<![CDATA[OLV Infants - Ms. McSweeney]]>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:42:53 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[October]]>Sun, 22 Nov 2020 15:59:00 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/octoberWriting Workshop
We have started doing something called writing workshop. This is a type of writing where the child gets to choose what they draw and write about. We encourage them to sound out words and sentences as best they can, we don't worry about perfect spelling. This is more about the enjoyment of writing and sharing their writing with others. At the end of each writing session the children get to share their work with their class mates. Sometimes one person speaking to the whole class and other times sharing their work with just one or two others. They are encouraged to say nice comments and ask questions. 

Learning Through Exploration and Play

Children are so naturally inquisitive and love to explore new things. We try to use hands on equipment for learning as much as we can. This means that they can explore, learn and have fun all at the same time.

Halloween

We had a mysterious visitor before Halloween who showed us some magic spells!

All of The Fantastic Costumes!

]]><![CDATA[Welcome Back!]]>Sun, 22 Nov 2020 15:02:47 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/welcome-back7454458Welcome to Senior Infants
Hi everyone, first I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of the work put in at home last year. We are so happy to be back in our classroom and learning again with all of our friends. Have a look at some of the things that we have been doing this year so far.


​September

We started our year off in Room 9. We got straight into revising all of the sounds we had completed last year and focusing on how to write them all. We also had lots of fun playing with our friends that we hadn't seen for months!

Autumn Walk

We got to go and explore our local park and search for different types of animal markings and plant life. We had so much fun and it was such a lovely treat to get out of school for an hour!
Sorry about any muddy clothes, but they had loads of fun running across fields and rolling down hills!
]]><![CDATA[August 27th, 2020]]>Thu, 27 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/august-27th-2020
Picture
]]><![CDATA[Last Day of School]]>Fri, 26 Jun 2020 08:52:29 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/last-day-of-schoolWell Done Room 1!

Fantastic Work

Making a Volcano!

]]><![CDATA[Final Week of School!]]>Mon, 22 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/final-week-of-school
Picture
It has been a very strange year but we made it! Well done to all of the boys and girls you are finished Junior Infants. A huge thank you to all of the parents at home that have done tremendous work over the last few months. It is almost time to relax and recharge for the summer!


English

This week we are just going to focus on a bit of writing. I am going to write my news for a few days of the week. Try to write a little bit of news everyday or as many days as you can this week. Use your blue copy that has a space for a picture and some sentences.

My News


​Maths

I know lot's of people have been carrying on with the Maths book. If you haven't had a chance to do some of these pages. Give them a go!


​Number Formation

Try some of the number formation pages in the book, if you don't already have them completed.

Money


5 Fun Activities!!!

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Paper Aeroplanes
 Ms. McSweeney


​Maths
with Ms. Brooks

Art/ Messy Play
​with Ms. O'Shea

Thursday

Friday

Sensory Walk
with Ms. Maguire


Baking 
with Ms. Keogh

Paper Aeroplanes
​with Ms. Mc Sweeney

What you need:
  • Paper
  • ​Colours (to design if you wish)
What to do:
  • Design your page
  • Fold your page to make a plane
  • Throw your plane and ENJOY!!

Picture Instructions

Picture

​Check out the video below of the world record paper aeroplane distance.
He threw it 226 feet and 10 inches!!! Thats the same as 38 of me lying down.....and I'm really long!

​How far can you throw yours?? How are you going to measure the distance? 
(You can use a non-standard unit of measure here like your feet, colours, or books)

There are lots of different styles of paper aeroplanes that you can try. If you give this a go remember to send me on a picture or a video I would love to see all of your creations!

Maths
with Ms. Brooks

Art/Messy Play
with Ms. O'Shea

You will need:
  • Paints
  • Washing up liquid/bubble solution
  • Water
  • A straw
  • Paper

Sensory Walk
with Ms. Maguire

We all have 5 senses...

You will need:

Sensory Walk checklist

Picture

Clipboard and pencil

Picture

Sensory Walk

Colour and label your pictures

Picture

Baking
with Ms. Keogh

​You will need:
Rice Krispies
250g of Chocolate (I used milk cooking chocolate)
Baking Cases
Large mixing bowl
small glass bowl
saucepan
kettle
big spoon 
little spoon
Procedural Writing
Why don't you try writing out the procedure so that you have the recipe written down in case you would like to make them again!
]]><![CDATA[Updates From Home]]>Tue, 16 Jun 2020 08:41:49 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/updates-from-home5562557Some of the super work still being completed at home! Well done.
]]><![CDATA[Monday 15th - Friday 19th June]]>Mon, 15 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/monday-15th-friday-19th-juneI hope you all enjoyed the activities last week. There's just 2 weeks left before we finish up for the year!

​I have added some new work and new fun activities for the week. Please split up the work in whatever suits you best. If you have any questions, please email me :)


​English 

  • Blending practice (group 6 and group 7 words)​
  • Reader
  • Handwriting (s, x, z)
  • Writing workshop


​Blending Practice

We are finished revising all of our sounds. Practice reading some words below.
  • Ask your child the sounds before watching the videos.
  • Complete the work on 2 separate days.

Group 6 words

Group 7 words


Reader

Try and practice the reader a few times this week.


​Handwriting

Revising the letters s, x and z. Practice writing on your whiteboard with me then complete the pages in your book. Try and split the handwriting over 3 days if possible as 3 pages in the book is too much in one day.
​
Example:
Monday: s
Tuesday: x
Wednesday: z 


​Writing Workshop

Try to do at least one writing task this week, if you would like to do more that's great. I am writing about making fairy cakes, maybe you could write about one of the fun things you do this week.
]]><![CDATA[Extra Activities!]]>Sun, 14 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/extra-activities39126615 Fun Activities!
Below you will find some fun activities to complete during the week. These are fun suggestions to try. Let me know if you do give them a try and if you liked them! Enjoy!

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Music
with Ms. Keogh

Playdough
with Ms. Maguire

Maths
with Ms. Brooks

Thursday

Science
with Ms. O'Shea

Friday

Baking 
with Ms. McSweeney

Music
with Ms Keogh

We will be looking at 3 different things in music today!
The Orchestra
First of all we will be learning a little bit about the orchestra!
​The main vocabulary to take from this lesson is orchestra, conductor, musicians, strings, woodwind, percussion and brass!
Body Percussion/ Beat
Now, we will be learning about beat in a song and how our bodies can act as instruments through body percussion! There's lots of standing up and joining in for this one!!
Remember: A beat is a steady sound/pulse in the back of a song (kind of like a heartbeat💗)
Here's the fun popcorn song that you can try again if you'd like!
Rhythm 
I am going to introduce you to Granny Semibreve, Mr Minim, Mr Crochet and Little Miss Quaver! These are different rhythms in music. After watching this video try and clap along with the song from Moana below! 😊
Thanks so much to everyone for watching Music with Ms Keogh. I will be back next week with another fun activity! 😊

Playdough
with Ms. Maguire

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of salt
- 1 cup of water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice OR 4 tablespoons cream of tartar   (I looked everywhere for cream of tartar but couldn't find it - lemon juice is a good substitute)
- 2/3 spoons food colouring

Method
- Mix the flour and salt together
- Add the wet ingredients (water, oil, lemon juice and food colouring)
- Mix together
- Microwave for 4/5 minutes
- Let it cool
- Mix
- Lightly flour counter and knead the mixture

​Here are a few fun ideas for your new playdough...

Maths
with Ms. Brooks

A new game Buzz 10 from Ms. Brooks this week!

Science
with Ms. O'Shea

Picture
Hello again everyone! Today's experiment requires minimal resources. We will be making our own Lava Lamps, how cool! The super thing about these is you can choose your own colour by changing the food colouring. I really hope you enjoy it, and have FUN!!

You will need:
  • Water
  • Oil
  • Food colouring
  • A clear container ie. a glass
  • 1 Alka-Seltzer
Extension - add some drops of red food colouring and then some blue, what do you think will happen? Try some other mixtures!

Don't forget to send on pictures and videos!!!  :)
The procedural writing is just an option you could do at the end, you may also like to do it orally to test memory!


Baking 
with Ms. McSweeney

Today we are going to make fairy cakes! I have used a simple all in one recipe so that it's easy to make, and have the little ones join in on the process. I hope that you enjoy and that they taste great!
Ingredients - Fairy Cakes
  • 6oz flour
  • 6oz sugar
  • 6oz butter
  • 3 eggs
Equipment
  • bowl
  • weighing scales
  • mixer
  • bun tray
  • bun cases
Ingredients - Icing
  • 6oz icing sugar
  • 2-3 tbsps warm water
  • few drops of food colouring (optional)
  • tasty toppings (optional)


​Have Fun and Enjoy!

]]><![CDATA[Friday 12th June]]>Fri, 12 Jun 2020 07:32:15 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/friday-12th-juneI hope you all had a great week. I've added a story below and some pictures of the work completed this week. Well done everyone!


​Read Aloud

The Way Back Home, by Oliver Jeffers.


​Amazing Work

]]><![CDATA[Monday 8th - Friday 12th June]]>Mon, 08 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.olvinfants.com/ms-mcsweeney/monday-8th-friday-12th-juneHi everyone, 
I have put up the work for the week. There's some phonics, handwriting, reading and maths to complete during the week. Please split up the work in a way that suits the needs of your family. I have also added some fun activities for the week. These are for your enjoyment, please feel free to complete them whenever you wish. Please keep sending me on your work and I will post some examples on Friday. Have a great week!


​Phonics

We are onto revising our last group of sounds. Well done. I have split the group into 3 videos to be completed on 3 separate days during the week.
  • Video 1: qu, ou
  • Video 2: oi, ue
  • Video 3: er, ar
​

Video 1: qu, ou

Video 2: oi, ue

Video 3: er, ar


​Handwriting

We are going to revise 4 letters this week. I would suggest doing 1 or 2 letters a day and trying to complete the corresponding page in the book. I have made 2 videos below with the correct formation.
  • Video 1: u, y
  • ​Video 2: w, v
​

Video 1: u, y

Video 2: w, v

Reader

I have added 1 red and 1 yellow reader for the week. If you would like another one please let me know.


​Writing Workshop

Using the same checklist as last week. Choose something you are interested in and draw and write about it. Pick 2 different days to complete your writing on. 
​Remember to send me on your work. I really love to see your drawing and writing

Checklist

Picture


​Maths

Try and complete a few pages in your maths book. Below are some suggestions.



​5 Fun Activities

June is the time for winding down and having a bit of fun. We have added some extra activities for you to try at home this week. Complete as many of the tasks as you wish and do them on whatever day suits you. Have fun!

P.E.

Ms. McSweeney

Maths

Ms. Brooks

Geography

Ms. Maguire

Science

Ms. Keogh

Art

Ms. O'Shea

P.E.

with Ms. McSweeney


​Maths

with Ms. Brooks


​Geography

with Ms. Maguire

Sycamore leaf

Oak leaf

Leaf rubbings
You will need:
- Paper
- Crayon
(I used a twistable but a thick crayon on its side would be better)

Don't forget to take pictures of your leaf rubbings to send to your teacher.

Science

with Ms Keogh
​
Today we are going to do 2 fun science experiments! For these experiments you will need: ​
Experiment One (Volcano):
1. Vinegar
2. Baking Soda
3. Food colouring (optional)
4. Spoon
5. Small glass
Experiment Two (Balloon)
1. Vinegar
2. Baking Soda
3. Balloon
​4. Water Bottle
Remember: In science, Vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base. When an acid and a base come together a chemical reaction occurs!

​Before you wacth the video try and predict what you think happens when vinegar and baking soda is mixed together...

If you like, after your experiments you can draw a picture of what happened. You could even try and label the picture and write about it!
ART
with Ms. O'Shea
Butterfly life Cycle
Today we will do an art activity based on the life cycle of a butterfly. Many of us know what butterflies are, but do we know where they come from? Watch the powerpoint video below to learn more and then get ready for some creativity! Enjoy :)
You will need:
  • A paper plate
  • Paper/card
  • Scissors
  • A ruler
  • Glue
  • A leaf
  • Pasta pieces
  • Grains of rice
  • Colours/pencils
This is the list needed for my lesson, you can make your own version with what you have in your house! In fact, I have posted some other versions below!
** Click into images to see in full**
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