Viking longships

We were set the challenge of making a Viking longship from a polystyrene take away container! The ship needed to be the right shape, have a sail and be able to FLOAT! Floating seemed to be the biggest challenge as our boats were great to look at with their colourful sails and shields.

The real fun came when we tested them! Some floated - some didn't no matter how hard we blew!

Norwegian Tog

Today we took part in the Norwegian Tog. We started at the pierhead where we were all given Norwegian flags to wave. We followed the pipe band and the other people in the parade and made our way up to the cathedral. We listened to some speeches and then shook hands with each other and wished Norway a happy birthday! 
We listened to a Strathspey and Reel group play some music and then made our way back to school. It was a lovely morning and we represented Glaitness well with our good behaviour.

Viking houses

We have finished our Viking house models. We used a range of materials and tried to make the insides look as real as possible. We really enjoyed the challenge of using tools and there were some great designs. Did you know that their animals sometimes lived in the houses with them too?
Their houses consisted of one big room for all the family. There was a big fireplace in the middle with a hole in the roof to let the smoke out!

Active!

This term we have already had a lot of active sessions. The weather has not been kind to us so far but we have enjoyed being outside for Tag rugby. On Wednesdays we have training sessions on the astro turf at Picky.

We took part in the Tag rugby festival on 4th May. There were teams from all over Orkney. It was very cold and windy but we had a great time and everyone played well. There was great sportsmanship all round and although we didn't win all our games, it was good to practise the skills we have been learning.

We also had Active schools in to teach us some golf skills before the open day at the golf club. We have some budding golfers in the class!

Mindful Awareness

This term we are working on becoming more mindfully aware. We are learning how different parts of our brains control how we think and act. We can train our brains to react positively and focus better by using different techniques. So far we are learning to control our breathing and use our senses to be aware of what is around us. 
To make sure that we keep our classroom a happy and optimistic place to learn we made a chart of mindful behaviour reminders to put on the wall.
These are the points that we think are important:

Mindful Awareness

I think before I act or speak.

I try to keep calm in difficult situations.

I try to focus when I listen.

I pay attention to what is around me.

I try to keep happy and positive.

I try to consider others.

I try to be prepared.

Vikings

We are studying the Vikings this term and have started off by looking at their homes.
We tested our memories and observation skills this week with a drawing activity. In groups we were given 1 minute to study a picture of the inside of a Viking home and then went back to our team table and drew what we could remember. The next person then had look at the picture and added to the drawing until we had all had a turn. 
We each got a second look at the picture and all agreed that the second time we really focused on the details. Our pictures were great!

                                                                              Adding detail

 

                                           Finished pictures