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  11. <title>Primary Art Archives - Collins | Freedom to Teach</title>
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  25. <title>Primary Art Archives - Collins | Freedom to Teach</title>
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  31. <title>Fibonacci Day &#8211; 23rd November</title>
  32. <link>https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/fibonacci-day-23rd-november/</link>
  33. <dc:creator><![CDATA[stefanlesik]]></dc:creator>
  34. <pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2015 14:45:07 +0000</pubDate>
  35. <category><![CDATA[Primary]]></category>
  36. <category><![CDATA[Primary Art]]></category>
  37. <category><![CDATA[Primary Maths]]></category>
  38. <category><![CDATA[Collins]]></category>
  39. <category><![CDATA[Collins Learning]]></category>
  40. <category><![CDATA[collins primary]]></category>
  41. <category><![CDATA[fibonacci]]></category>
  42. <category><![CDATA[fibonacci day]]></category>
  43. <category><![CDATA[fibonacci in nature]]></category>
  44. <category><![CDATA[free activities]]></category>
  45. <category><![CDATA[free resources]]></category>
  46. <category><![CDATA[lesson ideas]]></category>
  47. <category><![CDATA[maths]]></category>
  48. <category><![CDATA[primary]]></category>
  49. <category><![CDATA[primary maths]]></category>
  50. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/2015/11/02/fibonacci-day-23rd-november/</guid>
  51.  
  52. <description><![CDATA[<p>Leonardo Fibonacci lived in the 12th and 13th century and was considered the greatest western mathematician of the Middle Ages. He helped to replace Roman numerals with the Arabic ones we know today but his most famous legacy is the Fibonacci Series, a number sequence from which comes a number known variously as the Golden Mean, the Golden Number or the Golden Ratio which mirrors the proportion seen in nature and perceived beauty. In this series of activities, pupils will investigate the sequence and see how the numbers discovered can be found in nature.</p>
  53. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/fibonacci-day-23rd-november/">Fibonacci Day &#8211; 23rd November</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  54. ]]></description>
  55. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Leonardo Fibonacci lived in the 12th and 13th century and was considered the greatest western mathematician of the Middle Ages. He helped to replace Roman numerals with the Arabic ones we know today but his most famous legacy is the Fibonacci Series, a number sequence from which comes a number known variously as the Golden Mean, the Golden Number or the Golden Ratio which mirrors the proportion seen in nature and perceived beauty. In this series of activities, pupils will investigate the sequence and see how the numbers discovered can be found in nature.</p>
  56. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/fibonacci-spiral-1.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-5860" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/fibonacci-spiral-1.jpg" alt="fibonacci spiral" width="588" height="111" /></a></p>
  57. <p><strong>Activity One: Number Patterns</strong></p>
  58. <p><strong>Suitable for: Rec to Year 6</strong></p>
  59. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  60. <ul>
  61. <li><em>Understand that patterns in number sequences can help us find other numbers in the series</em></li>
  62. <li><em>Be able to calculate terms in a sequence based on information given</em></li>
  63. </ul>
  64. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  65. <p>Give the pupils simple number sequences (difficulty dependent on age and ability) and ask them to say which numbers come next and why.</p>
  66. <p><strong>1, 3, 6, 10, 15, &#8230;</strong></p>
  67. <p>Here, they should spot that the difference between the numbers in the sequence rises by one each time so the next numbers should be +6 to make 21 then +7 to make 28.</p>
  68. <p>The Fibonacci series is different, interesting but not hard to identify if the pupils look closely enough . . .</p>
  69. <p><strong>1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89,</strong></p>
  70. <p>As you see, the number is the sum of the previous two so ask the pupils what they think the next two numbers might be (paper might be required here!)</p>
  71. <p>As an extension activity, ask the pupils to use a calculator to find the answer to a number divided by the previous one. Try several and they should find similar answers which are known as the golden number of the golden ratio.</p>
  72. <p><strong>Activity Two: Fibonacci in art &#8211; drawing faces</strong></p>
  73. <p><strong>Suitable for: Year 1 to Year 6</strong></p>
  74. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  75. <ul>
  76. <li><em>To be able to draw faces using proportions found from using the Fibonacci sequence</em></li>
  77. </ul>
  78. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  79. <p>Drawing a face and getting the proportions right with the positions of eyes, nose and mouth is difficult until you use the golden ratio and golden rectangles.</p>
  80. <p>The face can almost always be drawn inside a golden rectangle where the ratio of the height to the width is 1.618 to 1.</p>
  81. <p>Divide this rectangle in half horizontally and you&#8217;ll have the line of the eyes.</p>
  82. <p>Draw a vertical line bisecting the bottom rectangle and then draw a rectangle at the top of each half where the position of the bottom line is half the height of the face divided by 1.618. This gives the position of the mouth. To get the position and size of the nose, draw a rectangle from level with the eyes, down to just above the mouth with the width at a ratio of 1:1.618 of the height. Draw the nose in and you&#8217;ll have fairly accurate positions of the main facial features, ready to add detail.</p>
  83. <p><strong>Activity Three: Drawing spirals from nature using Fibonacci</strong></p>
  84. <p><strong>Suitable for: Rec to Year 6</strong></p>
  85. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  86. <ul>
  87. <li><em>To be able to use the Golden Ratio from the Fibonacci series to draw spirals seen in nature</em></li>
  88. </ul>
  89. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  90. <p>To draw a perfect natural spiral such as those seen in shells, use the following process:</p>
  91. <p>Draw a square. Now draw another square alongside it where the length of the square is a ratio of 1:1.618 of the original square&#8217;s size.</p>
  92. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/fibonacci-1-1.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5859" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/fibonacci-1-1.jpg" alt="fibonacci 1" width="433" height="271" /></a></p>
  93. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  94. <p>From this shape, draw curves which join to form a spiral:</p>
  95. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/fibonacci-2-1.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5858" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/fibonacci-2-1.jpg" alt="fibonacci 2" width="442" height="278" /></a></p>
  96. <p><strong>Activity Four: Fibonacci in flowers</strong></p>
  97. <p><strong>Suitable for: Year 2 to Year 6</strong></p>
  98. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  99. <ul>
  100. <li><em>Investigate the number of petals in different types of flower</em></li>
  101. <li><em>Reason why the number of petals on flowers are numbers in the Fibonacci series</em></li>
  102. </ul>
  103. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  104. <p>This is an interesting investigation. You won&#8217;t find many flowers in bloom on Fibonacci Day so bring in a selection from a supermarket or florists. Ask the pupils to carefully pull the petals off and count how many there were. It doesn&#8217;t matter how many you try or which species, they will always find a similar set of numbers which a bright spark will notice are numbers in the Fibonacci series.</p>
  105. <p>Can they decide on a reason why?</p>
  106. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/fibonacci-day-23rd-november/">Fibonacci Day &#8211; 23rd November</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  107. ]]></content:encoded>
  108. </item>
  109. <item>
  110. <title>Maths &#8211; Enrichment Games</title>
  111. <link>https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/maths-enrichment-games/</link>
  112. <dc:creator><![CDATA[stefanlesik]]></dc:creator>
  113. <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2015 09:40:06 +0000</pubDate>
  114. <category><![CDATA[Primary]]></category>
  115. <category><![CDATA[Primary Art]]></category>
  116. <category><![CDATA[Primary Maths]]></category>
  117. <category><![CDATA[Collins]]></category>
  118. <category><![CDATA[collins primary]]></category>
  119. <category><![CDATA[decimals]]></category>
  120. <category><![CDATA[enrichment activities]]></category>
  121. <category><![CDATA[integers]]></category>
  122. <category><![CDATA[lesson activities]]></category>
  123. <category><![CDATA[lesson ideas]]></category>
  124. <category><![CDATA[mathematicians]]></category>
  125. <category><![CDATA[maths]]></category>
  126. <category><![CDATA[maths activities]]></category>
  127. <category><![CDATA[maths enrichment]]></category>
  128. <category><![CDATA[maths functions]]></category>
  129. <category><![CDATA[maths games]]></category>
  130. <category><![CDATA[multiplication]]></category>
  131. <category><![CDATA[primary]]></category>
  132. <category><![CDATA[shapes]]></category>
  133. <category><![CDATA[tessellation]]></category>
  134. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/2015/09/07/maths-enrichment-games/</guid>
  135.  
  136. <description><![CDATA[<p>Maths is fun to many anyway but you can make it even more fun and develop a deeper understanding of &#8230; <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/maths-enrichment-games/">Continued</a></p>
  137. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/maths-enrichment-games/">Maths &#8211; Enrichment Games</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  138. ]]></description>
  139. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Maths is fun to many anyway but you can make it even more fun and develop a deeper understanding of the processes involved by introducing more fun and practical activities. There are many ways to introduce fun activities and here, we share six of our favourites.</p>
  140. <p><strong>Activity One: Function Steps</strong></p>
  141. <p><strong>Suitable for: Rec to Year 6</strong></p>
  142. <p><strong>Learning Focus: </strong></p>
  143. <ul>
  144. <li><em>Understand that numbers can be made from others using number functions</em></li>
  145. <li><em>Use previously acquired skills to identify the number function used</em></li>
  146. </ul>
  147. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  148. <p>On the board write two numbers, perhaps 2 and 5. Ask the pupils what we can do to 2 to make five. Start by using a single step approach so you might hear, add &#8216;add 3&#8217; or if you&#8217;re working with older pupils, &#8216;multiply by 2.5&#8217;. Now ask them if they can suggest a way to do it in two steps using different processes. They may now say &#8216;add 2 then add 1&#8217; or &#8216;multiply by 3 then take 1&#8217;.</p>
  149. <p>Depending on the age and ability of the pupils you can widen the gap or even make the gap less than 1 and ask them for two or more different processes. To make it easier, although sometimes harder, place a third number between the originals that has to be reached on the way to the end number.</p>
  150. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/unnamed-file.numbers-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-5653" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/unnamed-file.numbers-3.jpg" alt="numbers" width="256" height="256" /></a></p>
  151. <p><strong>Activity Two: Countdown</strong></p>
  152. <p><strong>Suitable for: Year 1 to Year 6</strong></p>
  153. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  154. <ul>
  155. <li><em>Understand how a number can be changed by using mathematical functions and other numbers</em></li>
  156. <li><em>Be able to work back from an answer to find missing parts of the question</em></li>
  157. </ul>
  158. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  159. <p>The last activity is a good introduction to what is often used as a filler activity but which can also be used as a practice exercise for logical thinking in maths.</p>
  160. <p>In the TV programme, the teams are given a number which they have to make given a selection of other numbers using mathematical functions.</p>
  161. <p>You can cheat a little depending on the group by giving them numbers you can be easily used to make the target number but for older and more able pupils, see how they manage with randomly chosen numbers. If an exact answer isn&#8217;t possible, the pupil that gets nearest wins. You can get the pupils to do this individually or as small groups.</p>
  162. <p>e.g. Target number 525, randomly chosen digits 10, 100, 25, 2</p>
  163. <p>10 ÷ 2 x 100 + 25</p>
  164. <p><strong>Activity Three: Tessellation</strong></p>
  165. <p><strong>Suitable for: Rec to Year 6</strong></p>
  166. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  167. <ul>
  168. <li><em>Find out about the properties of 2D shapes</em></li>
  169. <li><em>Identify why some shapes will fit together without gaps and others won&#8217;t</em></li>
  170. </ul>
  171. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  172. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/tessellation2-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-5851" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/tessellation2-1.jpg" alt="tessellation2" width="555" height="115" /></a></p>
  173. <p>Tessellation to many is simply thought of as a form of art using 2D shapes but it can teach us so much more. Would builders use spherical bricks? Do bees use oval cells? The answer is no and for reasons you can discuss with the pupils. Doing this activity in 2D form &#8211; as a drawing or painting gives an initial idea of property &#8211; which shapes fit together without a gap and why. Doing the activity in 3D with blocks shows the constructional advantages of tessellations used by builders and bees!</p>
  174. <p>Give the pupils a selection of 2D shapes and ask them to try to fit them together without any gaps.</p>
  175. <p>Can they use different shapes in the same design?</p>
  176. <p>Why do some shapes fit perfectly and not others?</p>
  177. <p>Can they draw a shape of their own which will tessellate?</p>
  178. <p>If you have 3D blocks in different shapes, ask them to try to tessellate them. Is the pattern stronger for those that do than those which don&#8217;t?</p>
  179. <p>Finally, look for tessellation patterns around us.</p>
  180. <p><strong>Activity Four: Moebius Strip</strong></p>
  181. <p><strong>Suitable for: Year 2 to Year 6</strong></p>
  182. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  183. <ul>
  184. <li><em>Investigate the number of surfaces of a piece of paper</em></li>
  185. <li><em>Reason about maths</em></li>
  186. </ul>
  187. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  188. <p>This short activity has fascinated mathematicians and pupils for centuries. The question to be posed here is &#8216;How many surfaces does a piece of paper have?&#8217;</p>
  189. <p>The obvious answer is two although the clever ones will say that a piece of paper is effectively a cuboid as it has sides on its edges!</p>
  190. <p>Cut a strip of paper and twist it once before joining the ends together with sellotape. Now carefully begin drawing a line along the centre of the strip. What do you notice?</p>
  191. <p>What the pupils should have noticed is that the line seems to have been drawn on both sides of the paper, effectively meaning it only had one side.</p>
  192. <p>How can this be?</p>
  193. <p><strong>Activity Five: Halving</strong></p>
  194. <p><strong>Suitable for: Year 2 to Year 6</strong></p>
  195. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  196. <ul>
  197. <li><em>Be able to halve a number to make integers or decimals</em></li>
  198. <li><em>To be able to reason about numbers and functions</em></li>
  199. </ul>
  200. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/water-bottles-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5835" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/water-bottles-1.jpg" alt="water bottles" width="486" height="314" /></a></p>
  201. <p>For this activity, give the pupils this problem to think about . . .</p>
  202. <p>I am on a lifeboat, stranded at sea after my ship has sunk. I have 16 litres of water on board but I don&#8217;t know how long it will be until I am rescued. I decide to drink half of my water on the first day (8 litres), then half of what is left on the second day (4 litres), then half of what is left on the third day etc. When will my water run out?</p>
  203. <p>Will I ever run out of water?</p>
  204. <p>Is there a number so small, we could think of it as zero?</p>
  205. <p><strong>Activity Six: Playground Coordinates</strong></p>
  206. <p><strong>Suitable for: Year 2 to Year 6</strong></p>
  207. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  208. <ul>
  209. <li><em>Understand how position is given using a pair of coordinates</em></li>
  210. <li><em>Use coordinate grids to plot position</em></li>
  211. </ul>
  212. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  213. <p>We&#8217;ve all worked with coordinate grids in the classroom but by painting or chalking a coordinate grid on the playground, especially if it&#8217;s marked in standard measurements like a metre per square, you&#8217;ll encourage the pupils to practise their coordinate work at playtime. Incorporate the grid with the points of the compass and you&#8217;ll double the potential for learning.</p>
  214. <p>A great game using this is to prepare &#8216;movement cards&#8217;, effectively vectors, which will say how far along and up or down the grid the pupils need to move.</p>
  215. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/unnamed-file.numbers-4.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5829" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/unnamed-file.numbers-4.jpg" alt="numbers" width="72" height="54" /></a></p>
  216. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  217. <p>The pupils take it in turn to choose a card and, using the example above, it means the pupil must move six squares along the x-axis and three squares down the y-axis. Played in pairs, the winner is the one who lands on the other&#8217;s spot. If their movement card means they leave the grid, the game can be over or they can miss a turn.</p>
  218. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/maths-enrichment-games/">Maths &#8211; Enrichment Games</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  219. ]]></content:encoded>
  220. </item>
  221. <item>
  222. <title>Sundials</title>
  223. <link>https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/sundials/</link>
  224. <dc:creator><![CDATA[stefanlesik]]></dc:creator>
  225. <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2015 07:31:21 +0000</pubDate>
  226. <category><![CDATA[Primary Art]]></category>
  227. <category><![CDATA[Primary Science]]></category>
  228. <category><![CDATA[Collins]]></category>
  229. <category><![CDATA[Collins Learning]]></category>
  230. <category><![CDATA[free activities]]></category>
  231. <category><![CDATA[free lesson ideas]]></category>
  232. <category><![CDATA[free resources]]></category>
  233. <category><![CDATA[movement of the sun]]></category>
  234. <category><![CDATA[primary lesson]]></category>
  235. <category><![CDATA[primary school]]></category>
  236. <category><![CDATA[primary science]]></category>
  237. <category><![CDATA[science]]></category>
  238. <category><![CDATA[science activities]]></category>
  239. <category><![CDATA[science resources]]></category>
  240. <category><![CDATA[sundial]]></category>
  241. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/2015/07/02/sundials/</guid>
  242.  
  243. <description><![CDATA[<p>When it shines, we&#8217;re all aware of the passage of the sun and the shadows it creates. This activity allows &#8230; <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/sundials/">Continued</a></p>
  244. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/sundials/">Sundials</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  245. ]]></description>
  246. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When it shines, we&#8217;re all aware of the passage of the sun and the shadows it creates. This activity allows the pupils to investigate shadows created by the sun and to use them to tell the time. There&#8217;s added extension in this activity as the pupils find that the &#8216;clock&#8217; is not always accurate and need to understand why.</p>
  247. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity: The Movement of the Sun</strong></span></p>
  248. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_1377168-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter  wp-image-5476" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_1377168-1.jpg" alt="shutterstock_1377168" width="571" height="381" /></a></p>
  249. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong><br />
  250. Year 3 to Year 6</p>
  251. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  252. <ul>
  253. <li>Recognise that the sun changes position in the sky during the day</li>
  254. <li>Understand that the length and position of shadows is dependent on the position of the sun and that this is dependent on the time of year</li>
  255. </ul>
  256. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  257. <p>Place a rounders&#8217; post in an open part of the playground. At various times of the school day when the sun is shining, take the class outside to mark the length and position of the shadows. If you do it on the hour and maybe the half hour, labelling the shadow ends, you&#8217;ll have a crude sundial clock.</p>
  258. <p>The difficulty of keeping and using this sundial is its practicality and a smaller version would be more useful. The art aspect of this activity enables the pupils to make a smaller sundial.</p>
  259. <p>Use a piece of board &#8211; MDF, pine or plywood will do and, depending on the age of the pupils, ask them to drill a hole in the board, the same diameter as a piece of thin dowel or do it for them. Insert the dowel and then place the sundial in a location they think is suitable.</p>
  260. <p>They should then calibrate their sundials carefully every hour or half hour.</p>
  261. <p>The next day they should find they can use them to tell the time BUT&#8230;</p>
  262. <p>If the sundial&#8217;s location has been moved, even slightly, the calibrations will be wrong. Can they find another part of the playground where the sundial will work? What about if they take their sundials home &#8211; do they work there? The answer is that yes they should. Will they work at different times of the year?</p>
  263. <p>There&#8217;s another form of sundial that it&#8217;s fun to experiment with and that&#8217;s one that hangs vertically on a wall. Use the same approach of a board with a piece of dowel in it and ask the pupils to decide where they think it would be best to hang it for it to measure the time. Once calibrated, can they find a similar location for their sundial where it will also work? What do the two locations have in common?</p>
  264. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/sundials/">Sundials</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  265. ]]></content:encoded>
  266. </item>
  267. <item>
  268. <title>Science &#8211; Outdoor Art and Science</title>
  269. <link>https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/science-outdoor-art-science/</link>
  270. <dc:creator><![CDATA[stefanlesik]]></dc:creator>
  271. <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2015 13:54:53 +0000</pubDate>
  272. <category><![CDATA[Primary Art]]></category>
  273. <category><![CDATA[Primary Science]]></category>
  274. <category><![CDATA[butterflies]]></category>
  275. <category><![CDATA[Collins]]></category>
  276. <category><![CDATA[Collins Learning]]></category>
  277. <category><![CDATA[free activities]]></category>
  278. <category><![CDATA[free lesson ideas]]></category>
  279. <category><![CDATA[free lessons]]></category>
  280. <category><![CDATA[free resources]]></category>
  281. <category><![CDATA[habitat]]></category>
  282. <category><![CDATA[nature]]></category>
  283. <category><![CDATA[outdoor science]]></category>
  284. <category><![CDATA[primary science]]></category>
  285. <category><![CDATA[science]]></category>
  286. <category><![CDATA[science activities]]></category>
  287. <category><![CDATA[science lessons]]></category>
  288. <category><![CDATA[symmetry]]></category>
  289. <category><![CDATA[trees]]></category>
  290. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/2015/06/10/science-outdoor-art-science/</guid>
  291.  
  292. <description><![CDATA[<p>With the warmer summer weather on its way, there&#8217;s no better time to take science out to where it all &#8230; <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/science-outdoor-art-science/">Continued</a></p>
  293. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/science-outdoor-art-science/">Science &#8211; Outdoor Art and Science</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  294. ]]></description>
  295. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With the warmer summer weather on its way, there&#8217;s no better time to take science out to where it all happens and at the same time, incorporate a little art into the mix. These activities work for a range of ages and will ensure fun is had along with the learning.</p>
  296. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity: Investigating Tree Bark</strong></span></p>
  297. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong><br />
  298. Year 3 to Year 6</p>
  299. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  300. <ul>
  301. <li>Understand why trees have bark, some smooth, others rough</li>
  302. <li>Make a tree identification guide based on bark</li>
  303. </ul>
  304. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  305. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_66708127-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter  wp-image-5464" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_66708127-1.jpg" alt="shutterstock_66708127" width="484" height="323" /></a></p>
  306. <p>Find a tree in the school grounds and ask the pupils to name the different parts of it and what each part does. Most children should know that the bark is a little like our skin, it protects the delicate and important inner parts of a tree from harm.</p>
  307. <p>Ask them if they know what we think of as the tree&#8217;s &#8216;blood&#8217; is called (sap). Tell them that this flows around the tree in a thin layer just under the bark and that if it wasn&#8217;t for the bark, the sap would dry up and the tree would die.</p>
  308. <p>Try to find two trees with different types of bark, one smooth and one rough. Ask the children to feel the difference between them with their fingers. Can they suggest reasons for the difference?</p>
  309. <p>Smooth bark is slow growing and is usually found on slow growing trees. Bark which is rough is caused by the tree growing quickly and the bark splits and cracks as the trunk expands.</p>
  310. <p>For a classroom record of our work, ask the pupils to do bark rubbings of the trees using crayons and paper. Then, back in class, use the guide available here: <a href="http://quest42.co.uk/woodwork/treebark/treebark.htm">http://quest42.co.uk/woodwork/treebark/treebark.htm</a> to identify what species the trees are.</p>
  311. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity: Craters</strong></span></p>
  312. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong><br />
  313. Year 2 to Year 6</p>
  314. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  315. <ul>
  316. <li>Recognise the distinctive mark left behind by a meteor impact</li>
  317. <li>Understand how impacts leave different craters in different materials</li>
  318. </ul>
  319. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  320. <p>Show the pupils a picture of the moon and ask them to identify any features they can see. One of the features should be the craters left by meteor impacts.</p>
  321. <p>Ask them to describe the crater in more detail then tell them that they are going to make their own craters.</p>
  322. <p>You&#8217;ll need trays of sand, wet mud and not such wet mud together with some marbles.</p>
  323. <p>Ask the children to drop the marbles onto the trays from different heights, different angles and at different speeds, photographing the results. Do they notice any differences in the splatter pattern? With the mud craters, it may be possible to let them dry out and put them on display. You could even use plaster of Paris.</p>
  324. <p>If you have a video camera available, it&#8217;s worth videoing the event from the side and then playing it back at a slow speed to see what happens.</p>
  325. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity: Cairns</strong></span></p>
  326. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong><br />
  327. Year 2 to Year 6</p>
  328. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  329. <ul>
  330. <li>To understand what cairns are used for</li>
  331. <li>To make a cairn of their own as part of a trail</li>
  332. </ul>
  333. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  334. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_63493189-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter  wp-image-5469" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_63493189-1.jpg" alt="shutterstock_63493189" width="537" height="358" /></a></p>
  335. <p>Ask the pupils to remind you of the story of Hansel and Gretel and in particular, how they found their way home from the woods.</p>
  336. <p>Now ask them to imagine that they were Hansel and Gretel and instead of being taken into the woods, they were taken up into the mountains. How would they mark the way to know their way home?</p>
  337. <p>After discussing their answers, show them the picture found at <a title="cairns" href="http://bit.ly/1B0LdFw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://bit.ly/1B0LdFw</a> and ask if they know what the stone tower is called and what it&#8217;s used for?</p>
  338. <p>These stone towers are called &#8216;cairns&#8217; and they have been used for millennia to mark trails or the tops of hills and mountains.</p>
  339. <p>Arrange for a trip to a pebbly beach or a stony area and ask the pupils to make their own cairns at suitable points in the area. They should think where the cairn should be located for visibility and how they could use it to indicate where they need to go to next in designing and setting out a circular trail.</p>
  340. <p>Sometimes, all walkers have to do is reach a cairn and scan the horizon to find the next one and walk to it.</p>
  341. <p>Cairns don&#8217;t just have to be functional, they can be attractive too. Ask the pupils to think carefully about the design of their cairn and photograph it after they have completed it.</p>
  342. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity: Design Your Own Butterfly</strong></span></p>
  343. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong><br />
  344. Year R to Year 6</p>
  345. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  346. <ul>
  347. <li>To understand why butterfly wings come in different colours and patterns</li>
  348. <li>To be able to describe how their design fits with the habitat of the butterfly</li>
  349. </ul>
  350. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  351. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_38704306-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter  wp-image-5473" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_38704306-1.jpg" alt="shutterstock_38704306" width="473" height="352" /></a></p>
  352. <p>Look at pictures of different common butterflies such as the Red Admiral, Tortoiseshell, Skipper, White and Peacock. All of them have different colours and patterns on their wings.</p>
  353. <p>You&#8217;ll find plenty here: <a href="http://www.britishbutterflies.co.uk/">http://www.britishbutterflies.co.uk/</a></p>
  354. <p>Ask the children why they think the butterflies are different? We need to be careful here because many pupils will say that the butterflies&#8217; colour is for camouflage but this is not always the case. The Peacock, for example, is designed to frighten predators with the large &#8216;eye&#8217; on its wings.</p>
  355. <p>Tell them that they are going to design their own butterfly and that they will need to think about where it lives, if there are predators around and whether it needs to be camouflaged against its surroundings. Make the pictures big and they&#8217;ll be perfect for a summer classroom display. Older pupils should be asked to do a small piece of writing to accompany their picture to explain their design.</p>
  356. <p>They should remember that butterfly wings are symmetrical when they paint or colour their design.</p>
  357. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  358. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/science-outdoor-art-science/">Science &#8211; Outdoor Art and Science</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  359. ]]></content:encoded>
  360. </item>
  361. <item>
  362. <title>English &#8211; The General Election</title>
  363. <link>https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/english-general-election/</link>
  364. <dc:creator><![CDATA[stefanlesik]]></dc:creator>
  365. <pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2015 09:00:29 +0000</pubDate>
  366. <category><![CDATA[Primary Art]]></category>
  367. <category><![CDATA[Primary Literacy]]></category>
  368. <category><![CDATA[Collins]]></category>
  369. <category><![CDATA[collins literacy]]></category>
  370. <category><![CDATA[english lesson ideas]]></category>
  371. <category><![CDATA[general election]]></category>
  372. <category><![CDATA[literacy]]></category>
  373. <category><![CDATA[primary activities]]></category>
  374. <category><![CDATA[primary literacy]]></category>
  375. <category><![CDATA[primary resources]]></category>
  376. <category><![CDATA[writing activities]]></category>
  377. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/2015/05/15/english-general-election/</guid>
  378.  
  379. <description><![CDATA[<p>May 7 saw the political parties battle it out to see who would govern the UK for the next five years. &#8230; <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/english-general-election/">Continued</a></p>
  380. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/english-general-election/">English &#8211; The General Election</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  381. ]]></description>
  382. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>May 7 saw the political parties battle it out to see who would govern the UK for the next five years. It&#8217;s possible to do a topic on the election in two different ways, one focusing on the actual politics, the other on the election process which is what this set of activities sets out to do.</p>
  383. <p>The theory behind democracy goes back hundreds of years, in fact to the time of King John when the absolute power of the monarch was challenged by the lords and the Magna Carta codified the shift in the balance of power to a democracy.</p>
  384. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity: Fruit Election!</strong></span></p>
  385. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_108736679-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter  wp-image-5436" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_108736679-1.jpg" alt="shutterstock_108736679" width="591" height="386" /></a></p>
  386. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong><br />
  387. Year 2 to Year 6</p>
  388. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  389. <ul>
  390. <li>Understand how slogans focus marketing ideas for businesses and organisations</li>
  391. <li>Be able to devise a slogan that communicates the intended message</li>
  392. </ul>
  393. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  394. <p>Elections needn&#8217;t just be about politics, it&#8217;s about choice and here, using fruit, or even drinks, you can set up a fun election for the school.</p>
  395. <p>Decide on which fruits want to be &#8220;elected&#8221; as the &#8220;school fruit&#8221; and name the &#8220;parties&#8221; accordingly.</p>
  396. <p>The first task is to create a slogan and a logo for the party. This can be done as a combined art and English exercise. It&#8217;s worth looking at political party logos and slogans for some ideas, then look at advertising slogans. Remind the pupils it should be short and snappy.</p>
  397. <p>Extend the task by getting the pupils to design posters for their fruit, incorporating their slogan and logo.</p>
  398. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity: Manifesto Time</strong></span></p>
  399. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong><br />
  400. Year 2 to Year 6</p>
  401. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  402. <ul>
  403. <li>Be able to communicate an idea simply and in language suitable for the intended audience</li>
  404. </ul>
  405. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  406. <p>A manifesto is a written document that explains what a political party stands for and what it will offer. In this activity, the pupils can explain the benefits of their party fruit.</p>
  407. <p>The writing doesn&#8217;t need to be very long but they&#8217;ll have to be sure of their facts. They could find out about the health benefits, the taste, what it can be used for, the benefits to the growers as well as how popular it is with children elsewhere.</p>
  408. <p>In completing the writing, the pupils should focus on making it persuasive, clear and concise. They could even use comparison in promoting its benefits against that of the other fruit.</p>
  409. <p>The manifesto could be completed in writing, word processed, done as a poster or as a PowerPoint.</p>
  410. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity: Hustings!</strong></span></p>
  411. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong><br />
  412. Year 2 to Year 6</p>
  413. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  414. <ul>
  415. <li>Be able to speak clearly and persuasively on a topic for a length of time</li>
  416. <li>To use language effectively to persuade including rhetoric, power of three and language choice</li>
  417. </ul>
  418. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  419. <p>Where elections are won or lost is in the persuasion of the public by a party leader or party member. In this activity, the members of each fruit party can stand up in front of the class or assembly and try to persuade the &#8216;electorate&#8217; to support their fruit.</p>
  420. <p>There are several ways to do this:</p>
  421. <p>Get younger pupils to write a persuasive sentence about their fruit and read it to the assembly</p>
  422. <p>Ask the whole class to contribute ideas to a speech which a party &#8216;leader&#8217; will then deliver</p>
  423. <p>Ask each pupil to write a persuasive speech, then choose the four best from each party to be read out in assembly.</p>
  424. <p>In writing the sentence or speech, ask the pupils to focus on key aspects of persuasion. For older pupils, it&#8217;s worth listening to some of the speeches from political leaders to identify the use of language devices.</p>
  425. <p>The main points to focus on are:</p>
  426. <ol>
  427. <li>Power of three &#8211; it&#8217;s orange, it&#8217;s called an orange and it tastes orangey</li>
  428. <li>Rhetoric &#8211; asking questions for which you don&#8217;t need an answer &#8211; how could you possibly NOT like bananas</li>
  429. <li>Powerful language &#8211; your life will never be the same after your first pineapple!</li>
  430. </ol>
  431. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  432. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity: The Election!</strong></span></p>
  433. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_128566037-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter  wp-image-5440" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/shutterstock_128566037-1.jpg" alt="shutterstock_128566037" width="439" height="293" /></a></p>
  434. <p>This is the culmination of all the pupils&#8217; work.</p>
  435. <p>On the day chosen for the election, put out plates of pieces of the individual fruits having counted them beforehand.</p>
  436. <p>For the election, instead of putting an X in a box, ask the children to choose one piece of fruit and to work out which one wins, find out which fruit has the least left.</p>
  437. <p>You can round up the action with an acceptance speech from the leader of the winning fruit party.</p>
  438. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/english-general-election/">English &#8211; The General Election</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  439. ]]></content:encoded>
  440. </item>
  441. <item>
  442. <title>Maths: Shape</title>
  443. <link>https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/maths-shape-2/</link>
  444. <dc:creator><![CDATA[stefanlesik]]></dc:creator>
  445. <pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2014 08:51:18 +0000</pubDate>
  446. <category><![CDATA[Primary]]></category>
  447. <category><![CDATA[Primary Art]]></category>
  448. <category><![CDATA[Primary Maths]]></category>
  449. <category><![CDATA[maths]]></category>
  450. <category><![CDATA[maths activities]]></category>
  451. <category><![CDATA[primary maths]]></category>
  452. <category><![CDATA[reflection]]></category>
  453. <category><![CDATA[shapes]]></category>
  454. <category><![CDATA[symmetrical]]></category>
  455. <category><![CDATA[symmetry]]></category>
  456. <category><![CDATA[tessellation]]></category>
  457. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/2014/10/08/maths-shape-2/</guid>
  458.  
  459. <description><![CDATA[<p>Activity 1: Tessellation Suitable for: Year 2 to Year 6 Learning Focus: Identify and use the properties of simple and &#8230; <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/maths-shape-2/">Continued</a></p>
  460. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/maths-shape-2/">Maths: Shape</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  461. ]]></description>
  462. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity 1: Tessellation</strong></span></p>
  463. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong> Year 2 to Year 6</p>
  464. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  465. <ul>
  466. <li>Identify and use the properties of simple and more complex shapes to explain tessellation</li>
  467. <li>To be able to create a shape that tessellates and explain why it does</li>
  468. </ul>
  469. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  470. <p>Tessellations are a fun maths and art activity but it&#8217;s also a good way to get pupils thinking about shape. Why some simple shapes tessellate is quite easy to understand but when you look at more complex shapes, understanding why becomes more difficult. Tessellation is also known as tiling for, as you&#8217;ll see on a roof, a floor or on a kitchen or bathroom wall, tiles must fit together without gaps to stop water penetrating.</p>
  471. <p>Give the pupils a range of 2D shapes, plastic if possible, if not, thick card will do. If you have plenty of them you can ask the children to sort them into squares, circles, triangles etc then arrange each set of shapes so they touch leaving no gaps between them.</p>
  472. <p>Use the <a title="question sheet" href="http://resources.collins.co.uk/blogs/Tessellations_Recording_Sheet.docx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accompanying question sheet</a> to allow them to reason about the shapes and their tiling properties.</p>
  473. <p>Now give them a square of card 5cm x 5cm. Ask them to draw and cut a curved or zigzagging line across it from one side to the other then, without turning the shapes over or rotating them, join them with sellotape along the straight edge opposite where they cut and repeat the procedure with a line and cut from one cut edge to the other.</p>
  474. <p>Ask the pupils if they think their new shape will tessellate and to tell you why. Now get them to prove their answer by drawing around the shape several times on plain paper, trying to get the shape to tessellate each time. They’ll find it will but can they explain why?</p>
  475. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity 2: Symmetry</strong></span></p>
  476. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong> Year 1 to Year 6</p>
  477. <p><strong>Learning Focus:</strong></p>
  478. <ul>
  479. <li>To be able to explain what symmetry is</li>
  480. <li>To use a variety of methods to create a symmetrical image</li>
  481. </ul>
  482. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  483. <p>Write capital letters on the board in two groups as follows:</p>
  484. <p><strong>Group 1:</strong>  A, B, C, D, E, H, I, K, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y</p>
  485. <p><strong>Group 2:</strong>  F, G, J, L, N, P, Q, R, S, Z</p>
  486. <p>Ask the children if they notice anything about the letters and what makes them members of the group. If they don’t give the correct answer, draw a dotted line along a line of symmetry and they should see that they have been sorted according to symmetrical and non-symmetrical letters. Ask the pupils to look at the symmetrical letters and say why they are symmetrical. You will find that some say they are the same on each side of the line of symmetry.</p>
  487. <p>You can prove this not to be the case by drawing a letter A on the board with its line of symmetry and then erase the image on one side of the line. Now copy the image from the other side of the line and ask the pupils if their view is correct.</p>
  488. <p>The key word here is that it’s a REFLECTION of part of the image in the symmetry line.</p>
  489. <p>The pupils can practise this by drawing a line of symmetry and, by using a mirror, draw a reflection of it in the line of symmetry.</p>
  490. <p>Another way that illustrates the reflective property of symmetry and which pupils love, is in creating a pattern on small squared graph paper. They simply need to draw a line on the paper which will become their line of symmetry and colour in squares in the same position on either side of the line. To make the task more challenging, the pupils could draw in a second line of symmetry at right angles to the first. In this case they’ll have to colour in their squares four times.</p>
  491. <p>Another much loved activity, especially for younger pupils, is to use paint or inks and folded paper to create symmetrical images.</p>
  492. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Activity 3: Irregular Shapes</strong></span></p>
  493. <p><strong>Suitable for:</strong> Year 3 to Year 6</p>
  494. <p><strong>Learning Focus: </strong></p>
  495. <ul>
  496. <li>To recognise and name irregular shapes according to their properties</li>
  497. </ul>
  498. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  499. <p>Shapes don’t have to be square or rectangular to be a quadrilateral, nor do they need to have the regular six sided shape to be a hexagon. The difference in the identification and nomenclature of these shapes is simply down to them being regular or irregular so the following shapes are both hexagons because they have six sides:</p>
  500. <p><a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/Capture-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4651" src="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/03/Capture-1.png" alt="Capture" width="412" height="196" /></a></p>
  501. <p>Ask the pupils now to draw their own irregular shapes that are quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons and octagons. How many different ones can they draw?</p>
  502. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/maths-shape-2/">Maths: Shape</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  503. ]]></content:encoded>
  504. </item>
  505. <item>
  506. <title>Primary &#8211; using The Olympics in Art</title>
  507. <link>https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/primary-using-the-olympics-in-art/</link>
  508. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mary]]></dc:creator>
  509. <pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  510. <category><![CDATA[Primary]]></category>
  511. <category><![CDATA[Primary Art]]></category>
  512. <category><![CDATA[Olympics]]></category>
  513. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/2012/05/04/primary-using-the-olympics-in-art/</guid>
  514.  
  515. <description><![CDATA[<p>Activity One – Photo Montage Year 1 to Year 6 The Olympics will be covered in great detail by the &#8230; <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/primary-using-the-olympics-in-art/">Continued</a></p>
  516. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/primary-using-the-olympics-in-art/">Primary &#8211; using The Olympics in Art</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  517. ]]></description>
  518. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Activity One – Photo Montage</strong><br />
  519. Year 1 to Year 6</p>
  520. <p>The Olympics will be covered in great detail by the world’s media and whilst millions of words will be written about the games we’re going to focus on the adage that says ‘a picture tells a thousand words’.<br />
  521. From the pictures already on the web of the development of the venues for the games to the thousands of pictures that will be taken at the opening ceremony, almost every moment of them will be documented in pictures.</p>
  522. <p>This activity asks the children to be objective in selecting the pictures they think tells the story of the Olympics in London.</p>
  523. <p>The children can make a scrap book from sugar paper bound together with treasury tags and do a design for the front of it.</p>
  524. <p>Ask them to scan the newspapers and web each day for pictures that sum up the events and include them in their scrap book together with an annotation as to why they chose them.<br />
  525. At the end of the games, ask the children to swap scrap books and comment on each others&#8217; work.</p>
  526. <p><strong>Activity Two – Logos</strong><br />
  527. Year 1 to Year 6</p>
  528. <p>There was much controversy over the logo designed for the London 2012 Games but then almost every games has attracted comments from the media on the choice of logo.<br />
  529. Ask the children to find a selection of the logos or mascots of some Olympic games and how they came about.</p>
  530. <p>Use the website http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/03/39-olympic-logos-from-1924-to-2012/ for ideas.</p>
  531. <p>What do they notice about the elements used in the following?</p>
  532. <p>London 2012<br />
  533. Vancouver 2010<br />
  534. Beijing 2008<br />
  535. Athens 2004<br />
  536. Sydney 2000<br />
  537. Lillehammer 1994<br />
  538. Barcelona 1992<br />
  539. Montreal 1976</p>
  540. <p>From their findings ask them to improve on the logo for the 2012 games and finish with a vote on which one they think should have been adopted.</p>
  541. <p><strong>Activity Three – People in Action</strong><br />
  542. Year 1 to Year 6</p>
  543. <p>Use photographs of athletes ‘in action’ in sports such as running, swimming, high jump, hammer throwing and javelin etc. and ask the children to draw ‘stick people’ to document their stance whilst undertaking the action. Can they predict the changes in stance to complete the action?<br />
  544. Once they are happy with their predictions, ask them to divide a sheet of A4 paper into a 3 x 12 grid and copy the stick person carefully into the appropriate position on the grid spaces. By drawing the stick person sequentially, they should be able to overlay the pieces to create a ‘flick book’ to show the movement.<br />
  545. Once they’ve been successful with the paper version they can use free animation software such as Pivot to do an online Olympic animation.</p>
  546. <p>http://www.snapfiles.com/get/stickfigure.html</p>
  547. <p>You can even upload your animation to YouTube once you’ve finished!</p>
  548. <p><strong>Activity Four – Critique</strong><br />
  549. Year 1 to Year 6</p>
  550. <p>This is a great idea for an assembly towards the end of the Olympics.</p>
  551. <p>Using the scrap book from Activity One ask the children to select a picture that they think sums up the spirit of the games and to write a small introduction to it giving their reasons.</p>
  552. <p>In assembly create a slide show of the images to be played whilst parents are waiting and ask the children to present their choice and the reasons they have chosen it. At the end, you can ask parents and/or the children to ‘vote’ for which their favourite was based on the introductions given by the children.</p>
  553. <p>This activity allows the children to practise the skill of critiquing a piece of art, be it a painting, sculpture or, in this case, a photograph.</p>
  554. <p>Dave Lewis<br />
  555. Primary teacher</p>
  556. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/primary-using-the-olympics-in-art/">Primary &#8211; using The Olympics in Art</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  557. ]]></content:encoded>
  558. </item>
  559. <item>
  560. <title>Art Activities for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee</title>
  561. <link>https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/art-activities-for-the-queens-diamond-jubilee/</link>
  562. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mary]]></dc:creator>
  563. <pubDate>Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  564. <category><![CDATA[Primary]]></category>
  565. <category><![CDATA[Primary Art]]></category>
  566. <category><![CDATA[Diamond Jubilee]]></category>
  567. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/2012/04/16/art-activities-for-the-queens-diamond-jubilee/</guid>
  568.  
  569. <description><![CDATA[<p>Activity One – Installation Art EYFS to Year 6 The schools I have worked at have all had some installation &#8230; <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/art-activities-for-the-queens-diamond-jubilee/">Continued</a></p>
  570. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/art-activities-for-the-queens-diamond-jubilee/">Art Activities for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  571. ]]></description>
  572. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Activity One – Installation Art</strong><br />
  573. EYFS to Year 6</p>
  574. <p>The schools I have worked at have all had some installation art for significant events in the school’s history or for national events and I think that the queen’s diamond jubilee warrants a piece of art that will remain on display in the school grounds for many years afterwards. There are several ways of doing this each needing different levels of input to begin with.</p>
  575. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mural</span><br />
  576. Carefully designed by an artistic member of staff or a parent, a mural on any plain wall inside the school buildings or out is a great and simple idea. Divided by black lines into sections, each class can have a go at painting a part and adding their names to the bit they’ve done. Don’t forget to choose the paint type to suit indoors or outdoors.</p>
  577. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mosaic</span><br />
  578. A variation on the mural approach is to get the children to paint small tiles in different colours and textures which can then be used to make a mosaic picture, again indoors or outside. You’ll have to plan the overall design and get a rough idea of how many coloured tiles you’ll need. Again, the children can put their names on the tiles they produce.</p>
  579. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Pebbles</span><br />
  580. One school I worked at asked the children to design pebbles with a picture of them on it and built a concrete backed rockery into which they stuck their pebbles. It made a fabulous picture of the school members, a little like the tea towel idea, and after being sprayed with exterior varnish, remained in place for years afterwards.</p>
  581. <p><strong>Activity Two – Community Project</strong><br />
  582. Year 3 to Year 6</p>
  583. <p>Many local authorities are working on community based projects for installation art for the queen’s jubilee celebrations as part of a plan to smarten up areas of towns and cities. Find out from your local authority if they have any plans and if not, suggest some for them. Years ago there was a geography topic on improving our local area and as long as it was tastefully done, our council had no objections to us completing a piece of art in our local park on a building that had been continually covered in graffiti.</p>
  584. <p><strong>Activity Three – Design Costume</strong><br />
  585. Year 2 to Year 6</p>
  586. <p>The queen is famous (or to some, infamous!) for her fashion and it seems to many that her favourite colour is yellow. She loves hats too so for this activity you’re going to get the children to design an outfit for the queen to wear on the weekend of the celebrations.</p>
  587. <p>Take a look at what she usually wears in photographs and try to be creative whilst still designing something she might wear. You can even design a hat for her.</p>
  588. <p>Choose patriotic colours or designs, different materials and think about the possible weather for the day.</p>
  589. <p>You may want to think of what she’ll be doing whilst wearing the clothes you designed. Is she dancing, going to dinner, at the gym or simply walking through crowds of well-wishers.</p>
  590. <p>Go on, get creative!</p>
  591. <p><strong>Activity Four – Changing Faces of the Queen</strong><br />
  592. Year 3 to Year 6</p>
  593. <p>The queen’s portrait has been pictured in many ways over the time of her reign. In this activity the children will look at the different representations of the queen over the years and try to order them chronologically.</p>
  594. <p>You need to get pictures from throughout her life and reign but try to be creative in using coins, stamps, pictures on mugs and plates, newspapers, official painted portraits and photographs. Try some unusual ones like Rolf Harris’ portrait of her and some of the ones she didn’t like!</p>
  595. <p>As a group activity it promotes a lot of discussion and interest, not only in what she looked like but also how her fashion and style have changed over the years.</p>
  596. <p>Dave Lewis<br />
  597. Primary Teacher</p>
  598. <div></div>
  599. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/art-activities-for-the-queens-diamond-jubilee/">Art Activities for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  600. ]]></content:encoded>
  601. </item>
  602. <item>
  603. <title>Primary General &#8211; Fruit and Vegetables</title>
  604. <link>https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/primary-general-fruit-and-vegetables/</link>
  605. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mary]]></dc:creator>
  606. <pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:43:00 +0000</pubDate>
  607. <category><![CDATA[Primary]]></category>
  608. <category><![CDATA[Primary Art]]></category>
  609. <category><![CDATA[healthy eating]]></category>
  610. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/2011/11/02/primary-general-fruit-and-vegetables/</guid>
  611.  
  612. <description><![CDATA[<p>Getting children to have ‘5-a-Day’, five portions of fruit and vegetable a day, is a thankless task and leads to &#8230; <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/primary-general-fruit-and-vegetables/">Continued</a></p>
  613. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/primary-general-fruit-and-vegetables/">Primary General &#8211; Fruit and Vegetables</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  614. ]]></description>
  615. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Getting children to have ‘5-a-Day’, five portions of fruit and vegetable a day, is a thankless task and leads to many sticky moments in parenting and in the dinner queue at school! These fun activities will help children see that fruit and vegetables aren’t all poisonous and will encourage them to eat them more often.</p>
  616. <p><strong>Activity One</strong></p>
  617. <p>A tasting session is always a good start, challenge the children to bring in some unusual fruit or vegetables for the class to try. Put the children into groups to prepare the fruit and vegetables, some may need cooking but a quick zap in the staffroom microwave is often enough! Now draw a chart on the board with the headings ‘Name’, ‘Colour’, ‘Texture’, ‘Taste’ and ‘Like/Dislike’. Now ask the children to try all of the available fruit and vegetables. Have a bin handy just in case and check for allergies beforehand – strawberries are a common allergy. When the tasting session is over, use the plenary to ask if there were any fruit or vegetables the children hadn’t tried before and which they think they like and will have again. Were there any they thought they wouldn’t like but now they’ve tried them they do like them (remember my experiences in the school dinner line!!)?</p>
  618. <p><strong>Activity Two</strong></p>
  619. <p>Use the chart that accompanies this activity sheet for the children to take home to record their intake of fruit and vegetables each day. They can write on the chart what they had and with which meal or they can draw pictures of the fruit and vegetables. The visual nature of a chart will encourage them to eat more but beware of those who cheat!! Maybe an initial by each one from mum or dad might be necessary!</p>
  620. <p><strong>Activity Three</strong></p>
  621. <p>Time for some investigation now. Using the website http://www.dole.com/funfacts-chart4-8.html ask the children to look at their chart from activity one and select eight fruit or vegetables they liked. Thinking of the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables such as fibre source, vitamins and minerals ask them to sort their favourites into the categories on a chart highlighting the one that would come top in each category. Ask them to see if there is a superfood in their diet that comes top in more than one category. During the plenary put together a set of class superfoods that they have discovered in their research.</p>
  622. <p><strong>Activity Four</strong></p>
  623. <p>Time for some creativity now! The essence of a great chef is not just cooking the food to perfection but also in the presentation. The colours and shapes of fruit or vegetables can help children make brilliant art work. Ask them to plan what picture or pattern they would like to make and label their plan with the fruit or vegetable they will use. In the next lesson, ask them to bring in the fruit or vegetables they will need and, on a plate, arrange them to form the picture or pattern. The children may need some help with cutting but normal cutlery knives which aren’t sharp will usually suffice. Once the picture is complete, photograph it for a display (or the microbes will soon make a meal of it!) and then provided hygiene standards have been maintained, the children can eat their pictures!</p>
  624. <p><strong>Activity Five</strong></p>
  625. <p>Another great way to enjoy fruit or vegetables is via smoothies or soups. Ask the children to come up with ideas for a super smoothie or a super soup, listing the ingredients, naming it and drawing a serving suggestion for it. In the next session ask parents/children to bring in liquidisers, food processors or smoothie makers and the fruit and vegetables they need and after a safety talk, allow the children to make their own smoothies. Those who opt to make soup may need to bring in ready cooked vegetables or the process could be a lot more complicated! The sessiom could end with a ‘Battle of the Smoothies’ with a tasting session to decide which is the best one!</p>
  626. <p>As an extension activity, the children could design an advertisement for their smoothie together with a catch phrase or a jingle. They could look at cartons from smoothie producers and design their own alternative packaging for their smoothie.</p>
  627. <p><strong>Activity Six</strong></p>
  628. <p>To end this set of activities you could arrange a ‘colour party’ where the children bring in fruit and vegetables of different colours. They could then use the website from activity three to see if there is a relationship between the colours of the vegetables and their nutritional value. Finally, encourage each child to try a piece of fruit or vegetable from each colour.</p>
  629. <p><em>Dave Lewis, Primary teacher</em></p>
  630. <p>The post <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/primary-general-fruit-and-vegetables/">Primary General &#8211; Fruit and Vegetables</a> appeared first on <a href="https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk">Collins | Freedom to Teach</a>.</p>
  631. ]]></content:encoded>
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