Up and Away

We began our Up and Away unit by exploring everything about bubbles. We did this through many hands-on activities. We created art by blowing coloured bubbles or stamping them with different circle shapes. Then, we blew our own magic bubbles that could dance on the table. This was so much fun! We made them move, created animal shapes, and even held them in our hands without them popping. We also enjoyed practising adding small numbers together on a bubble popper.

In the second week, we flew a bit higher in the sky and learned all about kites. We went on our Entry Point trip to the Bourgoyen, where we blew bubbles with our homemade bubble wands and flew kites. We had so much fun that we wanted to make our own kites after the trip. We ended up making the prettiest diamond-shaped kites we had ever seen, some with rainbows and others with dinosaurs.

In the third week, we focused on kite patterns. We discovered how to mirror patterns on a kite using butterfly symmetry. After practising this a few times, we created unique patterned kites. Since we learned that kites can have different shapes, we wondered if the shape affected how well the kite flew. After making circular, square, and rectangular kites and comparing them, the children discovered that wind and having a tail are more decisive factors than shape.

In week 4, we learned about kite festivals around the world. We watched videos and listened to stories about kite festivals in China, Japan, India, and America. The learners loved seeing and recognising all the big animals, vehicles, and other shapes. Inspired by this tradition, we created our own kite festival by painting kites in shapes of our choice, including carrots, tomatoes, octopuses, dragons, and even a tiger. This week, we also learned to play a Domino game with kites and their shadows. Despite being a new game, all the children picked it up quickly and couldn’t stop playing.

In the 5th week, we explored hot air balloons and parachutes. We learned how hot air balloons rise and had fun experimenting with parachutes. Our class friend, Mr. Frog, wanted to fly, so we worked together to make a big papier-mâché hot air balloon. The group effort was amazing. Then it was time for our egg drop challenge, where they built constructions to protect eggs from breaking when dropped. In the end, we saved 7 out of 10 eggs and enjoyed them as a snack. We ended the week with a trip to the ‘STAM’ museum, where we viewed Ghent from a bird’s-eye view. We even found the ISG school on the map and some of the children’s homes.

In week 6, a rocket landing in our sleeping room prompted us to learn about space. We focused on the solar system, planets orbiting the sun, gravity, and astronauts. We played a hands-on planet counting and writing game, painted our favourite planets, and wrote their names. Our pretend area became a real rocket ship with dress-up clothes and buttons to steer. We also practised for the International Festival, which everyone really enjoyed!

The 7th week was all about aliens. We read many funny books, with ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ as our favourite. We created our own aliens, practising drawing and cutting, and played a silly counting game where we gave the aliens many eyes. We also finished our Parents’ Day gifts, which made the children very proud.

In week 8, we learned about how astronauts live in space. We discovered constellations and enjoyed finding shapes in them. We let our imaginations run free, creating or copying constellations, some abstract and others recognisable like rockets or bears. We also played a space board game, trying to cover our numbers the quickest. This week, we held our Sounds Party, we made crowns of our favourite sound, and danced to the  letter songs from the first three groups of letters from the Jolly Phonics Programme.

We started week 9 with our Exit Point trip to Ostend. Despite the changeable Belgian weather, we explored fishing boats, nets, and the fresh catch from the morning. After walking on the beach, the children concluded that, ‘the wind was funny and made us feel like kites’. Back in Ghent, we had an surprise visitor, Mia’s dad, an aeroplane engineer. We learned about the parts of a plane and how heavy planes lift off and stay in the air. We even folded our own aeroplanes and had a flying competition, with the furthest one flying 22 big steps away!

Week 10 was our last full week. We took a final trip to the Blaarmeersen and continued learning about airports. Our pretend area transformed into a real airport with a plane, ticket and security desk, pilot, stewards, and passengers. We created our own passports, played counting games, and ‘flew’ to our favourite destinations.

We ended the school year with week 11, making lasting memories. We started with the Wacky Olympics, played fun games together, and held a big end-of-year party.

I wish everyone an amazing summer holiday and lots of fun and learning on their adventures next school year!

Ms Erin