Lower Primary, YOU ROCK!

Welcome back to our last blog from this school year!

A lot has happened since our last blog! First we studied all about structures during our IPC Unit called “Buildings”. The children discovered many famous buildings from around the world. They created a little booklet, or how they like to call it “a little encyclopedia”, with lots of interesting facts about the buildings or monuments we explored in class. By using books, the internet and other sources of information, the children sketched the main features of each building.

We also studied how buildings have evolved through time, and visited one of the oldest streets here in our city, Ghent. The students observed very carefully, trying to catch every detail of the facades, and after that they created their final sketches. Back in the classroom the children used their sketches to construct a 3D relief model with clay. They also painted them, decorated them and created their own street.  

Finally, we studied different types of bridges, (the suspension bridge, the cantilever bridge, the beam bridge and the arch bridge) and the children constructed their own bridges by using popsicle sticks and glue.  Later we held a competition to see which bridge was the strongest. The results were surprising! 

Our last unit of enquiry for this school year has been The Magic Toy Maker. At the beginning of the Unit, for our Entry Point, we were surprised the children by giving them a huge box full of wonderful materials to build their own toys. The children showed their creativity and put together their own toy Museum with all kinds of different, unique and fantastic toys - a car, a spaceship, jungle animals, binoculars and other imaginary creatures!  

As part of this Unit we also explored toys from the past. We were delighted to receive some help from some parents who shared with us their favourite toys from when they were little. Gathering information from books and the internet we built a timeline of the evolution of toys, throughout the decades. Getting inspired by all these old and new toys, the children were challenged to write and illustrate a well-structured fiction story book. They were guided to include a beginning, a middle and an end to their story. They worked very hard, showing resilience and responsibility, and everybody felt very proud of the end results. If you would like to read our stories, please visit our own digital library!  

https://read.bookcreator.com/library/-NYRgl4UU0_dwXMJ3sKz

https://read.bookcreator.com/library/-NYX1RDKOjxgIt-ZxNZa  

To celebrate our Exit Point we visited the lovely Toy Museum located in Mechelen. The children experienced first hand some toys and games from the past, and they also got to study the famous painting “Children’s games” by Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel, painted in 1560.  

As well all this engaging learning, there has been much more happening in Lower Primary! Some of our highlights have been...immersing ourselves in the Catalan culture during our International Festival by learning some traditional songs, traditional instruments and even learning the most popular Catalan dance! We also organised our own Snack shop where the children practiced their numeracy skills by selling snacks and giving back the right change. To end the year with a splash we had a Water, Pizza and Ice cream Party! and to say goodbye to everybody in Lower Primary we had a cozy and delicious last breakfast all together! 

Ms Julieta and Ms Cristi want to thank everyone in Lower Primary for a fantastic year full of learning, full of fun, and full of love! We are very proud of every single student in our class. They all made a big effort to show us their best and we are so proud of them!  

Last but not least, we would like to wish Lana, Tomas and Matteo the best of luck in their new schools. We are sure they will make lots of new friends! Come and visit us from time to time, we will miss you! 

To all the rest of our super “Lower Primary” team, we will see you back in September! We are looking forward to enjoying a fantastic new school year, full of new adventures!

With lots of love,

Ms. Cristi & Ms. Julieta