Session # 2 – Friday 18 November, 2016. Everyone was excited to see what was in store for our second session with Helen. Sophie and Sarah had the opportunity to introduce themselves to Helen as they were absent last week.

For a “Show and Tell” Sophie brought in a special doll and described how it had wings, just like the birds we had observed last week in the playground.

We talked about how the birds in the videos (which we had watched last week) used their wings when they were flying. One of the videos was in slow motion and it showed very clearly how the birds’ wings moved in flight. Then everyone had to imagine that they were birds and how it might feel to move their wings (arms). Some great demonstrations ensued!

The second video which we watched showed a murmuration of starlings. What magnificent patterns they made…….. Really amazing to watch! The boys and girls were in awe of the birds’ skills. How did they manage to be so close together, yet they did not bump into eachother?

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW – We also wondered what a bird would see as it flies around in the sky.. …………………Well maybe we’ll have to look into that!

Our “key words” to learn this week are: transparent and murmuration. 

Helen had sent a package which contained some transparent patterned vinyl. This material was used to cut out birds in flight, like a V shape. Helen showed the children some examples of what she had made in her studio.

Then the children got drawing and cutting. They found peeling the backing off the vinyl very tricky, so I had to be chief peeler! We made a flight pattern on the windows in our classroom. The windows  are large, so we had great scope to create a pretty fine murmuration.

 The children showed Helen their birds. This is Oisin with his fine samples.

                                      Aoife wanted Helen to see her birds too. 

As we were making our display in Belfast, Helen made a display in her home in Goatstown at the same time.

LI:  One of the aims of today’s session was to raise the children’s awareness of their bodies through movement and observation.

Helen sent us a wooden artist’s mannequin. We saw how the limbs can move, so the children moved different parts of their bodies –

• arms facing up to the ceiling
• straight out in front
• bending at the elbow
• moving the lowere part of the arm up to touch the shoulder and out stretched again. 
• Helen told the children to close their eyes with their feet firmly on the ground and their back straight against their chair. She went through a brief talk about key body parts They had to imagine that a piece of string was tied to the top of their head and that it was pulling them upwards stretching their spine a little. (I think this activity has a subliminal reference to Helen being a keen yoga exponent.)
• THAT WAS A VERY INTERESTING ACTIVITY.

HOMEWORK: Helen asked the children to draw an interesting building that could be seen from their house or on the way to school. They will show what they sketched in our next session.

The Lunch time bell brought our session to a close, but we knew that another journey into the imagination was heading our way next time……………………  

The murmuration got bigger and bigger in the days that followed our session, as the children insisted in making more birds until the very last piece of vinyl was used.