Simpsons Lane and Throstle Farm Junior and Infant School and Nursery: Day 2

Sarah | March 2, 2011 | 0 Comments

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Our return journey to Simpsons Lane and Throstle Farm Junior and Infant School and Nursery in Wakefield.

The last time we visited,, our trip became a memorable event, as the second day had to be cancelled due to some heavy snow.

We had all survived the first session, with just the staff, even though some of them had to walk through deep drifts of the white stuff. The following day, we tried to carry on, but the weather didn’t relent, and the school wasn’t able to even open. So, we’re back, and working with the children, as had been planned in November.

This time, there wasn’t a single snowflake in sight. Instead, we explored steaming, humid, worlds that were full of scurrying wildlife and magnificent sights. They may not be “real” but they become REAL.

One of the joys, of using these virtual worlds, is that they can be useful in modelling a vast amount of things, beyond writing. The elements of shared discussion, problem solving, knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do, speaking and listening skills, creativity in thought and imagination, … and so much more… take flight. These children did incredibly well, picking up ideas and juggling with them.

The almost tactile, living, breathing, scented experience of these games, serve to generate enthusiastic discussion between the children, which, almost magically, and inevitably, helps to generate imaginative ideas and storylines for independent writing.

Because children of all abilities do not want these experiences disturbed, they can support some really extended activities, such as role play, interviewing and questioning.

The contribution of talk, visual stimuli and drama to generate ideas for writing, generate experiences for children to explore together. Shared learning journeys. And, what fun we had today. Well done all.