Category: Pioneers Class

Some painted on paper. Some preferred to paint straight onto the pumpkin. Either way the Pioneers adapted their strategies to suit the tools and the canvas. Focus and energy. Patience and thought.

Great exploration.

Sometimes the best learning happens on the spur of the moment. The brushes were intended for painting but the puddle was too inviting to miss. The Pioneers discovered that they could make wonderful arcs of water spray when the waved the brushes around. They ran in big circles trailing the brushes behind them and of course they made the biggest waves possible in a small body of water.

The addition of powder paint was amazing and the effect was spectacular. The Pioneers were slightly concerned about the mess but they were reassured that everything would be fine when it rained.

Mr Grason agreed.

We had been using the chimebars in the classroom to experiment with rhythm. The beaters were repurposed and appeared in the Little Red Hen’s Kitchen in the form of Kebabs. This was a great new use for the sticks. The Pioneers were all interested in making kebabs and discussed that some may be having these at home in the holidays with marshmallow and chocolate.

We took the idea one step further and made some leaf kebabs in the forest. These allowed us to collect and compare leaves at various spots in the forest.The Pioneers spotted the difference in the shapes and the talked about the seeds that we found too.

When we brought the pumpkin in,it was clear that it needed a wash,so we washed it and scrubbed it and massaged it with bubbles and green froth.

So good.

A visit to the forest was required to locate our missing Leafpeople. Many were close to the edge of the forest. Some were stuck in bushes and trees. Poor Mrs McGill had great difficulty in finding her one and needed help. The Pioneers were very quick to offer kindness and support and after a long hard search the lost leafman was located.

We collected and pressed our autumnal treasures. When they were ready we were able to take inspiration from our beautiful Leafman book and make our own.We all experimented and everyone had their own individual style and composition. We discovered and disussed a new word for everyone “orchard”

Just beautiful

The Pioneers have enjoyed lots of opportunities to measure. They  took great care pouring and filling. They have estimated quantities when making bread. They took the scales to the forest to compare their forest finds. They are constantly building,inside and out,horizontally and vertically.

Lots of chat and working together and full focus and concentration.

Such Happy Learning.

Our world is full of things to count,inside and out. Pioneers love to tip things out and count and order and compare. We have made numberlines on the carpet and in the forest. We have started drawing and counting and using numberframes,on the table and on the whiteboard. We are starting to use = and + and write number sentences.

That’s Maths Magic!

Happy Reading Pioneers

On the shelf and in the box,here are this week’s featured texts.

Dough is always a favourite in the Pioneer Class. After reading the Little Red Hen, the children made their own dough. Each child had their own portion.There is so much learning to be done,making comparisons and considering ingredients.It takes a lot of communication and understanding to work alongside others and share the space and to clean up afterwards.

Go Pioneers

The Pioneers spent time exploring the potential of paint,mixing blues and greens. They used a selection of tools to move and mix the colour. There was silence in the room while they worked their magic.