Lerning about Chinese New Year-Thornfield House School, Belfast -North Ireland

 We watched two Powerpoints on Chinese New Year and why the colour red is important in chinese culture.

 After that we cut out and decorated Chinese Lanterns, we made a Chinese Dragon each whilst some were doing this others played the games Dominoes and/or a version of using chopsticks to pick up small cubes (food)!

 Hopefully this will help you get to know our Post Primary depart and my class a little better.

 Here is the youtube link for your different outlets

WHO IS KURENT? - primary school dr. Ljudevita Pivka Ptuj, Slovenia

 WHO IS KURENT?

Kurent's origins have not yet been fully elucidated, but the old belief is that he is a demon that haunts winter and invites spring into the land. This magical ethnographic character wakes up every year from candlestick to ashtray in the vicinity of Ptuj, when he brings happiness and a good harvest with visits to homesteads and displays.

                                            (become a Kurent )

                           ( kurentovanje 2020 – street parad )

                       ( kurentovanje 2019 – street parad )

 MAKING A KURENT MASK - WORKSHOP FOR YOUR STUDENTS

(video on how to make a Kurent mask – ( Mentors Mrs. Msc Jasna Veber Zazula, Mrs. Sabina Dokl, students of dr. Ljudevita Pivka Ptuj school)

We invite you to make a Kurent mask with your students  in the school. Take a picture or recorded a video of your  work and  present your work in the blog and webpage. 

We are sure that you will succeed perfectly.

          ( video how to make a kurent mask with students)

The proces of making the kurent mask

0.     What you  need:

1.     Take an empty egg box.

2.     Cut it in half.

3.     The empty part of the box will be used to make a mask.

4.     Prepare the other half of the box and scissors.

5.     Cut the part that will be used to make eyes and a nose.

6.     Glue the part which has been cut on your base part of the box.

7.     Now we have our base.

8.     Tear out small pieces from the rest of the egg box.

9.     With hot glue glue the pieces around the part where eyes are.

10.Be careful when using hot glue.

11.Glue…

12.…as long as you fill in the left, right and the upper part of your base.

13.Draw a tongue on our base with a marker.

14.Cut the area around the tongue.

15.Prepare wooden sticks.

16.You need one long stick and two shorter ones.

17.Glue the sticks with hot glue in a position above the head.

18.Colour the Kurent's tongue and cheeks .

19.Decorate the base with accessories .

20.Make whiskers, nose hair and teeth.

21.Make whiskers out dried grass.

22.Connect the fibres into a sheaf .

23.Use white beads and string to make teeth.

24.With the help of a needle string beads on a string.

25.You can also use white beans instead of beads to make teeth.

26.The mask should look like this…

27.…and that.

28.Prepare chicken and pheasant feathers.

29.The longest feathers should be glued on the top.

30.You can also include peacock feathers which will make Kurent more colourful.

31.Put the last two plumes on the sides- each on one side.

32.The red tongue should be dried by now. Colour the outer part with white and draw a plaid pattern in the middle.

33.Colour the eyes.

34.Like this - with black and white.

35.Colourful ribbons are now missing.

36.Prepare crepe paper of differ colours and cut it in long pieces.

37.Glue the ribbons on the top stick. They should reach its eyes.

38.Draw a black pupil on the eyes and add nose hair out of sheep's fur in the nose.

Salt Dough Christmas Decorations - Thornfield House School, Belfast Northern Ireland

Taking inspiration from out trip to Varazdin, Croatia and the Art training we did, Alexis though her class could have some Christmas fun to remember.  Unfortunately  Air-clay had dried out.  So! They had a Salt Dough Recipe that they used instead.

 

Christmas bakery in Friedrich-Elvers-Schule - Heide, Germany

 

Galway Christmas Market - St Joseph's Special School, Galway, Ireland

The Christmas Markets in Galway are relatively new having only started in the last 10 years. In that time they have grown in popularity with people from all over Ireland coming to visit. Here Senior 6 visit the markets to have hot chocolate and a ride on the Carousel. Check out the youtube video below to see what the markets are like after dark.

Galway Mince pies - St Joseph's Special School, Galway, Ireland

Kayleigh and Senior 6 made mince pies this week. These are traditionally served warm with cream or brandy cream.

Ingredients

For the pastry

175g plain flour

75g cold butter, cubed

25g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

1 free-range egg, beaten

For the filling

250g good-quality ready-made mincemeat

(or see homemade recipe attached)

Emer makes Christmas Cake with Junior 5- St Joseph's Special School, Galway, Ireland

 

Christmas Cake is usually made a few months out to allow the cake to mature and the flavour intensify.

Ingredients:

• 375g Dried Fruit Mix

• 280g Plain Flour

• 100g Ground Almonds

• 1 tsb Mixed Spice

• 1 tsp Cinnamon

• 150ml of Brandy + extra for maturing

• Zest of 2 Lemons

• 100g Nibbed Almonds

• 225g Butter or Margarine

• 225g Soft Dark Brown Sugar

• 5 Large Eggs

 How to Make Christmas Cake

1. Soak the fruit mix in brandy overnight.

2. Stir the nibbed almonds into the mix.

3. Mix the flour, ground almonds, mixed spice, cinnamon and lemon zest together. Add to the fruit mix and stir.

4. Cream the butter and sugar togehter until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in the eggs.

5. Preheat your oven to 150°C / Gas Mark 2.

6. Add the butter / sugar /eggs into the fruit mix and then stir until fully combined. Turn into a lined 9" cake tin and flatten the top. If using a fan oven, tent the cake with foil. Bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until a skewer comes out clean.

7. Cool in the tin overnight.

8. To store the cake, wrap it in greaseproof paper and then in tin foil and place back into the tin.

9. Every fortnight, spoon 2-3 tsp of brandy over the cake to mature it until a week or so out from Christmas, when you will cover with almond paste and royal icing.