This year for Geography Day, Mallard Class were learning all about South America. We located South America on the map and learnt about the different countries in continent. The children enjoyed labelling a map of South America and then later in the day we even took part in some traditional South American dancing- Samba! After that, we learnt about the Rio Carnival and the children had so much fun making their own carnival masks. To finish an exciting day, we all got to try some famous South America cuisine NACHOS accompanied with cheese, salsa and even guacamole!! I’m not sure I have ever seen the children so excited. It was a brilliant day and the children learnt so much!
Colour Wheel
Today, the children explored mixing primary colours to make secondary and tertiary colours.
Bread Tasting
This term, we are designing and making healthy pizzas as part of our DT project. Since pizzas have a bead base, it was important for us to try and evaluate a range of different breads to find out which would be the best type of bread to use for our pizzas. We tried a range of different breads including pitta bread, tortilla, baguette and bagels.
Positive Affirmation Rocks
Today, the children decorated rocks with positive affirmations to spread joy and positivity to everyone who stumbles across their rock around the school. The children came up with some lovely words and phrases.
Primary Colours
Today, the children created their own painting in the style of Kazimir Malevich using only primary colours.
Estimating
Today, the children were tasked with estimating the amount of a range of objects. We then counted them up to see how close they were!
Building Dens
Pantomime!
We were really lucky again this year to be able to go to the pantomime to watch Jack and the beanstalk courtesy of the wonderful PTA who funded the event for everyone! It is safe to say the children absolutely loved it and it really has kickstarted the Christmas spirit in us all! Thank you, PTA!
Making Christingles
Today, we were really lucky to have Reverend Sarah in school who taught us all how to make Christingles. The children throughly enjoyed making them and it was wonderful to learn about the meaning of the different elements of the symbolic object.
Editing
Today, the children learnt how to edit photographs using editing software.
Nurse Visit
In History this term, we have been learning about famous nurses and how nursing has changed over time. We were incredibly lucky to have a visit from a wonderful nurse in the local community who came in to speak with the children about her role and responsibilities as a nurse in the present day. Everyone was fascinated by what she and her colleagues do in their roles and were incredibly inquisitive asking lots of questions and even sharing their knowledge of nursing in the past with her. After, the class had so much fun practising bandaging up their partners- a valuable life skill!
Final Art Pieces in the style of Quentin Blake
Christmas Pictures
In outdoor learning today, the children had a lot of fun collecting a range of natural resources to create their own Christmas inspired pictures.
Exploring Non-fiction Texts
Today, the children went to the library to look at a range of non-fiction texts. We discussed the different features of non-fiction texts which the children were looking for in the different books that they picked up.
Landscape or Portrait?
In Computing this term, our topic is Photography. Today, the children have been exploring the pros and cons of taking photos in landscape and portrait. We discussed how to take a good picture and then the children had a go at taking photos of different objects in both landscape and portrait. The children then evaluated which way was better for the purpose and why.
More Microhabitats!
Microhabitats
Our topic in Science this term is habitats. Today, the children went on a mini-beast hunt around the school grounds to see what mini-beasts they could find. Later, we discussed where they found each of the different insects and spoke about why they may have been found in those areas.
Programming
In Computing today, the children were scrubbing up on the knowledge of algorithms on the iPads. They were tasked with programming the BeeBots with precise instructions to get them to a final destination.
Diwali Workshop
Today, the children had a really exciting time learning all about the story of Diwali through drama and dance.
Cleaning Pennies
In Science, we conducted an experiment to find out the effectiveness of different substances when cleaning pennies. We discussed the importance of only changing one variable. The different substances we tested were vinegar, ketchup, washing powder, lemon juice and coke. We left the pennies soaked in the liquids for one week. When we checked the pennies we concluded (to our surprise) that ketchup was the most effective substance at cleaning a penny.
World Mental Health Day 🌎💛
Today, it was World Mental Health Day and in recognition of this everyone came in dressed in yellow! You all looked fantastic!
Careers Day 🕵️👨💼👩💼👩🏼⚕️👨⚕️👮👷👷♀️
Today the children had a fantastic time for Careers Day. Everyone came into school dressed up in clothes related to the career they wish to pursue when they get older. It was fantastic to see such a range of careers! As part of the day, the children engaged in a whole range of activities related to jobs in the future. In Maths, the children took part in a carousel of activities including measuring liquid using syringes, construction tasks and design using symmetry.
Testing our Moving Vehicles 🚗
As part of our DT project, the children were tasked with designing and making their own moving vehicles. The children worked hard to follow the design criteria ensuring their vehicle had at least 4 wheels, and had a wheel and chassis mechanism. The children throughly enjoyed testing their vehicles using the ramp after they built their cars to check that their mechanisms functioned effectively.
Why are some objects made from different materials?
In Science today, we carried out an investigation to find out how effective different gloves were for different purposes. We tested the flexibility, strength, warmth and water-resistance of cleaning gloves, football gloves, gardening gloves and woolly gloves. We concluded that the different gloves were best for different purposes depending on what they were made from,
Making Challah Bread
Our topic this term in RE is Judaism. Today, we learnt all about the importance of Simchat Torah to the Jewish community. The children learnt that one of the traditions of Simchat Torah is to eat a special kind of bread called Challah. As a class, we made our own Challah bread. We were all very impressed with the outcome of our cooking skills!
Languages Day 🇮🇹🍕
Today, it was Languages Day! The children all looked amazing dressed in the colours of the Italian flag as Mallard Class’ language of focus was Italian. The children learnt basic conversational language, colours and numbers, they even worked out addition and subtraction sums in Italian! We had a great time trying out a range of different Italian foods including pizza and gelato however, the olives weren’t particularly popular. In the afternoon, the children throughly enjoyed testing their knowledge of everything that they had learnt in the day with a very competitive Kahoot quiz!
Let’s all be happy!
In PHSE, we discussed how our facial expressions and body language can indicate how we are feeling. As a class, we played a game where a child had to pick a card and act out the emotion. The children then had to guess what emotion that child was trying to act out. It’s safe to say we have some very good actors and actresses in this class!
Ordering Instructions
In Computing today, we discussed the importance of the order of instructions within a sequence. The children created sequences using the same instructions in different orders. They then tested these sequences using the bee-bots to see how the different orders affected the outcomes.
How are you feeling today?
In PHSE today, we discussed the different types of emotions we may feel. The children then participated in role-play to show how we could respond in a helpful and positive way rather than a negative and unhelpful way when interacting with others who feel these emotions.
Instructions
In computing today, the children learnt that programmes run by following precise instructions. To put this into practise, the children worked in pairs and gave each other instructions to reach a specific outcome. They were challenged to get their partner to create a drawing of their choosing. The children quickly realised that their instructions needed to be very specific and clear.