Lazy Sunday

For the first time in ages I didn't think about teaching. I thought I'd better poke my head above ground and look at the real world - just for a little while at least. And it was good. It began at 8am this morning with coffee and toast, then I ventured out into the garden. To say I needed a machete was an understatement! Boy did that grass grow over the winter! Helped by my niece Ffion, I spent the most part of the morning digging, weeding, planting and generally getting muddy... I'm looking forward to seeing the results though - sweet peas are my favourite in the summer, and I've planted my own vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and broccoli. I'm really looking forward to seeing the pumpkins - New England variety. Whether that will make any difference I have yet to find out, but it will make Hallowe'en that little bit more special. I'll be sure to save the seeds for next year. Anyone use this variety? I'd love to know more...

All of this planting has brought back some special memories of last year, when I covered tropical rainforests with my Year 3 (G2) class. They loved finding out all about how the rainforest is constructed, and were thrilled about the flora and fauna. The best part of all was when they made their own microclimates. We started by doing some work on the water cycle, and talked about how the water on earth now is the same water that has been around forever! They found this amazing. I told them that they were going to make their own "earth" microclimate. The parents were wonderful - they supplied plastic soda bottles, a huge selection of small bedding plants and lots of compost. We made a "door" in the bottle, taking care to keep a hinge on one side. Then we put in a layer of compost, deep enough to hold the plants. We watered the compost - damp enough to maintain the plants but not too wet that it turned into mud!. The children had huge fun planting up their "earth". Then they closed up the bottle and sealed it with sticky tape. Voila! An instant microclimate. The children loved watching it "rain" and the plants thrived. It's well worth having a go if you can. I wish I'd kept my photos...

After all of that "dig for victory" activity, we made some cup cakes. And that's another story... I love making cup cakes. It's my way of de-stressing. Thing is, I always end up with far too many so I end up giving them away...

And so, back to tonight. Most schools in Wales are on Easter holiday for another week, but my Authority is back tomorrow. I teach French as usual, but after that I'm not sure whether I'll get any calls (it's a small Authority with a population of only 56,000 and around 23 primary schools). Next week I'll be mostly going to the gym and working on an Earth Day unit and Mother's Day block. I'd love to know what you're all up to?