Its been a while!

Hello all,

Sorry its been so long, Duncan and I have been having a well deserved break after the degree show. Its amazing how much this degree takes it out of you!
Anyway, Duncan and I are back in school on wednesday this week to do some pruning, drop off some planter boxes that were used in the degree show and do some general tending to the garden with the children.
The prize for the best garden is decided soon, so everyone needs to be helping out and weeding and pruning with us to make sure you stand the best chance of winning! Don't forget the winning team gets an ice cream each and the winning teacher gets a day off! Yipee!

Really looking forward to seeing you all and how the garden has progressed.
See you soon,
Emma

The Degree show is up, Hurrraaahhhhh!

After a rather stressful few weeks, the degree show is finally up! The private view, which all of College Rd Primary school are invited too is Friday 10th June 2011 starting at 8pm. Come along and see your work in a gallery!
If you cant male it that night, don't worry as the show is open for 2 weeks, everyday until the 24th June 2011. Its free to get in, and there is loads to see!
See you soon!
Emma

A Big Thakyou

Emma and I have had a wonderful time with you all. We hope you have too and will remember your time with us; growing from seeds plants to create your own  garden and the amazing art work  you have done over the past three days, see previous post by Emma. We also thank all the staff at College Road Primary  for their much appreciated support, allowing us time in a very busy time of the year to run our workshops. This is not a goodby we will be back, for now we are rushing around like mad things getting our exhibition together

Duncan and Emma

Year 6 Arty Days

Year 1 Arty Days

Monday, wednesday and thursday of this week, Duncan and I came into college rd primary and involved the kids in some arty activities to get them thinking about how the sowing seeds project can in fact be considered as art. In this post you can see the work that the year one class produced. Monday we started with looking through various art books and picking pictures we wanted to do observational drawings from. We followed this by exploring which words described how we felt when we look at or take part in art activities. 

Wednesdays session focused on producing leaves describing what we have learn and enjoyed most about the sowing seeds project, on the leaf's other side we drew a picture to represent the sentence. These will be hung off a real tree in Duncan and I's exhibition space for all to see.

Today (thursdays session) we have been potato printing, something which has gone down very well, in particular with the year one class. Using potato stamps cut into shapes of flowers and leaves the children of year one produced some inspiring garden pictures in their art journals.

Along with the work Duncan and I have produced, much to the children's delight, we are also displaying all the children's books within our exhibition. Well done Year one! 

Banana Cake recipe!

Tomorrow Duncan and I are going in to do the last of our 3 'Art days' with years 1 & 6 (which we will tell you about in another post) however in tomorrows session not ony are we going to do some potato printing but we are also going to taste some homemade (by my fair hands, of course) Banana Cake!
I have included the recipe here, so if it gets a popular reaction you can recreate it at home!

Ingredients:
270g soft light brown sugar
2 eggs
200g ripe peeled bananas (the riper the better!)
280g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
140g butter, melted

Method:
1) preheat the oven to 170'C (325'F) Gas 3
2) Put the sugar and the eggs in a bowl and beat together with either a spoon and you muscles, or, alternatively use an electric whisk! Beat until well incorporated and then add the mashed bananas and mix those in too.
3)Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon to the sugar mixture. Mix it thoroughly until all the dry ingredients are well mixed in.
4) Pour in the melted butter and beat until all the ingredients are incorporated.
5) Pour the mixture into a prepared (greased and lined with baking paper) loaf tin and level out. Bake in a preheated oven for about an hour, or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
6) Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This yummy cake should do about 10 slices, and will be gone in an instant in any household! Children make sure you have help from adults with hot things, and use of any electric whisks!

Enjoy,
Emma

day 2 planting

Emma and I enjoyed another good day planting out lots of vegatables and flowers years 5 and 6 worked hard and appeared to have planted more plants than the years 1,2 and 4 on the previous day.Well done all.There are much more to be planted so if you have any spare time get out there planting its your garden.
      The two larger plots will be boarded out to make raised beds so next year they need to be filled with top soil or good compost.Emma and I are back in teaching art with years 1 and 6 next week starting monday 23rd May next week.Below are more photos of  everyone spending time in the garden.Well done keep up the good work.
   Duncan and Emma