: Blog items
The start of our toddler night light journey..
Date: 20th Nov 2020 @ 1:41pm
Last week, we looked at how circuits work within toys and night lights. This week, we started our journey to making a night light for a toddler. We learned about the interests of two toddlers, so that we knew what they liked before starting to draw our designs. We also decided that we will make our own switch for the night light. This will be made from paper clips, paper fasteners and card. As a class, we made a design brief. This means that everyone knows what they must include to hit all the design criteria. We are so excited to continue the designing process, before making prototypes, then evaluating them before making the real thing! WATCH OUT FOR THE FINAL PIECES TOWARDS THE END OF THE TERM!
Date: 19th Nov 2020 @ 8:12pm
As part of our Science topic, Everyday Materials, pupils in Year Two were set a challenge to design a boat to carry an 'orange' across a river. We were given a range of materials including paper, clingfilm, tinfoil, sponge and fabric. We then had to use these materials to create a boat that would float. During this investigation we found that the sponge floated well initially, but when it began to absorb the water it became too heavy and started to sink. We also found that tinfoil was a useful material as it was waterproof and it didn't absorb any water. Then some of us had the brilliant idea of covering the sponge with tinfoil, this made a great boat as it floated well and the tinfoil kept the sponge from absorbing the water. We really enjoyed working in small groups to tackle this challenge and we found out a lot about the properties of some everyday materials.
Date: 19th Nov 2020 @ 8:28am
This week in Year Five, we have been participating in Forest School sessions and have loved learning how to build a fire (on which we then toasted marshmallows), den building and playing outdoor team games! On anti-bullying day, we discussed why we shouldn’t use stereotypes and make assumptions about people or unfairly judge people because of their appearance or ethnicity. We all wore odd socks to remind each other that it is ok to be different.
Year 5 - This week in learning
Date: 20th Nov 2020 @ 3:00pm
Recently in Year Five, we have been participating in Forest School sessions and have loved learning how to build a fire (on which we then toasted marshmallows), den building and playing outdoor team games!
Everyone is different but everyone is special!
Date: 17th Nov 2020 @ 9:02pm
The children in Reception have enjoyed celebrating Anti-bullying Week by coming into school wearing wonderfully mismatched socks. We took part in a whole school assemble via Google Meet learning about what bullying is and what to do if we are affected by it. In class we looked at our similarities and differences and learnt that everyone is different and it is our differences that make us unique. We talked about how we should treat everyone fairly regardless of our differences. The children also enjoyed designing their own odd socks.
"I have glasses but Alfie doesn't. We are different but he's my friend" Leyton
"You should always be nice to people and have kind words" Lyra-Rose
"If someone is being mean you tell a grown up and they can help you" Elliott
Date: 17th Nov 2020 @ 8:06pm
In PE this half term we have started gymnastics, focussing on balancing and spinning on points. We have been learning how to perform controlled spins, supporting our body weight in symmetrical balances, and spinning on apparatus.
We initially discussed what is a spin and what parts of our bodies we can spin on. We practised spinning on our front, side, back, and bottom in symmetrical shapes. We really focussed on performing with control and imagination! After we perfected three spins we then added a balance in between each spin. We had to try and hold our balances for 5 seconds each!
We are going to be practising and perfecting our sequence over the next couple of weeks! We will then be working on peer assessment of each others performances, observing and giving feedback to refine our sequences and performance.
Date: 17th Nov 2020 @ 7:51am
Date: 11th Nov 2020 @ 9:18pm
The children in Reception have been learning about the importance of wearing poppies and remembering those who gave their lives to secure our future.
"We wear poppies because the soldiers died" Leyton.
Date: 16th Nov 2020 @ 7:48pm
We began anti bullying week by talking about different types of bullying, and how these types of bullying may occur. We then took part in the whole school assembly, which explored this years anti bullying week theme, 'United Against Bullying.'
This afternoon we then designed our own class jigsaw pieces to show how we are going to be 'United Against Bullying.' We thought about what changes we could make to our class and our school to make it a bullying free zone. We then also designed our own odd socks, and took part in an experiment which helped us explore what bullying can do to people on the inside, even though the effects might not be shown on the outside.
Date: 13th Nov 2020 @ 7:41pm
This week we have been thinking about all the brave soldiers and saying thank you.
On Wednesday, we joined the rest of the school to take part in our Remembrance Service. We each planted a poppy in our school Remembrance Garden. Each poppy has the name of a World War One soldier. We thought of these soldiers during our whole school assembly and two minute silence.
We have also painted Poppies, learning about the significance of Poppies for Remembrance Day and why we wear them.
Date: 13th Nov 2020 @ 7:07pm
This week in Science we began our topic on animals by observing animals in our school environment. We firstly discussed what we already know about animals, and then what we would like to find out.
We recapped on the 5 animal groups, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, and talked about what features animals have to have to fit into these groups. We learnt that we fit into one of these 5 groups, and that we are mammals! We also discussed birds have feathers and wings, fish breathe underwater using gills, and amphibians can live on land and in water.
We then talked about what kind of animals we thought we might see/find on our observation hunt. We recapped on our safety rules when we are using the Forest School area before heading outside! We found beetles, worms, spiders and ants and we saw dogs, birds and humans! We looked closely at the animals, before returning them to their natural habitat. We then headed back in to the classroom to record our observations to help us answer questions!
Date: 13th Nov 2020 @ 3:56pm
On Wednesday, Year Two joined the rest of the school to take part in a Remembrance Service. We made poppies and planted them in our school Remembrance Garden. Each poppy had the name of a World War One soldier lost in battle. We thought of these soldiers as we participated in a two minute silence. Earlier in the week, we also painted pictures of poppies and decorated a soldier silhouette to be displayed in our school hall. We have also had some brilliant examples of our Remembrance BLT.
Date: 13th Nov 2020 @ 8:06am
Year 5 spent the day, remembering those who fought to keep us safe. We learned what life was like in the trenches of a WWI battle field and wrote a letter home from the Western Front. We created our own poppy artwork and made poppies to plant in the Boundary Remembrance Garden.
Date: 12th Nov 2020 @ 8:47pm
In our PE session today, we had a great time learning and developing our team-building skills where we had to work on our communication and listening skills. Today's task was to pair up, sit back-to-back and one of us to draw a picture without our partner seeing. We then had to describe what we had drawn to our partner so they could attempt to draw the same. I know what you're thinking, 'You could just tell them what you have drawn!' But, it wasn't as simple as that. We could only describe it in shapes, sizes and position. After that, we teamed up in groups of 4 where 2 people held a mat between two others. The ones on each side of the mat, had to choose a person between them to strike a pose. The two holding the mat, had to describe to the other how the person was positioned. Once they were in position (and it was a mirror of the other person) the mat was removed to reveal them. Were they the same? Did they communicate and listen effectively? On the whole, we did extremely well and we can't wait to see what our next OAA session has in store for us!
Date: 12th Nov 2020 @ 8:36pm
Date: 12th Nov 2020 @ 3:33pm
This week we have been thinking about all the brave soldiers and saying thank you to them for keeping us safe. We have talked about Poppies and why we wear them on Remembrance Day and the children have had lots of different opportunities to make their own poppies. On Wednesday we joined in with a whole school virtual Remembrance Service and the children were so good during the 2 minute silence - we were very proud of them! We watched a short animation that shares the story in a beautiful and simple way. If you would like to watch it with your child click on the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv_ub7Be7oA
Date: 12th Nov 2020 @ 9:15am
We have had a busy week this week learning all about Remembrance Day and why it is important. We started the week by incorporating poppy art into our art lesson. We learnt how to create a colour wash and how to mix colours. We used our skills to create a picture of Flanders Field. Some of our guided reading texts have been around Remembrance Day too and we enjoyed drawing poppies in Always Time. We made poppies to remember some of the solders who have died and planted them in our school Remembrance Garden. On Remembrance Day we had a special assembly to show our respect.
Date: 11th Nov 2020 @ 10:30am
To start this half term, we are learning to write persuasive adverts. Due to everything going on at the moment, we thought we would write a persuasive advert to persuade people to come on holiday to Blackpool next summer! This week, we have been researching lots of different and exciting things about Blackpool. We researched the illuminations, the tower, pleasure beach, promenade, zoo and Sandcastle. We found out some really interesting things and we think we might even have a "staycation" here! FUN FACT: Did you know its costs £2.4 million a year to stage the bright, shining and dazzling illuminations!!! WOW!
Date: 10th Nov 2020 @ 7:17pm
We have been learning about Remembrance this week and as part of this we understood that poppies were one of the first flowers to grow on the battlefields, when the war was over. Our poppy art used a background wash of watercolour in green, with red poppies fading into the background. We used tools to create texture. We created our art for the soldier silhouettes in the hall, to commemorate all of the soldiers in wars past and present. Showing respect and our British Values, we will have two minutes silence on 11th November, when peace was agreed in 1918.
Date: 9th Nov 2020 @ 3:30pm
This week the children have been busy planting bulbs ready for Spring. They learnt which way round they should be planted in the ground and hopefully we should see crocus, tulips and daffodils blooming in our garden next year!
"You dig a hole in the ground then put the bulb in...flowers will grow" Oscar.
"...it goes this way round...this hairy bit at the bottom" Alfie.
Take a look at our photos!
Date: 6th Nov 2020 @ 8:12pm
This week we have been exploring the effects of Autumn! We discussed what we already know about Autumn, for example 'it is a season,' 'it happens before winter,' and 'trees loose their leaves.' We also talked certain celebrations that happen in Autumn and what animals, bird and mini beasts do to prepare themselves for the Autumn season.
We then focussed on the colour of Autumn leaves, and how this colour changes. We explored mixing colours, changing the tone and identifying colours important to the Autumn season. Firstly learning about the primary and secondary colour wheels, we then practised using varying sizes of brush to develop our ability to paint using clear strokes and brush control.
We mixed our own paint to create different shades of Autumn colours. Starting with a base colour of brown/yellow/orange paint, we added small amounts of white paint, to create lighter shades of the same colour. We then focussed on making darker shades of the same colour. Again, starting with our base colour, we added small amounts of black paint, to create darker shades of our chosen colour. We observed what happened each time we added the amounts of white/black paint and made comments/observations about this.
Date: 5th Nov 2020 @ 8:27pm
We could not have picked a better day for our first Forest School session - bonfire night! We discussed fire safety and learned that fires need three elements to survive: heat, oxygen and fuel. With this in mind, we collected a variety of dry sticks and learned how to safely use a fire lighting steel. When the fire was lit, we toasted Marshmallows, which were delicious!
Date: 5th Nov 2020 @ 4:30pm
As part of the work we do for Remembrance Day, we have produced poppy art using water colours. We looked at lots of different examples of poppies and chose our own way of drawing them. We then drew and painted the poppies over a war poem, which we read and discussed.
Date: 5th Nov 2020 @ 4:15pm
Today in PE we took part in an orienteering competition. Spread across the MUGA were 12 posts with a letter attached to each one. In groups of four, we had to work through 8 different routes and write down the letters that we came to on each route. We were timed to see how long it took us to complete all 8 routes. The winning team did it in a time of 12 mins 23 seconds. All of Blackpool schools completed the same course and there will be an overall winner. Stay tuned to see if it was us!!
Date: 5th Nov 2020 @ 4:11pm
Year Two had an exciting start to the new half term. As an introduction to our new Science topic, Everyday Materials, we were set a challenge to build a bridge out of paper. We experimented with folding paper and creating different shapes to see how many counters we could support. Our strongest bridge held over 100 counters, amazing for a single piece of paper!!
