Just back from Finland, from working with a school in Espoo (near Helsinki) a part of the Comenius project with Dunkirk Primary.    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.  

 

Will add lots more here soon. Its been such an inspiring trip. 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…

It’s been an amazing time; Rastaala school gave us such a wonderful welcome and we have returned with so many ideas and thoughts.  It was wonderful to use skype to talk with everyone back at Dunkirk school - we were able to be outside & show the children back in England just what its like being at school in the thick snow…

 

 

bad luck horse day...

 

Last week it was “bad luck horse day” amongst the 4 year olds I was working with at Dunkirk school.     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…

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). 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! 

 

Soon it spread and it was“Bad Luck Animal Day”…

 

I love it…

lanterns glowing

 

 Around 95 willow lanterns all a-glow last week at the culmination of Dunkirk’s Light Week.

 

The whole school has been exploring the ways light is used in different cultures and faiths around the world.  Everyone in school made lanterns working with Katy Doncaster and myself.  Really wonderful conversations have taken place around all of this and it’s been incredibly inspiring.

 

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.  Magical.  A huge thank you to everyone working on the project and to all who participated. 

what colour is snow?

Snow… so much of it lately – and now the rain has almost washed it all away…

Its been so beautiful, I adore the way it changes everything.  Shapes of natural and made things look so different covered in snow.  The snow can suddenly highlight things as it covers them… The colours held within the snow are so varied, depending upon the light.   Walking out in heavy snow has an amazing silence that is rare to find, there’s a mysterious quality to it.  And shadows in the snow can form amazing patterns.

 

Tracks in the snow are wonderful – they tell a story of who and what has passed that way before you…  And the story is never complete, you have to play detective and use your imagination.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snowy tree-lined pathways have looked like Narnia, heightened by the snowy silence…

It doesn’t last long and I think the opportunities it brings should be embraced.  Get your snow-boots, thermals, hat, scarf and gloves on and see what you can find out there…

 

Also - doesn’t it just make you think of all those 1970s Christmas card photos that were dusted with iridescent glitter?!

even coconuts love the snow...

They had been hibernating, but the warmer weather today seems to have brought two of them out early...  and they even made a snowman...


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stories-under-stones-Claire-Simpson/102602613252663

how does the hot chocolate stay hot?

 

 

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?" 

  

 

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 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.   

   

They were really interested in the temperature of the snow too.  It was –2 oC  in places but  0 oC in others and the children were really interested in why (“it’s because that part is in the shade” one boy suggested).   We did make sure we also had several flasks of hot chocolate ready to drink too!

Have a look here for the children's findings:
http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/our-curriculum9.html

 

 

 

 

It's that time of year...  when ice, snow and frost sparkle in the low

winter sun, inviting you to touch and shape them... 

 

 

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... 

 

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:  

http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/dunkirk-allotment-latest-news.html   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.

 

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.   I’m incredibly excited to be part of a group from Dunkirk who are visiting Finland in February, to spend time with one of our link schools - Rastaala School in Helsinki.  More news to follow soon.  

http://dunkirkprimary.weebly.com/comenius-2012-2014.html