Space

For the month of January we were learning all about space with Mr. Flynn. We completed projects on our Solar System, we learned new songs, had guest speakers, went on a trip to Blackrock Castle Observatory to complete an Alien Workshop with Frances McCarthy and we even had our own space ship in class!

 

Joe checking that we were going to the correct galaxy!

R2-D2 was helping us in class and teaching us about space.

Fionn and David keeping on top of the engineering jobs! 

Emma and Carrie taking the controls of our space ship!

 

Mr Flynn and all the other astronauts on board

 

The astronauts having a good time!

 

One of the songs we were learning during the month was the 'Solar Syatem' song which we all enjoyed learning. See what you think!

 

We welcomed two guests speakers to our class to learn more about space. First in was Leo's dad Alan who is an astronomer working in Blackrock Castle Observatory. Alan was telling us all about his work which involves studying Blackholes but not just any old blackhole but Massive Blackholes!

Alan also showed us some telescopes that he uses in his work and spoke of the very large telescopes that are used around the world to study our universe. We really enjoyed Alan's visit and Alan brought a poster for each of us to take home, thanks Alan!

Donagh McCarthy also visited us from the Tyndall Institute and spoke to us about the different technologies that are used in space but have their uses in everyday life. It was very interesting and taught us about the amount of time scientist spend in making the different satellites, spacecrafts and technologies that we use in space. We also made a trip to a workshop in Blackrock Castle on Aliens. Frances showed us a short movie in their Star Dome, called 'We are Aliens'. The Star Dome is very exciting and a cool way to watch a movie. Frances also showed different ways to make Akiens using every day objects, like tin foil and pipe cleaners. The best part was making our own alien goo.

 

 

We were learning a lot about the 'Race to Space' in the 50's and 60's and about the actual landing on the moon in 1969. We also studied the other Apollo missions and looked at the different rovers that have landed on Mars and the work that they do. The Space Shuttles were also very interesting and what a cool way to come back from space!

 

 

We also made our own rockets which we tested in the halla, they were very easy to make and we had a great time testing them. We also used fizzy tablets and water to show how gases force objects upwards. Did you know a rocket needs to reach a speed of 28,000 kms an hour to get through the Earth's atmosphere!

 

We were also learning about Gravity and how it helps to keep everything in place on Earth but also throughtout the Universe. We recreated a famous experiment by Galileo who wanted to disprove Aristole's theory that heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects and such will hit the ground first. Galileo wanted to prove that both objects will hit the ground at the same time, thus showing the effects of the force of gravity and inertia. Galileo was lucky to prove his experiment from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, we had Mr. Flynn standing on a chair!

 

Another famous Galileo experiment done on the moon!

 

 

Projects on our Solar System

 

Here are the projects completed by the children on our Solar System.

Katie, Ava and Conor with their Sun project.

Ronan, Joe and Fionn with Mercury.

Eoin, Ella and Lucy with their Venus project.

Michaela, Jack and Rory with their Earth project.

David, Leo and Juliet and Mars.

Louise, Timmy and Carrie with Jupiter.

Aisling, Emma and Emma with Saturn.

Ava and Hugh with their Uranus project.

Patrick, David and Abby with Neptune.

Aukse and Stephanie and their project on the Dwarf Planet, Pluto.

 

 

 

 

 



World War 1

 

During the month of November, the boys and girls of Mr. Flynn's class were learning all about the 'Great War', or World War 1. This year is the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War, and a war that lasted over four years and claimed the lives of over 20 million people. Over 200,000 Irish men fought in the war and some of us in class had great great grandfathers who fought in the war. Mr Flynn told us about his own great grandfather who fought and died during the campaign. We learned lots of interesting information about the war, how it began, the weapons of World War 1, life in the trenches, the songs and poems of the war and finally how it ended.

 

We found how the war started very confusing but with the help of BBC's Horrible Histories it came a little clearer, watch the short video below and see what you think!

 

 

 

 

We also spent a lot of time learning about life in the trenches. When the war started first both sides thought the war would be over by Christmas, but little did they know that the war was to last another 4 years and the millions of lives that were lost on both sides of the conflict. Life in the trenches for both sides was very difficult, not only did they have to deal with constant shelling, but the rain, te mud, the lack of sleep, the rats and in particular the lice!

 

Watch the following to get an idea of how bad the lice were!

 



 

We were lucky to get a visit from a soldier of the Great War. Kieran a member of the Cork World War 1 association paid us a visit and showed us the uniform that a soldier would have worn. Kieran also showed us the rifle that the soldiers of the British army used and also the medals that soldiers were awarded. It was a great surprise and also great to see the actual uniform of the soldiers.

 

 

We really enjoyed learning about the Great War, and we remember all those who gave their lives on all sides in this the centenary of the beginning of the First World War.

 

Just before Christmas, the English supermarket chain Sainbury's released their Christmas ad depicting a truce between the British and German forces on Christmas Day 1914. It is a very appropriate depiction of that event.

 















Our Hot Chocolate Experiment

Today we became scientists and demonstrated the reaction between baking soda and vinegar. When we saw the bubbles, we knew carbon dioxide was made. We didn't forget to add a bit of cocoa to make it into hot chocolate!

                                      

                                     

Titanic Experience

Rang a Dó

Mr Flynn's Class

 

During the month of October the children were experiencing life on the world's most famous ship, the Titanic. The children were learning some very interesting facts about the Titanic and were also role playing the passengers of the Titanic each day. Each pupil had there own passenger boarding card with the name of an actual passenger. The children had to present their boarding card to Captain Smith (a.k.a Mr Flynn) each morning to gain entry to the ship! Captain Smith had to keep a close eye on any stowaways that might be trying to get on board! The children also enjoyed living the lives of the passengers based on their class. Some were very fortunate to sample life as First Class passengers and others as Second and Third Classes. The highlight of our study was our Dress Up Day which also was the same day we visited the Titanic Experieince in Cobh (Queenstown). The children put a huge effort into the clothes they wore as they had researched in class and at home what people dressed like over a hundred years ago. I'm not sure the folks at the Titanic Experience were expecting actual passengers from the Titanic but they thought the children looked fantastic and were very impressed on the information the children were able to tell them about the Titanic. It was a great day and everyone really enjoyed themselves. In keeping with the class system of the day, the children travelled on the bus according to their passengers' class. Those in First Class sat at the front, Second in the middle and finally Third Class at the back. It was a great way for the children to experience the social structures of over a hundred years ago.

 

 

 



 

Hope you enjoy the following Photo gallery!

 

 





Ms. O' Keeffe - Skipping Workshop 2014

Everyone had great fun learning new skills in our skipping workshop!

Winter in Ms. O' Keeffe's classroom.

Our ‘Iceman’ experiment

When we had finished making our Iceman, we estimated and measured how long it would take for him to melt. 

Our Iceman was taken out of it’s freezer home at 8.00am. Here is what it looked like in the beginning. 

After 3 hours...

Now he has been melting for 5 hours...

Here is what he looked like at the end. It took 7 hours for our Iceman to melt!

Our Artic Projects

In January all the children in the class were given a week to study and make a project on The Arctic. Everyone worked really hard and their projects were amazing. Well done!

Chinese New Year

January 31^st was Chinese New Year. We spent the day learning about some of the traditions of Chinese New Year. Here is the class showing their banners with Chinese symbols and their red envelopes they made, filled with money to bring good luck to those they give it to. Happy Chinese New Year!