Ronan and Laoise have the parcel which Helen showed us last week.

In the parcel Helen enclosed a variety of materials for today’s session. She also sent one cardboard ‘plate’ for everyone ( including ME).

GOOD MORNING HELEN!

We have become so accustomed to the great weather that today is disappointing….the rain is back. Helen told us that this morning she cycled Reuben to school, in the rain and got wet!

We have a new pupil in our class, so we introduced Paul to Helen.

                                                 

Paul told her that he has a Mum and Dad, two brothers, a cat called Lightning, and a dog called Sammy (who sniffs).

HOWDY-DOS and HOMEWORK:

Everyone had an opportunity to show Helen their VT homework:

Tia: Her picture shows when she made her First Confession.

                                               

Ciaran: He drew Jesus. Jesus is a VIP. He is a very important person.

                                                 

Sophie: Mary was the Mum of God and every day was happy. She would not let any harm come to her people.

                     

Sophie also drew her First Confession day, and included her friend Sarah too.

Tia (again) She made a daisy chain and wanted to show it to Helen.

 

Charlie: He wrote that Mary was kind and she spread love. Jesus was generous, helpful, good and charitable.

                                                    

Ryan: He said that he drew a picture of his First Confession. He  remembered that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

                            

Conal: He reminded us that Jesus will always love us, no matter what we do.

                                 

Stephen: He wrote these words to describe Jesus: holy, faith, merciful, saviour, disciples, risen, Son of God.

                          

Sarah: Jesus needs help to spread the word of God’s love. 

                               

Caitlinn:  She says prayers to Mary every night. Mary is the mother of God. She is very nice. She is careful.

                                              

                                              

Cliodhna: May is the month of Mary. This is Mary.

I have an Aunt Mary and she has kids and a pet dog.

                     

     Eimear: God loves us every day. She wrote words about Mary – holy, love, grace and     glorious.

She also drew her memory of First Confession.

                   

                                     

Aoife: She said she was very proud of herself at First Confession. At first she was nervous, but she felt happy afterwards.

                    

Laoise: She wrote – Jesus, God, love, Mary, pray, forgiveness.

                                           

Olivia: She thinks God is generous, courageous, smart, kind, caring and loving.

                                            

Ronan: He enjoys going to church because he thinks of all the people in his family who have died. Sometimes he looks at the stained glass windows, the stations of the cross and the statues.

                                                 

Darragh: He told the priest about the times when he didn’t show love, The priest told him not to do it again and to cheer up.

                                               

Oisin: He drew a picture of God making the world.

                                              

Helen spoke about today’s activity and showed the children some prints she had made previously (Blue Peter style).

   

  

  

THE ACTIVITY

For the practical part of the session we concentrated on preparing the ‘plates’ for printing.

(This is the SCIENTIFIC part): not found in WIKIPEDIA, but in Helen’s notes!

The ‘plate’ is a term used in most printmaking techniques. We are going learn how to do ‘Collagraphic’ prints. These are done on cardboard or hardboard. A collage of different textures are glued onto one side and printed using one or two colours. Other print techniques such as etching and dry-point, use plastic, zinc, steel or copper as the basis for their plate and either cut into or use acid to burn an image into the plate. Screen-printing uses stencils and lithograph uses a large stone. 

MATERIALS we need today:

• PVA Glue
• Pre cut cardboard squares
• Glue brushes
• Rice/spaghetti
• Textured paper/card
• Embossed wallpaper
• Bubble-wrap
• Lace
• Corrugated paper
• Sandpaper
• Wool

Helen’s communication:

“I am going to ask the children to take their drawing as a starting point for a collage for their ‘plate’. Some children may wish to recreate a figurative image and others may choose to create something more abstract.

I have to tell the children that if they want to use text it must be written backwards.

Ideally the ‘plate’ needs to filled with a range of different textures of similar thickness.

Do not layer up the textures on top of each other and make areas of the plate too thick as it won’t print properly.

When the ‘plates’ are finished the children will need to add layers of PVA glue to the plate to ensure everything “stays put” during the printing process. I will visit again to do the printing itself.”

These are the finished plates:

    

                                          Everyone was happy with the plates. 

                       

                                          Charlie                                             Carl

                          

                                           Ciaran                                              Olivia

                        

                                         Oisin                                                 Stephen

                         

                                            Paul                                                   Darragh

                         

                                            Ronan                                                   Sarah

                         

                                       Sophie                                              Cliodhna

                         

                                           Caitlinn                                               Aoife

                         

                                           Eimear                                               Tia

                            

                                         Laoise                                                   Conal

PLENARY:

TEACHER: Some children had difficulty understanding the concept of making the collage. Even though Helen and I explained the process, and what they were going to do with the finished plate next week.

• One child was using a colouring pencil to draw a picture on the plate.
• Another child specifically wanted to use black corrugated paper.
• Another child wanted to add layers of wool on top of the plate

I explained that the materials stuck to the plate had to be the same thickness for the print to work. I also told them that colour did not matter as the plate would be covered with just one paint colour in the next session.

During the forthcoming week I will let these children make another plate and they can see how both their plates print (or not, as the case may be.)

The PUPILS’ thoughts about the activity:

• It was interesting.
• I made a collage before in P2, but I didn’t make a print with it.
• I enjoyed picking the things to stick on the plate.
• It was messy.
• I just wanted to use the crinkly paper like a window in the church.
• The string was hard to stick on to the card.
• I can’t wait to see what it will look like (the print).
• Helen’s print looked really good.I
• I don’t really know how it is going to look next time.
• I made Jesus on a cross.
• I put hearts on mine. I like hearts. They make you happy.
• The wallpaper was good.
• The mesh was very hard to stick on.
• I didn’t think mine was good, but Helen said it will make a good print.

ANOTHER SESSION COMES TO AN END……………..Everyone is looking forward to the next one to see how the prints turn out, so HASTA LLUEGO SENORA.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POST SCRIPT.

Helen had hoped to have time to complete the work on the circles from Tracy’s visit.

• Cut the roll of paper into four pieces. A piece can be placed onto each cluster of tables. (The tables will have to be cleared completely.) THANKS HELEN. (again)
• The children will use the side of the paper that the circles have been drawn onto. Each group will choose one large circle on the paper to begin with. They will thicken the outline of this circle with a marker to identify it clearly for everyone in their group.
• The children have to write and draw in this circle their perception/memory of the sacrament they have made recently – (First Confession). They can draw their ideas or mix words with images.
• As their ideas develop they will be asked about the sacrament that they will make next year – (First Holy Communion).
• The children will be asked if they have any ideas of other beliefs/cultures.
• When the circle is full, each child will find a space outside the circle and draw a picture of the ideas they have been filling inside the circle. These pictures will be painted.
• The paint will be applied in thin layers so that the colours can be built up, almost like using the sheets of coloured cellophane/ layering the colours on top of each other, giving lots of different new colours.

Look at these images Helen.

Say what you see. (It’s like Catchphrase)

        

plus

 

                                   A cloud                        and                         a cuckoo.

 

You are living in cloud cuckoo land!

We didn’t get that activity completed.

BYE!