build a wooden structure soon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">When ready, it needs a few
people willing to fire it on a regular basis (so they need to thereby
understand safe ways to create fires and use fire with a clay oven).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">It needs a team of people
willing to cook in it and make food with the children – and to experiment!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">When it's being used, there
needs to be lots of other activities going on around it because there’s only so
long a class will watch a fire being stoked and collect / cut wood…!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4J0KghbM535oxgqm3gEBllDP8ffIJLKeTdU4jFnjFSSu1TrsIjD1GuGWsXvc7HsMC9uY0FEQPscpG9YBesi1nD07znvPDNlwQPeT-JDTdNYZ6D1D0P-4OVyPmxCRJ5WSGjCReKYkvdCw/s500/IMG_6809+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4J0KghbM535oxgqm3gEBllDP8ffIJLKeTdU4jFnjFSSu1TrsIjD1GuGWsXvc7HsMC9uY0FEQPscpG9YBesi1nD07znvPDNlwQPeT-JDTdNYZ6D1D0P-4OVyPmxCRJ5WSGjCReKYkvdCw/s320/IMG_6809+web.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">There are some wonderful
websites with images and information about cob on them, I’ve found Kikko
Denzer’s book vital and also the River Cottage Bread Handbook by Daniel
Stevens.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #660000;">“There is nothing in the
world as satisfying to eat as home-baked, handmade bread… it seems a shame that
bread has become so standard and commonplace, that we don’t even consider what
a small miracle a risen loaf is…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">the River Cottage Bread Handbook by Daniel
Stevens.</span></span></div>
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claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-88069165697092284062013-06-22T08:38:00.000-07:002013-06-22T08:38:18.401-07:00The cob oven is fired up for the first time…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJzwVYWuNxAEXu5pr5iWxW-blATRQPjVh1DphEk1TGk23KXDxuMsFGnvo9NMd1YWzfalMPFADdqgR_PSi7EM1FQAxm3WbGsFfbZc0ddSm9F7UFoxak1aWsXbzXJ4EW7DPmRh0qP5L3do/s1600/IMG_6094+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJzwVYWuNxAEXu5pr5iWxW-blATRQPjVh1DphEk1TGk23KXDxuMsFGnvo9NMd1YWzfalMPFADdqgR_PSi7EM1FQAxm3WbGsFfbZc0ddSm9F7UFoxak1aWsXbzXJ4EW7DPmRh0qP5L3do/s320/IMG_6094+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">We used the cob oven this
week for the first time – very exciting!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMY5Q27Rv_7fKdhGDxfUgye1zEgAM8Dvq-z60i-g2zvHw4xkdM_1P3zmu1LJVSGnlvZLINtPQgSxG7SIt83PrZUp9D-22GwHfKEhGHf9RJsdIoYNlwhjD0J2tLZgXySb_XjrhxExc_MbM/s1600/IMG_6190+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMY5Q27Rv_7fKdhGDxfUgye1zEgAM8Dvq-z60i-g2zvHw4xkdM_1P3zmu1LJVSGnlvZLINtPQgSxG7SIt83PrZUp9D-22GwHfKEhGHf9RJsdIoYNlwhjD0J2tLZgXySb_XjrhxExc_MbM/s320/IMG_6190+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">We’d had some really sunny
and dry weather but I knew that the oven was going to still need a lot of
drying out time, so I wasn’t sure how the first fire would go…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an exciting experimental process and
part of the discovery of getting to know the oven!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">I was with Oak, the year two
class at Dunkirk, all day, with their teacher Mark Woodings and their teaching
assistant Michelle Loach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between the
three of us therefore we were able to facilitate a whole <span style="color: #783f04;">set of things
happening in parallel with the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whilst </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #783f04;">at the very start of the morning</span> </span></span>I worked with a very small group to sort fuel and light the fire
in the oven, the rest of the class had a wonderful telling of the Little Red
Hen story, complete with lots of visual and tactile props.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Throughout the day, the
class all made bread dough in groups – it was important they all had a <span style="color: #783f04;">chance
to explore this (the whole school does a lot of cooking all year round, so <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">using the oven is</span></span> just a part of a much wider set of on-going activities).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re<span style="color: #783f04;"> al<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">s</span>o</span> hoping to have a bread week at school
in September, where all classes can make a whole set of different breads and
test out lots of different methods used around the world to bake and share
bread.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #783f04;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Oak class have been
exploring <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">their self-generated </span> question</span> of “how things move” and also recently been looking at
space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So as a brilliant hands-on way
of exploring this they all worked in small groups to build rockets from old
carbonated drinks bottles, which were then test-launched with Mark’s
foot-pump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It meant that we were
launching rockets and firing the cob oven all at the same time (all whilst
little groups also made dough and looked at yeast rising etc).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #783f04;">The rockets worked really well, some went incredibly
high and I loved that happening whilst we cooked</span></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Because we were on the
school field and Discovery Garden (they are all part of the same area) all day
it meant there was exactly enough space for all of these things to be happening
alongside each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a
wonderful host of questions, observations, thoughts and ideas all being exchanged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children could watch what each other
were doing and had the physical space they needed to do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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So as I stoked the fire in
the oven and cut firewood with some children, there were rockets <span style="color: #783f04;">being fired
nearby and really interesting discussions amongst the children. </span></div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">There were also lots of loose
parts being turned into potions, concoctions, images and stories…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">It was wonderful to finally
light the oven, the fire got going well but did need to be stoked a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t want to make a big fire in it and
I was wary of causing cracks with any sudden changes in temperature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had the oven lit all day and it did take
at least three hours to get hot enough to begin to cook bread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its all an experiment and so important for
the children to see adults willing to test and not always know how things will
turn out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first batch of rolls came
out a bit soft (“I’d like some dumplings” one boy said!) but were cooked
through and had a great slightly smoky taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By the end of the day the oven was cooking the little bread rolls really
well and had built up a great amount of heat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">You have to “soak” the oven
through with the heat, it works as a heat-retaining chamber and it’s the
residual heat that you cook with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its
was really interesting seeing how hot the different parts of the oven became
and which part held the most heat – and that’s important in helping us to learn
how to cook with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every clay oven
is slightly different and I like the idea that you have to get to know your own
oven!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">We’ve not had a chance to
make a door for the oven yet and I used a set of bricks to close the doorway
(and thereby retain the heat) whilst we cooked with it – this seemed to work
fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked the little bits of smoke
emerging from the doorway, especially as they swirled around the little
character that sits just about the door!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">
I</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">n terms of using a cob oven
in school, it does need an adult with it throughout and there’s loads of
practical aspects that are crucial – especially as you are using fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(One of the really important elements of my
Forest School training was the health and safety aspects of making and using
fire, safely, with children.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
school needs to be committed to using the oven and have enough members of staff
willing to do this – and that’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about our cob
oven at Dunkirk.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Building and using a clay oven
in a school does feel a process that is making several important ethical
points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about making things
yourself – not buying them in ready made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s about slowing down and understanding that things take time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about cooking and sharing food – and
creating a social and community space to do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about the ecology of the way we cook and use fuel and it’s
about understanding where our food comes from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s about the spaces we give to our children and to ourselves as
adults.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Whilst we ate our bread we
were able to take in all the other aspects of the natural world around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damselflies are now busy in the Discovery
Garden, as well as many bees, beetles, butterflies and so much more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pond has many small creatures in
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flowers are out, many different
kings of leaves are about, there are very visible signs of the cycle of life –
cuckoo spit, leaf-galls of various kinds are plentiful as well as some small
remains of a couple of dead birds killed, we think, by a sparrowhawk (the children
don’t touch these but are really interested).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These things provide crucial points for discussions about the natural
world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">So, we hope to use the oven
again at least once a week for the rest of term and we’ll get to know it more
and more as we do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its providing
such a wonderful talking point and we’ve had some very inspiring conversations
with families about cooking traditions around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the children at school come from a
whole host of countries and either they or their families have first hand
experience of cooking in many different ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-85748670009788896522013-06-17T09:20:00.003-07:002013-06-17T09:38:11.150-07:00Mud as a valuable learning tool...<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnvjjpO9uV-j64bjrQX4KNozdCg3iU3jh3j4wf5FqQNQHUOh9aFCNbofST3Kd8Fsrf8P81aYxecVE4JfXRQY-JJ-gfXFqBttlkCC05JczbCBi7K7qeTLyiZVPWAREf5hLTIdbYP8LyKk/s1600/IMG_3455+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnvjjpO9uV-j64bjrQX4KNozdCg3iU3jh3j4wf5FqQNQHUOh9aFCNbofST3Kd8Fsrf8P81aYxecVE4JfXRQY-JJ-gfXFqBttlkCC05JczbCBi7K7qeTLyiZVPWAREf5hLTIdbYP8LyKk/s320/IMG_3455+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What treasures might lie buried in the mud?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found this at very low </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">tide on a beach in the Scottish highlands…<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I began a blog post about mud and
why it’s a rich resource – and as I compile it, I realise that there is SO
much I could say, that its best spread over a couple of blog posts…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It’s very soon International
Mud Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know loads of settings
where mud is used wonderfully and seen as a brilliant resource.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some brilliant information packs
and examples all over the web, such as:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.naturedetectives.org.uk/home.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.naturedetectives.org.uk/home.htm</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.muddyfaces.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.muddyfaces.co.uk/</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://loveoutdoorplay.net/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://loveoutdoorplay.net/</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://creativestarlearning.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://creativestarlearning.blogspot.co.uk/</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://janwhitenaturalplay.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://janwhitenaturalplay.wordpress.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<a href="http://www.mindstretchers.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.mindstretchers.co.uk/</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVDmKzdQ_v-QsAAmfAvLGfb4pMMI7yxkvB73wcRjJ8Ou9DmSA9YvtSsZiMtGRg0n-3n55dPlK99M1eZh0zuRr9SVX7tfJI9luPAzqatKV1Pirs2JiHrtVuJrYejMMZeqhapTEmvieYOY/s1600/IMG_1326+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVDmKzdQ_v-QsAAmfAvLGfb4pMMI7yxkvB73wcRjJ8Ou9DmSA9YvtSsZiMtGRg0n-3n55dPlK99M1eZh0zuRr9SVX7tfJI9luPAzqatKV1Pirs2JiHrtVuJrYejMMZeqhapTEmvieYOY/s320/IMG_1326+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mud can be many colours and
textures…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and invites you to draw in it…<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I really adore mud as a rich
resource to work with – in so many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Clay, soil, sand, compost – and all the many variations of earth are so
versatile and yield amazing discoveries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve used mud in many projects over the years, with many age groups and
by myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked with clay
extensively on my art degree many years ago and loved all the various
experimental – and elemental - processes this brings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTIzCc_u_otndEykT_i8I3tOCsbwEzM0zktG1H7ABvYBJvd2dU4KDebjo-i6hxUgG7z1B8zhnvj_HjuOzRPe13XZt2YHrCJTx3316iQE2EdE1bWPzPhmRJE69WkZ4I-nIKTf94w1VVOc/s1600/IMG_5996+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTIzCc_u_otndEykT_i8I3tOCsbwEzM0zktG1H7ABvYBJvd2dU4KDebjo-i6hxUgG7z1B8zhnvj_HjuOzRPe13XZt2YHrCJTx3316iQE2EdE1bWPzPhmRJE69WkZ4I-nIKTf94w1VVOc/s320/IMG_5996+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">With children I’ve been
using clay in projects for many years and mostly now use this as an
experimental and exploratory material, so it’s rarely fired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But clay is also wonderful to fire and the
process of changing it through heat is quite magical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Plus I’m rather addicted to the textures and colours of fired
clay, the alchemy of it all is wonderful).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I adore “real clay” (rather than air-hardening clay which has lots of
fibres added and is much harder to manipulate I think) and the different
textures that can be explored through mixing clays with water and sand etc are
gorgeous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a rich material for
language development.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Lu4WXa-FJPqqJ_BN_y8WSZA-8DXEXxoJbnV_GUiupyrClE_4spL-YLwqbDKouo8s_Q9ixZydiyduJaxgQ0M9jQIiM-ygS2w1hUfb_fiig2usT40b9YN8qpEdfAXu4IBRPgbsQ_KI2qc/s1600/t+240+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Lu4WXa-FJPqqJ_BN_y8WSZA-8DXEXxoJbnV_GUiupyrClE_4spL-YLwqbDKouo8s_Q9ixZydiyduJaxgQ0M9jQIiM-ygS2w1hUfb_fiig2usT40b9YN8qpEdfAXu4IBRPgbsQ_KI2qc/s320/t+240+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Clay is great inside – but
clay and mud outside are even more amazing…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can add endless loose parts / natural materials - and become lost
in your own world as you create clay heads on tree trunks or fill a grassy nook
with imaginary animals…</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXtxofTNFnP6MaRE4sC5-771J3GqzHiijijT7zkgtmjKItvq69MGRLZOZlHPiDGSiy5VQh_j_5bGK3JmxyhSf4bvGliC8L3ObKvtLPd9H5HAzWyGnHbbhnQKbw3rb4hoYvsGWEPnNwuw/s1600/t+262+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXtxofTNFnP6MaRE4sC5-771J3GqzHiijijT7zkgtmjKItvq69MGRLZOZlHPiDGSiy5VQh_j_5bGK3JmxyhSf4bvGliC8L3ObKvtLPd9H5HAzWyGnHbbhnQKbw3rb4hoYvsGWEPnNwuw/s200/t+262+web.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9tD6vBZahnvGZuyfjjXMtQjymsuu_huQ6un8dbZhMKC37DWQXNYXbCDz-1AzlxgpfLEIiPRyY_v921imhZ0lAvaeyE9rZhKpS_CTi_VRBqkro0RpsLec7zkM7DySWCofwqIP3JyJ6XY/s1600/IMG_9330+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9tD6vBZahnvGZuyfjjXMtQjymsuu_huQ6un8dbZhMKC37DWQXNYXbCDz-1AzlxgpfLEIiPRyY_v921imhZ0lAvaeyE9rZhKpS_CTi_VRBqkro0RpsLec7zkM7DySWCofwqIP3JyJ6XY/s200/IMG_9330+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">On our Discovery Garden at
Dunkirk Primary and Nursery, one of the areas that is returned to over and over
– by all year groups – is the mud pie and potion making area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a big space and often ends up with the
equipment being taken to lots of different corners and nooks of the Garden as
groups and individuals experiment with natural materials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The resources are stored in a central space
so the children always know where they are – but I think it’s the ability to
take them to your own chosen space that also adds to the appeal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children will sit concentrating for long
periods of time in one of the willow domes for example, or on top of the
“mountains” (when you are young a small hill in a garden is a perfect mountain)...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVjd6pkQgOHmLWaXiRODheIsVFfOpG5ifjFyz7in0NriPnaru_xBzKUKyuVxNo7gdkYL8yBFiHMmEWFWPnczkrvrX4t4yVtqh0qbKKS8mW8083OvfJlap5Xn5n1qIVJSlVJbpWbeEWJo/s1600/IMG_5976+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVjd6pkQgOHmLWaXiRODheIsVFfOpG5ifjFyz7in0NriPnaru_xBzKUKyuVxNo7gdkYL8yBFiHMmEWFWPnczkrvrX4t4yVtqh0qbKKS8mW8083OvfJlap5Xn5n1qIVJSlVJbpWbeEWJo/s320/IMG_5976+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[endif]--><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YcSKFiAkDbyWM7D1BwouyDuGTgd43nOtSD7v-31VdAIEBsZe5KTO-aMCysBl6C_896DDRVmTRgYKTakWZT3QFE12Oy_kYhJmKIUoAomeHOAOOzK36m1_X0mPS_1hppaPB0xBcSbqrY8/s1600/IMG_4787+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YcSKFiAkDbyWM7D1BwouyDuGTgd43nOtSD7v-31VdAIEBsZe5KTO-aMCysBl6C_896DDRVmTRgYKTakWZT3QFE12Oy_kYhJmKIUoAomeHOAOOzK36m1_X0mPS_1hppaPB0xBcSbqrY8/s200/IMG_4787+web.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkN58RSj8GQyRPDmsXBtQoCJOTIGu93xAmWF6hB8Yd9gFLHOslwZrP7Fg1w05owAU9vDchZvvhfMzpxLQVsY5u-6613zgRgk3TgBatfbJM6PH9FzUaOAblqD9oQNu1eylvVgzCaz6Wu0/s1600/IMG_5224+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkN58RSj8GQyRPDmsXBtQoCJOTIGu93xAmWF6hB8Yd9gFLHOslwZrP7Fg1w05owAU9vDchZvvhfMzpxLQVsY5u-6613zgRgk3TgBatfbJM6PH9FzUaOAblqD9oQNu1eylvVgzCaz6Wu0/s200/IMG_5224+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I love observing the
different spin on the resources that each group of children brings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen the same set of equipment being
used to mix magic potions, make hot chocolate, mix mortar and build a wall,
build a moon surface, make all sorts of food, make cement, make a giants cake,
make “our own toys”, make ovens, create homes for birds and insects and so much
more …<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has then led to the
writing and illustrating of wonderful recipes, short films about mud, the
recording of sounds and the creation of songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its involved copious measuring, estimating, counting and huge
observation of the changing states of materials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpFplT_XLVfTbvabjdY3tCE4JKpB-NFuI8AwPNpR6-VNMJYN-Q3ZZr03tL7fx8MoadQdwiN5ymElQIozCSLE0xFVNDfMYmV-V76VTqbHMMhWSBteQWcMHt_oMdwJ4Ih5EojWnINtOyOU/s1600/IMG_5065+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpFplT_XLVfTbvabjdY3tCE4JKpB-NFuI8AwPNpR6-VNMJYN-Q3ZZr03tL7fx8MoadQdwiN5ymElQIozCSLE0xFVNDfMYmV-V76VTqbHMMhWSBteQWcMHt_oMdwJ4Ih5EojWnINtOyOU/s320/IMG_5065+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We stoke our mud area with
an assortment of loose parts such as metal pots and pans (sourced from charity
shops, pound shops and commandeered from things destined to be thrown away
etc), wooden spoons, vegetable mashers, ladles, rocks, logs, bricks, stones
and pallets used as surfaces...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Its vital to have the long
grass, the abundance of flowers such as daisies and dandelions (which its ok to
pick and use) and a good supply of mud…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And also all the other spaces to retreat into as you experiment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also crucial to be able to be outside
in all seasons. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Mud pies in the winter might freeze – which brings a totally new dimension to the summer when mud pies possibly dry out or warm up… <o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRevaCqbD-o6dXFEnatUmNuGerTGVvtNkkA3PH24OJIc0iecauWxgpeHHq-UD-X1Elkl0ZDWLL0kS198ovphpufRmBU5-MXeRPlG7DHrAbYweyGNoVTu0HFsLsMm6yRH3A8Ibm4wiGKV0/s1600/IMG_5993+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRevaCqbD-o6dXFEnatUmNuGerTGVvtNkkA3PH24OJIc0iecauWxgpeHHq-UD-X1Elkl0ZDWLL0kS198ovphpufRmBU5-MXeRPlG7DHrAbYweyGNoVTu0HFsLsMm6yRH3A8Ibm4wiGKV0/s320/IMG_5993+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Really one of the key things
in all of this is having an area to interact with natural materials without
feeling rushed or squashed – and by doing so this brings opportunities for
reflection and also observation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst
discovering, for example, what happens when you mix dry mud with water you
become lost in a world of textures and this takes you to a place where you are
more alert to both noticing things and to thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwDR67bh0jYNeFTcxLC8ceB5gxnId6Q25ixUUJmTURuiN1Z77Bfop3wat57gCNEJYBrXWEuSI6jTU-wuBL-wNEEF3De0hpNw9vNJCt94gqPb_SMOZmljVx52K1HdAxOip_Gy-dUnifDY/s1600/IMG_2458web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwDR67bh0jYNeFTcxLC8ceB5gxnId6Q25ixUUJmTURuiN1Z77Bfop3wat57gCNEJYBrXWEuSI6jTU-wuBL-wNEEF3De0hpNw9vNJCt94gqPb_SMOZmljVx52K1HdAxOip_Gy-dUnifDY/s320/IMG_2458web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Who might live here…?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m always intrigued by little holes in </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">the woodland pathways… who has made a home here?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’ve seen amazing
discoveries about the properties of mud and grass and other natural
materials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days before we built
the Cob Oven at Dunkirk a small girl presented me with an amazing solid ball of
mud she had spent an hour creating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was a self-directed project and she’d worked really hard to get the mud to a
certain consistency so that it would hold its shape; needless to say when she
then came to work on the Cob Oven she knew exactly how to work the clay and
sand into a wonderfully building material.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">“The more you pay attention,
the more beauty you’ll discover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mud is
lovely and easy to work with… earth is the most common construction material on
the planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For comfort, beauty,
availability, ease of use, ecology and economy, it beats most other materials
hands down…” </span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Kikko
Denzer</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">More to follow…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-41591297828957635212013-06-08T06:09:00.000-07:002013-06-08T06:13:02.821-07:00cob oven build - get your feet in the mud!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We are so excited to <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">have been building our </span>cob oven this week <a href="http://www.dunkirkprimary.com/" target="_blank">at Dunkirk Primary School.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a really exciting development on the
<a href="http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/dunkirk-allotment-latest-news.html" target="_blank">Discovery Garden</a> and all year groups (and staff) are involved in creating it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I used clay in-depth on my
fine art degree many years ago and ever since I have used it in projects whenever
possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I adore clay – and mud!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its such a versatile material and has the
possibility to transform when heated and / or other materials are added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lisa Hayes, who teaches Apple Class (reception) and I </span>learnt all about cob building at the <a href="http://www.ecocentreexchange.org.uk/" target="_blank">Derbyshire Eco Centre</a> a couple of years
ago when we took part in building the cob oven there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever since we’ve been itching to get one
built in school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cob is an amazing building
technique; its used all around the world and has been used for centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a mix of clay, sand and straw which is
compacted to form dense layers in the wall of the structure you are creating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cob bread (or pizza) ovens have become a
more common site recently in all sorts of places (we know of several in
Nottingham) but cob is also used to create buildings, sculptures and outdoor
features such as benches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Our cob oven on the Discovery
Garden is intended to complement the cooking that we do on the fire there – but
also ALL the wonderful cooking that takes place throughout school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creating and sharing food together is a key
thing and it touches all of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The entire school have been
involved in building the Dunkirk oven, all classes from both campuses (the
school has two buildings) have come along at various points and got stuck
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its meant that every child and
adult has had an input and thereby forms a connection with the oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its about building community and creating a
space for sharing food, for conversations, for discovery and for friendship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHy8EcX7HZdtubKZBkTA3QylD71jD1be28dLJPzrAthamhu0Allp-ThDzvLRiEmwGRqVokdZS0zxGcbgPHWvt1cPFQ2caDWtlDTPqh9tYQ6YEiRUOH-ZFas6T9bnArMxuo-bPe50XExY/s1600/IMG_5436+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHy8EcX7HZdtubKZBkTA3QylD71jD1be28dLJPzrAthamhu0Allp-ThDzvLRiEmwGRqVokdZS0zxGcbgPHWvt1cPFQ2caDWtlDTPqh9tYQ6YEiRUOH-ZFas6T9bnArMxuo-bPe50XExY/s320/IMG_5436+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The oven got underway on
Tuesday (June 4<sup>th</sup>) with years 5 and 6 creating a sand former whilst
also mixing up the cob with their feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They got stuck in and asked some wonderful questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got a layer of cob onto the oven in the
afternoon, which felt great progress for <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">day one</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The children talked lots about the word cob and what it might mean – we
talked about cobble stones, cob rolls (round bread rolls): cob comes from an
old English word meaning “lump”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
also talked lots about other building techniques with mud such as adobe and
wattle and daub…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The sand former became
covered in more and more layers of cob as the week went on - each layer has a
different combination of clay / sand and then also straw in the last
layers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finished with a “plaster”
layer of cob and the doorway was cut out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The oven is almost done – the last task is now to remove the sand
former!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it feels dry enough
(hopefully next week), the sand will be removed, leaving a void which becomes
the oven space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenKTyyN9rbqBpajdhsDMSCKGo_ErN0K27VJNZJL_ss5K5yOO9N08kg0Vf7VolHYqJdJqOjHibRfo31koBXuDVLldksN-wYNszbPRsI6rqEY2O-TM7H3Tx3jLSowbl8NPO3oWGyJLp9RI/s1600/IMG_5478+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenKTyyN9rbqBpajdhsDMSCKGo_ErN0K27VJNZJL_ss5K5yOO9N08kg0Vf7VolHYqJdJqOjHibRfo31koBXuDVLldksN-wYNszbPRsI6rqEY2O-TM7H3Tx3jLSowbl8NPO3oWGyJLp9RI/s320/IMG_5478+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Its been an amazing project
– I’m so inspired by what I’ve seen as the children and adults have found so
many aspects of the whole project to engage with: they’ve been so absorbed with
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The sensations of mixing the
cob and touching it have been really interesting to watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its sat with people in lots of different
ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The older children who started
the project with us were quite reticent at first to mix with bare feet and we
did have a set of wellies they could use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, one group wanted to get stuck straight in with bare feet – and
the welly-wearers looked on as they realised the bare-footed group seemed to be
having a really amazing time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We let
them work it out themselves and within a short space of time the wellies were
off and everyone was mixing bare-footed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This produced wonderful dance movements and discussions about the best
way to mix and scrunch it together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">’ve noticed a lot of body awareness and new tactile sensations as
children (and adults) have discovered what it feels like to mix cob with your
feet, to dance on it and to then pick it off your toes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children have devised games to run on the
grass to get the cob off or they have just not wanted to stop mixing it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen them comparing their feet with
each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The language was amazing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVVZMU3cgXPKHoQiMWJeoVSAig1gX0dBWMALliLfBmLajv1F4hwooCIGNeuz-j-qaHly4qdFGrqiYwr2SnoGCR7O4D8ChRgKw9b2EfwQaDjHurWmkq7qfvoT3YmT27dmGjQlHHc2lJCI/s1600/IMG_5653+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVVZMU3cgXPKHoQiMWJeoVSAig1gX0dBWMALliLfBmLajv1F4hwooCIGNeuz-j-qaHly4qdFGrqiYwr2SnoGCR7O4D8ChRgKw9b2EfwQaDjHurWmkq7qfvoT3YmT27dmGjQlHHc2lJCI/s320/IMG_5653+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[endif]--><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUONGP0-n3s5RcnUU18oCAqG5cfgTbgyFfKtN35W3xh86pQzNddATrRKMvCmXYlGiUvX4e9V3sg-qJA2uIVAQ9rAJiv5CXCMf0huF8ePsEaDHmnBdenbzynAJ6krWS6Bq1beYyNMaMx4/s1600/IMG_5526+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUONGP0-n3s5RcnUU18oCAqG5cfgTbgyFfKtN35W3xh86pQzNddATrRKMvCmXYlGiUvX4e9V3sg-qJA2uIVAQ9rAJiv5CXCMf0huF8ePsEaDHmnBdenbzynAJ6krWS6Bq1beYyNMaMx4/s320/IMG_5526+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Its such a tactile process
and the children who are really kinaesthetic have instantly understood the way
to mix and the consistency the mix needs to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly, because there is a recipe and clear instructions
to follow when using cob (its not an “anything goes” process), the children who
like rules and tight formats have really understood that too and its appealed
to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">One of the delights has been
all the varied things going on around the cob oven – the peripheral activities
have been so wonderful to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
children all know the space really well and we have a set of <a href="http://storiesunderstones.weebly.com/loose-parts.html" target="_blank">loose-parts</a> /<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>activities that they can return to each time
they come to the Discovery Garden; they revisit things such as potion-making,
digging, mini-beast hunts, land-art etc over and over and they put a new spin
on it every time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4-ys7rcqf2VflfYgtkqD-h5tPJ5r2LE9Dj4ATNfI0Mx1LJQAg82qOJW2agXxxzFR6qQiV6W94XpxWj6OhinyfYix2cxwhBfQbFmdJzXjj_bDEHKLcTnuE-_4fLhyI2HePCTMEir-U1Y/s1600/IMG_5601+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4-ys7rcqf2VflfYgtkqD-h5tPJ5r2LE9Dj4ATNfI0Mx1LJQAg82qOJW2agXxxzFR6qQiV6W94XpxWj6OhinyfYix2cxwhBfQbFmdJzXjj_bDEHKLcTnuE-_4fLhyI2HePCTMEir-U1Y/s320/IMG_5601+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[endif]--><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfIR_26A9WH7cacHp1Q9jaO9kq2qA5L73bbQYw-SHRmC-TSrFNFeRjCN2l7NucqGlWQzOi7Rl5nq4v8l6RiQqgSo4kkmNx4dfPr3a0SK_eyK5Mp5RUuTVSZesXDovuPR-o959EnyiqNw/s1600/IMG_5758+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfIR_26A9WH7cacHp1Q9jaO9kq2qA5L73bbQYw-SHRmC-TSrFNFeRjCN2l7NucqGlWQzOi7Rl5nq4v8l6RiQqgSo4kkmNx4dfPr3a0SK_eyK5Mp5RUuTVSZesXDovuPR-o959EnyiqNw/s320/IMG_5758+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">With the cob oven project it
was wonderful to see how the oven inspired them in different ways in terms of
all the other things they did and created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had plenty of spare bricks and found several children using these to
arrange them, to make little walls and to make their own mortar from mud and
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One group did a really amazing
job of creating their own oven, they spent a really long time working together
to move bricks and build a low wall with “mortar” they mixed themselves – they
used the metal pots and pans we have for mud-pie making and these were soon in
their oven, cooking…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their
conversations with each other were stunning to listen to and they were totally
lost in the world they were creating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArnNXKfP0-AgS-tcg-WnM-IxpN6u8Jf30lb-g-A5qpeEuwA7m1BT61uT7UZQRtI07GFzb7Z2Liz7L3cCVVkJbR7AT_CK7dH-dGHdmTJ2GMsl_L0jsKMFD1bsNSf4PPxW61bfiuprfyOQ/s1600/IMG_5744+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArnNXKfP0-AgS-tcg-WnM-IxpN6u8Jf30lb-g-A5qpeEuwA7m1BT61uT7UZQRtI07GFzb7Z2Liz7L3cCVVkJbR7AT_CK7dH-dGHdmTJ2GMsl_L0jsKMFD1bsNSf4PPxW61bfiuprfyOQ/s320/IMG_5744+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNetUDOhuz39tMw8mNk5EAxfneM0wx1Nmh41-L6PXm-jt7Of464QK3llFc29WpG0uBdv8ApPWSt6GSpo79uokXilg_-99L8y-_QMfo9vk0JfukSsIbOXL13jucPQfneoCviPVpc40dQs/s1600/IMG_5709+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNetUDOhuz39tMw8mNk5EAxfneM0wx1Nmh41-L6PXm-jt7Of464QK3llFc29WpG0uBdv8ApPWSt6GSpo79uokXilg_-99L8y-_QMfo9vk0JfukSsIbOXL13jucPQfneoCviPVpc40dQs/s320/IMG_5709+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Stick peeling is another
activity that I find children want to return to over and over and each time they
find new ways to use and create with the sticks they have striped the bark
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We use vegetable peelers and they
notice so much as they strip the bark off, smell the wood underneath and
discover the different properties of various sticks and different types of
wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week we had lots of peeled
sticks being painted and used with bricks and mud to create things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its also so interesting watching how deep
the concentration is with something like stick peeling – and how it also lets
you then take in other things around you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GQkYcyy5YR237WCmf8HewyMLt7Zx_sjeNS1f86ZPWOxORWVX4-8TnTXr7nVs9kaT-xMZbnIvmnPGn4NAcnHhL-moPW9DWJYRvJdoReF_ybytN_WQgD9AJo7xKlCXQPoydRjkh5S72dI/s1600/IMG_5755+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GQkYcyy5YR237WCmf8HewyMLt7Zx_sjeNS1f86ZPWOxORWVX4-8TnTXr7nVs9kaT-xMZbnIvmnPGn4NAcnHhL-moPW9DWJYRvJdoReF_ybytN_WQgD9AJo7xKlCXQPoydRjkh5S72dI/s320/IMG_5755+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It wouldn’t have been the
same at all if we’d been inside making the cob oven; there was so much going on
in the natural world around us that everyone was constantly noticing and
commenting on things they could see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The canal at the back of the Discovery Garden was really busy with
boats, our pond is teeming with life, bees were busy everywhere, various
interesting beetles, hoverflies, spiders, butterflies and so much more were all
subjects of intrigue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think it
would be the same either in a more sterile outside space – it’s the fact that
the oven is in a garden area in which wildlife is encouraged and the grass is
allowed to grow long…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24d5AtTo4wotzyO_Few7MRpUT9Es2IKLb-laqdfeoyXgOhmX7JEcOaJbC98RjevfEjpdQIKBYtAzIVeBc0zLoXM5iTd-v0MdzboLAgUqtSjm3z_RPSYck08Khyphenhyphen_TCdH8O6HzhqetaG_E/s1600/IMG_5488+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24d5AtTo4wotzyO_Few7MRpUT9Es2IKLb-laqdfeoyXgOhmX7JEcOaJbC98RjevfEjpdQIKBYtAzIVeBc0zLoXM5iTd-v0MdzboLAgUqtSjm3z_RPSYck08Khyphenhyphen_TCdH8O6HzhqetaG_E/s320/IMG_5488+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Making anything can give
rise to interesting conversations and the cob oven was no exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wonderful chats were happening as people
worked together, I noticed some deep and heartfelt discussions about all sorts
of issues, hopefully because making puts you in a relaxed frame of mind that
also allows reflective thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
also illustrated the amazing diversity of the children at Dunkirk – we had
conversations in many languages going on and at one point there was a
particularly interesting discussion about mud in Russian!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The international aspect of
the school also meant the children and adults reflected with first-hand
experience on different cooking methods and various outdoor ovens they had seen
and used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had wonderful suggestions
for recipes and we really look forward to compiling a cob oven cook-book in
which families can input lots of ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECIgPp4okQK0tSSoP4BfuPJUwqxJwV7lVK6FzYoykTopYY-GyJ1M-V1AANaafuvFN_nXHrEp2hlBLQUS0aVG3LILLzKAvZehqFNYoZaSHe6tGXZJVqyZM1mPcDamD1lzQSVOnL0kk0Dc/s1600/IMG_5773+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECIgPp4okQK0tSSoP4BfuPJUwqxJwV7lVK6FzYoykTopYY-GyJ1M-V1AANaafuvFN_nXHrEp2hlBLQUS0aVG3LILLzKAvZehqFNYoZaSHe6tGXZJVqyZM1mPcDamD1lzQSVOnL0kk0Dc/s320/IMG_5773+web.jpg" width="213" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, we have left the oven to
begin to dry over the weekend – and we hope that we will be able to remove the
sand former next week…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fingers crossed
then, that the cob oven holds up by itself when the sand is removed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are really excited to start cooking with
it and have lots of plans for various breads, pizzas and more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vXHwPWuyoViuKiCuPkJOrwEzuLoQubVs8ezDcZqWCLZXZn1m-nNlvElGaD2Gg-axjDetLP9uZwm6j0HB8zmCUHcMGLXhaC2xkGc2JdUky2QdmNWIGm5UwQ-RWDFB6Xc2CrXpIfEqiuY/s1600/IMG_5419+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vXHwPWuyoViuKiCuPkJOrwEzuLoQubVs8ezDcZqWCLZXZn1m-nNlvElGaD2Gg-axjDetLP9uZwm6j0HB8zmCUHcMGLXhaC2xkGc2JdUky2QdmNWIGm5UwQ-RWDFB6Xc2CrXpIfEqiuY/s320/IMG_5419+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I have to also mention the
wonderful book “Build Your Own Earth Oven” by Kikko Denzer; it’s a sort of cob
oven bible and I love the text and illustrations inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its written in a warming and encouraging
way – with loads of technical detail and clear recipes for cob building (and
there are guidelines you need to follow for the oven to work), but its full of
test-it-out-and-see information, loads of tips on what to do if things such as
cracks appear and ways you could try things differently another time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also talks wonderfully about the deeper
emotions involved in making things with mud and in making bread – about the
time involved, the hands-on tactile nature of all this and about why its
crucial for us as humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cob is a wonderful material
and I'm quite addicted – it does take a lot of time, so maybe I need to start now
if I want to build a cob house…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK3XHNk8kC4x-F8_bgjngUE0qGTxEHFaPejRi6OQZiyBzp2QBzv-5LrGfMx4VmOJU3U2yTkx-D8HsyNNAW19ptYh4Ck15jR2LHvU1ERduJPLku5NGsGumCl8AqIWuBNCfTg095CTrza0/s1600/IMG_5544+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK3XHNk8kC4x-F8_bgjngUE0qGTxEHFaPejRi6OQZiyBzp2QBzv-5LrGfMx4VmOJU3U2yTkx-D8HsyNNAW19ptYh4Ck15jR2LHvU1ERduJPLku5NGsGumCl8AqIWuBNCfTg095CTrza0/s320/IMG_5544+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="color: #783f04;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">“Building and baking in a
wood-fired earthen oven restores beauty, savor, and real bread by restoring the
essentials: earth, water, fire and air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And it requires you to participate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In most modern kitches you don’t have to feel the heat, watch the fire
or grow the ingredients… But if you don’t have to pay attention, you can’t
participate, and if you don’t participate, you can’t know.” </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Kikko Denzer<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--></span><br /></div>
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claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-64866355110543311792013-05-25T08:18:00.001-07:002013-05-25T08:36:22.110-07:00Why gardening for wildlife is essential<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“It takes time – loose, unstructured dreamtime – to experience nature in a meaningful way…” </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Last Child in the Woods” Richard Louv</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">I love exploring the natural world, the things waiting to be discovered never cease to amaze and inspire me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its wonderful to go out on long walks in vast woodland or to traipse across moorland, or to explore the salt-marsh along a coastline…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the wonders waiting for you at home if you ensure your own outside space is friendly for wild creatures are all the more soothing, inspiring and breath-taking</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">It doesn’t need to be a big space – even a window box can be as wildlife friendly as possible and bring you butterflies, beetles and birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My own garden is relatively small but I stepped out this morning and there were three buzzards soaring and calling overhead, swifts screeching past, dunnocks at my bird feeders, bees of all sizes busy on the various flowering plants, frogs and tadpoles in my (small) pond, butterflies fluttering through, the odd snail (they are beautiful creatures) curled up under a stone and wolf spiders waiting on logs…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d walked into the garden feeling quite stressed and tired after a very busy week of work - but was instantly soothed, amused and my interest awakened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">I need to feel a sense of gardening alongside nature – not against it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grow plants for food for me too and they grow well in my garden, I might lose the odd one to slugs but the frogs and birds help there; far more of a pest are the neighbourhood cats who see the soil in my garden as a great litter tray…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">In making spaces for wildlife at home I think its vital that this is extended to the spaces in which children are educated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve worked on various schools projects to create wildlife-friendly spaces. I’ve never met a child who has not been interested in one or another aspect of the natural world, but I’ve met many adults who don’t always see that a space for the discovery of worms, earwigs and spiders can be a wonderful educational tool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Children need to connect with nature – and in doing so they find ways to understand themselves and the world in which they live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They need opportunities to dig in the soil, to carefully see what lives under rocks, to watch tadpoles swim, to lie in long grass and find shapes in the clouds…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> T</span>hey need adults that value this and create the right spaces and time for this (and more) to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">I’m so lucky in my
long-term residency at <a href="http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/dunkirk-allotment-latest-news.html" target="_blank">Dunkirk</a> that we are developing quite a large outside
space with the whole school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
calling it “the allotment” because it had been a place with vegetable beds; it
still has those but as we have developed it in the last 3 years it also has so
much more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children have re-named
it “the Discovery Garden – the Land of Many Things” and we’ve been so busy
developing the space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Its an inner-city
Nottingham site, next to the ring-road but also next the canal and a corridor
of wildlife friendly areas such as the canal tow path, a local nature reserve
and even the trees planted alongside the ring-road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been so excited by what we’ve seen there – and the children
are entranced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We created a pond late
last summer and its now teeming with creatures – no frogs yet but I am sure
they will find it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are bees,
birds, bugs of all kinds and so much more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We grow food there too, we have a poly-tunnel, we have a fire area and
are about to make a cob-oven, we have living willow domes, a mud-pie kitchen
area, log seats and we let the grass grow long and the dandelions thrive…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuC-WNgXOQPhl4TdhRqLebZPEBqgMmd1PNmMdZBtt6-A9UYAzag5Ua8G1OC7S_OQAdoDTlJmXjmUpU1yXN3-H0V-PjCx-CcEeXHtjPrg7YBMpi2kudf78_rY2VT2DmZmEeZgOPG9XJ5rQ/s1600/IMG_5101+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuC-WNgXOQPhl4TdhRqLebZPEBqgMmd1PNmMdZBtt6-A9UYAzag5Ua8G1OC7S_OQAdoDTlJmXjmUpU1yXN3-H0V-PjCx-CcEeXHtjPrg7YBMpi2kudf78_rY2VT2DmZmEeZgOPG9XJ5rQ/s200/IMG_5101+web.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX65FZWNmOK0UfzJXDRFQsaqHrD6GuQ4g2xTAb1-gWoYxEWhjpmDoFrCy3UwuYtIXX97rlNkExVUH8Nv_sUTPLyl-LYTT0zTSbY6unbRUL3ovn7RbH8kEo279VGIRk6WLvFN-MeKRgGQ/s1600/IMG_5105+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX65FZWNmOK0UfzJXDRFQsaqHrD6GuQ4g2xTAb1-gWoYxEWhjpmDoFrCy3UwuYtIXX97rlNkExVUH8Nv_sUTPLyl-LYTT0zTSbY6unbRUL3ovn7RbH8kEo279VGIRk6WLvFN-MeKRgGQ/s200/IMG_5105+web.jpg" width="200" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Last week I spent the day
there with the year two class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
found a dead wood-pigeon chick on the grass and the children's response to this
was incredibly touching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were
really interested in what had killed it – was it a fox, a cat, an eagle, a
hawk?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We certainly see a sparrowhawk
regularly there and it provoked really interesting conversations about killing
animals, food chains and death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
children wanted to say prayers or words of thought (the school has children of
many faiths and of no faith), they covered the bird in flowers and were
incredibly respectful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Later I was with one of the
girls looking at the seedlings in the poly-tunnel, when we found an exhausted
bumble bee on the grass by the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was in great danger of being trodden on, so we carefully picked her
up and moved her to a place where she would be out of reach of feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The girl I was with was fascinated and asked
wonderful questions and we were soon joined by a little group all eager to find
out more and to help. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could they feed
the bee they asked?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They picked
dandelions and daisies and so gently placed the<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">m</span> nearby and were enthralled as
the bee began to sup; they watched and discussed and chatted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked about bees and what they need,
that it was a girl bee and why she might be exhausted and what we could do to
help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They created a bee sanctuary in
effect – and sure enough the bee did regain strength and fly away; at which
point they danced for joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t
think a space devoid of dandelions would have let that happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Like many people, I adore<a href="http://richardlouv.com/" target="_blank">Richard Louv’s book “Last Child in the Woods”.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He makes some wonderful points in it about the necessity of
children being able to stu<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">d</span>y the nature in their own back yard and how
“everyday nature” is the most powerful in engaging children with the natural world
around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><!--[endif]--><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial;">“(What is) the extinction of
a condor to a child who has never seen a wren?”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Robert Michael Pyle in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Last Child in the Woods” Richard Louv<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial;">“Children learn about the
rain forest, but usually not about their own region’s forests, or, as Sobel
puts it “even just the meadow outside the classroom door”” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">“Last Child in the Woods” Richard Louv<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">I’ve been so privileged to
share journeys with children as they explore nature and create things inspired
by this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen a whole day spent
making dens for ladybirds and hours spent creating birthday parties for worms
with stories attached that resonated so deeply inside the children that created
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its vital that children grow up
learning to love, respect and care for the world around them and for each
other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think its often easier to
begin very complex discussions by looking at what small creatures and plants
might need – children who struggle to understand their own emotions are often very
easily able to connect with what a ladybird might need to feel safe and secure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Nature is in crisis in many
ways, recent reports published<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>such as<a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/science/stateofnature/index.aspx" target="_blank">“State of Nature”</a> have highlighted so much that we need to be mindful of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We risk more that we can know if we don’t
give children meaningful access to the natural world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">I could go on and on about
it – but the tadpoles in my pond seem to be doing a really amazing swimming
display and much as I love exploring the issues around it all I need to be out
and indulging in it too! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial;">“isolated patches of wild
land are valuable to know… these islands of nature are important for the young
who live in surrounding or adjacent neighbourhoods”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">“Last Child in the Woods” Richard Louv:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial;">“The quiet wisdom of nature
does not try to mislead you like the landscape of a city does, with billboards
and ads everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t make you
feel like you have to conform to any image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s just there, and it accepts everyone.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Last Child in the Woods” Richard Louv, </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> quoting Erin Lau.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial;">“Nature – the sublime, the
harsh, the beautiful – offers something that the street or gated community or
computer game cannot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nature presents
the young with something so much greater than they are; it offers an
environment where they can easily contemplate infinity and eternity… Immersion
in the natural environment cuts to the chase, exposes the young directly and
immediately to the very elements from which humans evolved: earth, water, air
and other living kin, large and small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Without that experience, as Chawla says, “We forget our place; we forget
that larger fabric on which our lives depend.””</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">“Last Child in the Woods” Richard Louv.</span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial;">“If education and other
forces, intentionally or unintentionally, continue to push the young away from
direct experience in nature, the cost to science itself will be high.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most scientists today began their careers as
children, chasing bugs and snakes, collecting spiders, and feeling awe in the
presence of nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since such untidy
activities are fast disappearing, how, then, will our future scientists learn
about nature?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">“Last Child in the Woods” Richard Louv<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-21692969170791375022013-05-10T13:14:00.000-07:002013-05-11T05:22:29.691-07:00Spring is here, spring is here… <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwPCKgVbeiz6FEnLz4fK7KppXvEB1uyDa-mGxeYt38U678mhfxvf9QFJhjenYc12COupxDcDILIZ4xzXFQElG9GUrlGNQSs6NGQh0sVNJmc55YkZjAepUmP5c1KUL4VtBLcy79QEqcGA/s1600/IMG_9069+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwPCKgVbeiz6FEnLz4fK7KppXvEB1uyDa-mGxeYt38U678mhfxvf9QFJhjenYc12COupxDcDILIZ4xzXFQElG9GUrlGNQSs6NGQh0sVNJmc55YkZjAepUmP5c1KUL4VtBLcy79QEqcGA/s320/IMG_9069+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></b> </div>
<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Spring is here, spring is
here… “I think the loveliest time of the year is the spring, I do, don’t
you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Course you do” <span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">To quote Tom Lehrer. But I certainly don’t advocate his idea about pigeons in the park!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(this will make no sense unless you are familiar with his song).<o:p></o:p></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Spring is amazingly vivid
at the moment – and the rain this <span style="color: #38761d;">week feels <span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">so very </span> welcome</span> because the plants are
really needing it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">I adore the winter but it
felt very long this year, especially with all the heavy snow we had</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">here just
immediately before Easter, so I’ve really been drinking in all the colours of
Spring this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In planning various
projects I’ve been out in the woods a lot, I’ve been really busy with the
Discovery Garden at Dunkirk Primary School and also very busy in my own
wildlife friendly garden.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">I love making things
outside – whatever you make you also can’t help but be busy contemplating the
natural things around you and thereby noticing so much more than you would
inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being relatively still in
nature beings amazing discoveries and the spring is so rich in these.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in a wonderful woodland making
patterns with sticks a few days ago and all of a sudden became aware of a
buzzard flying through the trees quite low within a few metres of me – it passed
close by and I stood so still as it passed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Gardening for wildlife is a
joy all year round but the spring is especially magical as creatures and plants
awaken and emerge from winter slumbers…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the sight of small creatures such as the first bees, swallows, frogs,
ladybirds are heart-warming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vivid
greens as buds and early leaves unfurl are so strong.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">I love the early spring
flowers and the blossom on trees – and the flowers of trees such as ash, maple,
oak are such exquisite things which could also be overlooked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always been drawn to the small little
plants and flowers that live in woodland and hedgerows – and some of the
woodland flowers that are out at the moment are so stunning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have the most intriguing names which
tell such stories – stitchwort, speedwell, wood sorrel, forget-me-not… their
names are a link to uses, remedies and stories we are in danger of losing touch
with.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Amidst the clutter of
collected objects I love to refer to for inspiration are several tattered
second hand books which I’ve found in charity shops and various other
places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several old books I love to
use were also mine when I was a small child – including my worn and
well-thumbed copies of the Ladybird “What to Look For” seasonal series,
illustrated by the wonderful C.F. Tunnicliffe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What to Look for in Spring” is so interesting to refer to as
I reflect on my discoveries amongst the woodlands and hedgerows at the moment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">In books like this, written
over 50 years ago, its really interesting – but also worrying – to note the
things that were once seen as common and yet sadly no longer are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also fascinating to see how common names
for plants and birds have changed and how descriptive language has also greatly
changed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">I love these words
from</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #274e13;">“Nature Rambles” by Edward Step
(1930):<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">“…the great charm of the
spring, when it comes, is, to most of us, that the old favourite flowers for
which we have been watching come back to us one or two at a time, enabling us
to admire them fully and to make note of their structure and habitats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that most of these things have their
special times and haunts; and the knowledge should induce us to make our
projected ramble include the spots that are most likely to yield to us what we
wish to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In finding what we
sought, we are almost sure to find in addition something that is new to us.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u-n7Ckf5PobKRfGyK1x20n3Hc369ynRWn6Q9SA9LorJTaI1EysNLQD1_SnPo6jwzf6SRpNBx8_f6nXRv_msNSc9CEQwZyVWtSLM1G3JKRR65CBAdyNweVr44Y7h6UqXDKLAGR9JYrSE/s1600/IMG_9164+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u-n7Ckf5PobKRfGyK1x20n3Hc369ynRWn6Q9SA9LorJTaI1EysNLQD1_SnPo6jwzf6SRpNBx8_f6nXRv_msNSc9CEQwZyVWtSLM1G3JKRR65CBAdyNweVr44Y7h6UqXDKLAGR9JYrSE/s320/IMG_9164+web.jpg" width="320" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">“What to Look for in
Spring” says:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">“Wild hyacinths (or
bluebells) are blue underfoot, looking like patches of reflected sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this time the nightingale should be
singing, and most of the migrant birds are here making their nests”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">There’s a beauty and poetry
(and a real quirkiness often) in the way older books describe things and I’m
really interested in how the books aimed at children are full of very intense
text.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Spring (like all seasons)
has a real mix of weather conditions - which probably needs to be
embraced!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think being in the woods in
the rain in spring is quite a wonderful experience, there’s something soothing,
fresh and life-affirming about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
working with children outside it brings a different view-point to the weather
and the seasons; I’m inspired by the things children find a delight in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jumping in puddles, collecting raindrops,
catching falling petals as snow, daisy-chains, gathering dandelions to study,
watching water-beetles…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It often feels
such a real privilege to share journeys through the seasons with children and
sometimes it can be a totally different take on things to that shown by some
adults.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">A week or so ago I was
stuck in traffic on my journey home – and I watched a woman pulling up
dandelions from her driveway and then applying weed killer to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A day or so later I was in the Nature Garden
at Dunkirk primary with a group of children and we were discovering recent
changes there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One young boy was
completely intrigued by a couple of dandelions in flower – he didn’t know the
name of the plant but knew that it “makes you wet the bed”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(its wonderful that this bit of plant-lore
passes down the generations).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also
hadn’t made the connection between the yellow dandelion flowers and the white
dandelion clocks – but because the abundance of dandelions means its fine to
pick some and pull them apart to discover their structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was fascinated by the base of the flower
petals and in puling apart a closed seed head he could see how the white seeds
were getting ready to emerge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
wonderful listening to him discover all this and make </span><span style="color: #38761d;">connections.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Dandelions have so any wonderful uses and a
brilliant name – taken from French and referring to the lions teeth like shape
in the leaves…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They should be seen as a
vital part of any outdoor space for children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d;">We have a mud pie making
area set up permanently in the Discovery Garden at Dunkirk, all year groups
love to use this and I’ve noticed them learning and observing so much as they
make various potions and mixtures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Young children there were fascinated in the winter when their mud pies
froze – and were explaining to me recently how they couldn’t make frozen pies
anymore because the weather was too warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t think you can make true hands-on connections for yourself (which
are the best deep-seated learning experiences) without spending long periods of
time outdoors exploring like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
also need to have patches of land left so that dandelions can flourish, mud
pies can be left to freeze and mice can make little tunnels through the grass…</span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">“the deepwood is vanished in
these islands – much, indeed had vanished before history began – but we are
still haunted by the idea of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
deepwood flourishes in our architecture, art and above all in our
literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unnumbered quests and
voyages have taken place through and over the deepwood, and fairy tales and
dream-plays have been staged in its glades and copses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woods have always been a place of
inbetweenness, somewhere one might slip from one world to another, or from one
time to a former.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The Wild Places, Robert Macfarlane</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">“The relationship between
humans and trees is one that is closer and more complicated than that between
us and inanimate objects…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">“Ancient Trees, Living Landscapes” by Richard
Muir</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">“Woods, like water, have
been surprised by motorways and the modern world, and have come to look like
the subconscious of the landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
have become the guardians of our dreams of greenwood liberty, of our wildwood,
feral, childhood selves, of Richmal Crompton’s Just William and his
outlaws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They hold the merriness of
Merry England, of yew longbows, of Robin Hood and his outlaw band.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they are also repositories of the
ancient stories…” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Roger Deakin - ‘Wildwood’</span></b></span></div>
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claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-1424137991351575662013-04-11T02:53:00.000-07:002013-04-11T05:23:23.869-07:00Skye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Just
back from a bit of an artists retreat time in Skye…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>its one of my favourite places & somewhere I return to again
& again, so much to be explored & discovered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am now trying to process everything I saw, noted, gathered and
felt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Lots
to take on board and to explore further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Very exciting & inspiring time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The weather has been amazing, the wildlife wonderful & there really
were stories under every stone…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I left thick snow behind in Derbyshire and I feel I found spring in Skye…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the temperature dropped a lot at night and left amazing ice and frost patterns waiting to be found each morning.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of the mountains had much snow on them,
both on Skye and on my route up through the Scottish highlands. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">It was an incredibly amazing landscape – the
patterns of bare trees against the backdrop of moorland and snowy
mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found the layers of
colours really rich and inspiring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve returned with hundreds of photos, sketch books full of images and a
few found treasures to contemplate (teeny driftwood, sea-washed pottery and a
little shell…). </span><span style="color: #274e13;">The
landscape was bursting with stories and hints at events and happenings.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m hoping now to continue to explore all this –
I’m itching to get out the paints again, the felt, the collage materials and
the printing inks…</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Skye (and the Islands and
Highlands) is a landscape that deeply inspires me; I’ve been returning there
for several years and every time there are more and more layers to peel back,
new things to find and familiar things take on new meanings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its stunning in all seasons - and maybe
especially feels remote, wild and rugged outside of the busier summertime.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">There’s something
incredibly important and meditative about spending time in nature looking,
listening, feeling and watching…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you
notice so much if you tune yourself into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you rush through a landscape you miss almost everything that could be
there for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think also being able
to go for long walks in wild places brings the most special encounters – with
nature but also with yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s also
why I adore the very early morning and dusk, they are quite magical times when
the light and smells in the air are incredibly special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Encounters with nature come
in all sorts of ways – but you have to be constantly placing yourself in
situations where they might just happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I spent a lot of time in Skye watching for otters, amongst other
creatures, and whilst I was eventually rewarded with the most wonderful long
views of three otters – it’s the waiting and searching that has such an
important set of emotions attached to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I love going for walks and finding signs of creatures which tell a story
that you can only guess at parts of…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Knowing you have maybe just missed an otter (or any creature) is an
amazing feeling – because there’s a sense of wider things happening around you
and the promise of what might be around another corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also makes me smile inwardly because
wild creatures should be able to keep themselves safe and a step ahead of human
activity really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also makes it all
the more special when you do see wild animals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I was incredibly inspired
by the trees and woodland on Skye; I was exploring the part of the island that
has old groves of birch, hazel, oak and alder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are twisted, bent, curle<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black;">d</span></span> trees that I find really beautiful: their
colours and textures are rich, they are covered in amazing lichens and the
trees sit snuggled up to the rocks – gripping tight and winding their way up
through the land in ways look almost impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgZr3hGkE7GqOo69G03hMvB7C8L8zzDn9JwntTCeIYj-9W7bO_8dhajc-9Y6rsLr0SjIlGfLEtn42qEwl-ETYrQC2yKN-aCHnPoWzK373oskFj1l_8Zcj2aMkLc1pN_sMVTx_JgfBgIY/s1600/IMG_7196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgZr3hGkE7GqOo69G03hMvB7C8L8zzDn9JwntTCeIYj-9W7bO_8dhajc-9Y6rsLr0SjIlGfLEtn42qEwl-ETYrQC2yKN-aCHnPoWzK373oskFj1l_8Zcj2aMkLc1pN_sMVTx_JgfBgIY/s320/IMG_7196.JPG" width="320" /></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">There are also many
remnants of human activity amidst the trees – standing stones, old huts,
clearance villages… as well as new homes and signposts…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the stories found in the land and
signs of past human activity can give rise to the ideas of tales and stories
stretching back hundreds (even thousands) of years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s important to maintain a connection with the past, whilst
also looking forward; links with our ancestors should help us find our own
place in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find the
clearance villages particularly emotional places – they are set amongst this
stunningly beautiful landscape and yet they tell stories that contain vast
harshness and hardship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuEhYzSjJ7gaJiycNcvce-84qKd3cZHoq2dpoWNhjTcgwInsPkIfYdHHt5zIM5eBRbOUtT_2z7CQX7LBEzaLgCxLndWtauunVFfUEm_tR4sf_uBenrGSGhqhp3HIDkOxxwqU0Y5IjXLE/s1600/IMG_7214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuEhYzSjJ7gaJiycNcvce-84qKd3cZHoq2dpoWNhjTcgwInsPkIfYdHHt5zIM5eBRbOUtT_2z7CQX7LBEzaLgCxLndWtauunVFfUEm_tR4sf_uBenrGSGhqhp3HIDkOxxwqU0Y5IjXLE/s320/IMG_7214.JPG" width="320" /></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I also find that a
landscape like Skye has so many wonderful small treasures to be found – but
which could be overlooked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
these endless vast views of mountains, sea, lochs and other islands which stop
you in your tracks; yet there are also the most beautiful teeny flowers, moss,
lichens, tiny shells, little stones and details in the grains of sand…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the combination of all of this that
draws me there…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-77202092220332452512013-03-25T07:37:00.000-07:002013-03-25T07:42:37.562-07:00Snow is falling snow upon snow…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNcHznR9t3LALvz4pCTVjjbTSG4cgJFuB3w22-fcC-aPTCU2ox4EUhnivQtkYiLbWJM0b_Z0icru89vfvVv5b4BbWrQC0j26yG-xMoHhRviijE8kOnpNPwHpHMLhsQwRuEMc1lh7R_BU/s1600/IMG_6490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNcHznR9t3LALvz4pCTVjjbTSG4cgJFuB3w22-fcC-aPTCU2ox4EUhnivQtkYiLbWJM0b_Z0icru89vfvVv5b4BbWrQC0j26yG-xMoHhRviijE8kOnpNPwHpHMLhsQwRuEMc1lh7R_BU/s200/IMG_6490.JPG" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCfisa93FP5gH_fMTsPFaElkjIkT5ybqeKg6QE1Otf3T6YYyjVn-_5A834wFQIL-kJmIHuN5LHT_yAkkxa2lIDfu2ODpXf7UISl3wfYtGvsST12uymK7yq-np0-6eic53dmVuzjWvlHQ/s1600/IMG_6466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCfisa93FP5gH_fMTsPFaElkjIkT5ybqeKg6QE1Otf3T6YYyjVn-_5A834wFQIL-kJmIHuN5LHT_yAkkxa2lIDfu2ODpXf7UISl3wfYtGvsST12uymK7yq-np0-6eic53dmVuzjWvlHQ/s200/IMG_6466.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In honour
of all the snow we have… here are some more snow images…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>candles, spirals & some bits of Finland…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">d</span> some
wise words from <span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">‘Moominland Midwinter’ by </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Tove</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Jansson:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“’Tell me </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">about the snow,’
Moomintroll said and seated himself in Moominpappa’s sun-bleached garden
chair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘I don’t understand it’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">‘I
don’t either’ said</span> Too-ticky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘You
believe it’s cold, but if you build yourself a snowhouse it’s warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You think it’s white, but at times it looks
pink, and another time it’s blue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can
be softer than anything, and then again harder than stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing is certain.’”</span></span></span><br />
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-64135426712854785222013-02-20T06:11:00.000-08:002013-02-20T07:56:54.567-08:00gathering and collecting ...<br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Lakeside Arts Centre, </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Djanogly Gallery, </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Michelle Stuart exibition<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Art with Nature and Colour
Chemistry sessions, Feb 19<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Really great to meet
everyone who took part in the sessions with me yesterday at Lakeside Arts
Centre, you all had some really wonderful ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Below are some images I took of some of the things you were
experimenting with.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The morning session with
families involved lots of gathering and collecting outside – and some wonderful
land art appeared as we arranged and made patterns with the things we were
collecting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was some really
clever balancing of sticks and some amazing stories that emerged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back inside we carried on creating images
with our natural finds – and even more stories were created.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">In the afternoon session
with young people, we again went outside and gathered as many interesting
natural objects as we could – we collected a hoard of sticks, cones, seeds,
leaves and moss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We gathered lots of
alder cones to create a natural dye (alder often grows by water and at the
moment has lots of cones and catkins and the twigs have an amazing purple
colour which really stands out in the sun).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Back inside we experimented
with pestle and mortars, mallets and mashers – we ground up soil, burnt wood
ash, sticks, leaves and seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
gave us a range of colours to work with and we set the alder cones simmering in
water with cotton and sheep’s fleece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The technique of using a mallet to pull the colour out of leaves worked
really well and some very beautiful images emerged onto cloth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was some great frottage (rubbings) of
leaves, some printing with mud and lots of painting and collage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some lovely little books were created too,
some wonderful tiny trees and much more.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-85096649042807702882013-02-20T05:27:00.001-08:002013-02-20T05:27:53.006-08:00Finland, Finland, Finland... the country where I want to be…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I’m still digesting and
processing everything I saw and gathered in Finland, it’s a lot of very
inspiring things to absorb and take in!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Rastaala School is in
Espoo, near Helsinki.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has a forest
around it, the Baltic Sea nearby (all frozen at the moment) and a real mix of
houses, industry and nature immediately on the doorstep.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Four of us went from
Dunkirk Primary School and we’re really looking forward to the return visit of
the staff from Rastaala School to England in April; we feel we’ve made some
really important connections and want to deepen and continue these.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">One of the powerful things that happened was
being able to use Skype to talk with everyone back at Dunkirk during the whole
school assembly there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able
(with the aid of technology!) to be outside in the grounds of Rastaala School,
with some of the staff and pupils there – and behind us the children from the
school were sliding in the snow, playing ice-hockey, making things and
generally being happy outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
meant that when we spoke to everyone at Dunkirk that they could see exactly
what it’s like being at school in the thick deep snow and freezing
temperatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t forget the
wonderful “WWWOOOWWWWW” that erupted from the entire assembly at Dunkirk as we
panned the computer round and showed them what we were standing amongst!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">We’ve been working outside in the snow a lot at
Dunkirk (when we’ve had snow) and I could tell how the children there were really
excited by the amount of snow in Finland.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9fVI7R2Vx7QVQKi7jTNezKC1VAV0s1kqux5qetWjmlTszgVCucls9VtB7Kmdbn1KsA9AlmNJrRpr86z3OiHDnfwHSxD8r0Ty2eCKGCaPBTizGY4DZ3vu7poZPH-VDs5V3rJaVhSskLs/s1600/IMG_4905+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9fVI7R2Vx7QVQKi7jTNezKC1VAV0s1kqux5qetWjmlTszgVCucls9VtB7Kmdbn1KsA9AlmNJrRpr86z3OiHDnfwHSxD8r0Ty2eCKGCaPBTizGY4DZ3vu7poZPH-VDs5V3rJaVhSskLs/s320/IMG_4905+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">One of the other things that was very striking
to see was the way everyone met the deep in snow in Finland with a sense of
fun, practicality and welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everyone really looks forward to the snow there - and people great it by
wearing very warm, practical clothes (which are still stylish and beautiful)
and then getting outside and enjoying the things the snow offers…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another striking thing is just how much
inside space is given for coats and boots – the school had big, wide corridors
with big coat and boot racks; and cafes, museums, restaurants etc all had lots
of big space for you to hang up your coats and scarves etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(One of the things I’ve always found hard
in the UK is just how tiny cloakroom spaces are in schools).</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSheLfl3ocY6Lqsq7VWNcHo9s__trKiGL-lN4p2t8xrLW4FxaVfWMeoHw_nGY9veQeaUgHFktLB2KI26JrveaNfpUAHJto0FQ0sfiWoEUzHunwl-MbDOVrxQzYysJc8UfLdPNtpm4RXG0/s1600/IMG_4856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSheLfl3ocY6Lqsq7VWNcHo9s__trKiGL-lN4p2t8xrLW4FxaVfWMeoHw_nGY9veQeaUgHFktLB2KI26JrveaNfpUAHJto0FQ0sfiWoEUzHunwl-MbDOVrxQzYysJc8UfLdPNtpm4RXG0/s320/IMG_4856.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">We are working on a project exploring “Why is Water Precious” and exchanging ideas about ways we can investigate this in school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a set of origami boats with the older children in Finland and they added their thoughts about water onto these.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the younger children we asked them to draw their favourite things to do outside, so that we could share these with the children back in Nottingham, it was powerful to see how the Finnish children all drew images of themselves making snow castles, ski-ing or skating and sliding in the snow.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The
children wear no uniform at the school and the school staff in Finland dress in
a smart but more casual way than you find in UK schools – I really like this
because it enables the adults to do practical things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children also call the staff by their first names and again
this gave a feeling of calmness and respect.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="color: #0c343d;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think that all challenges a conception in the UK
about how adults in school should dress etc – its a really important thing to
be mindful of.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Cars are all fitted with snow tyres, snow-ploughs continually plough the streets (we very quickly got used to the trucks of snow being driven around!) and pavements and roads are gritted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People seemed to be out everywhere on cross-country skis, sledges, ice-skates and I was really struck by the images this gave of people engaging with their landscape.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Another lovely thing was the way people take off their snow boots inside and wear slippers or thick socks; it gives a sense of calm and gentleness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s something we’re trying to set up at Dunkirk and the children and staff there are really embracing that (and I have strong memories of my childhood in the 1970s when we took our outside shoes off and put plimsolls on inside!).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Another thing, common in
Scandinavian schools, is that Rastaala School has no fence around it - so there
is no imposing physical barrier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
children know where the edge of the school is and respect this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know the context in the UK is totally
different, but it makes a huge emotional difference to be at a school where you
are not feeling hemmed in by a huge metal fence…</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">We were lucky enough to take part in one of the
regular sports sessions at the school; in the winter this involves
cross-country ski-ing, skating or ice-hockey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was so struck by the way the children embraced the snow & laughed so
much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went ski-ing with the younger
children, my first time on skis and I was very wobbly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I found it incredibly inspiring to see
how the 7 year olds were so at ease on skis and how they kept flinging
themselves into the snow and laughing so much as they rolled about and tried to
get up again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were confidant and
happy in their bodies, in the landscape and in the weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the pictures in my head of the line of
young children in their winter outfits,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>ski-ing into the forest near the school will stay with me - it was such
a striking visual image.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8MUz-mtduNAwhaG3Qid26OUe_i3wQVxiE7sbxUuS9rvXg9L1qufPcrKT6CXrJna7SWQwrrsa0Bs25EbAfqotI62jcBg6Do0arYE2iIRzgJ8pSfX3VNCYbODxFAZ7uJuo6GrUFq-4EME/s1600/IMG_5198+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8MUz-mtduNAwhaG3Qid26OUe_i3wQVxiE7sbxUuS9rvXg9L1qufPcrKT6CXrJna7SWQwrrsa0Bs25EbAfqotI62jcBg6Do0arYE2iIRzgJ8pSfX3VNCYbODxFAZ7uJuo6GrUFq-4EME/s200/IMG_5198+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9y1RGvvmBakCYbgIxC9yvpgCNakxTXSNqM5F3Iu0PNvi0W2PEBJpuUsNdUu0CeEP3akOIeUg8IfurldLETnTxqZOWmWEldjkij1T9L0bvIp2VeK0w30CWnfvliniXrfEtPK3jivzya8/s1600/IMG_5205+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9y1RGvvmBakCYbgIxC9yvpgCNakxTXSNqM5F3Iu0PNvi0W2PEBJpuUsNdUu0CeEP3akOIeUg8IfurldLETnTxqZOWmWEldjkij1T9L0bvIp2VeK0w30CWnfvliniXrfEtPK3jivzya8/s200/IMG_5205+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdbRRr0AqYigyJ5gTOLiBO_67jZxC3_cVWhWhM9ds0pZjhKIqOfJoi2Jcp18BVEmS05K0hNUzDZRUvdqgdrDE4FWJeQeSmiE4QFlKxPhtd_rmVsdXHlFDjYFcg8uWN8nkCS5F6iYmArM/s1600/IMG_5247+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdbRRr0AqYigyJ5gTOLiBO_67jZxC3_cVWhWhM9ds0pZjhKIqOfJoi2Jcp18BVEmS05K0hNUzDZRUvdqgdrDE4FWJeQeSmiE4QFlKxPhtd_rmVsdXHlFDjYFcg8uWN8nkCS5F6iYmArM/s200/IMG_5247+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfIeJGXNuyx87-IBQYTl3QtCyfBf74eIiXblj1TZbFnuo7gO2iMkVTRjGrrrNBzyj9wNWzVSqnwPuR7UGv6m-zg1kUIW8ZRqDOw8NwUDmrnxnd-dGXAbidwaD_UjPj536mmEPRzBYRyQ/s1600/IMG_5266+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfIeJGXNuyx87-IBQYTl3QtCyfBf74eIiXblj1TZbFnuo7gO2iMkVTRjGrrrNBzyj9wNWzVSqnwPuR7UGv6m-zg1kUIW8ZRqDOw8NwUDmrnxnd-dGXAbidwaD_UjPj536mmEPRzBYRyQ/s200/IMG_5266+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I’ve been to Finland a few times before, and to other Scandinavian countries, and it always strikes me how calm and gentle people and places are there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I’m drawn to the sense of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wilderness and connections with nature which are so strong there; even in the midst of cities you feel that a respect for the natural world is close by in everything.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GdYSkZuolX1bhOfKeW7h3vGkvlyTB9n-PzTeNmQqFJxNdP3GIN1N20uLDtX9IAEB1_Ct5bA4Wgos-QYkEzTxBCtfyTTh913MqiCwBOjc1vvJTt5QfJtXF0ev4-3bc78uNYHfB4R9cS8/s1600/IMG_5403+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GdYSkZuolX1bhOfKeW7h3vGkvlyTB9n-PzTeNmQqFJxNdP3GIN1N20uLDtX9IAEB1_Ct5bA4Wgos-QYkEzTxBCtfyTTh913MqiCwBOjc1vvJTt5QfJtXF0ev4-3bc78uNYHfB4R9cS8/s320/IMG_5403+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">For
me, it was incredibly inspiring to be outside in the thick snow in the forests
outside Helsinki – they are magical places and filled me with a sense of stories
and calmness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were many animals
and birds around but I quite loved that they kept themselves hidden away, it
meant there were many hints, tracks and signs of creatures but fewer actual
sightings; you got the sense that you had only just missed some hares / foxes / deer
/ red squirrels (or moomins)…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one
morning I was stood in a park in Helsinki, watching some blue tits move amongst
the trees and bushes - they suddenly became very agitated and as I watched a
stoat in its white winter coat came scampering out from the undergrowth, a
really wonderful sight.</span></span></div>
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-39589811061856106712013-02-18T12:40:00.001-08:002013-02-18T12:40:26.822-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdgGXG6JzPmoBgl2qgZ5mn-Yxm6jZKDXljzAV-DlSCt70iF9QFBiiUrEqPZP3Pm2BZAis6t5OzU0PjefrcrJKTgBV-xPZeyt9NE7d6_5zmpzIVnsg74v-TYKaabOKdc5YfNGnK6hkLIs/s1600/boats+1+cs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdgGXG6JzPmoBgl2qgZ5mn-Yxm6jZKDXljzAV-DlSCt70iF9QFBiiUrEqPZP3Pm2BZAis6t5OzU0PjefrcrJKTgBV-xPZeyt9NE7d6_5zmpzIVnsg74v-TYKaabOKdc5YfNGnK6hkLIs/s320/boats+1+cs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just back from Finland,
from working with a school in Espoo (near Helsinki) a part of the Comenius
project with Dunkirk Primary.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were busy sharing our thoughts and discoveries
about water (in all it’s various forms) with our Finnish partner school in the Small
Actions, Big Change Comenius Project.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFz0Afw1W3EMuIvVfvcwsEEXjJL5tBxYkQGa05wQd2kKVDhE2kdH8sqadxztUgvgBZ85KJ7stQIy6nEQl7vjT2sXIuo8l_Ye5KEeXTOgN_Yg4wHSQV3VLpJz41pmKVhZaWg2n887Kk3w/s1600/IMG_4841+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFz0Afw1W3EMuIvVfvcwsEEXjJL5tBxYkQGa05wQd2kKVDhE2kdH8sqadxztUgvgBZ85KJ7stQIy6nEQl7vjT2sXIuo8l_Ye5KEeXTOgN_Yg4wHSQV3VLpJz41pmKVhZaWg2n887Kk3w/s320/IMG_4841+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will add lots more here soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>been such an inspiring trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t quite believe that a couple of days ago I was sat in thick snow in a forest watching wildlife scampering amongst the trees…</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjaoBXqsBSXSR26jtbTq1nGy7Re62pQDGDEpPwIIWTIS40VU41oWVuLHiFwN9Ed2FCwwc1kDEJE3tqrUrGXI2pEmq_VLMX87YWIkp-V0ZcxXklDmBemoHv51pwEwjB2YSbltZKCweQM8/s1600/IMG_4886+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjaoBXqsBSXSR26jtbTq1nGy7Re62pQDGDEpPwIIWTIS40VU41oWVuLHiFwN9Ed2FCwwc1kDEJE3tqrUrGXI2pEmq_VLMX87YWIkp-V0ZcxXklDmBemoHv51pwEwjB2YSbltZKCweQM8/s320/IMG_4886+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">It’s been an amazing time; </span><span style="color: #0c343d;">Rastaala</span><span style="color: #0c343d;"> school gave us such a wonderful welcome and we have returned with so many ideas and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>thoughts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It was wonderful to use skype to talk with everyone back at Dunkirk <span style="color: #0c343d;">school </span>- <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">w</span></span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">were able to be outside &</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">show the children back in England just what its like being at school in the thick snow…</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm2ZhRJLG3T2yFO5BRVtU0lDaBagLrAR4s4ok_eivpE96mCuOm45vUqVSakWhshcF6fyXUKI6gIG3UPNpMTFExX1m56LD4rpzifmsgznmMzCiyouXp9-9ZnPzMtGQwIDFsF6jGsxZubo/s1600/IMG_4905+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm2ZhRJLG3T2yFO5BRVtU0lDaBagLrAR4s4ok_eivpE96mCuOm45vUqVSakWhshcF6fyXUKI6gIG3UPNpMTFExX1m56LD4rpzifmsgznmMzCiyouXp9-9ZnPzMtGQwIDFsF6jGsxZubo/s200/IMG_4905+web.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo771RgY-j4rjcG9ePfAyz5BgwNLXe6QR_L6zee9jZQYKaIOV4CoEaWIspgpEwL12uAb5pXSNtR-b4NwlzRYNmCMoFrXrL2huBwyaRP8P4cfCO_IeORj8BATyCHO5cc8emz1JzSaZRbvk/s1600/IMG_5059+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo771RgY-j4rjcG9ePfAyz5BgwNLXe6QR_L6zee9jZQYKaIOV4CoEaWIspgpEwL12uAb5pXSNtR-b4NwlzRYNmCMoFrXrL2huBwyaRP8P4cfCO_IeORj8BATyCHO5cc8emz1JzSaZRbvk/s200/IMG_5059+web.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-45817908442951141632013-02-04T03:59:00.005-08:002013-02-04T03:59:40.296-08:00bad luck horse day...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAW8mi816HupZoNEUjrLG38Ghg3NMjU4po_cJXB93YhtGmEyfZ-SzPSvmTCz0k3pyH5Q8yO7jI8VtBIm6OOiWkilaZIawLxnvIzlMeK_Mpq6QyeFL4DsuaKv_dQIOLqtW5s0XzEGZV978/s1600/IMG_2809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAW8mi816HupZoNEUjrLG38Ghg3NMjU4po_cJXB93YhtGmEyfZ-SzPSvmTCz0k3pyH5Q8yO7jI8VtBIm6OOiWkilaZIawLxnvIzlMeK_Mpq6QyeFL4DsuaKv_dQIOLqtW5s0XzEGZV978/s320/IMG_2809.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">Last
week it was “bad luck horse day” amongst the 4 year olds I was working with at
Dunkirk school. </span></span><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">Amazing
storytelling emerged… it was a very inspiring, quirky and touching example of
unexpected ideas emerging when young children are allowed to invent and let
their thoughts flow…</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">We were creating drawn and collaged maps for small-world figures, including several horses; the children became really interested in wrapping masking tape 'bandages' and creating ‘splints’ with tiny pieces of left-over willow (from lantern making).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They informed me it was “Bad Luck Horse Day”, totally their own phrase… they were completely engrossed for about 2 hours creating a world of stories - and very adept fine motor skills as they used masking tape!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Soon it spread and it was“Bad Luck Animal Day”…</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love it…</span></span><br />
<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-63210832458598995262013-02-03T04:14:00.002-08:002013-02-03T04:14:23.658-08:00lanterns glowing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw93IWMdGp2YTPzqVqDcjp7u_hH2CEMDv5ppNiz1Y9kkKLqxp7TCVrzWMskOl-l76Q2tVtqknHD1dg-MZhFYbwgrzngs4WxVq6YSEP7QLzj0j-OQ1OIqYjaysormhfGZ4J3kGzldzksA/s1600/IMG_2768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw93IWMdGp2YTPzqVqDcjp7u_hH2CEMDv5ppNiz1Y9kkKLqxp7TCVrzWMskOl-l76Q2tVtqknHD1dg-MZhFYbwgrzngs4WxVq6YSEP7QLzj0j-OQ1OIqYjaysormhfGZ4J3kGzldzksA/s320/IMG_2768.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Around 95 willow lanterns
all a-glow last week at the culmination of Dunkirk’s Light Week. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWUZO3f3QD5NrDD3CiuVd4D1woNVZ4iXW7X9-jaEEKdmi7c4hb7M3pFuVx1-J7z9fvQu9mKztm_WwLrISW3AqIaS9FbHZl1b_cC22z9PPMDi-lMO6AAN0tgm5A7wiTgzkCVoqSars0a8/s1600/IMG_2734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWUZO3f3QD5NrDD3CiuVd4D1woNVZ4iXW7X9-jaEEKdmi7c4hb7M3pFuVx1-J7z9fvQu9mKztm_WwLrISW3AqIaS9FbHZl1b_cC22z9PPMDi-lMO6AAN0tgm5A7wiTgzkCVoqSars0a8/s320/IMG_2734.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The whole school has been
exploring the ways light is used in different cultures and faiths around the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone in school made lanterns
working with Katy Doncaster and myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Really wonderful conversations have taken place around all of this and
it’s been incredibly inspiring.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Despite the weather being
against us, we had an amazing turn out for the event and procession through the
streets, culminating in a gathering around the fire on the school field for songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Magical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A huge thank you to everyone working on the project and to all who
participated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-75994417868011342432013-01-27T10:15:00.001-08:002013-01-27T10:25:26.634-08:00what colour is snow?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIy5QYFk2htpazowOXFDkfoQ5pamn0-nzA5EVOWW4MXjn3ouTyBLijaIfMgwF2yLO-oP8LScr_RZJBEq9otzIVTlvLwvTE6zrLXeeF5LISOP-IBHwet1v26D7_KT8Cms-LkrkjTrJrDY0/s1600/IMG_1774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIy5QYFk2htpazowOXFDkfoQ5pamn0-nzA5EVOWW4MXjn3ouTyBLijaIfMgwF2yLO-oP8LScr_RZJBEq9otzIVTlvLwvTE6zrLXeeF5LISOP-IBHwet1v26D7_KT8Cms-LkrkjTrJrDY0/s200/IMG_1774.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDiJYmuFX7vKOIFhnWvy4UpxWmYUaCuQJUJz5oOZstBq3-UL3bPV_NLwJYeTP6GUoGev5WW5I60_HpBcvO9h9vK8CXcnvzYX2pl0uwol_poGft1ogYumPtNy3dQRF_UZ8lid5wlWcE1I/s1600/IMG_2001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDiJYmuFX7vKOIFhnWvy4UpxWmYUaCuQJUJz5oOZstBq3-UL3bPV_NLwJYeTP6GUoGev5WW5I60_HpBcvO9h9vK8CXcnvzYX2pl0uwol_poGft1ogYumPtNy3dQRF_UZ8lid5wlWcE1I/s200/IMG_2001.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Snow… so much of it lately – and now the rain has almost
washed it all away…</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its been so beautiful, I adore the way it changes
everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shapes of natural and made
things look so different covered in snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The snow can suddenly highlight things as it covers them… The colours
held within the snow are so varied, depending upon the light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walking out in heavy snow has an amazing
silence that is rare to find, there’s a mysterious quality to it. <span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And shadows in the snow can form amazing patterns.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmvqdMk0FUhwgmB4qQpb-FSkFNRzzpZ-DFnBHwB2gSL0-mmOSyjFuDu9jSRUf2bhyphenhyphenq4r7H7iGS0eCPFj69HDqFRj-8FwBxubAEgcas0uD5R-yYkTSlU6zxT8S3AL1BOUs0iBZQE17zIs/s1600/IMG_1910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmvqdMk0FUhwgmB4qQpb-FSkFNRzzpZ-DFnBHwB2gSL0-mmOSyjFuDu9jSRUf2bhyphenhyphenq4r7H7iGS0eCPFj69HDqFRj-8FwBxubAEgcas0uD5R-yYkTSlU6zxT8S3AL1BOUs0iBZQE17zIs/s200/IMG_1910.JPG" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSHLe6VLLU2taZZDoARRQaBoSrRei9m3gk_yLoqvp55ufv1zYlBoCpA66G8JuPhtqQfoMotIA6f9wn1OpXQteoX0H2ONxmGjeZ7iTsFn7dDvo_yaKS2Dvj7UpUZKTCj2DH1rQxaI3HW0/s1600/IMG_1935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSHLe6VLLU2taZZDoARRQaBoSrRei9m3gk_yLoqvp55ufv1zYlBoCpA66G8JuPhtqQfoMotIA6f9wn1OpXQteoX0H2ONxmGjeZ7iTsFn7dDvo_yaKS2Dvj7UpUZKTCj2DH1rQxaI3HW0/s200/IMG_1935.JPG" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tracks in the snow are wonderful – they tell a story of who
and what has passed that way before you…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the story is never complete, you have to play detective and use your
imagination.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things take on a different look against the snow – I’ve been drawn to the shapes of birds, twigs, gateways, trees and people amidst the snow.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Snowy tree-lined pathways have looked like Narnia, heightened by the snowy silence…
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It doesn’t last long and I think the opportunities it brings
should be embraced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get your
snow-boots, thermals, hat, scarf and gloves on and see what you can find out
there…</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6UPjeBREJy6eudq5O1azlAG1Yw7CCW6tZKootsAFWbB4X_tLjQY39tnlueOIUgg-_Uu7bbjfvuEEprKXoVfC5TGI_RJlp0tA6aW68Wn8TdImy5InGP92p2-9XfCUAsD7evD3HWkrJhE/s1600/IMG_1990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6UPjeBREJy6eudq5O1azlAG1Yw7CCW6tZKootsAFWbB4X_tLjQY39tnlueOIUgg-_Uu7bbjfvuEEprKXoVfC5TGI_RJlp0tA6aW68Wn8TdImy5InGP92p2-9XfCUAsD7evD3HWkrJhE/s320/IMG_1990.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also - doesn’t it just make you think of all those 1970s Christmas
card photos that were dusted with iridescent glitter?!</span></div>
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-27306387098445133542013-01-26T10:23:00.000-08:002013-01-26T10:23:08.141-08:00even coconuts love the snow...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCg_LQBt910UH-pe3ttxZ91vQOpWsxdFmv4Faf1IWIZNeT48dEn6Hbhzcxg6bPUHhgUyE0HATzGKfa5pd4ytnucDbNIGPyiCsS_MOCr3EdKLsUjEOTuJTalCWFSCsxrPBXbbftsji7SY/s1600/IMG_2382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCg_LQBt910UH-pe3ttxZ91vQOpWsxdFmv4Faf1IWIZNeT48dEn6Hbhzcxg6bPUHhgUyE0HATzGKfa5pd4ytnucDbNIGPyiCsS_MOCr3EdKLsUjEOTuJTalCWFSCsxrPBXbbftsji7SY/s320/IMG_2382.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
They had been hibernating, but the warmer weather today seems to have brought two of them out early... and they even made a snowman...<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stories-under-stones-Claire-Simpson/102602613252663">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stories-under-stones-Claire-Simpson/102602613252663</a>claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-20011906230135540002013-01-19T01:59:00.000-08:002013-01-19T09:47:50.927-08:00how does the hot chocolate stay hot?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zRNsRWpWVxbsILpwDIyMURJ6KUnN05jSJfGm1sTHkCSU5l50iOmzl2VFVuGUjgOR0hz4q-ek_XEOotWTm8H6XfMZgg5n4E37a9gJte1WDgZKlxaxhMQFP8I98lpzzv_7wRwa7USNGJY/s1600/IMG_1407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zRNsRWpWVxbsILpwDIyMURJ6KUnN05jSJfGm1sTHkCSU5l50iOmzl2VFVuGUjgOR0hz4q-ek_XEOotWTm8H6XfMZgg5n4E37a9gJte1WDgZKlxaxhMQFP8I98lpzzv_7wRwa7USNGJY/s200/IMG_1407.JPG" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfqY0BzdkvHabXE8SqMCvV7yXv0Oezeox2dJOjw3dhcVPpT1Fkh-HsUBQ7EBMRaI8d00pYUzUvt-S9DESHQlLeSyfnGisysmkdTVb4tj2ORg3IY2KjE73gkpvRwk-_3gDxS9yuyirgTE/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfqY0BzdkvHabXE8SqMCvV7yXv0Oezeox2dJOjw3dhcVPpT1Fkh-HsUBQ7EBMRaI8d00pYUzUvt-S9DESHQlLeSyfnGisysmkdTVb4tj2ORg3IY2KjE73gkpvRwk-_3gDxS9yuyirgTE/s200/IMG_1394.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week, with the year two (Oak) children at Dunkirk, we conducted an experiment in the ice and snow. It was in response to the question asked by one of the children "how does the flask keep the hot chocolate hot?" </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJ8sqXRNVWcM0y3cjJVKieMFRSDFMJolGUJvtSE04UvDPFRSqhEscZfbpBSQyppgQGxlbMPw9m2Bo0qJbjOAkF0YE1q6Yrnkhw3iaaSfY7g9chZCTlZNKNH7lN2j3BpU1D0eKMrF4pgc/s1600/IMG_1342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJ8sqXRNVWcM0y3cjJVKieMFRSDFMJolGUJvtSE04UvDPFRSqhEscZfbpBSQyppgQGxlbMPw9m2Bo0qJbjOAkF0YE1q6Yrnkhw3iaaSfY7g9chZCTlZNKNH7lN2j3BpU1D0eKMrF4pgc/s200/IMG_1342.JPG" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSn-pqloHk6jmFrvkpCE3e6ER6bcvYdXy4ZVLk4LOmWvjABrbGwuearduoKAnQchWqdWM6BVS5TFE7wXF_Rsv1RinCEuXOeQ86gE0BwucdRXl4O1G8k5IdifAeNAPaPA5D5RdWYLs2mI/s1600/IMG_1349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSn-pqloHk6jmFrvkpCE3e6ER6bcvYdXy4ZVLk4LOmWvjABrbGwuearduoKAnQchWqdWM6BVS5TFE7wXF_Rsv1RinCEuXOeQ86gE0BwucdRXl4O1G8k5IdifAeNAPaPA5D5RdWYLs2mI/s200/IMG_1349.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, we carried out a fair test, we put equal amounts of hot chocolate in the same types of water bottles, then we put each of these into the same paper bag... And then we packed different kinds of materials (or nothing) around each of the bottles. We took the temperature of each <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bottle - and then, off we went out for an adventure... We went to explore the allotment in the snow and we took the temperature of the hot chocolate every 10 minutes. It was so interesting watching the children explore and learn, they made amazing discoveries.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJryav_-RuoVnqbgY1O1NJEp4SsI_oiUblEh6bP9ELIFD8M38RupPPNMi_uGdge3yizK7OonMN8y9i-JLgtMiGzdN7cvNmWEFeUxHQLOZp6VGg5HgcoBYBalIhAnjQ-SQ39DNK68a_y8Y/s1600/IMG_1345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJryav_-RuoVnqbgY1O1NJEp4SsI_oiUblEh6bP9ELIFD8M38RupPPNMi_uGdge3yizK7OonMN8y9i-JLgtMiGzdN7cvNmWEFeUxHQLOZp6VGg5HgcoBYBalIhAnjQ-SQ39DNK68a_y8Y/s200/IMG_1345.JPG" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nwUx8DOdFxS_xC4Z_EMnr6vkJNJp8m5tfVRmG6j69-47S5_j9wgMOE3i36MkTM2jGNTcQS6UALqFsyL_EEmtKXJbb6M5352fS5v-IIy4parM6FxbaySEPCZ81YgvOYJayOcpMr_oxPs/s1600/IMG_1352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nwUx8DOdFxS_xC4Z_EMnr6vkJNJp8m5tfVRmG6j69-47S5_j9wgMOE3i36MkTM2jGNTcQS6UALqFsyL_EEmtKXJbb6M5352fS5v-IIy4parM6FxbaySEPCZ81YgvOYJayOcpMr_oxPs/s200/IMG_1352.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">were really interested in the temperature
of the snow too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was –2</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> o</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">C <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in places but <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>0 </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">o</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C in others </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and the children were really interested in
why (“it’s because that part is in the shade” one boy suggested</span>). <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We did make sure we also had several flasks of hot chocolate ready to drink too!</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a look here for the children's findings:</span><br />
<a href="http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/our-curriculum9.html"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/our-curriculum9.html</span></a><br />
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claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-16459706996116927702013-01-15T10:24:00.000-08:002013-01-15T10:25:54.579-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeTsag3iynXoQadxJXDl4gx6XiK0PXe4TCVArIP9-4UNPkCt8tX0JacdTplgIlYF67WA8GhG56N_ZTzYceKeDpNVdUwbjZkTYlG6BVI5DG8TIdzXwh1QpRZQnVG2iA5TE3ZMUhZtLDjA/s1600/snow+art+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeTsag3iynXoQadxJXDl4gx6XiK0PXe4TCVArIP9-4UNPkCt8tX0JacdTplgIlYF67WA8GhG56N_ZTzYceKeDpNVdUwbjZkTYlG6BVI5DG8TIdzXwh1QpRZQnVG2iA5TE3ZMUhZtLDjA/s320/snow+art+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's that time of year... when ice, snow and frost sparkle in the low </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">winter sun, inviting you to touch and shape them...</span> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMd-qXjpdcwfenVwokFGXiTINs0FmVQVGcGRkPqfKA3YLHjfQrySpVNKXtzHT6Tgw1yZdtIKpVVer8qevrqLLjAcc2MAwdZ3TpgiCO4aN2y1DAJ24FXVFGi9IxjakNc_Nx6YFbtii2Ac/s1600/blog+snow+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMd-qXjpdcwfenVwokFGXiTINs0FmVQVGcGRkPqfKA3YLHjfQrySpVNKXtzHT6Tgw1yZdtIKpVVer8qevrqLLjAcc2MAwdZ3TpgiCO4aN2y1DAJ24FXVFGi9IxjakNc_Nx6YFbtii2Ac/s320/blog+snow+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's wonderful watching the discoveries children make as they explore ice and snow; they are intrigued by the different properties of frozen water - it prompts really in-depth artistic and scientific experiments... </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We're busy investigating water with several year groups at Dunkirk Primary and are keen to use the possibilities offered by the freezing weather as much possible. There's more information here: </span></div>
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<a href="http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/dunkirk-allotment-latest-news.html"><span style="color: #0b5394;">http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/dunkirk-allotment-latest-news.html</span></a> and more will appear soon. Amongst other things we are busy conducting experiments into ways of keeping hot chocolate hot - the children wanted to know how the flasks work.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">We’re also busy sharing our
thoughts and discoveries about water (in all it’s various forms) with our
partner schools in the Small Actions, Big Change Comenius Project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m incredibly excited to be part of a group
from Dunkirk who are visiting Finland in <span style="color: #0c343d;">February, to spend time with one of
our link schools - </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Rastaala School in Helsinki.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
More news to follow soon.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/comenius-2012-2014.html"><span style="color: #0b5394;">http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/comenius-2012-2014.html</span></a></div>
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<br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986930894548007819.post-61118973514206053962012-12-20T01:56:00.000-08:002013-01-19T02:02:57.532-08:00what is water made from? how do the clouds move?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">We’re busy planning next
term’s work at Dunkirk and questions about water have been flowing all around…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">We’re part of an exciting
Comenius project, linked with schools in Italy, Finland and Norway, where we’ll
all investigate Big Questions with the children and share our work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">All the schools are looking at issues around Why Is Water Precious? Which gives wonderful scope to explore many questions in depth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children at Dunkirk have been asking wonderful questions – about many things, not just water – and its so exciting to explore the ways their questions link and cross-over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">They are interested in ice a lot at the moment – we’ve had lots around and their first-hand explorations lead to brilliant observations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They ask and notice really detailed things through all their work on the school allotment – they are curious about the creatures that love damp places, about the ways plants grow, about the pond - how do the creatures living there cope when their home is frozen they wanted to know…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">How do plants drink? How do you make wood? Why do we need water?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where does the water in our taps come from and how does it get there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact –<span style="color: #0c343d;"> where does the water to flush our toilets come from and how does that get there? <span style="font-family: Tahoma;">We’re busy planning lots of
experiments and hands-on investigations to look at these questions and more… <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkF1c9uqbkD3LMg66nKzg1pJj-oAGQAdM8LSRbYoSKit3zleo3DQhV3bFyoKayhyphenhyphensHdDnKEqkkSl4Oy1gjvrmeQquA1Gbc4E49FFdoXNxr9IRi2cRDBza0fRAtVWxtbmyn_dRpdzf_wH4/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />claire simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272797737860850711noreply@blogger.com0