What an exciting start to the new school year. There have been lots of new and different things for Year 3 to get used to. From having their own lockers, an upstairs classroom, new teachers, a later break and lunchtime, and also buying their own fruit.  Everyone is getting used to the new routines. Please talk to your child about these changes and if there are any worries or questions please raise them with either Miss Groom or Miss Spoor.

Our new topic for this half term is called Tribal Tales where Year 3 will be learning all about changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. This week the class have been formulating questions to guide our research.

SPOILER alert! Next week Y3 will be taking part in a Stone Age learning experience day in their classroom on Friday. First taking on the role as an archaeologist and then having a go at grinding flour and weaving just like Stone Age people.

As the start of our new topic ‘Flow’, Year 3 visited Beacon Park, Lichfield. We had a great day with Ruth the Ranger observing, sampling and measuring Lemonsley Brook.  After meeting Ruth, we split into three groups and started our activities.  Those of us with wellies on were allowed into the brook to help Miss Groom measure the width and depth of the brook. We then had to measure the temperature of the water and the last part was the most fun.  To measure how fast the brook was flowing we played the traditional game of Pooh Sticks with dog biscuits because they float and are also kind to the environment. Those without wellies timed them to see how fast the dog biscuits took to travel down river.  We also measured how clean the water was, as this would tell us how well the plant would grow.  The more circles we could see at the bottom of the container, the cleaner the water was.

Next, we went pond dipping with Ruth to take samples of the different creatures living in the brook.  We managed to catch and observe a few creatures. Basil even caught a fish! This proves how clean the water is in Lemonsley Brook. We dragged a net in the water and then emptied our nets into a tray, we then used an identification chart to help us identify the things we had caught.  It was great fun and really interested to see what lives below the surface of the water.

Miss Akers and her group looked at the trees along the river bank and identified them from our key.  There were eight different trees alongside the river. Why not ask Year 3 to see if they can name them?