Author: Mr Nash

For the past 3 weeks, we’ve been really lucky to have Josh and Tom from the Leeds Rhinos Foundation visiting St James’ for our PE sessions.

The children have enjoyed learning the basics of rugby, putting their passing and try-scoring skills to the test.

This Thursday (08.02.24), the Leeds Rhinos Foundation are hosting a free rugby taster session in Wetherby. The session is open to children in Year 1 & 2, no matter their ability or experience. Sign up here.

 

As we donned our science hats to start 2024, we turned our attention to plants and their requirements to survive and thrive.

Our enquiry question has been:

Do plants grow healthier in the light or dark?

The children have planned a comparative fair test to observe the results for themselves. They have made their predictions and are looking forward to seeing what happens!

We have chosen to plant cucumber seeds (the fantasy of a fruitful harvest proved irresistible) and will keep 2 plants in the sun and 2 plants in the cupboard. This morning, we gathered our equipment and – one (cu)cumbersome bag of compost and a few plant pots later – planted our seeds.

The children will be observing the plants and recording their progress… watch this space!

Help at home by discussing the investigation with your child:

• What was their prediction?
• Why did they make that prediction?
• How have we made sure our investigation is fair?
• How often will be observe the plants?
• What will we measure?

 

Last week, we had the privilege of spending the day at Abbey House Museum.

We spent the morning wandering through authentically recreated streets, exploring Victorian shops and houses. As we toured the museum, we considered how living standards have changed, particularly considering the similarities and differences in shopping then and now.

In the afternoon, the children learned about how household items have changed since the Victorian era. From personal hygiene and heating the home, to cleaning carpets and washing clothes – we were astounded by how much easier things are for us today!

Help at home by asking your child about our visit. How might life have been different as a child in the Victorian era?

In Living and Learning, we have been learning about things that can go into (and onto) our bodies and how they might help or harm us. The children have shown fantastic knowledge of when and how to use medicines safely.

“You shouldn’t take tablets if you don’t know what they are.”

“Follow the instructions on the packet. You could ask an adult to help if you’re not sure.”

“Make sure it’s the right medicine for the type of poorly you are.”

We sorted some picture cards into ‘helpful’ and ‘harmful’ and were surprised to see how many products would fit into both categories:

• Hand sanitiser is helpful for cleaning our hands but is very harmful to put into your body.
• Sweet treats can be enjoyable in moderation but can lead to tummy ache and tooth decay if consumed in excess.
• Sun cream protects your skin from the sun but contains poisonous ingredients that mustn’t be ingested.

 

Help at Home

Discuss these scenarios with your child. What could the characters do to prevent danger?

A Belated Happy New Year…

We hope you’ve all had a fantastic start to 2024. Year 2 have returned to school ready to impress; super learning attitudes have been in plentiful supply and everyone has achieved!

We started our year with a moment of reflection, celebrating success and considering what we’d like to change. The children impressed me with their maturity and have shown patience and ambition as we’ve established new routines.

 

Reading and Writing

We have been practising our inference skills! We decided together that inference is:

“using clues to make a sensible guess about something we don’t know”

We used some inspiring illustrations to stimulate our discussions and had great fun interviewing one another in character. I (Mr Nash) had a bit too much fun playing the part of a baby owl!

“How do you feel about taking your first flight?”

 

Maths

We have been adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers, using base ten to show what we know.

 

Science

We are biologists! To start this term, we’re investigating whether plants grow healthier in light or dark. We’ve observed plants and labelled their parts, working like scientists by asking questions.

We braved the chilly conditions to see what we could observe. The children found an array of plants. Some had fur or spikes – others had flowers. We even found a tennis ball covered in moss!

 

Help at Home

Daily reading with your child is key to developing fluency and stamina. Your child’s e-book (including chapter books) will be assigned on a Friday – if there are any problems using the app, please let me know.

Encourage your child to engage with a variety of texts – perhaps a child-friendly news article will generate a spirited debate!

Continue to use NumBots to consolidate number fluency. We have set a (conservative) weekly target of 20 minutes to start the year but recommend a little and often approach. If there are any barriers to accessing this resource, we can provide an alternative.