This week it’s all about dinosaurs!! The classes will be continuing on with our project from the Paleozoic Era last week and learning about the Mesozoic Era (250 – 60 million years ago), when the reptiles ruled the earth and dinosaurs roamed around, the first flying birds evolved and flowering plants grew. The children will be making pictures to represent the era using a die cut machine, and we will be unrolling the Timeline of the Eras on the GAA pitch – weather permitting! – as it’s getting too long to contain within the school! We will also be doing some Mother’s Day arts & crafts, so it’s going to be a creative week in The Children’s House!!

Dinosaurs All Around (tune: If you’re happy & you know it)

There are dinosaurs stomping all around,
There are dinosaurs stomping all around,
They are dinosaurs stomping all around, they are stomping on the ground,
There are dinosaurs stomping all around!

There are dinosaurs flying all around…
There are dinosaurs swimming all around…
They are dinosaurs eating all around…

Welcome back, we hope you all had a wonderful St Patrick’s Day! This week the classes will be continuing their project about the timeline of the Earth, and this week will be learning all about the Paleozoic Era (from 542 – 251 million years ago!) During this time, life in the ocean developed and became more complex – the first vertebrates and fish with jaws occurred, and plants and insects appeared on land. Amphibians appeared, large trees and ferns developed on land, and winged insects and the first reptiles were abundant. Relating to this, the children will be making their own pictures of the era, and we will be doing some drama pretending to be the first amphibians emerging from the oceans onto the land.

5 Little Speckled Frogs

5 little speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log,
Eating some most delicious bugs – yum yum!
1 jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool,
Now there are 4 green speckled frogs!

4 little speckled frogs…
3 little speckled frogs…
2 little speckled frogs…
1 little speckled frog…now there are no more speckled frogs!!

Beannachtaí Lá Fhéile Pádraig daoibh!! Happy St Patrick’s Day to you all – this week in The Children’s House we will be continuing to celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge, ending up with having St Patrick’s Day festivities at the end of the week; we will be making flags and headbands, making green playdough, and celebrating St Patrick’s Day on Friday with a parade!

As well as this we will be continuing on with our project from the Big Bang and Azoic Era, to learning about the Proterozoic Era when life was just beginning on earth in the oceans – for example worms, sponges and jellyfish; the children will be making pictures to represent the era, and we will set up a sponge painting area.

Ceann, lámha, glúine, cos

Ceann, lámha, glúine, cos,                      (Head, hands, knees, foot)
Ceann, lámha, glúine, cos,                      (Head, hands, knees, foot)
Agus súile, cluasa, béal agus srón,        (And eyes, ears, mouth and nose)
Ceann, lámha, glúine, cos!                      (Head, hands, knees, foot)

This week in The Children’s House we will be marking Shrove Tuesday by making pancakes (yum!!), celebrating World Book Day on Thursday by asking the children to bring in their favourite books to read with us – they can also come in dressed up as their favourite character from a book or film if they like – & if any family member is free to come in to read with us, all the better!! We will also be doing more Irish as it is the start of Seachtain na Gaeilge, so we will be learning animal names and doing Irish songs throughout the week.

Roille Roille Ráinne (Ring a Rosie)

Roille roille ráinne,
Timpeall linn an bhfáinne,                               Around together in a circle,
Ríleo ró! Ríleo ró!
Suas san aer le mo choisín ó!                           Up in the air with my feet!