As we begin Week 5 of Learning at Home, we thought to share a little from across the school.

Kirsty’s Kindy Garden

Kindy children have been receiving take home craft packs, going on scavenger hunts for bushwalks, and listening to stories and morning circles sent out each day. The craft packs started with a little Thomasina Mouse. Thomasina lives in Kindy and often causes mischief in the craft basket, she also loves to finish the children’s finger knitting! Hopefully these mice are a little better behaved. This sweet mouse was made by Reuben in Big Kindy.

Kirsty Edwards
Kindy Garden Teacher

Pippita’s Class

Class 1 have just finished a lesson called Sweet Water Swamp. Skeleton the skink and Eddie the echidna help their friends in times of difficultly and even attend a dance party where everyone dances at the same time but in their own homes. The children made a Skelter skink, created beautiful drawings. One set up their own Sweet Water Swamp at home.

Pippita Bennett
Class 1 Teacher

John’s Class

Class 2-3 have just completed a morning lesson called ‘Moamba and the String of Pearls’, the pearls being our island neighbours: white coral atolls and black volcanic islands. Along with writing activities and geographic research, the children made their own islands. We had lego islands, erupting volcanoes,  ‘David Attenborough’ style filmed documentaries, and everything in between. Above is Malakai’s magnificent volcanic island that he made with big brother, Shannon.

John Daniel
Class 2-3 Teacher

Erica’s Class

We held the TINY FILM FESTIVAL brought by BlinkofAnEye Productions last week – stop motion animated films about Blueback by budding young directors in the class.

Everyone turned up in ZOOMZOOM Land and we shared watching the premiere of the 10 or so TINY films – kids got dressed up for REAL and we had at-home little celebrations together. Very Happy.

We are in a science lesson now, on weather – going outside to observe, observe, observe and measure a few things. We are going to go around the world and check out the weather in capital cities and give weather reports from our AT HOME weather stations!!

Erica Chaperlin
Class 4-5 Teacher

Class 6 – 7

Year 6-7 have been working on two main lessons over the past 4 weeks- Stories Big as Mountains, where we have been exploring the ecology, geography and history of the Snowy Mountains, and Reading between the Lines, a critical and creative look at Australian poetry.

Here are some of the poems from the first week of our poetry lesson:

Sarah Daniel
Class 6-7 Teacher

Inspired by Jeanine Leane and her beautiful use of metaphor:

The river strode down the rocks
As the mountains jumped over the sun
And the night peeked around the corner
As the campfire’s glow stole the night.

-Vivienne

I can’t wait til lockdown ends, inspired by Banjo Patterson’s ballads.

There was movement in the town for the news had passed around
That there was another lockdown on the way
People ran to the stores bursting through the doors
And buying as much as they could pay.
Everyone was bored of being indoors
And wearing facemasks all day
There was no supply of toilet paper to buy
And when the lockdown would end, none could say.

People went for walks to go outside
And had to use hand sanitizer.
Home schooling is a pain, zoom is driving me insane
We’re all just waiting to get Pfizer
I really want to go back to school
And to see all my friends
I want to go to restaurants and movies
I can’t wait til lockown ends.

-Zan

Inspired by the rhythm, imagery and repetition of Judith Wright:

I went out one day
And the sun scorched my eyes
I went out one day
And the grass wrestled my feet
I went out one day
And the rain ruined my clothes
I went out one day
And the trees pierced my skin
Like a hundred needles.

I went out one day
And the sun soothed the earth
I went out one day
And the rain solaced my mouth
I went out one day
And the trees fizzled and intoned
An alleviant song.

-Joseph

The Dark

When the dark comes rising
And the night is black
The trees sway
And the grass will go slack
The wolf will howl
And the night eagle prowl
For the dark, the dark is rising
 
When the dark comes rising
Stone will crack
And the strongest of the strongest wits will snap
There will be no more breeze
No light, no day, no happy play
So buckle up its going to be a ride
For the dark, the dark is rising.

-Oliver F.

Kindlehill School

Kindlehill School is a K-10 Steiner School that sits on a hill above the Wentworth Falls Lake, in the Blue Mountains, NSW. We are an independant school working creatively and in a contemporary way, out of the foundation of Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy for education.