Canal Way Arts Festival 24th-28th May 2021 - Canal Way Educate Together National School, Dublin 8

#ArtsFestival2021 has been a huge success.

A huge Thank You to everyone in the school community who have given their time and effort and to everyone who has sent in such creative work as part of our Arts Festival. Still a few more things going on. Yarn bombing will be visible soon!

So far, in the garden, we’ve had a really sensational concert with children singing, playing violin, keyboard, electric guitar and reciting poetry. We’ve had drumming workshops, knitting, weaving, mosaic making, pom-pom making, drawing to music and story slams. We’ve had special guests, Colm O’Regan (comedian, author, broadcaster and parent) and Michelle Gallen (author and parent) and Paul Madden (Director, Animator and parent), sharing their skills and knowledge and giving us inspiration. The Ark has been sharing it’s amazing theatre via Zoom. IMMA (Annie Fletcher, parent) and the Hugh Lane Gallery (Brandy Boden, parent) delivered great workshops. Plus we’ve all been joyously welcoming family and friends from a far (via zoom) live in our classes in Muintir. Stay tuned for more updates!

Staff and children have made such an enormous contribution to making the Arts Festival a tremendous experience! We are lucky to have such talent in our school community! — carefully planned and co-ordinated by Wilma and involving very special efforts by all of our staff, especially SNA Teresa. SNA Pauline for keeping everyone connected to the festival through twitter and our webpage.

Thanks also to our staff who delivered workshops during the week Michael, Dermot, Hazel, Siobhán and to Ciara for the Canal Way Story Slam. Mostly a big thank you to all the children for making this such a fantastic week!

Welcome to Canal Way Arts Week!

“We didn’t realise we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”

Winnie the Pooh

Welcome to Canal Way Educate Together National School Arts Festival. This offers us an opportunity to showcase the amazing talent in our school across a broad range of artistic fields. Family and friends will be able to share in the rich tapestry of events during our Canal Way Arts Festival by viewing the work of contributors on our school website, outdoor exhibitions and in our Newsletter.

This festival is a celebration of all things creative, blending in person and online events.

We have a ideas for things you can do at home, there is something for all of the family. Choose the activities that bring you joy and have fun! These are open-ended activities fostering flexibility of thought, and remember that the emphasis in creative arts is on the process. The way by which you arrive at the destination is as significant, if not more significant than the destination itself.

Look out for these symbols to help you choose an activity. Some activities are more suitable but not exclusively for younger children ★

Others are only suitable for older children ★★

While some activities may be completed alone, others will be suitable for or require a bit of team effort and collaboration from the whole ★★★

It is always inspirational to see the variety and range of amazing ideas that the children in our school have. Your ideas may help to inspire someone else to start creating too!

The Arts help children and adults explore their full emotional range and be more equipped to deal with the ups and downs that are a part of all our lives. Through ensuring access to the arts for children, we are helping to build a firm basis for life-long cultural engagement which will support, enrich and enhance their quality of life. This is even more pertinent as we navigate our way past these extraordinary times.

Wilma Browner

Arts Festival Programme of Events 24th-28th May

Some of the events happening at school during the Canal Way Arts Festival

Monday 24th

Outdoor Art Junior Infants- Second Class Mosaic with Teresa and Wilma

Indoor Art – Class Teacher

Writing- Poetry – Class Teacher

Drawing to music in the Garden – Creative Schools Committee

The Ark Children’s Theatre

Philosophy – Class Teacher/Dermot/Fiona

Virtual Tour of National Gallery /Favourite Painting – Class Teacher

Meet the Author 6th Class – Michelle Gallen

Writing Workshop 5th Class – Colm O’Regan

Hugh Lane Gallery Resources – Brandy Boden

Tuesday 25th

Outdoor Art third – Sixth Class- Mosaic with Teresa and Wilma

Indoor Art – Class teacher

Drawing to Music in the Garden

Writing Prose – Class Teacher

Virtual Tour of National Gallery / Favourite Painting – Class Teacher

Philosophy-Class Teacher – Fiona

The Ark Children’s Theatre

Workshop with Paul Madden – 4th Ciarán

Wednesday 26th

Outdoor Music Junior Infants – 1st Wilma ,Teresa and Michael

Outdoor Drumming 2nd/3rd/4th – Dermot

The Ark Children’s Theatre

Muintir – Hazel

Garden Art – Siobhán

Garden Lunchtime Concert

Story Slam – Ciara

Storytelling in the Garden

Drawing to music in the Garden – Creative Schools Committee

Workshop 3rd Luke – Brandy Boden Hugh Lane gallery

Thursday 27th

Outdoor Music Junior Infants – 1st Wilma,Teresa and Michael

Outdoor Drumming 2nd/3rd/4th – Dermot

The Ark

Story Slam – Ciara

The Big Read – DEAR 11:30

Garden Art – Siobhán

Knitting Gathering in the Garden – Wilma

Yarn Bombing – Teresa and Siobhán

Muintir Day – Hazel

Friday 28th

Exhibition in the Garden

Muintir Day – Hazel

Garden Lunchtime Concert

Time Capsule Burial in the Garden

Story Slam Share – Ciara

Mosaic Exhibition – Teresa and Wilma

Yarn Bombing – Teresa/ Wilma and Siobhán

Movie Making Workshop – 5th /6th Class

Poetry —Write an original poem, choose your own subject or one from the list below.

Suggested titles; Together, Home, Family, Friendship, Playing, Laughter

There are many different types of poems. Here are some you might like to choose from;

Onomatopoeic Poem:

These are sound poems and are an ideal way for young children to think about objects, people or animals and the sound they make.★★

My Noisy House The Game

The egg goes crack Clap! Clap!

The yolk goes splat Stomp! Stomp!

The car goes broom Swish! Swish!

The plane goes zoom This is the way we play our game

The gas goes hiss

The dryer goes whizz

Pyramid Poem:

In a pyramid poem the child gets to describe the chosen topic using one adjective (describing word) in the first line,then two adjectives in the second line and so on adding as many lines as they wish and finishing with a short sentence.★★

Bear

A little bear

A cute little bear

A tired,cute ,little bear

Go to sleep little bear

Acrostics:

Write the title vertically down the left hand side of the page and use the letters to begin each line. ★★

Gardening all the time

Rubs my knee when I fall

And makes yummy pancakes

Never gives out

Yes I love my granny!

Rhyming Couplets:

Nursery Rhymes are a great pace to start to practice with rhyming words. Rhyming couplets are also an excellent way to develop phonological awareness. Brainstorm rhyming words before you begin. ★★

Humpty Dumpty went to the shop

To buy himself a lollipop

Free Poems:

Remember Poems don’t always have to rhyme to be a poem. Writing poetically can sometimes happen when we are not intentionally trying to write a poem.★

Flowers come with nature

Trees come with nature

We come with nature

Adjective Poems:

In this type of poem the title is repeated three times at the start and at the end of the poem. The poem can be long or short once you use lots of adjectives (describing words).You can have all the adjectives begin with the same letter if you wish. ★★

Pirates, Pirates, Pirates

Mean, mucky, massive pirates

Big, bold, boisterous pirates

Pirates, Pirates, Pirates

Sausage Poems:

In these poems the last letter in the first word is the same as the first letter in the second word and so on to the end of your poem.★

HippoS SwaP PyjamaS SO OfteN

No-onE EveR Remembers!

Riddle Poems:

Riddle poems can be as short as two lines or as long as you wish with the answer to the riddle coming at the end. Here’s how a riddle is usually written:★

Line 1: Clue about the subject

Line 2:Hint using an adjective (describing word) or a noun (name of a person,place animal or thing)

Line 3:Two verbs(action words)connected with the riddle

Line 4: Final clue in a statement about the thing

Line 5: Answer the riddle

Limericks:

In a Limerick lines one, two and five rhyme while lines three and four rhyme with each other. However sometimes poets don’t stick to this rule leading some very funny endings where the last line does not rhyme as we expected. ★★★

Haiku:

This is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. The first two lines make a statement and in the final line these two statements are combined:★★

Line 1: 5 syllables- A brok-en oak branch

Line 2: 7 syllables – In the dark and sog-gy wood

Line 3: 5 syllables- Sup-ports my trip home

Kennings:

A title or topic is chosen and then it is described in other ways without using the name. ★

Storm

An angry sky-god

A lightning-thrower

An electricity-charger

A tree-destroyer

Alliteration Poem:

Alliteration poems are sentences,phrases or statements where the words in each sentence begin with the same letter. ★

One weary, waggly, wet worm won a wand waving wager

Two terrific twins tried to tumble together

Listen here to some poets reading their poems.★★★

Christina Rossetti: 1830-1894

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWsm6IrhGio

Michael Rosen Plastic Bag Tree ( Forwards)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoL66gUg_es

Michael Rosen Plastic Bag Tree (Backwards)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XjC1NjOctE

Benjamin Zephaniah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrLDEhqgbpo https://www.

Enda Wyley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1CZ-0IP_a0

Shel Silverstein

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the garbage out

youtube.com/watch?v=-104x-t85G4 https://www.

Boa Constrictor

youtube.com/watch?v=OWop4ArXLfA

Watch these videos to help you get started:★★

Simon Mole how to write a poem in under 10 minutes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3FZyXFS6bU https://

Simon Molewrite an ode poem in 10minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7bmeqJ_wXM

Simon Mole how to write rhyming poetry 1

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5Qin926q1Y

Simon Mole how to write rhyming poetry 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePngT-NFKno

So now it’s up to you!

Which type of poem will you write? Maybe you might like to try a few different styles. Perhaps you could illustrate your poem. You could read or recite your poem for your class or family. Maybe you would like to place your poem in the

Literature

Become an Author

Write an original piece to document your experiences. The subject could be a reflection on your day-to-day life, family, home, school, some funny incident, a new skill you have learned, a random act of kindness.

Perhaps you already have your own idea and know what you are going to write about then go for it!

Your piece of writing can be a couple of sentences or longer.

Before you start, think about which writing genre best suits your writing style,what you want to say and who your intended audience is. You may like to illustrate it.

Please share it with your class. Remember to read other people’s work too.

Would you like to place your writing in the Canal Way Time Capsule.

Writing Genres

Narrative Writing

This genre entertains and engages the reader in an imaginative experience. There are characters, a setting,events that lead to a problem and finally a solution or resolution. Narrative writing has defined characters and is written in the past tense using descriptive language. ★★★

e.g. When I look back now, at that time it was…

Recount Writing

Recount tells the reader what happened and this may include the author’s personal interpretation of the events. Recount writing can be personal, factual and imaginative. Recount writing is organised by setting, events in chronological order and a concluding statement. Recount writing has specific participants, and is written in the past tense using action verbs.★★★

e.g. My trip to feed the ducks on the canal

Returning to school last March

Procedural Writing

Procedures are written to explain how something is done. It is written in a series of sequenced steps giving detailed factual information. There is a stated goal, materials, method and evaluation.★★

e.g. How to play football

Report Writing

Reports are written to describe or classify the way things are or seem to be. They organise and record information. The features of report writing are: impersonal objective language, generalised participants, present tense and subject specific language.★★

e.g. Looking after our pets

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive texts are written to persuade or argue.They promote the point of view of the writer.There is the proposition to be argued, the argument presented in logical order and finally reiteration.★★

e.g. Our planet is greener since the Covid19 restrictions were introduced.

Picture Book

There are many amazing books that use only pictures or one word to tell their story. Some authors like Oliver Jeffers use very simple pictures to tell very profound stories. This is Narrative writing without the writing! There are characters, a setting,events that lead to a problem and then a solution or resolution.★★★

Read a review of some amazing picture books here:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/apr/22/the-whole-world-in-a-bedroom-seven-of-the-most-imaginative-picture-books-for-lockdown-life

Comic Strip

Use a comic script to explore the suggested topics or one of your own. The suggested layout or plan below may help you get started. Remember to share your work.

Comic strips usually have a beginning,middle and end.There is a setting and characters with a problem to be solved. There may be some twists and surprises. Finally there is a resolution often with a punch line or “ah ha!”. Remember not all comic strips are funny.That is up to the writer and the subject they have chosen. Be original and think outside the box to develop your own characters. ★★

Panel 1: the introduction

Panel 2: the problem

Panel 3: the climax

Panel 4: the problem is solved

Panel 5: the punch line

Play/Film script

Write a short play or film script on the suggested topics or one of your own.

The steps below may help you to get started.★★

Reflect on what you want your play or film to be about before you name it.
Write down a short list of good quality characters.
Draw a picture of each character.
Write a short paragraph about him/her/it so you get to know them and their personality.
Write down your setting place,time,the weather and any changes to this that happen.
Name your characters
Write down some stage directions
Write the lines and make them fit with your characters’ personality
Try to avoid cliches and melodrama or overused storylines
Assemble your cast ( whole family participation including pets may be required)
Do not expect everything to work perfectly but persevere it will be worth it
Be kind and respectful to your cast
Perform, record and share !

Books and Reading

My favourite Book

This activity is for adults and children to share. Children, do you have a favourite author or book? Adults,is there a book from your childhood that you remember reading? Tell us why this book is so special. Is it a book you return to often? Has the way you respond to the characters and story changed over time? How did this book come to be in your hands? ★★★

Recommendations and Reviews

Begin with a short summary,picking out the most important aspects of the book. Use some quotes as examples. Then write a conclusion that summarises everything. Give the book a star rating and link it to other similar books. Remember not all reviews are positive!★★★

Adults

what would be your inheritance book? Which book do you hope to pass on to your child and why is this book significant in your life?★

Start a book club ★

This could be a family book club with all the people at home with you. One member chooses a book for everyone in your group to read. Make sure to support younger readers by reading along with them. Remember Picture books are books too! Once everyone has finished the book ,arrange a time to meet and discuss the book.

Authors talking about their books and the writing process.★★★

Jeff Kinney’s Advice on Becoming an Author (Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP5bOnLaj3c

Mo Willems answers children’s questions (Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMoRPw6bvI4

Jon Klassen author and illustrator of children’s books.(Sam and Dave dig a hole) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VPJp7chqH0

B.J.Novak reads his Book with No Pictures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZwY5BeYcyo

Music

A Soundscape ★★★

You are invited to capture the sounds of your lives at this unique time in history.

Make a 30 second recording of the sounds around you. We have become so aware of the different sounds we can now hear that the din of traffic has receded. The beautiful soundscape that lay hidden has emerged so let’s capture it! email to: [email protected]

We will then edit those sounds to create our musical composition and share it on our webpage.

Listen to the 2020 soundscape here :

https://youtu.be/r3oOVKjeGlE

Musical Performance in the Garden:★★★

Do you play an instrument or love singing? This is your opportunity to share a short musical performance with us. Do you have a favourite piece of music or song you love to sing? Please let me know so I can include you in the programme for our Lunchtime Concerts on the 26th and 28th May

Original Composition: Have you an original instrumental composition or song you would like to perform it or share it with us? ★★

Alma Deutscher has been composing since she was very little. You can listen to her music and hear her talk about composing here:

– from My book of Melodies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRiHo5ztq7E

Alma Deutscher-Ludwig Waltz No 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR3T9OjoxSM

Don’t play an instrument? No problem, remember there are lots of found objects around the house that you can transform into a musical instrument.

You can make a wide range of sounds and music using your voice or your body!

Take a look at these videos :★★★

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW2DY1OpgrI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsXOehynKJ8

Do you have a favourite piece of music that you love to listen to? Let us know what it is and a little bit about why you have chosen it.

Listen to some examples here:

The Swan by Saint-Saens played by cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott.

https://youtu.be/3qrKjywjo7Q

A Celtic twist by De Dannan on an excerpt from The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba by Handel.

https://youtu.be/MB8NhXtgG_A

Spring originally composed by Vivaldi remastered by Max Richter

https://youtu.be/oXXm0ppMvT0

Scheherazade composed by Rimsky-Korsakov

https://youtu.be/zY4w4_W30aQ

Pirates of the Caribbean composed by Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt

https://youtu.be/6zTc2hD2npA

Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute composed by Motzart

https://youtu.be/YuBeBjqKSGQ

Film

Take a trip to the cinema: https://ifiplayer.ie/ is an amazing resource to browse through with an adult. Have a look at the films I have selected for you. What did you think? Write a review and share it with us. ★★★

- https://ifiplayer.ie/the-duel/★★
- https://ifiplayer.ie/blip/ ★★
- https://ifiplayer.ie/yu-ming-is-ainm-dom/ ★
- https://ifiplayer.ie/safe-cycling/★

Maybe you could make a short film? There are loads of examples of short films made by schools around Ireland on the Fís website at https://fisfilmproject.ie/fis-films/. ★★★

Editing films is a lot of work but can be loads of fun. Below you’ll find a list websites that provide free applications for editing that hopefully are easy to use★★★

You might like to make a Stop Motion Film ★★ using the Stop Motion Studio application available from https://www.cateater.com/. Unfortunately it costs €4.61 but it is a brilliant app. Check out some Stop Motion films that were made by Canal Way Students HERE.

Why not try making an animation or green screen video? Do ink is a great application that you can download from http://www.doink.com/. Unfortunately it costs €5.49 but there is a lot you can do with the app. Try making animations or making a green screen film. WARNING: To use the green screen part of this application you will need a green background such as a sheet/blanket.

Muintir Canal Way Day: Together Apart

Muintir Canal Way Day: Together Apart★★★

Photo exhibition- All of us are finding it difficult to be away from family members and the significant people we have in our lives.Hopefully we will be able to meet up again soon. Share photographs of those loved ones with us. Let’s create our Muintir Canal Way Gallery.

Interview- Interview an older person that you know and ask them some questions about their past. You might like to find out about games they played as children, their experience of school life, and how life has changed for children today. ( Hazel will provide some interview templates)

Zoom- We will be holding some in class Zoom sessions in class on Thursday and Friday to welcome our visitors into our classroom in a slightly different way this year. This week it might be nice for you at home to Zoom one of your loved ones that you have not seen in a while. Maybe you could do something together over Zoom like making a cake or drawing a picture.

Write a letter or send a card- Everybody loves getting post! Write a letter or a card to a loved one this week and tell them how much they mean to you. You could draw them a picture if you don’t feel like writing.

Art

Rainbow Self portrait

★★★

School wide rainbow portrait. Draw a portrait of yourself from the shoulders up on A5 white paper (half an A4 page) using only the colour that is given to your year group. The pictures will be put together to create a rainbow portrait to be posted on our school website.

Junior Infants – Red

Senior Infants – Orange

First – Yellow

Second – Green

Third – Blue

Fourth – Bluey Purple (indigo)

Fifth and Sixth – Purple

To get a great result

Make sure the eyes, nose and mouth are visible – Use a black marker if the facial features got ‘lost’
Shade the face to give the skin a color
Background needs to be filled with a pattern. To get a real rainbow effect no white paper should be showing.

Remember in the words of Albert Einstein “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new”. Your picture might not be perfect the first time, so keep adding to it and making changes until you are happy.

Ice Cream Art ★★★

The warmer sunnier days of Summer are here which means one thing- it’s officially ice cream time of year! Use up any scrap paper or fabric you have in the classroom to make these delicious treats.

Animal Magic★★★

Staying in school these days? No problem, you can still take a trip to the zoo to see all your favourite on Dublin Zoo’s live animal cams.

Dublin Zoo has reopened and you can now book your visit online.

https://www.dublinzoo.ie/animals/animal-webcams/

Catch a glimpse of the giraffes, zebras and rhinos on the African Savanna, get a birds-eye view of the penguins or watch the wondrous herd of Asian elephants bathe and chomp on their lunch. Choose your favourite animal and draw or paint them in action.

Newspaper Dogs ★★★

Find old newspaper, glue, paper or old cardboard box
Draw the outline of a dog
Tear up the newspaper into small strips
Using glue stick strips of the newspaper within the boundaries of your dog outline
When you have finished allow the picture to dry
Using a marker add eyes, nose, mouth and any other features you like

Minibeast Paintings ★★★

1.If possible go outside and find some minibeasts in the park or your garden, balcony or street.

2.Observe features on the mini beast (colours, number of legs, antennae, wings, spots, etc.)

3.Using light lines draw your minibeast

4.Add colour to the mini beasts using paints, crayons or marker.

Turtle Art ★★★

You might use:

Two sheet of paper
Crayons
Paint
Glue

Paint an entire page with patterns of blue paint to mimic the waves and movement of water

2. On your second page draw a turtle

3. Colour the turtle using crayons

4. Cut out your turtle

5. When the blue paint is dry, stick on the turtle

Masks ★★★

1. Gather a cereal box, scissors, glue, a pencil and colours/paint

2. On your cereal box draw a large outline of a face

3. Cut your outline out using a scissors

4. On the left over cardboard, draw different features of the face, such as eyelashes, ears and a nose

5. Cut the shapes out

6. Add colour to all the different parts of your face using paint, markers or crayons

7. Using glue, assemble the face by sticking all the parts of the face onto your mask

A Tonal Collage ★★★

Using paint, colours or organic and recycled materials create a tonal collage.

Choose a colour palette and make a collage. It can be as small or as large as you like. When you’re done we can put everyone’s work together as one huge amazing piece 🙂

Pieces of History: ★★★

Imagine your adult self explaining to your grandchildren all about COVID19?

What objects would you place in a time capsule that would best represent this time?

Draw, paint , photograph or write about it and share with us.. Remember X marks the spot!

Hugh Lane Gallery

Workshop on printmaking

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n5awxLSr-fk&feature=youtu.be

Online Educational Resources:

https://www.hughlane.ie/art-education-resources ,

The National Gallery

Select your favourite painting

Imitate that famous Art Work using items lying around at home. You may need to involve other members of your family, including pets if necessary! ★★★

www.nationalgallery.ie › virtual-tour

Canal Way Story Slam Podcast★★★

A great way to spend some time is to listen to some podcasts. There are some great podcasts for children available and offer a great screen free activity. This arts week we are going to make our own podcast!

Members of the community of all ages are invited to send in a short story linked to the theme of School. It could be a funny story about your first day of school,the time you called your teacher mum by accident or a story from when school had to take place from home.. What story are you itching to tell? Entries should be no longer than 3 minutes long and should be based on a true life story. They will then be put into a podcast and released onto the website for you to enjoy.

A good story should keep your listener hooked throughout. There are many ways to tell a good story. It is important to try avoid fillers (ehh, umm) so practise telling your story before sending it in. The following is a layout you could use but you could also use story mapping, story mountains etc. Story mapping is a great way suitable for all ages as it does not require any written words. They are used specifically for performance stories. ( The picture to the right is a story map for the three little pigs.)

Context– Set the scene for your listener
Catalyst– Get straight into the action. What happens that makes this story worth telling
Complication/Choice– What extra layer makes this more complicated
Change– What do they overcome and how
Consequence– How is it resolved? What effect does it have on the storyteller?

Children will perform in front of their class. Two or three from each class will be selected to perform in the Grand Slam in front of their year group and one other year group. (See timetable)

Free Podcasts for children★★★

The following are a list of podcasts. Like all things it is important to research the podcast and ensure it is suitable for your child’s age. Some are designed to listen to as a family whereas some are better for independent listening.

Brains On – This award-winning science podcast from American Public Media has more than 100 episodes to choose from, with each show enlisting a different expert to look at fascinating questions such as why do dolphins throw jellyfish in the air and do dogs know they are dogs?

Story Pirates – Story Pirates began as an arts education project in a school in Harlem in 2004 when a group of improv comedians put on a sketch show inspired by children’s own stories. It brings together world-class actors, comedians, improvisers and musicians who adapt stories written by children into sketch comedy and musical theatre.

RTÉjr Let’s Dive in. Join Phil and Julie on their adventures as they dive in to children’s questions on this charming little podcast about life, the universe and everything in it. Whether it’s about planets, farts, emotions or even pirates, you’ll be amazed, astonished and intrigued!

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls -This podcast features stories from the books that became a publishing phenomenon. Each 12-minute episode features a different character selected from the two volumes of the Rebel Girls series, transporting listeners to the control room at NASA with Margaret Hamilton during the launch of Apollo 11, or on board a ship, loading cannons with our own pirate queen, Gráinne Mhaol.

Peace out – Short stories that help children calm down and relax by guiding them through visualisation and breathing exercises.

Short and Curly – This podcast is a fast-paced fun-filled ethics podcast for kids and their parents, with questions and ideas to really get you thinking. It asks philosophical questions about animals, technology, school, pop culture and the future. It can be listened to alone or as a family to spark some interesting discussions.

Fun Kids – fun kids is an online radio station for children that offers podcasts on an array of topics. There are science based ones, ones based on films and ones based on short stories. In short there is something to please everyone here.

The Show about Science – Created by Nate when he was 5 years-old, The Show About Science is an adventure into the wondrous world of scientific research and discovery! Each week Nate interviews a scientist from around the world and asks them the questions we’ve all been thinking. A firm favourite amongst any children, big and small, who have an interest in Science.

The Past and The Curious – his amusing podcast features people telling interesting, little-known stories from history with an emphasis on fun and humor. Although it’s not specifical a music podcast, each episode contains an often-silly song that’s sure to get stuck in your head. There’s even a quiz segment!

RTÉ Ecolution podcast for kids who want to make a difference in the fight against Climate Change. James Dunne, a 17 year old activist, meets people, young and old, helping to solve the Climate Crisis by meeting it with real actions.

RTÉjr We Love Books On ‘We Love Books’, we love talking about all things book-related! Jam-packed with author interviews, writing tips, reviews and stories written by our very own listeners, ‘We Love Books’ is a journey through the pages of some of the best-loved children’s books of all time.

Drama

The Ark

Watch a show with your class online . Your teacher has been sent the link

Write your own review, like a theatre critic! ★★★

Branar Theatre: have made available full recordings of their plays for young children. They are fantastic! Check them out here. https://www.branar.ie/currentproductions ★★★

Fun Fairy Tales: ★★★

With your pod, choose any fairytale that takes your fancy. Start by reading the book with your pod. Then you could create a board of six tableau scenes (frozen pictures) that tell the whole story using your pod members. The rest of the class can try and guess what fairy tale your pod is presenting.

Older students could take it a step further and choose a movie to represent! You could arrange your six pictures like a comic strip and add captions using word or google docs.

Write and perform your own Monologue:

Monologues are a short piece of writing which an actor presents by themselves. Try writing and performing your own one. You could perform it for your family or friends.

You’ll find some examples here: http://www.bbbpress.com/

Make an Ad:★★

Make an ad for a random product that you might find around your house. It could be anything from a sweeping brush to a toilet roll. The sillier the better! Write a script first and try to sell it to us using persuasive language to convince us that we simply must have this product!

Talent Show: ★★★

Your class could have a talent show with students doing one of their special talents- eg. acting/storytelling/dancing/poetry/telling jokes or doing magic tricks.

Action Poetry:★★★

Perform a poem using your own actions to make it come to life! You will find some great poems to perform right here: https://www.michaelrosen.co.uk/. Better still write your own action poem to perform!