We focused our attention this week on the wind. P3 had been investigating wind strength and wind direction, so just before the start of our online session, the children had been outside to FEEL the wind on their bodies for themselves. Today was a very windy day!

Our discussions began by talking  about the wind effects and I showed them a painting by Paddy McCann

Paddy told me that the painting was about standing looking in one direction for too long! The wind had worn away his face. The children offered some interesting responses to the image and one child told the class that he had taken a kite up to  Slieve Gullion at the weekend and had to hold on tight to his father’s hand because the wind was so strong!

We began a discussion by offering up all the WORDS describing what the WIND does.

Mrs Hughes listed the words as to whether they were USEFUL or DANGEROUS or both!

GUSTY,  BLOWING,  HURRICANE,  TOUGH,  SUPER FAST , FLOATING,  OUT OF CONTROL, GALE FORCE, SPINNING, CONTROLLING YOU, PUSHING, LIFTING, GLIDING….

I ASKED THE CHILDREN IF THE WIND HAD A VOICE HOW WOULD IT SOUND?

CHATTERING, MURMURING, WHISPERING, WHISTLING, SHOUTING, SCREECHING, SCREAMING, YELLING, ECHOING, SQUABBLING….

Mrs Hughes had recorded the children outside and also the children had recorded the SOUND of the wind. I hope to link to these videos shortly.

We thought it might be interesting to see if we could VISUALISE the WIND by drawing its different strengths. However first of all we had a look at a WIND MAP. During the week I sent Mrs Hughes a link to a website that interpreted the wind direction all over the globe! However if you scroll the globe, you can focus in on Ireland and watch the wind streams, crossing the country. 

http://www.gaelforceenergy.com/blog/?p=185

It was amazing as Mrs Hughes could swivel the globe around on screen and view the weather as it hit the coasts of Ireland and then swivel to countries the other side of the world! The children enjoyed watching this and gave us some inspiration for our own drawings.

These were made using graphite on paper and by responding to the words that the children had offered describing the VOICE of the WIND. So we began by mururming, then working up to a full gale force angry wind!

   

   

      

  

    

      

We had a look at how other artists had responded to windy skies.. Dutch artist VINCENT Van GOGH ( 1853 – 1890) made these wonderful paintings.

The children used the techniques they had experimented with last week to create wax and graphite resist paintings of their own windy sky.

   

   

   

   

I really enjoyed seeing these works via the online camera! Thank you P3 they are beautiful!

 

    

   

     

The children said they felt happy when they were painting the wind with watercolours, that they enjoyed this new experience with paint and one child said he felt like he was flying as he painted the wind blowing!

Mrs Hughes quickly made a display for these works.