Santa Sweetie Holders

This was our final crafty activity before we break up for the Christmas Holidays.

Again all our activities have come from RedTedArt and her excellent Christmas in the Classroom series on the Guardian website.

These Santa sweetie holders were quite easy to make, were not to fiddly and didn't involve lots of glue.

In making them we also managed to challenge the use of Toilet Rolls and Egg boxes in school art activities and finally 'broke the ban'. The Health and Safety executive included it as one of their Myths of the Month in 2007.

Here are some photos. You may notice that Santa has a variety of different coloured noses (someone had already raided the artstock for small red pom poms!)

Stained Glass (Tissue) Windows

This is our third post following the fantastic art activities from RedTedArt. Which are also featured in the Guardian's Christmas in the Classroom series.

They were quite simple to make, we did have a few accidents with a couple of windows sticking to the desks. We put that down to some over zealous glueing.

They look really lovely, especially when the light shines through them. Please note, the bottom picture was done by our talented classroom assistant.

(Not Quite Symmetrical) Cotton Bud Snowflakes

Our second Christmas art activity from Red Ted Art Blog is cotton bud snowflakes.

On Red Ted's Art blog the snowflakes are decorated with beads, but we didn't have beads, so we used glitter instead. Yes, that did mean a little bit of mess and a sparkly floor for the cleaners to clear up, but was worth it in the end.

We have put these snowflakes up on our class windows so the light will reflect off the glitter (when it isn't such a grey day).

This is what they look like

Swedish Hearts

The time is here for making Christmas decorations. So we have decided to get some fantastic ideas from Red Ted Art Blog.

Each day in the run up to Christmas the blog features a new decoration or Christmas related craft activity, and instructions on how to make it. These can also be found on the Guardian website (in case your over protective Local Education Authority bans access to blogs like our does!).

So last week we made Swedish Hearts, these are a little fiddly for young fingers, but teaches perseverance and fine motor control.

Here are some we made.

Here are some of our happy class members with their Swedish Hearts.

Summer Haiku Poems

In our first week back at school, we made haiku poems about summer.

Haiku poems have three lines and follow a pattern of 5 syllables, 7 syllables and 5 syllables.

Here are our poems.

I love summer days

When big flies come in my house

The sun is yellow

AW

Flowers are growing.

Lets go swimming in are pool.

Summer time is here.

A.C

Summer

Summer time is fun.

Flowers come out at summer

Summer is over.

BH

My holiday to London

I went to London

To see my happy daddy

For my holiday

BK

Summer poem

Now summer time is here.

The sun is out and shinning.

Everybody cheers.

CD

Sand looks like diamonds.

Waves are crashing on the beach.

Licking ice cream.

CH

Flowers are yellow

I like apples from the tree

The sky is light blue

CG

Sunflowers attract small birds

Sunflowers are fun to grow.

Sunflowers are very tall.

DK

Ice pop

I like ice-lollies

Strawberry, lemon

Vanilla cream too.

EJ

Flowers grow again

Sunflowers shine in the sky

Bees collect nectar

JR

A Fantastic Summer

Today is summer

Swimming pools are opening

Summer is the best

JJ

In the holidays.

I went to see young sharks.

I had a fun time.

KP

I went to Yarmouth

The sun was burning my arm.

The sun was burning.

LB

Summer

The summer is here.

I love swimming in the pool.

Lovely BBQs

LM.

Summer Times

Very warm today

Having a celebration

People are swimming

MW

Summer poem

Sandcastles are built

People are eating ice cream

Summer is here now

MT

I love swimming time.

Sun bathing is so good

I like ice cream too.

MH

They're Not Pets Susan

A farmer and his daughter where walking down to the shops. Suddenly they were hit by lightning. The lightning shrank them.

The Farmers daughter had a pet bee with her, which had not shrunk. The bee escaped out of its pot and attacked them.

“Step back, they’re not pets Susan!”

The farmer had his shotgun with him and he started shooting at the bee, so the bee stung him.

Susan called for help, rats came to help and they bit the farmer where he was stung. He got better, and then the rats left because they don’t like bees.

The farmer resumed shooting and then a bullet hit the bee and it fell down to the floor as dead as dead.

The farmer and his daughter were safe, but still small.

“What are we going to do now?” the Susan asked.

What do you think they should do next?

By S.P in 5m Inspired by Little People- A Tiny Street Art Project

Strange Story

I have not told this story to many people. It is a strange story and not everyone would believe it.

One fine sunny morning I woke up and there was a spell book next to me, so I looked inside it and there was one spell in the book that I had wanted to do for many years now.

So I decided to do it. It took me to a portal and I jumped in it and it sent me to some place and I did not now where it was. I could feel there was something bad. There was about five monsters, just standing there, but luckily there was some guns. So I killed all five of the monsters and I was safe. There were some stairs, so I walked up and there was a bedroom with some old man laying on a bed asleep.

I woke him up to see what was going on and he said there was some burglars and they let some monsters in the house to try and kill me so I ran up stairs and they could not get me up stairs finally the port opened and I jumped in it. It brought me back home so I went back to bed.

By DH in 5M

Leaf

My journey as a leaf was scary. In fact it was very scary! But it was great fun as I met lots of new friends on the way. Little did I know on my journey that it would change my life and my view of the world forever!

I was just a normal leaf on a normal tree. I didn’t seem important nor not important. To me, I was a non-special normal boring leaf. I never thought of being special, nor thought I would become special.

One sunny and scorching hot day every one was by the river having a picnic or BBQ. My day was going perfectly, I was getting a tan that made me even greener and I was able to relax. To the sweltering people’s relief a gust of wind came along. Now you might think I would be able to hold on to the tree, but the gust was very strong and it happened so quickly it took me by surprise. That is how most leafs die you see. So people were happy, but while they were enjoying it, I was battling the wind. I thought I was doing well until just at the very end, when I let go at the last second and the final strong gust pulled me away.

To make my relief the wind dropped me in the river, which carried me away. You see the wind is our long time enemy. So just to get me really annoyed the last of the wind did a small wave to me.

Grrr, that wind, even thinking about it cracks me up.

So my day didn’t go so much to plan. I was half way across the river, I crossed a few waterfalls and a v shape valley. Mind you those waterfalls were very bumpy!

I found my self-going round meanders and eventually I was in the great sea. By then I was very tired, suddenly I heard some one talk.

“You got dropped in the sea by the wind to?”

I replied slowly as I was cold and shivering.

“ Ye…yes… how d…d… how did y…you… Know?” I said chattering slowly.

“ Well you’re here aren’t you? Me names twiggy. Pleased to meet you.”

“ L…L….L…leaf …”

“ Leaf, a nice name, come on, cling on to me.” By now I saw twiggy bobbing up and down. I clung on to him tightly for safety. Just then we were washed up on the soft golden sands of a beach. We were stuck there for days, just basking in the sun.

One day a little girl walking on the beach picked us up, she came running to her mum with us, they had only just finished packing to go home. The girl got in the car and the car made a loud bang. I presumed it was an old car. When the girl arrived home she put us in a box. We were happy in our box and lived to an old age with other leaves and twigs till we crumbled away into dust.

By C.B. in 5M