Having identified and learnt names of some spring flowers and plants last week, we took a step further into spring with new life and May Day traditions.
Lambs in the fields, frogspawn in the ponds and chicks hatching in the Reception classroom. The sun is out (somewhere) and we start to look forward to summer and the warmer months.
May Day celebrations used to be a big thing when I was younger, all my extended family gathered together to celebrate. Celebrations usually involved a parade through the village, the May Queen on a float decorated with flowers, the fair setting up on the village green, lots of yummy food and getting tied up with ribbon while trying to perform a maypole dance. Every pub seemed to have its own group of Morris dancers; lots of noise, jingling bells and bearded men banging sticks and shouting!
This is what I had planned for our lessons last week; chat about new life, how people celebrate May Day (some families went to Brook Fete), then, skipping and banging sticks, just like the Morris dancers. The children decided that drumming on logs was a better idea, and the lesson quickly changed course. The perfect example of child- led learning.
We listened to, played, created and copied beats, and rhythms, with sticks on wooden stumps. Many of the children chose to continue this activity in their ‘exploring’ time and formed some very interesting sounding bands!
Mrs Wilson
