On Wednesday another new group started Forest School sessions. In this group there are children from years 3, 4 and 5.
We started with a game to make sure we all knew each other’s names.
We then played a game of ‘one, two, three where are you?’ During the game the children were very good at following the Forest School rules.
The children were excited to use the bow saw. The children listened carefully to the tool talk and so knew how to keep themselves safe when using it.
As part of our workon shape, we carried out a number of shape investigations.
Year 5 have had an interesting start to their new science topic- the life cycle of plants and animals. They began by sharing ideas and sorting statements to order the reproductive cycle of a flower. They then used magnifying glasses to investigate the structure of a flower in more detail and identify the female and male organs. By the end of the lesson, they had dissected a flower and were able to identify each part using their new scientific language.
This week it was the last week of Forest School for this group of Year 5 children. We had a fire and toasted marshmallows. Everyone was very good at remembering the fire safety rules. We always walk around the fire circle. We wait until we are invited to the fire. We kneel in the respect position when at the fire.
The marshmallows tasted delicious!
In our reflection time we thought back over the last few weeks. Here are some of the children’s thoughts:
“I used to not care a lot about nature but now, because of Forest School, I care much more about wildlife”
“I liked it when we got to climb trees”
“It taught me more about nature”
“I usually don’t like bugs but now we’ve learnt about them I like them”
“I got to learn new games from my friends”
Year 5 have had a great start to their topic of stargazing.
The moon is a central part of myths across different countries and cultures as people seek to explain the wonder of day and night, the changing shape of the moon and the array of stars and constellations. Children read the Chinese legend of Chang-e, the Inuit myth of Annigan, the moon god, and the Aztec myth of Tecciztecatl and discussed what they might be explaining. This helped the children to then write their own moon myths.
As part of this study of the moon, the children created moon pictures using both chalks and paint to represent the surface of the moon.
The results are amazing and an inspiring start to our topic.
This week Year 5 have been working hard to prepare a Remembrance assembly. Children not only prepared speeches explaining the history of Remembrance Sunday and the significance of the poppy, but also took the school back in time to meet characters from WW1. In this way, they were able to help children think more deeply about the effect of war and the impact on real lives.
It was a thoughtful occasion and the children did incredibly well, learning their speeches and poetry and presenting their work with clear and confident voices.
Today in computing all the children created a script that creates buttons that draw different shapes when clicked.
Years 5 and 6 have completed the ‘Time 2 Shine’ program, delivered by Dare 2 Dream. They have enjoyed developing their team work skills, confidence and resilience.
