To finish off our topic, Year 2 had a fantastic pirate day where we all dressed up as pirates and started our own pirate crews!

We started off by practising our own sea shanties that we had written ourselves …. (photos to come!) Then we made our own telescopes and treasure chests so that we could hunt for treasure and have somewhere to store our gleaming booty – shiver me timbers!

After lunch we went on our very own treasure hunt – where there’s gold, we’re a goin’!

We had a brilliant day!

This week has been Child Safety Week.

In Year 2 we have been looking at how we can keep our minds healthy and safe. We have learnt and practised some breathing techniques that we can use when we feel sad, anxious or angry.

We have also been looking at how our words and actions may have an affect on how we feel about ourselves. We read a story that said we all have an imaginary bucket which is filled with happy thoughts and feelings. We can be bucket fillers by being kind to others but we might be a bucket dipper if we are mean to them.

We have looked at ways that we can be a bucket filler and the children have written lovely things about each other for our class display. Hopefully this will remind us that we are all friends and we care about each other. Come and have a look in the Year 2 classroom to read all of the lovely things we have said about each other.

This week Year 2 found some treasure arrrrrrr! However, there was a problem! It was frozen into ice!

As a class we thought of ways we would be able to rescue the treasure. We agreed that we needed it to melt so that we could free the treasure.

In our science lesson we explored lots of different ways to make the ice melt. Some of us planned what we thought and observed what happened.

Finally we managed to rescue the treasure! We found out that using the warm water helped melt the ice quickly. We also noticed that when we brushed the ice it created heat which also melted the ice.

Have a look at our hard work.

Happy New Year!

Year 2 have settled well into the new term and are ready and eager for their new learning.

We have begun our new topic where we are learning all about Pirates.

This week we have explored what it was like to be a pirate and take part in many adventures. We decided to make our own pirate crew so we all completed a job application where we outlined our special skills and experiences for the job.

Captain Smith will be looking at all of the applications and expects to be employing a quartermaster, helmsman and mate very soon!

Arrrrrrrr!

On Friday Year 2 performed their class assembly exploring Christmas around the world.

The children learned their lines, learned new songs and used their acting skills to put on a fantastic show. Their voices were loud and clear and they sang beautifully – well done!

We visited China, Australia and Poland to see how they celebrate Christmas. We found out that in Poland they believe the star (Gwiazjda) is very important at Christmas and when they see it on Christmas eve, they can begin their feast!

In China they believe Jesus is the light of the world so lights play a very special part in their celebrations. Many Christians in China make paper lanterns to decorate their trees.

In Australia Christmas falls right in the middle of their summer holidays so it is very hot! Many Australian Christians head to the beach for a barbeque and games on the sand!

Photos to follow!

On Wednesday, Year 2 visited the Think Tank in Birmingham. We went to explore the Planetarium as part of our space topic. When we were there, we sat in a dark room and looked up at the night sky.  We saw twinkling stars and exciting planets. We were told interesting stories about some of the constellations and patterns in the stars. We also went up in a rocket and visited the moon and some other very interesting planets. We had a fantastic time and learned lots about space.

This week has been book week.

Year 2 have been learning how to write information texts.  We have discussed how they are different from stories and that their purpose is to tell people information about things they want to find out about.

We have been learning lots of information about China and writing our new facts into a report.

Did you know?

. China has the biggest population in the world.

. The Great Wall of China is over 13,000 miles long.

. Table Tennis is the national sport of China.

. More people own bikes than cars in China.

. Red eggs are a symbol of birth and are given out at birthdays to bring good luck.

. Noodles represent a long life.

Come and read our reports to find out more!

Year 2 have been thinking about the Diwali festival this week in R.E.

We have been learning about the story of Rama and Sita.

We found out that Sita was kidnapped by the evil demon king, Ravana. Fortunately, Sita left a trail of jewellery so that Rama could find her. Rama had the help of a monkey king called Hanuman who gathered lots of other animals to help rescue Sita. There was a big fight and Ravana was killed. On their way back to their home, people put lights out to guide them back safely. This is why Diwali is the festival of light. During Diwali we think about how light beats darkness and good beats evil.

We have had a very exciting week this week in Year 2.

We have been super scientists and exploring what happens when something dissolves, dilutes or freezes.

First we made jelly where we watched the jelly cubes dissovle into the water. We knew they hadn’t disappeared because we they turned the water red! Next we diluted the mixture by adding water. Then we put them in the fridge to set over night.   

The next day, we made something tasty to go with our jelly – ice cream!

We put lots of ice into a big bag and added salt. When the ice melted the salt dissolved into the liquid which made it colder. Then we put milk and sugar into a smaller bag. We put the small bag into the ice and gave it a good shake! The cold from the ice made our milk mixture freeze into delicious ice cream.

Then we ate our lovely treats!