Kic.in2.Study

Goodbye to year 6 – for the moment…..

Year 6 came to the end of their first kic.in2.study programme tonight. They were introduced to Comic Life on the Apple computers and created posters showing some of the things they’d done over the last few weeks. Their ICT skills were excellent as ever and they produced some great work.

They also visited the video diary room to give their thoughts about kic.in2.study.

We discussed what they’d gained from attending the programme – all of them appreciated the opportunity to meet other people and make new friends and to experience new things. As a group they have grown in confidence and are much more willing to express their opinions, to ask for help and to try new things than when we first met them.

They have been a delightful group to work with and we’re looking forward to seeing them again at other kic.in2.study events.

D of E practice expedition

In the hottest weekend of the year the D of E boys did their practice expedition – carrying packs almost as big as themselves, and definitely as heavy, they set off through the Northamptonshire countryside – across fields, along narrow paths, beating back nettles and branches, paddling in the river, talking to sheep and horses and sometimes each other. With regular meetings with Margaret to urge them on, and provide the occasional treat, (thanks for the ice cream) they made it through the day to arrive at their campsite, exhausted but pleased with themselves, eight hours after leaving the study centre. Tents up and gourmet (not!) meals cooked they enjoyed a much earned break and were visited by Helena to see how they were getting on.

On Sunday morning the weather was still scorching and their aim was to complete the second day in time to get home to see England play. Still feeling tired, aching in places they didn’t know they had, and with one or two blisters between them, they prepared for day two. Breakfast eaten, tents down and campsite cleared and they set off again – the rucksacks weren’t quite as heavy this time – all the food had been eaten! They made it back to the study centre with time to clean some of the kit and get home to watch the game.

Our congratulations to the boys on a fantastic achievement – they showed determination and persistence, and dug deep into their personal reserves to complete the expedition. Well done!

India

Year 9 looked at India this week. With several people absent they worked with people they didn’t usually and produced some good work. They learned a little about the size, major cities, currency and language before taking part in an activity which challenged a few stereotypes about what India might look like. Dorcas who led this activity was very impressed by their thoughtfulness and the way in which they could articulate their views. Yvonne then introduced the students to the Comic Life programme which they used to create posters advertising India and encouraging more people to visit. They demonstrated good ICT skills and produced some very creative posters. Finally they heard a little about and tasted Bombay Mix or chevda – a savoury, spicy Indian snack.

Year 6 and the England game

Year 6 had fun this week as they arrived for their kic.in2.study session just as England scored against Slovenia. They got in the world cup mood by painting flags on their faces before taking on the club challenge set by Jaimie. They had to choose players for a team, design a shirt and a logo, decide on a mascot and choose a manager. After some discussion about the qualities of a good manager they all decided that they would be the best manager for their team. An acrostic poem based on their team’s name was the final task. The group worked well, keeping an eye on the England game, but not allowing it to stop them working. They demonstrated good creativity and some excellent ICT skills.

Pakistan

This week’s focus country was Pakistan and the students heard a little about the traditions associated with it. They were surprised to learn that English was the official language, and that field hockey is the national sport, even though cricket is more popular.

After a spell on I am Learning they were lucky to have the opportunity to do some cricket themselves with visiting coach Dan before tackling the cricket tour task which required them to locate four cities on a map of Pakistan, work out the distances between them and begin to work out the costs involved.

At the end of the session the young people tried out a range of celebration sweets which might be eaten at festivals or special occasions.
   

D of E

The D of E group spent this week’s session planning their menus for the practice expedition and practising putting a tent up. Less than two weeks to go until their first expedition and the boys are almost ready to go.

Year 6

Year 6 enjoyed a lakeside trek this week. Equipped with clipboards and cameras and accompanied by Harley the dog (and the staff of course) they set off around the lake looking for examples of the items on their scavenger list. Working in teams they divided the tasks and looked for items as diverse as something yellow, a train, a church steeple, grass over a metre high and a rabbit. They worked well together and succeeded in finding most of the target items. Points were given for the items found and photographed and when they were added up prizes were awarded. All of the students showed determination, perseverance and good teamwork. There was evidence of good camera skills and numeracy as they worked out their total points score – but they all had difficulty in choosing their prize!

Year 9 visit South Africa

 The Year 9 world tour visited South Africa this week.  Everyone knew a bit about South Africa because of the football world cup taking place there at the moment, but they also learned a little about the history, about apartheid, about Nelson Mandela and the names of some of the important cities.  They heard about gold mining and about blood diamonds.  The food on offer this week was biltong – a sort of dried meat – chewy, tasty, but not to everyone’s taste.

  The students were given the chance to try some African drumming and dancing.  They heard how the drums were made and they all learned the gum boot dance which has its origins in the mines.  They were very good at this and demonstrated an outstanding sense of rhythm.

Year 6 animators!

The year 6 group had the opportunity to try their hands at animation this week.  The session was led by Ash Williams who helped the students to decide on the characters for their story, create a set and then begin filming.  They were astonished to learn how many frames were needed for a single second’s filming but they made a great effort to produce enough for their own short animation film which you can see below.

When the filming was complete they worked with Ash to edit their work and create an introduction.  For those who wished there was an opportunity to compete against each other on the table football  or against themselves in the brain training challenges.

West Indies

This week’s stop on our World Tour was the West Indies.  After hearing a little about the geography and history of these Caribbean islands the group were entranced by Morcea Walker’s storytelling.   Never have the group been so quietly attentive.

 Dressed in traditional clothes Morcea kept us all enthralled as she told first a story about making a pact with the devil, and then one based on traditional food which required everyone to join in with the repeated phrase “Eat, put on some weight”.  

 After completing the usual quiz on I am Learning the students enjoyed hearing about, and taste-testing some traditional West Indian food – plantain, dumplings and patties.

We were proud of the way the young people responded to the story telling and delighted at their willingness to try foods which were new to them.