When collating pictures for The Gallery – Mother Nature, I noticed that a previous gallery theme was body parts and I immediately knew that I wanted to share some body part pictures of my own. My chosen body part is hands. … Continue reading
This is quite a self indulgent post as I am having a bit of a down day. To cheer myself up I have been looking back through photos of the past few months and finding those that I think portray me … Continue reading
Today’s themes on The Gallery over at Sticky Fingers is Mother Nature. I have chosen four photographs that in my mind fit this week’s theme and tell part of my story. The first is a picture of David and I … Continue reading
Today I have been searching through my old teaching files and found these poems written by children in Year 2. They will be in Year 6 now! The poems are based, quite obviously, on Spike Milligan’s On the Ning Nang Nong. I remember this being a wonderful, fun lesson and if I can find the planning that went with it then I will post that too. In the meantime please enjoy the poems.
On the Zig Zag Zog by Daniel and Luke
On the zig zag zog
Where the owls go wog!
And the dolphins all say shoo!
There’s a zag zog zig
Where the rats go big!
And gorillas liver laver loo!
On the zog zig zag
All the mice go clag!
And you just can’t catch ‘em when they do.
So it’s zig zag zog
Owls go wog!
Zag zog zig
Rats go big!
Zog zig zag
Mice go clag!
What a noisy place to have a sob!
Is the zig zag zig zag zog!
On the Bip Bap Bop by Darby and Francesca
On the bip bap bop
Where the chicks go clop!
And the piglets all go wooo!
There’s a bip bap bop
Where the rabbits go plop!
And the dogs go rapper rapper roop!
On the bip bap bop
All the horses say hop
And you just can’t catch ‘em when they do!
So, it’s bip bap bop
The chicks go clop!
Bip bap bop
Rabbits go plop!
Bip bap bop
Horses say hop!
What a noisy place to have a chop
Is the bip bap bip bap bop!
On the Zim Zam Zoom by Alex, Harry and Sam
On the zim zam zoom
Where the ants go boom!
And the horses all say soom!
On the zoom zam zim
Where the ducks go kim!
And the teatocks tibber tagger choo!
On the zoom zim zam
All the pigs shout Ham!
And you just can’t catch ‘em when they do!
So it’s zim zam zoom
The ants go boom!
Zoom zam zim
Ducks go kim!
Zoom zim zam
Pigs shout ham!
What a noisy place to have a room!
Is the zim zam zim zam zoom!
On the Clip Clap Clop by Grace and Abbie
On the clip clap clop
Where the horse goes pop!
And the cows just moo moo moo!
There’s a clop clip clap
Where the rats all flap!
And the pigs go clipper clapper cloo!
On the clap clop clip
All the fleas shout flip!
And you just can’t catch ‘em when they do.
So, it’s clip clap clop
The horse goes pop!
Clop clip clap
The rats all flap!
Clap clop clip
The fleas shout flip!
What a noisy place to stop and flop
Is the clip clap clip clap clop!
On the Nish Nash Nosh by Jenny and Isla
On the nish nash nosh
Where the dogs are posh!
And the rabbits all say noo!
There’s a nosh nash nish
Where the pigs go flish!
And the hamsters nigger nagger noo!
On the nish nosh nash
All the cats go lash!
And you just can’t catch ‘em when they do!
So, it’s nash nish nosh!
The dogs are posh!
Nosh nash nish
The pigs go flish!
Nish nosh nash
The cats go lash!
What a noisy place to have a wash!
Is the nish nash nish nash nosh!
Today I have started to plan Esther and William’s christening and it reminded me of a poem that I wrote for my Goddaughter, Maia, when she was christened. Maia is the daughter of Petra, my oldest friend, and being her … Continue reading
My musical tastes have evolved through the years but instead of changing completely my love of music has grown stronger and my repertoire wider. This is something not everyone understands and so depending on who you are you may only know part of my musical taste – the chosen few will know the full extent of my listening pleasures. From Robbie to Kylie to Buddy – The Killers, The Cure, The Chemical Brothers – Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee, Connie Francis – West Side Story, Wizard of Oz, Les Mis – Goldie, Groove Armada, Massive Attack and Basement Jaxx. I love them all and want my children to sample each and everyone of them … and more …
The music I loved in my own childhood was heavily influenced by my parents. In particular one mix tape that we listened to over and over in the car featuring Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka and more … It was badly recorded and over recorded and we knew where all the breaks in the songs came and what song came next. I loved 50s and 60s music as a child and I still do. I definitely want my children to understand the history and significance of rock and roll.
As a child of the 80s there was a time I am afraid to say when I loved all things Stock, Aitken and Waterman, especially Kylie. I still do have a secret thing for Kylie and have already introduced my daughter to such classics as Never Too Late and Wouldn’t Change A Thing. Thank you You Tube!
Around this time my cousins also introduced me to INXS, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, alongside Wham! Another branch on my tree of music was born. Many of my dips and dives into different artists and bands have been influenced by Paul and Glen (the cousins) – Wet Wet Wet, AHa!!, George Michael and much much more.
As a young teenage I loved James, EMF, The Farm, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and The Cure amongst others. I also love Madonna and began to get into Rave! At Youth Club I loved Guns n Roses but would equally love dancing to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch! Oh the memories!
As an older teenager my heart was firmly attached to dance music particularly house but also drum and bass whilst frequenting Cream at University! I spent many mispent nights at Cream, Gatecrasher and many other, smaller, better, underground clubs across Europe. I danced right through to my late 20s, until I was 30. During this time I saw The Prodigy and Moby live many times and just LOVED them!
Alongside dance though I also loved alternative music particularly Tori Amos, Massive Attack, Primal Scream, Leftfield, Radiohead, The Verve, REM, Ocean Colour Scene, The Levellers, Bjork and there was still an allegiance to rock / grunge – U2, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Faith No More, Foo Fighters. I also liked Def Leppard at some point and Metallica too.
And then came Brit Pop – Oasis or Blur – I unashamedly loved BOTH! And I still do! I also love Dodgy. I love Dodgy!!
More recently I have fallen in love with The Killers and The White Stripes with thanks to David for these.
I could go on and on and on about music and there will always be something or someone that I would have forgotten to mention.
Here are some songs though that I would not want my children to miss – in no particular order and again there will be omissions that I will kick myself for later!
Put Your Head On My Shoulder – Paul Anka
Grace – U2 (contributing factor to Esther’s middle name)
If You’re Thinking Of Me – Dodgy
No Regrets – Robbie Williams
Hotel Yorba – The White Stripes (David was singing this to me when I first realised we would get married, way back in 2007, just weeks after we had met)
Take Me to the Place Where the White Boys Dance – The Killers (listened to on journeys to and fro NICU)
Wires – Athlete (a tale of a premature baby)
At My Most Beautiful – REM (Thinking this will be the song that I walk down the aisle to!)
I’ll Stop the World – The Cure (Mine and David’s song)
Groove Is In The Heart – DeeLite
At the River – Groove Armada
Cherish – Madonna
Movin’ On Up – Primal Scream
Waterfall – The Stone Roses
Champagne Supernova – Oasis
This is a Low – Blur
Leftism – Leftfield (whole album)
Blue Lines – Massive Attack (whole album)
… there are just so many more …
I can feel a muscial evening coming on very soon. How I love mornings when you wake up to find your CD collection spread out all over the floor where you have been playing song after song in a haze of memory and music. I want my children to have that. I want my children to grab music, embrace it and let it feed their soul, fuel their lives and be the soundtrack to their memories.
Music and life go hand in hand and help everyone tell their story.
I am sure that music will play a huge part in my children knowing mine.
This post was inspired by http://ghostwritermummy.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/music-i-want-my-children-to-listen-to-daniel-johnston/
Zu3D is a new stop-motion animation program made specifically for schools.
It has been developed through primary school ICT Clubs and with the expert
knowledge of a professional animator who has worked with Aardman.
This software is visually stimulating and engaging for children of all ages. It
is easy to use and enables children to work independently on their very own
stop-motion animation.
It provides a tool for learning across all primary subjects and is an excellent
resource for our developing creative curriculum.
In the recent review of the primary curriculum learning through the arts
was highlighted as a priority.
“Through the arts, children will also develop original ideas, explore issues
and solve problems. Children will take part in different activities – from
singing and composing their own music to photography and animation.”
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/primarycurriculumreview/downloads/83306-COIDCSF-
CurriculumReview(Summary).pdf
Animation is a multi-faceted form of art. You have to create a story, create
characters, make them from clay or plasticine, design and make sets,
compose soundtracks or select appropriate recorded music to enhance a
film. Animation means children have to solve problems, make decisions and
judgements, evaluate and improve their projects and review and reflect on
their learning. Zu3D is a powerful tool that demands all of these things
from our pupils as they have fun with their friends making a film, often not
realising that they are in fact working hard, learning new skills, applying new
theories and sharing fresh ideas.
“Design, dance, drawing, photography, drama, animation and music are all
possible areas for teachers to explore, and they can all cut across to other
subjects in exciting ways.”
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/primarycurriculumreview/downloads/83306-COIDCSF-
CurriculumReview(Summary).pdf
Here are some ideas for how you might use Zu3D in the classroom to do just
that.
Literacy
Planning stories
Developing understanding of narrative structure
Animated stories
Story telling
Animated poems
Develop speaking and listening skills
Hotseat / Interview an animated character
Create an animated Wanted Poster
Animated instructions or explanations
Animate onomatopoeic words
Create an animated alphabet
Demonstrate what a sentence is through animated words and punctuation
Animate a blurb for a book – persuasive writing
Create a film trailer – persuasive writing
Making adverts – persuasive writing
Illustrating spelling rules
Create moving characters that can be used as a stimulus for a poem or play
Numeracy
Demonstrate fractions
Bonds to 10 / 20
Animated times tables rap
Explain division
Doubling and halving
Looking at 2D and 3D shapes
Science
Animate a life cycle
Animation of earth, moon and sun
Animate what happens in an electric circuit
Illustrate vibrations producing sound
Explain states of matter
PSHE
Crossing the road safely
Bullying scenario films
Fire safety advert
Electrical safety
Illustrate dangers of drugs and alcohol
How to care for your pet – animated instructions
Develop team work and cooperation
RE
Animate a Bible story or prayer
Animate a hymn
Animate a story from a festival
Show how a Muslim prays through an animated character
Geography
Illustrate the water cycle
Make an animated weather map
Show a route on a map
History
Recreate past events – moon landing
Interview famous people from the past
Illustrate characters and situations – Victorian children
Show contrasts – rich and poor in Victorian times
DT/Art
Experiment with different ways of creating the set for your animations
Make props for your set
PE
Illustrate the rules of a game
Make an advert about playing fair
How to jump and land safely
How to kick a ball
How to hold a tennis racket / cricket ball
Music
Record a composition to accompany your animation
Add sound effects
Choose appropriate music from a collection to enhance your film
The Primary National Strategy invites us to “Create a visual adaptation of a
simple text using toys, modelling clay, play figures and stop-frame animation
techniques” but we know that so much more can be achieved and explored
through animation, as well as developing the skills of filmmaking in their own
right.
Why not download Zu3D today and see what you can do?
Zu3D can be used throughout the Early Years Curriculum to enhance teaching and learning and to support learning through play. Though ICT is mentioned only once in the Early Learning Goals, within Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Zu3D believes that ICT and animation in particular can be used effectively across all six areas of learning and development to engage children in learning, motivate teachers to explore new ideas and enhance the Foundation Stage curriculum for all. Zu3D also helps to develop the skills and knowledge that children will need as they move into the National Curriculum.
ICT is important in our lives today and runs through everything that we do, this should be reflected in our curriculum to ensure that children are familiar with technologies and the impact that they have on their lives. ICT provides invaluable tools and opportunities for teaching and learning for people of all ages, but we must start exploring these with the very youngest in the Early Years.
Zu3D is a new stop-motion animation software package designed to meet the needs of teachers and children in our schools today. An intuitive, easy to use interface enables children to create high quality films easily and independently. This software provides a creative outlet for demonstrating knowledge and understanding across all areas of the curriculum. Zu3D has many clever features that make animation achievable for all.
One of the great things about Zu3D is that it gives children the ability to make a complete film within one program. In Zu3D you can easily create an animated film with titles, credits, subtitles, narration, sound effects and music. Within one resource you can create all these elements that before have had to be created in separate pieces of software and then collated in yet another. This makes a complicated process simple enough for young children without sacrificing any of the quality of a professional film. During the last twelve months we have seen children as young as 5 make a complete film in Zu3D within an hour of being introduced to the program. They have been buzzing because they have found something that they can do well, independently and without fuss. This software enables children to achieve results they are proud of without having to rely on others.
In the Early Years Zu3D can be used as a tool to support children’s developing communication, language and literacy. Stop Motion Animation can involve painting pictures, making models, creating props and evaluating sounds. It encourages children to work together in a team to create an end product that they can share. All of these aspects of this process encourage children to talk, to communicate, to use language and develop their literacy skills in a fun and practical way. In a 21st century way.
Zu3D makes animation easy for younger children. Its intuitive interface has been designed specifically for children and so enables children to make high quality films without the need to read or understand complicated instructions. Once an adult has help them to set up their equipment, modelled the process then they are ready to click and go. Children can spend time playing with the software and experimenting with what it can do before being set a particular challenge to work on or target to achieve.
With careful planning and adult support we have seen some wonderful films created by children in Reception and Year 1 that have resulted in excellence and enjoyment. Click below to see three particularly strong examples.
http://www.zu3d.com/gallery/elmer by Year R and Y1
http://www.zu3d.com/gallery/the-three-little-pigs by Y1 and Y2
http://www.zu3d.com/gallery/owl-pussy-cat by YR
Animation is a fantastic tool. Children are familiar with the concept from television and film. Making movies of their own is a magical process that can capture their imaginations and make learning fun. It is a digital form of role play, a technological way to tell a story or recount an experience. It enables children to share communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings in a new and creative way.
Animation should take its rightful place at the heart of early years education where it can play a large role in supporting children’s learning through technology and play.
Creative Development
Express and communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings by using a widening range of materials – including animation
Match movement in animation to music
Explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions – creating models, props, scenery for use in animated films
Use their imagination in art and design, music, dance, imaginative and role-play and stories – all of these aspects can be used in the planning and creating of an animated film
Communication, Language and Literacy
Animate a nursery rhyme, song or part of a story
Animate the letters in their name whilst saying the sounds out loud
Explore and experiment with sounds, words and texts
Retell narratives in the correct sequence, drawing on language patterns of stories
Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking and ideas
Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences
Listen with enjoyment and respond to stories, songs and other music, rhymes and poems and make up their own stories, songs, rhymes and poems
Speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Create an animation to show how an animal moves
Make an animation to show understanding of different forms of transport
Make an animation showing a simple life cycle
Make a weather symbol animation to a weather song or rhyme
Find out about and identify the uses of everyday technology and use information communication technology and programmable toys to support their learning
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Work as part of a group or class, taking turns and sharing fairly
Be confident to try new activities, initiate ideas and speak in a familiar group
Make an animation to show good manners, sharing or other social story
Use animation to explore different points of view
Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
Say and use number names in order in familiar contexts
Animate number songs
Make counting animations
Use language such as ‘greater’, ‘smaller’, ‘heavier’ or ‘lighter’ to compare quantities
Physical Development
Handle tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control
For your chance to win a copy of this software just click here
Zu3D is currently being used in a number of schools promoting the use of animation to enhance learning in the creative curriculum.
Zu3D has enabled children to create good quality films independently. It has also allowed children to create films at home. They have been able to share these films using the Zu3D online animation gallery. This allows children to develop their evaluation skills as they can leave comments about their own and their peers’ contributions. This has been very beneficial in the current climate of assessment for learning.
Zu3D has been used as a tool in literacy for developing narrative structure. Before starting to animate the children devise a story and plan it out using a storyboard. Within literacy Zu3D has many uses including the promotion of good speaking and listening skills as children can add narration to their animation. Zu3D can be used by less able writers to share their work. Persuasive writing is exemplified through the making of animated adverts, children can improve their organisational and editorial skills by producing an animated documentary. This software has many possibilities for supporting and inspiring exciting literacy projects.
As a tool for ICT lessons and developing the skills required for animation Zu3D has been found to be superior to any other software used because of some key features; Children are saved time by the fact that they can take multiple frames using the numeric keys on the keyboard, this is also good for children who do not have good mouse control. At any time during the process of creating an animation it is possible to change the speed of your film. This was a problem that children often had, making their films too fast or too slow. The children do not need to be able to read, they just need to identify the images of the tortoise and the hare. Another feature is the fact that you can delete individual frames so if you get your hand in a frame, which children so often do, you can just delete a single frame and the guilty hand! Another element that children have enjoyed experimenting with is the fact that you can copy, paste and reverse a selection of frames and so play a part of the animation backwards. This has been a useful feature in storytelling through animation. It has also been used to loop sections of animation, for example a character waving, allowing children to quickly create longer animations.
One tool that has excellent value in the classroom is the use of onion skinning. This is the ability to overlay previously taken frames upon the current live view from the camera. It helps to make more accurate and precise films. It also promotes a happy collaborative classroom as if someone accidentally knocks over one of your characters it’s possible to return them to just the right location. This is one aspect of the software that the children have found to be very valuable indeed. Teachers have reported not heard so many raised voices and heated discussions since they have started using Zu3D.
Zu3D has different levels to its features that make it perfect for differentiating in the classroom. For example with the credits and titles you can either use one of the preset styles or more able children can fully customise their titles. Films can be made with multiple sound tracks; children can incorporate background music, narration and sound effects or just one of those elements. On the timeline you are able to see the waveform of the sound and so more able children can accurately and easily synchronise their animation to their sounds.
One of the great things about Zu3D is the ability to make a complete film within one program. In Zu3D you can easily create an animated film with titles, credits, subtitles, narration, sound effects and music. Within one resource you can create all these elements that before had to be created in separate pieces of software and then collated in yet another. This makes a complicated process simple enough for young children without sacrificing any of the quality of a professional film. We have seen children as young as 5 make a complete film in Zu3D within an hour of being introduced to the program. They have been buzzing because they have found something that they can do well, independently and without fuss. This software enables children to achieve results they are proud of without having to rely on others.
Since using this software with children in schools we have had a lot of very positive feedback about its visual appeal, ease of use and the fact that it promotes independent learning. Often children are learning so much and not even realising it at all, they are just having fun. The online gallery is one aspect that has received much praise from parents as they like the fact that they can see what their children have been working on at school. They are also able to leave comments for their children to see and this can be shared with relatives overseas. The gallery can be used as an assessment tool and an online portfolio of work. It can also be used as a stimulus for new ideas by viewing and reviewing current films. As the site is moderated children have to think carefully about the comments they make and this leads to them leaving detailed and valid evaluations that have been carefully composed and worded. As a teacher it is great to be able to leave feedback that parents can see so they can see that their child’s work is viewed and valued by staff at school. It is also good for the children as having an audience is highly motivational. It ensures that they work hard and produce the best quality of work that they can.
To see the benefits of Zu3D for you and your classroom or family, check out the website www.zu3d.com where you can download a fully functional 30 day trial and have a play for yourself.
Time to Animate – See What You Can Do!
In our house we have baskets of books. We have lots of bookshelves too in the dining room and the playroom but also scattered around the house we have baskets of books. The books in these baskets are rotated regularly with the books on the shelves to ensure that the babies get to hear lots of new stories and enjoy all the many books that we own. This idea has come from my book corner and book baskets in my classroom and started with a Christmas basket that I put out every year, even before I had children to read them too! More about the festive selection box later though …
In the lounge basket at the moment we have the following books:
Each Peach, Pear Plum
Katie and the Sunflowers
The Rainbow Fish
Jamil’s Clever Cat
The Little Red Hen
The Ugly Duckling
Chicken Licken
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
All the Hairy MacLary books!!!
Can You Smile
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See (current favourite for E and W!)
We’re Going on A Bear Hunt
Baby Einstein Mirror Me
The Story Tree (I love Barefoot Books!)
Wriggle and Roar
Ants in Your Pants
The Mick Inkpen Collection
The Princess and The White Bear King
Threadbear
The Stinky Cheeseman and other Stupid Fairy Tales
The Incredible Book Eating Boy
Beware of the Storybook Wolves
Who’s Afrraid of the Big Bad Book?
Over the next few days/weeks I am going to review each of these books and talk about how I use them at home and at school.
I am also going to be reading Little House on the Prairie and Children on the Oregon Trail and will review these too. I remember loving these books when I was at the end of primary school so am keen to see if they still do it for me now, I have an inking that they will!
I have not read any adult fiction for a long time and have a growing list of must read books so as soon as I find the time to make a start on my growing pile, I will share my thoughts on these for you too. I hope that you will read my reviews and share your own thoughts and comments too.
Time to get reading!!