Trip to Drumlane Abbey and Roundtower
4th class went on a fieldtrip to Drumlane Abbey on Friday 7th of May 2021. We had been learning about tourist attractions in our local area and this is one of the main landmarks in the Milltown/Drumlane area.
When we arrived at the abbey we were lucky enough to meet with 3 members of the local heritage committee who gave us a wealth of information on the rich history of the abbey and round tower.
We then completed some investigative work in pairs-we observed our location and answered questions, we analysed evidence and recorded/communicated the information we had gathered.
We really enjoyed our trip and exploring such a historical site so close to our school.
Pictured from left to right- Members of the local heritage committee Micheál Mc Cabe, Chris Kirk and Suzanne Gunne.
Activities celebrating D.S. Day.
4th Class making St. Patrick’s Day wreaths.
Cheering on the Breffni Boys in 4th Class!
Science Week- 4th Class
Scientist Presentation
We investigated the life and work of various scientists and presented our information to the class on Friday.
Some of the scientists we found out about included: Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, Thomas Edison, Alexander Fleming, Albert Einstein, Edward Jenner, Francis Beaufort, Ada Loveless and Nikola Tesla.
Balancing Balloons
We wondered how strong the air in a balloon is-could it hold 1 or more of the children in 4th class? We decided to find out! We investigated by filling 6 balloons with the same amount of air-around half their usual size.We put them on the floor and placed an upside down table on the top. Seán was the first to bravely stand on the table and see if the balloons could hold him. We were surprised to find that the balloons could hold Seán and many more children too-8 children and 1 adult in fact!
Only 1 balloon burst when the last person stood on it-the rest remained intact. We had great fun carrying out this investigation.
St. Valentines Day
Using felt we made a cushion. We made these using the tying technique and stuffed them with cotton wool, then added a motif using fabric glue.
St Brigid's crosses are an Irish emblem and tradition.
They are hung in peoples homes usually by the door a to protect the house. According to tradition, a new cross is made each St. Brigid's Day.
We enjoyed making our crosses. Thanks to Orla Hegarty for bringing lots of rushes for us to use and to Mrs McGovern for her help making the crosses. We Were delighted to have Fr Gerry into bless the crosses that day.
Stained Glass Windows
Stained glass windows have been mostly used in churches and other significant buildings, to enhance how they look.
Stained glass is glass that has been coloured by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. The coloured glass is crafted into stained glass windows in which small pieces of glass are arranged to form patterns or pictures. They are held together traditionally by strips of lead and supported by a rigid frame.
The term stained glass is also used to describe windows where the colours have been painted onto the glass and then fused to the glass in a kiln.
In class we coloured in some stained glass windows. They definitely add colour and brightness to the room.
5th and 6th class doing science experiments with Bláthnaid McCann.
5th and 6th class Maths week.
Balloon Rocket
We investigated Newton’s 3rd law-that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. We put a string through a straw. We tied one end of the string to a chair and the other end to a chair/table/window. We blew up the balloon but didn’t tie it. We sellotaped the balloon to the straw. We released the bottom of the balloon and watched it travel along the string.
This happened because as the air rushed out of the balloon it caused a forward motion called thrust. Thrust is a pushing force created by energy, our thrust came from the energy of the balloon forcing the air out.
Geodesic Dome
We joined a brilliant workshop with MakerMeet IE and learned how to make a geodesic dome. We used straws and copper fasteners and followed the Livestream project build. Our finished domes were 2 feet in diameter so they were very large and impressive when we completed them. The build was certainly challenging at times but extremely enjoyable and we were delighted with our finished domes.
Lava Lamps
We made our own lava lamps using-water, oil, food colouring and effervescent tablets. When we poured the oil into the container with the oil in it, the oil settled on the top of the water because the oil is less dense than the water and floats to the top. We added food colouring-this mixed with the water because it is water soluble and therefore will not mix with the oil.
When effervescent tablets are added to water they react with the water to make carbon dioxide. As this gas rises it takes some of the coloured water with it and this cases the water to move through the oil layer on top-creating a lava lamp effect.
Finger Knitting
We are learning about crafts in fabric and fibre. We learnt how to knit using our fingers so all you need is wool. Below are some butterflies we made and glued to felt.
Gymnastics
This month we are doing gymnastics in PE. Mr West is helping us to learn different moves and sequences. Last week we learned how to do a pencil and a tuck roll. We can create a sequence by using a starting positions, stands, turns, rolls and finishing positions.
Computer Room
Here are some pictures of us at work in the new computer room. We had written some poems on a “Storm” and we typed them up on Windows Word or Power Point. It is great to be able to add some graphics, animation and lots of different fonts and colours to our work.
5th and 6th class making spooky cakes for Halloween.
Graffiti Art
We studied some real life graffiti images and discussed the techniques and materials used in graffiti. The children chose their own topic of interest as inspiration for their graffiti art which resulted in a great variety of pieces of art.
SESE Project
5th & 6th classes were working hard in groups to complete their Geography and Science project on ‘Food Chains’. A lot of energy and research went into this project and the children researched their habitats at home and emailed their work to school where their group edited and compiled their project together. Each group had a different habitat and came up with some very interesting food chains.
Fabric and Fibre
Ms. Martin’s 5th & 6th classes were working on a Fabric & Fibre project in Art this month. They used hessian material, wool and sewing needles to create designs and patterns. They used different stitching techniques such as a running stitch, long and short stitch, back stitch and cross stitch to create their designs. We think they look fantastic!