Half-term coming up…
The museums and galleries of Leeds have got plenty to keep families entertained this October.
Leeds Discovery Museum
- Investigating Masks, Wednesday 29 October, 10am – 12pm
- Investigate real Asian masks from the World Cultures collection. Discover the history and stories behind them and design your own.
Lotherton Hall
- Spooky Scarecrow Trail, Friday 24 October – Sunday 2 November, 11am – 3pm
- Back and better than ever… beware: we aim to scare! Follow the clues around Lotherton Hall and see the spooky scarecrows on display. Don’t forget to visit the Witches’ Cottage! Plus five Days of Spooky Fun from Mon 27 – Fri 31 Oct, 11am – 3pm.
Abbey House Museum
- Spooky Murder Mystery, Thursday 30 October, 10am – 12pm & 2pm – 4pm, Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 November, 2pm – 4pm
- There has been another murder in our Victorian Streets. Follow the clues and see if you can discover the murderer. Suitable for families with older children.
Leeds Industrial Museum
- Halloween Family Fun Day, Sunday 26 October, 1pm – 4pm
- Join us for storytelling and face painting and see the amazing camera obscura bringing the outside to life.
Leeds City Museum
- Sparkly, Clay Diwali Lamps! Tuesday 28 & Wednesday 29 October, 10am – 12pm & 2pm – 4pm
- Mould, squidge and shape a lamp from clay, then adorn it with sparkles and colours. Join us to light up the museum with colours for Diwali.
Kirkstall Abbey
- Fairy Creatures Scarecrow Hunt, Tuesday 28 October – Sunday 1 November, 10am – 3pm
- Hunt around the abbey for our scarecrows inspired by fairy creatures. There will be good fairies and bad fairies, goblins and elves.
Temple Newsam
- Spooky Spooktacular, Friday 31 October, 5pm – 8pm, Adult £7, Child £4, Family £20, booking essential
- Bring your little ghosts and ghouls to trick or treat through the darkened house and farm. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Leeds Art Gallery
- Creatures of a New World in Artspace, Monday 27, Tuesday 28, Thursday 30, Friday 31 October, 11am – 4pm
- Taking inspiration from the latest exhibition, Shezad Dawood’s ‘Towards the Possible Film’, sci-fi creatures appear in Artspace, will they need to live happily in our land?Join our artist-in-resident Karen Babayan to find out.
Thwaite Mills
- Scary Skeletons, Thursday 30 October, 11am – 3pm
- Make your own scary skeleton Halloween decoration complete with flashing eyes.
Leeds Art Gallery event
Feeling inspired by our latest art themed topic, Katie and… then you might be interested in this event at Leeds Art Gallery on Saturday.
What: Celebrate The Big Draw and work with an artist to draw yourself in a surprising way.
When: Saturday 18 October 11am-4pm
Where: Leeds Art Gallery
Angle fun!
Look at the pictures below and ask your child the names of the three types of angles the children are showing. The first person to give me the answers (on paper, not shouted across the playground tomorrow morning) will receive three fuzzies.
Bonus fuzzies are on offer for any other types of angles I may have missed!
Even more bonus fuzzies if you email some of your own (labelled, if possible) photos of some angles to our class email address: y5@moortown.leeds.sch.uk
Family draw-along with Nick Sharratt
One of our favourite illustrators, Nick Sharratt, is coming to Leeds for a family draw-along!
- When? Monday 27 October ar 2pm
- Where? Main Auditorium of the Carriageworks Theatre
- How much? Tickets are £5 (£3 concession)
- Who? All children aged 5+ are welcome
Nick Sharratt is one of our best-loved children’s illustrators. He has illustrated more than 200 books for children, including several award-winning picture books, Jacqueline Wilson’s novels, stories by Jeremy Strong and many other leading children’s authors.
In this family friendly, fully-interactive event, Nick will show how he creates his characters and share his drawing tips. Bring along a pencil, pad and a hard surface to draw along with him and after the show you can have Nick sign either a book you’ve brought from home or you can purchase one of Nick’s books at the event. (If your child is entitled to the pupil premium money, school will refund the cost of the book if you present a receipt to us.)
Early birds can create a special card or sign for Nick telling him about their favourite character.
Sculpture Park
Don’t forget we are going to the Sculpture Park on Wednesday 15 October.
Please make sure that your child has a waterproof coat and sensible shoes on and don’t forget their packed lunch.
It’s going to be an exciting day – watch this space for photos.
On the stage
There are a few budding actors in Year 1 who should definitely be on stage at some point. Scripts have been our focus over the past week – here are some scripts being put to good use.
What is an algorithm?
Algorithms are a set of rules or a process. This is a hard concept to understand when you are 5 years old but we have started to think about how we can learn about them in Year 1. We can follow instructions by listening to them or by reading them but if a computer needs instructions then it needs programming. Here is our first attempt at programming – giving Beebots (half bee, half robot!) a series of instructions.
The characteristics of effective learning
In Reception we observe and assess children’s learning in seven areas. These are: communication and language; personal, social and emotional development; physical development; literacy; maths; knowledge of the world and expressive arts and design. Alongside these we observe children’s characteristics of effective learning.
These characteristics and the areas of learning and development are all interconnected.
‘The ways in which the child engages with other people and their environment – playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically – underpin learning and development across all areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.”
The characteristics of effective learning are:
Playing and exploring – engagement
- Finding out and exploring
- Playing with what they know
- Being willing to ‘have a go’
Active learning – motivation
- Being involved and concentrating
- Keeping trying
- Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and thinking critically – thinking
- Having their own ideas
- Making links
- Choosing ways to do things
10 October 2014
This week, our homeworks are Practice Makes Perfect and Creative and are due in on Wednesday 15 October.
PMP: I can interpret data in charts
Children have been learning about how to interpret data in charts. They have a sheet in their book with a chart (either a bar chart or line chart) and they have to answer some questions about the information in the charts.
As always, please encourage children to find me before Wednesday if they need further help.
Creative: I can design a coat of arms.
As part of our Big Topic on our Class Novel, we’re planning on doing some printing of coats of arms. Children have been asked to design their own coat of arms and been reminded of what they are historically and what it might mean for them now: symbols and pictures which represent who they are as a person.
Here are some real life examples:
Some can get very ornate, but I’m not looking for anything this detailed because we won’t be able to print them…
Festive lights switch-on
Moortown Community Group invite you to join in the Moortown Festive Lights Switch-On at 6.45pm (for 7.00pm start) on Wednesday 19 November.
This year, The Community Group will be gathering outside the ‘Transform’ premises, opposite the entrance to M&S, where mulled wine and mince pies, fruit juice and decorated biscuits will be served – all kindly donated by our local branches of Marks and Spencer and Cooplands.
For more information please see the Moortown Community Group website or their Facebook page.
The group looks forward to seeing you at this start to the festive season. Last year, they were not so lucky with the weather but the event will go ahead as planned whatever the weather. Fingers crossed for a fine night!