Comic sans

Tis a strange thing. I am so used to wearing a hat pretty much all the time (even indoors. I sit here typing in the handknitted beanie from Sunday's post) that I really can't cope when I am not wearing one in the winter (and in the summer). I am like a snail setting forth without a shell! When I was in Northumberland in the Christmas break, I was in Hexham with J to have lunch with her and friends and I nipped off to Clarks to go and fetch some shoes I'd ordered in the sale.  I went into Clarks and in the 5 mins I was out of the car, the thought running through my head was "Ahrgh, no hat. Am. So. Cold!" so consequently, when I went into Mountain Warehouse to pick up some walking boots (mine have mysteriously vanished. Tis truly bizarre. I literally have no idea where they have gone!!!), I also picked up the turquoise hat. A few years back, I had a wonderful Angora Baker Boy hat in this shade and that also mysteriously went missing.


Where oh where is the land of lost things?  Enid Blyton wrote about it in her Magic Faraway Tree books- I'd like to find it.  There are fair few other things I lost down that hole over the years. A beautiful Pierrot doll I adored when about 4 years old that I used to sing to and cradle like a baby. A pretty rose ceramic pendant and earrings that my lovely flute friend Rachel gave me when we were leaving windband as a kind present. So many lost things, that I genuinely have no idea where they went.



I received this wonderful dress for Christmas from my Daddy and Stepmum.  I was really pleased with it. I do think Cath Kidston prints get better and better. I definitely have my eye on the new ricrac dress and skirt and the cloud dress! Always wanted a garment with clouds on! Not going to buy them though!


If you look closely, you will see Cops and Robbers going on. What fun!

Decided to over do the turquoise to go with this- Topshop tights (old) and my DMS and then a charity-shopped necklace and cardie.

I had year 1 this morning for PE. It was UTTERLY freezing!!!! Bless them, the little mites, they gallantly bounced their balls, trying to create a smooth, fluent movement.  Not one complained about how cold it was (I made them wear jumpers and coats) but just got on.  After playtime, we revised the polka we had been learning the last week and then had great fun as I set them up as a sort of 'orchestra' in that we sat in instrument groups in a semi-circle with me as conductor in the middle, trying to work on accurately playing the polka rhythm only when their section was pointed at, OR when I showed everyone had to play.  They were so diligent and when I had modelled the process of conducting and choosing sections/groups to play, counting in and stopping signals, I let several of them conduct. It was utterly beautiful to see them leading confidently, the joy in their faces as they realised they had total power over the rest of the class. The class, of course, were delighted to be conducted by their fellow 5 year olds, and so sat up conscientiously and watched carefully, playing only when shown.  I took a few photos and you could see how alert (and meer-cat like they were!)
At the end, I was telling them about how the players in an orchestra follow and respond to signals, just like they were and then as a plenary, (i.e. moving the learning on) showed them how a conductor shows if he wants the orchestra to play loudly or quietly. I asked them to play in unison and see if they could respond. Myself and the TA's who were with me were utterly delighted at how they responded instantly to my change of gesture going suddenly from a gentle repetition of the rhythm to a strong and robust sound! I've taught Year 1 about the polka for a few years now, but I've never taught it the same way, and I am really glad I tried it like this, this week! A different approach can suddenly find the way to teach something or make it more engaging.

At lunchtime, I had my recorder clubs. We're learning a set of pieces for the borough's recorder festival and we were learning Amazing Grace.  They weren't really getting the rhythm and said so,  so I decided to try a Dalcroze Eurhythmics approach to the problem. I asked them to follow me and step the rhythm around the room (it was like Kate Bush meets the Pied Piper) we did a set of steps, leans and runs to the music. They loved the fact I was making them doing some random hippy movements and miraculously, when we came back to the recorders, all of a sudden, the tune was pretty much perfect!  The delight on M (the one who voiced a particular, "It's too hard!"before) suddenly delightedly burst out: "I did it right!!!".  We then began working on Bach's Minuet in G and I decided to try a similar approach (the first half has a pattern of rhythms) and stood in a circle and stepped the rhythms in terms of steps, leans and runs and what is quite a hard tune, (they have to do higher pinched notes on the recorder) sounded pretty good!

Not tried that before, but again, sometimes a new approach makes something different, simpler, easier, clicks more.

Have you tried a new approach to anything recently? Did it work?!x

xx