When you’ve worn out your welcome!

It’s been a long time since I’ve made a “shoestring makeover” update!

The school library’s “WELCOME” mat had lost all of its signage due to four years of kids trampling in and out. With only an hour to spare, I cut some paper templates freehand and used three cans of spray enamel to create this new message. Final detailing with permanent black marker.

Week 22 Eyes II Eye love books

Paper templates in place, ready for the (first) white layer:

Week 22 Eyes II doormat template

The original mats in place on opening day, 2010:

Main doors

Enter the gingerbread man!

Last week, Stage 1 and Early Stage 1 investigated versions of the fairy tale, The gingerbread man. This week, we will explore some Youtube clips of gingerbread recipes, attributes of foxes, and read Kel Richards’ The lamington man, an Australian version of the classic tale.


Ginger bread man – Fairy tales in English – animated / cartoon stories for kids


Fairytale: The gingerbread man read by John Krasinski by Speakaboos


2 adopted foxes and the ‘stepmom’ dog


Ylvis – The fox (What does the fox say?) [Official music video HD]


How to make a gingerbread man: gingerbread man recipe from Cookies Cupcakes and Cardio


Play Doh gingerbread man gingerbread recipe: how to make gingerbread man


Gingerbread man cookie recipe – Laura Vitale – Laura in the kitchen, Episode 253

Too many elephants in this school!

NSS

Coinciding with today’s National Simultaneous Storytime 2014, here’s a box of elephants from the picture book, “Too many elephants in this house” by Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner. It was created with masking tape, red acrylic paint with sponged shading, blue corrugated cardboard, black ink permanent marker and pink and silver waterbomb balloons. Trunks were cut from matching pink and silver plastic partyware bowls.

Week 21 Boxes

Week 21 Boxes Back of Elephant house

This back panel was left unpainted deliberately. Note the yellow plastic ladder emerging from the chimney hole.

Week 21 Boxes last one in
One more elephant squeezes in!

Here’s a great book trailer for the picture book:


Too many elephants in this house by Ursula Dubosarsky
& Andrew Joyner


And an elephant story we once retold as a digital slideshow on PhotoPeach:


The elephant’s child

UPDATE:
Just before 11.00 this morning, the school library at Penrith Public School was invaded by a herd of tiny elephants, to help celebrate National Simultaneous Storytime 2014:

Elephants

Elephants 2

Elephants 3

Ancient buildings

As a component of Stage 2’s science & technology investigations into Buildings & Bridges, we will be learning about ancient structures in the library.


1 The Great Pyramid of Egypt, how it was built – new solid theory, new evidence. JP Houdin. 2011


Why did we stop building pyramids?


Lost temples: Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza


Athens Acropolis and the Parthenon


Rome, Italy: The Colosseum


The lost city of Pompeii


Ancientvine – Virtual Roman house 3D reconstruction


Stonehenge prehistoric monument


Hadrian’s Wall


Everything you need to know about the Great Wall of China

The three billy goats Gruff

This week, Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 students will be investigating the fairy tale, The three billy goats Gruff, through a selection of versions, such as 3 billy goats Gruff by Ted Dewan (with a baseball motif), The three billy-goats Gruff Norwegian folk tale featuring woodcut illustrations by Susan Blair, and The three billy goats Gruff, from the picture book translated by Henriette Barko and illustrated by Richard Johnson.

Some useful Youtube clips include:


The three billy goats Gruff, by Henriette Barko & Richard Johnson


The three billy goats Gruff


3 billy goats Gruff song (Grumpy old troll)