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• Spain Blog - Day Three

  Wed 30 Oct 2019 Mrs Tyson

   

  We began our day slightly later today in the girls area of the camp, as they were very sleepy, although the boys were up bright and early. Once they had managed to escape their beds and have a shower we had a swift breakfast before heading to Algaba. A nature reserve and prehistoric settlement near our base in Ronda. 

  Once we arrived, we met lots of local wildlife including domestic pets, bees, donkeys and golden pigs (which we later discovered are almost extinct). After a walk through the stunning woods filled with Oaks and Cork-Oaks we arrived at the replica neolithic settlement. N and W had the chance to grind some acorns into flour and we all had a look at prehistoric axes and knives made from stone. When we arrived back at the centre we made felt bracelets, W managed to swap his with a boy from our host school. Next we headed back for a well needed lunch and some traditional games courtesy of our Erasmus friends.  

  We saw a wide range of traditional crafts, from a pinball machine perfected over generations to bobbin lacework and corn husk dolls. The children enjoyed learning to play traditional games with wool and making keyrings as well giving our pom-pom dolls to our partner schools and introducing the children to a new elastics rhyme.  

  After a quick costume change, we headed into town to have a flamenco and castanet lesson. Even the teachers joined in, although the children did a far better job of the dance than we could. Finally, absolutely exhausted we had burgers in for tea in a local restaurant then headed back for a story and bed.   

  

• Spain Blog - Day Two

  Tue 29 Oct 2019 Mrs Tyson

  After a good night’s sleep, our Erasmus+ explorers were ready to greet the new day. We woke up to a slightly cloudy Ronda (some of us earlier than others), but still much warmer than at home. After making a few judgement areas at breakfast - FYI cornflakes don’t go well with warm milk- we began to prepare for the presentation morning. 

  After getting into our traditional Morris dancing outfits (and chasing down some white t-shirts) we headed to the school.  The building was just stunning, and we enjoyed finding out about its history as a convent.  In the presentation assembly, our hosts demonstrated a wide range of their traditional arts, such as flamenco dancing, playing the mandolin and singing. We felt truly spoilt and their rendition of “Imagine” even made some staff (ahem Mrs Poole) feel a tad emotional in the context of the exchange. 

  Then it was over to the partner schools, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Portugal all performed traditional dances, some with extras such as singing or musical accompaniment. Then, it was our turn. Our children were wonderful representatives for our school and performed their Morris dance brilliantly. Afterwards, Mrs Tinkler led a fashion show with a range of different outfits from Victorian styles to the 1950s, modelled by some of the students from Spain.

  Next, it was time for a tour of the school, we met several classes and found out all about the different lessons children study and we were treated to some spooky Halloween songs and Spanish lessons (we had no idea that bat in Spanish is Murcielago) before heading on to La Bodega for lunch. 

  At this point we were all ready for a little rest, we tried lots of traditional Spanish dishes following Mrs Poole’s rule of trying as many bites as your age and sitting with children and staff from other schools. Afterwards, we had a guided tour of Ronda and learnt all about the amazing history of the Arabic baths, Arabic bridge, roman bridge and Puente Nuevo bridge, as well as one of our children’s joy of the day, which was taking in the amazing views.

  Next, we headed to the Plaza de Toros which doubles as an equestrian school, where we found Mrs Tyson and Mrs Poole’s happy place in la Biblioteca (the library) and Mrs Tinkler’s too (chatting to a horse). We even got to see some children learning to ride the horses and stood in the middle of the bullring. 

  Before heading back to our accommodation for dinner and bed, we had some free time. We discovered that J isn’t that fond of ice cream and F is incapable of eating it without getting it all over her. Once we were finished and cleaned-up we did a spot of souvenir shopping. We’re glad to say our travellers are being extremely thoughtful and buying gifts for family as well as for themselves. The girls even named their Ronda bunny keyrings after some students from the host school - Marina and Clara.   

  We’re exhausted after a very busy day and very excited for our flamenco and wool workshops tomorrow.

  
   

  

• Spain Blog Day One

  Mon 28 Oct 2019 Mrs Tyson

  After waking up to frost and fog, our latest bunch of explorers made an early start on their journey to Ronda, near Malaga. Meeting incredibly early (and for some of them, too early for breakfast) we set off up the M6 to Glasgow. As we left Cumbria, the fog lifted leaving beautifully clear skies and the perfect conditions for flying. Although we were worried about rush hour traffic, we arrived at the airport with hours to spare. 

   

  We efficiently set our sights on the baggage drop and weighed and checked in Mrs Poole and Mrs Tinkler's luggage, quickly discovering that our bags were heavier than anticipated. After distributing most of Mrs Tyson's belonging's into F's carry on we headed to security. After a quick zip through the scanners, we were ready for a well-deserved early lunch at Frankie and Benny's.

   

  Once we boarded the plane we soon got comfortable, playing top trumps and Harry Potter trivial pursuit. The excitement was fabulous to hear. 

   

  "You can tell when you're flying because you get a funny feeling in your tummy"

   

  We had a fabulous flight, played lots of games, had some snacks and before we knew it we were landing in Malaga., but wasn't the end of our aviatory adventure. Luckily, the cabin crew were kind enough to chat with us, show us the cockpit and let the children have a look at the controls for the plane. Unfortunately, it meant that we had to wait to disembark and then had to hotfoot it through security and baggage claim so that our taxi didn't abandon us. It was well worth it though and a real bucket-list experience for the children.

   

  As the sun set over the Spanish mountains four very tired children (and three tired adults) made their way to their accommodation. On our arrival, we quickly settled into our dormitories, then headed for a delicious dinner at Las Delicias of frittata, salad and soup. This was swiftly followed by a ghoulish bedtime story from Mrs Poole and a quick practice of our morris dancing routine, which we'll be performing tomorrow. 

   

  We've had a fabulous first day on our exchange and are so excited to see the traditional dances, games and costumes that our partner schools have to share tomorrow. 

  
   

  

• Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Brought to Life at Appleby

  Wed 02 Oct 2019 D.Spruce

  Pupils from Year 5 and 6 at Appleby Primary School have embarked on an exciting project as part of learning in Science and Computing. 

   

  Pupils will participating in the First Lego League - a global initiative with participants in 100 countries aimed at inspiring the science and technology leaders of tomorrow. Pupils are supported by their class teacher, Nicola Willacy and a STEM ambassador through Cumbria STEM and the University of Cumbria. Dr Allan Green is a local scientist with over thirty years experience in the field of cancer research. 

   

  The first stage of the project has seen pupils construct their own robot equipped with light and motion sensors and an array of technological sensors. The robot is programmed remotely from a computer and pupils have been getting to grips with coding in order to control the robot to fulfill a range of tasks and functions. 

   

  Concurrently with the robotics project, pupils have also set up a project management group who will research, develop and present and engineering scheme to tackle a real-life problem. Supporting the school's creative approach to cross-curricular learning, pupils have used geography and ICT lessons to research the issue of flooding; a very real challenge faced in Cumbria and particularly in Appleby. Pupils have also spent time in English lessons to write to a range of experts locally and nationally. 

   

  Children have been very excited this week after they were contacted this week by an unlikely source. Doctor Paul Chapman is a senior fellow of the Said Business School and lecturer at Oxford University. Dr Chapman sits on the Board of the Association for Project Management and Chairs the Professional Knowledge and Standards Committee. He has worked closely with the government and private sector organisations on a range of national flood prevention schemes. Doctor Chapman was so impressed by the letter that he received from pupils that he has not only agreed to support them but has requested to join their project team which he will do via Skype from Oxford University. 

   

  Class teacher, Nicola Willacy, said: "At Appleby we are always looking at ways to bring children's learning to life and challenge pupils' aspirations. This project has really inspired our children and I am thrilled that they are so excited and engaged."