In Class 4 we began the term with our Play Fire and Ice – The Theft of Idunna’s Apples!

This was a play from our Norse Mythology main lesson and the children were familiar with the characters which meant they were able to put lots of expression and  personality in to their parts.

It was our first play performed on the stage in the hall and we practiced projecting our voices to fill the hall, and using expression and gesture to tell the story. There were lots of laughs and drama as we rehearsed and became comfortable with scene changes, props and costumes.

A big feature of our play was the musical pieces that helped tell the story.

Many thanks to Marie who helped us put together 2 pieces that used cello, violin, glockenspiel and marimba.

We used our recorders and lyres as well as a xylophone and drum for other pieces in the play.  And of course singing was a must!  We sang our way through Asgard - the land of the gods, Jotunheim - the land of the giants, and the rainbow bridge in between worlds.

We have also been exploring the form and symmetry of Norse knots and symbols as part of our form drawing studies.  We practise the forms with chalk, pencil and crayon until our hand becomes familiar with the rhythm and structure of the design.

Recently we have experimented with painting the forms, representing them with masking tape and observing the space left in between.  The results have been quite eye-catching and we have used them to create a practical Father’s Day gift for the dads and grandads in our families.

Also this term we had the treat of seeing the creative and artistic representations of a range of animals in the wonderful dioramas that the children made over the holidays.  This was to compliment a written project completed at school. 

The children all gave fantastic informative talks about their chosen researched animal including its description, habitat, food, offspring, predators and relationship with humans.

They also explained how they made their dioramas and the materials they used.  Then they took questions from their audience.  It was fantastic to see how proud the children were about what they had learned and to hear about how they had engaged in the creative process of making the dioramas.  We hope you enjoy the photos.