Terrific Transport
This week, our special topic has been all about transport. We have been reading the book ‘The Train Ride’ by June Crebbin.
We thought of some different types of transport that we might use. We talked about how important it is to stay safe on transport and to put your seat belt on before you start your journey.
After looking at some familiar places, we decided how we might get to them.
“I went on an aeroplane to go on holiday.” Blossom
“I ride my bike to school.” Frankie
“We can drive or walk to Morrisons.” Wyatt
We created our own paper aeroplanes and had lots of fun in the playground. Although it was a really windy day, we enjoyed seeing who could get their plane to travel the furthest!
Next week, we will be reading ‘Duck In A Truck’ by Jez Alborough.
Help at home: Discuss staying safe when using different types of transport with your child. Why not have a look at the books we have been enjoying?
PE – cricket
We’ve enjoyed sharing Year 5’s expertise in our cricket lesson this afternoon.
Year 5 joined us as coaches to help us develop our skills hitting a ball with a cricket bat. We started hitting a ball balanced on a cone then progressed to hitting a ball dropped close to us. Finally we moved on to hitting a ball that was bowled to us by a partner.
Thank you for the expert coaching, Year 5!
Year 6 Residential – Day 3
Our final morning at Robinwood was a wet one…
We put on our waterproof clothes and made our way to the lake for canoeing. The children demonstrated fantastic communication – essential for not paddling around in circles!
After canoeing, we stayed at the lake for raft building. Children learnt to tie knots and used their skills to attach tyres and buoys to a raft. Then, it was time to test their seaworthiness… some were more successful than others!
Our session at the lake concluded with a dip – we jumped into the lake in a skydiving position, making for some excellent photos!
Our trip to Robinwood concluded in the caves, testing us with a series of tunnels to negotiate and navigate. There were some nerves at first but the children showed courage and perseverance and, on the whole, enjoyed the challenge.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the trip and I was so impressed by how proud they were to represent our school. They were positive and polite, modelling and embodying our school vision.
Fruit and Vegetables in Year 1
Today we became fruit and veg detectives! The children explored juicy strawberries and crunchy carrots, using their senses to investigate how they look, feel and taste. There were lots of surprised faces and thoughtful comments as they compared the sweet and earthy flavours.
Austin “The strawberry has seeds on the outside.”
Jolyon “The strawberries grow from the flower.”
George “The carrot is crunchy!”
Gracie “The carrot is the root.”
Alfie “We can eat ALL of a plant!”
Olivia “The carrot is tough and rough”
Spirituality
It wasn’t just about tasting — we also took time to pause and admire the beauty of nature. From the tiny seeds on a strawberry to the bright orange of a carrot, the children were filled with awe and wonder. A deliciously fun and thoughtful afternoon of learning! 🍓🥕
Reading – Rosie Revere, Engineer
This week, we’ve been exploring the imaginative world of Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty. This book links to our topic this half term – D&T.
The story of Rosie, a young girl who dreams of becoming a great engineer, has sparked curiosity in our classroom, leading to some brilliant questions.
We’ve discussed perseverance and the importance of learning from mistakes. The children were inspired by Rosie’s resilience and her ability to reflect on her failures. Her ability to evaluate demonstrates an important part of the design process.
The children enjoyed embodying Rosie Revere and writing a note to her Aunt using lots of fabulous adjectives.
Rosie Revere, Engineer has taught us that with a bit of imagination and a lot of perseverance, anything is possible! Mistakes help us to learn and grow!
Help at home by asking your child about a time when they’ve had to persevere after an initial failure. What did they learn from not giving up?
Enjoy the story at home here.
Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog (it’s along the play bar) and turn off autoplay – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip.
Spooky stories …
This week we’ve started getting ready for our next piece of writing … the start of a spooky story!
Today we’ve been hunting for words, phrases and sentences that we could use in our spooky writing.
We’ll collate our best ideas to use as a reference when we do our own writing to help us use ambitious vocabulary.
We look forward to sharing our spooky stories with you in a couple of weeks. If you’d like to help your child at home, you could share a spooky story together. There are a list of recommended spooky stories for Key Stage 2 here: https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/topics/literacy-reading/horror-spooky-stories-for-ks2/
Year 6 Residential – Day 2
We’ve had another fantastic day at Robinwood. The rain didn’t hamper our day of exciting activities.
First, we braved the elements to tackle Night Line, a blindfolded obstacle course. The children impressed me with their teamwork and communication.
Next, we took on the Piranha Pool – an escape room with some challenging puzzles and a watery twist. The children navigated the obstacles skilfully and escaped the room before the piranhas were released!
Our busy morning of teamwork continued with the Knight’s Quest – a puzzle to prove worthiness of being a knight of the realm.
After lunch, it was the eagerly anticipated zip wire. We had a blast!
Our busy day continued on the climbing wall. The children embraced the challenge enthusiastically and demonstrated some impressive skills.
We rounded off the day with the knee-trembling trapeze. This pushed the children out of their comfort zone. They overcame fears and cheered each other on – I was so impressed by the support they showed one another!
Fire safety visit
This week, Year 5 had a visit from firefighters from Wetherby Fire Station. We were taught about what the firefighters do and the various jobs they are called to.
We learnt about prevention and the steps we can take to ensure that we reduce the risks of a fire breaking out in our homes – this includes not leaving devices with lithium-ion batteries plugged in.
Ensuring we have a bedtime routine is important too – ensuring ovens are off, devices unplugged, stairs clear and doors shut. The children were encouraged to speak to parents about an escape route should a fire break out, like what we do here at school.
The over-riding message from the visit was: GET OUT, STAY OUT, CALL 999.
Help at home – Ask your child:
- What jobs do the firefighters do?
- What are some of the common causes of fires in the home?
- How often should we check fire alarms at home?
- How many smoke alarms should we have in our homes?
- Which devices have lithium-ion batteries?
- What should you do if there is a fire in your home?
Year 6 Residential – Day 1
Year 6 have a had a fantastic first day at Robinwood! After a delicious lunch, the activities were under way – starting in the Dungeon…
The children had to work together to solve problems and escape the room.
Then, it was over to archery. The children really impressed me with their progress!
The giant swing had some of us facing our fears. A few children showed some real courage and felt proud of their achievement.
After our evening meal, we enjoyed the crate challenge.
WOW and NOW
In Year 5 and 6, we often pause our learning for moments of reflection. We often get spiritual, recognising a sense of connection or a sense of awe and wonder – these moments have happened throughout the year and your child will be able to talk to you about some of these moments.
Often, though, some moments are unplanned and we refer to these moments as WOW, OW and NOW moments. Simply put:
Yesterday, we had an unexpected visitor to our classroom when a beautiful chiffchaff flew in. We saw this as both a WOW and a NOW moment. The children we very calm to ensure the bird did not become too frightened. We eventually set the bird free with the help of Freddie’s hoodie.
Help at home – are there moments where you think WOW? Share WOW, OW and NOW moments together. Talk about how these moments make you feel. Share them back at school.