The pupils from 5th and 6th Class remained in Magherabeg NS and were joined by children from Drumoghill NS and Ray NS. Children from the other classes travelled to different locations, as outlined below, where they were joined by children from our partnering schools.
Junior & Senior Infants – Ray NS
At Ray National School, the children again worked in rotating groups throughout the day. They took part in outdoor games, enjoyed speech and drama sessions with Karen Murphy and explored the outdoor play area, including the mud kitchen. The group rotations allowed all children to fully engage in each activity and mix with peers from other schools. Playing together in the various outdoor spaces helped strengthen friendships and made for a joyful day.
1st & 2nd Class – Glenveagh National Park
All of the boys and girls in the 1st & 2nd Classes from Ray N.S. and Drumoghill N.S. joined us today in Glenveagh National Park where we met up with Charlie Gallagher.
1). Talk and Q&A with Charlie
The children listened attentively as Charlie took them on a journey from the Stone Age until present day. They discussed the animals that lived and are currently living in the National Park. They had lots of great questions for Charlie as he got them to imagine themselves in the park hundreds and even thousands of years ago. The children got to look at the taxidermy mounts of some animals (animals that are preserved in their life like state). Charlie also had a selection of animal hides (sheep, deer and foxes) so that the children could get a proper feel for these animals.
2). Deer Tracking in the Forest
Charlie got the children to discuss the important skills and strategies that they might need if they were going in search of deer in the forest. He shared hand signals that would help them in their hunt. The children engaged very well and some of the children thought that they might even be able to catch a real deer. They were very quick to come to the conclusion that they needed to be very quiet and work as a team in order to fulfil their request.
3). Playground
The children had great fun playing in the playground area of the National Park. There was a great sense of inclusion, friendship and turn taking as they played on the swings, slides, seesaws and the climbing frame.
3rd & 4th Class – Drumoghill NS
The children took part in a variety of activities throughout the day, alongside their friends from Drumoghill NS and Ray NS. They thoroughly enjoyed working with the STEM kits, building some very impressive structures. Under blue skies and glorious sunshine, the children showed off their dance moves to great music with hip-hop instructor Katrina. They also took part in a range of fun team games outdoors, making the most of the beautiful weather. The sunshine allowed us to enjoy our lunch outdoors once again, adding to the relaxed and joyful atmosphere. A wonderful day was had by all!
5th & 6th – Magherabeg NS
The children from Magherabeg NS, Drumoghill NS and Ray NS took part in various activities on another fun-filled day. Mr. Brennan facilitated playground games. The children played the ‘Islander Game’ where they had to work together to collect as many discs as possible for their team by throwing balls to their teammates. They also played ‘Scatterball Rounders’ which was no doubt a favourite!
For the indoor activities, the brilliant cartoonist Jarla taught the children how to draw various well-known cartoon characters from their favourite tv shows. Some children were even lucky enough to be given some of his amazing work!
For the other indoor activity, the children worked brilliantly in their teams where they used a combination of iPads and Lego to code and build helicopters, bowling alleys and mini-golf courses amongst other things! Lots of fun was had on another great day in Magherabeg NS.
