Learning through experiences

Catkins

Although it is our final week before half term, Catkins has remained as busy as ever! This week we focused on the number 8, looking at some creepy creatures that have 8 legs and how we can represent 8 on a tens frame! This week marked the last session in our 'Long Ago' topic. We looked at old toys and how we can identify if a toy is old or not! The children then became toy makers and made their own wooden peg dolls inspired by the toys children would make in the past! The children have enjoyed becoming historians to investigate the past during this topic. T Lastly, the children had a fabulous forest school session with Mrs Jupe! The children learned how to navigate around a fire safely and even were offered a marshmallow for their listening! Well done Catkins for a super start to 2023!

Maple

Another great week for Maple class maths! The school has invested in some fantastic new resources for the children to use, magnetic foam tens frames. These have proven fantastic for modelling maths concepts and the children have loved using them to investigate those concepts and deepen their learning. What a fantastic investment. 

Rowan

This week, we have been investigating which bag would be the best to use in the rain. We made predictions, decided how we would carry out our investigation and talked about fair tests. With the varying materials, we filled each bag up with the same shopping and poured the same amount of water on to the bags. We quickly realised that the plastic bags were the best as the material is waterproof and did not absorb the water. However, the string bag was the worst in the rain as the water rushed in through the holes and made our shopping very wet!

Mr Foard paid us a visit this week!  Jobs has been our focus for PSHE this half term, and we all decided that we would like to find out more about Mr Foard's jobs. We asked him some very thoughtful questions- we found out what he is afraid of too!

Birch

Birch Class have been exploring soil this week as part of the 'Rocks, Relics and Rumbles' topic. We took samples from different areas of the school grounds and used the soil testing chart to work out what type of soils we had. We also examined the contents of soil by mixing a sample with water and leaving it to settle, so that we could clearly see the different layers.

Year 5 and 6

This week the children in year 5 and 6 took part in a food sustainability day at Winchester College. The children had a great day and they took part in a range of activities, including: making soup, learning about the digestive system (using tights and a jam sandwich), powering a smoothie maker using a bicycle, planting trees for the King’s coronation and learning about the importance of reducing food waste.

R2L

This week's target has been "I can use my words when I am upset." The children have had fun reading The Colour Monster, sorting their feelings out and then putting their own "feelings" into a jar. They have also practised using their words when they were upset through role play with the puppets.  The children have discovered that it is ok to feel upset, but by using their words and letting others know how they are feeling enables them to find a solution to their worries.