The Edinburgh Academy Junior School

Bridge Club

Bridge club is fun! You're allowed to bring in a snack! 

My whole family plays bridge so now I can play with them and I beat my Mum and sister!

Book Group

Keen readers in P5 and 6 meet once a month to discuss the latest children's fiction and some classics as well. We look at the characters, plot, beginning and ending and then give the book our star rating. We are very critical and definitely know the kind of books we enjoy! It's great to hear everyone's point of view and amazing how we all differ in what we get out of a book. In the library (where we meet with juice and a biscuit to get us going) there is a display about our current book of the month and our star ratings for books we have read so that others may feel inspired to read them too to find out if they agree with us.

Cooking Club

Every Friday afternoon, there is a hive of activity in the little dining room as budding Jamie Olivers fine tune their culinary skills.  They have produced savoury and sweet dishes, which could grace the finest dining tables and most of all, they are having a lot of fun!  From pizzas to couscous, from fairy cakes to lemon cookies, Mums and Dads of children in the cookery class must surely find Friday night cooking less of a burden!

Music

On Monday afternoons the String Group and Wind Band meet to rehearse and play through music for Concerts, Assemblies and other school events. Boys come mainly from P5 and P6 and they are able to play most of the orchestral instruments. The music chosen is seasonal, jazz and simple classical arrangements which introduce the boys to various musical styles.

Primary 5/6 Choir meet regularly and contribute to concerts, services and special occasions. They often sing in parts and recently performed in a joint concert with a visiting School Choir from Canada.

The P5/6 Recorder Group make a major contribution to concerts in school and to the wider community.  Opportunities for music-making are varied and enjoyed by all the boys who take part in the many groups.

Parachute Club

P3 and 4 boys get together to let off steam with the colourful parachute. They play exciting games such as The Detective, Washing Machine and their favourite, Sharks and Lifeguards. They also enjoy quiet moments when they hide under it, to play Chinese Whispers or practice counting.

Games for Thinking.

This club is for anyone who likes a challenge. From ancient games of strategy like Nine Mens' Morris to Twenty Questions, from matchstick puzzles to Sudoku, this club always has something to make you think. Playing games and solving puzzles with other people is also good fun.

There is always the option to explore a range of these activities in the ICT suite, as well as the more conventional pencil-and-paper format. People who come learn skills that will stand them in good stead as they go through life, encountering problems and finding ways to solve them.

Ski Club

On Monday evenings we go to Midlothian Snowsport Centre to ski on the slopes. There are different levels going from complete beginner to advanced skiing. I am on level 5 and my brother is on level 6. Some people move onto ski racing after level 7. You can even try snowboarding when you are 8 years old and my brother is going on a ski trip to Alpe d’Huez in the Easter holidays. He likes to go over the ski jumps and I like going down from the top of the slopes very fast.

Thunderball

Thunderball is similar to dodgeball but played in teams. A player must aim a light ball at the legs of their opponents. If a player is hit on the legs they must join the other side, though can return to their side if they manage to catch the ball before it bounces.

Thunderball is an energetic game played at a frenetic pace. It is not for the faint hearted!

Scrabble Club

A very select group of P4s meet on a Thursday to play Scrabble. After one week they show good progress in their word skills and a fierce determination to plant their letters only on the high scoring squares!

Fun Spanish Club

Spanish is good fun because we play lots of games and we watch some DVD. Singing Spanish songs is also fun!

There are always fun things to do in Spanish club.

Woodcraft Club

(See main picture.) The thing I like about woodwork club is that you make things which can be used again and again. The best thing about woodwork is sawing and screwing.

I love using the power drill. The saying is "Safety first, D.I.Y second".

I think Mr Paxton is a very good woodwork teacher and I recommend you join.