As part of the lead up to the Queens Jubilee, Noah's reception class re-enacted a royal wedding at the church across the street from the school.
4 kids with lots of energy... a sale at ASDA (the Walmart of the UK) ... it had to happen....
We decided after the first week of sending Hunter to school that Noah should start too. We were going to wait till the fall, but after seeing the classroom and spending the time in we knew it would be a place Noah would love and would place where he would flourish. Mrs. Morgan is his teacher and has gone out of her way to make Noah feel comfortable in class. He is very excited to hear that the class will be going on a field trip to Barry Island in June to explore the coastal environment. Noah loves the beach, so this will be a perfect first field trip for him.
The month of April has been a record rainfall here in Wales. Driving the children to school has been a wild water ride down the dirt road to the village where Hunter goes to school. Hunter started year 2, which is first grade in the US at Wick and Marcross Church in Wales Primary School. The school is in the town of Wick, or also known as “windy Wick." It is a charming village with a small store and post office and a couple of pubs, a church and the primary school. When it is not raining out you can see the sea from the playground. It is a very pretty setting. The school is very small, about 90 students to be exact. The classes are combined with two grades in one. Hunter is with year 2 and year 3 students. We could not be happier with the school and upon our visit fell in love with it right away. Mrs. Thomas the head teacher or principal reminds me of Mary Poppins, "practically perfect in every way," she is just delightful. Hunter's teacher is Mr. Turner and he seems to be a great fit for Hunter. He is excited to go to school each day and that is important to us as parents that school is a place that our children want to be.
The primary schooling here in the UK is heavily focused on learning through hands on activities, play and exploration. The children are exposed to cooking, gardening and art, as well as reading, writing, math and science. Seat work is done, however, not like in the American school system from what I remember being a teacher. Homework is given but not in excess. Reading is encouraged nightly, but hours of homework are not. Homework in their opinion does not make for more learning or a smarter student, but rather can sour children’s attitudes toward school. Homework in small doses builds study habits and self-discipline. Being a former teacher I did a little investigating and found that countries that have less homework tend to outperform countries on achievement tests than countries that pile the homework on. I thought this was interesting food for thought.....
It was a sad day in the Donaldson house today. Lulu left to go home. We will miss her very much. She was such a big help to us while she was here. She helped to make the transition of moving overseas an easier one. Traveling with 4 children under 7 was great for that added hand. Unpacking was a little lighter, and that extra body in the car telling me to get over on the right side of the road made me all the braver to tackle the roads. Thank you Lulu, we love you. We won’t say good-bye...just see you soon.
Sure, of course it rains in Wales. After all, there is a reason why things are green here, but there are also bright and sunny days as well! Our first full week held some beautiful spring days for play and exploration. Most of the shots are in and around our house, with a couple from a day trip to the town of Barry. Notice that everyone now has their required Wellie footwear!
