During this week, Year 3 have looked at dinosaurs and how they became extinct 65 million years ago!. We had a class discussion regarding the different theories including; a meteor strike, disease and volcanic activity, not to mention extreme weather conditions like an ice-age.
We then, using our knowledge about fossilisation and Mary Anning, re-created what dinosaur fossils look like using black paper and white paper straws. We chose our favourite dinosaur and matched this picture to their skeleton, making sure the features matched. Then we sketched out the skeleton and used straws to make the bones stand out.
During Guided Reading we looked at the book, A Seed is Sleepy. This non-fiction text, beautifully illustrates and describes where seeds are found, what they need to grow and over time, what they grow in to.
To celebrate British Science Week, the children took part in their very own Toftwood Science Fair. They were excited to bring in the science projects that they had been working on at home to share with classmates, parents, carers and teachers.
The children proudly explained the science behind the investigations they had designed and demonstrated them to their visitors.
The theme for British Science Week 2024 was time and many of the investigations explored observing change over time.
It was a fantastic turnout and the Toftwood Federation families enjoyed exploring all areas of science again this year.
In Reception we have been exploring oceans around the world. Throughout our topic this half term we have looked at different habitats including deserts, rainforests, tundras, grasslands and oceans. When learning about oceans we looked at the Great Barrier Reef and looked at how to keep the ocean clean and protect the wildlife that lives in it. We discussed the importance of recycling and looking after our planet Earth. We also learned the names of sea creatures, found out facts about them and used the small world sea creatures to create underwater stories using our imaginations. We then created some ocean artwork using different techniques such as collage, painting, printing, threading and drawing. We also conducted a science experiment where we discovered that ocean water is salty and this can effect on whether things float or sink. We predicted and then experimented to see what would happen to different objects in water with no salt, a little salt and a lot of salt.
This year for SAW week, the year 1 children made friends with trees! First, they learned about the different types of trees. They found out the deciduous trees lose their leaves and evergreen trees stay green all year round. The children then matched trees to their leaves. They found out about the tallest tree in the world and walked across the fiend the length that it would be if it were laying down.
Next, the children created a year group tree by collecting bark rubbings and then making leaf rubbings and placing them all down together in the hall.
Finally, the children wrote a poem about trees and leaves in the shape of a leaf!
In Year 2 the children have explored different insects that live in habitats around Norfolk. The children started by researching an insect of their choosing, either a swallowtail butterfly, Norfolk hawker dragonfly or a pond mud snail. The children used fact files to find out all sorts of different information about the insects.
They then wrote their own cinquain poem all about their insect. They were able to follow the rules of this new poetry type, and retrieve what they knew about a similar poem type of diamante poems.
Finally the children created their own insect using a collage technique. They started by sketching their design and then filled the image with all different textures and colours. The children even created their own background habitat for their insect.
Year 3
As part of SAW week, Year 3 researched dinosaurs and wrote a haiku based on our artwork. We also created a beautiful sunset silhouette for our dinosaurs using a watercolour wash. Following that, we created a dinosaur skeleton ‘X-ray’ using white art straws on a black background.
Year 4
Year 4 had such fun during SAW week. First, we looked at some fascinating close-up images of yeast cells. We used scrunched up newspaper and shaped them into the shape of a yeast cell. We then covered the yeast structure in PVA glue and tissue paper so it looked like the false-colour images we had seen.
On our second day, we learned that yeast eats sugar and produces carbon dioxide. We wanted to test this, so poured dried yeast, water and sugar into a bottle. We used a balloon to test whether any carbon dioxide was being produced. The balloon inflated, showing us that yeast produces carbon dioxide!
On our third day, we wanted to write a poem about what we have learned, seen and smelled about yeast!
Year 5
This year, Year 5’s theme for SAW week focused on Greenhouse Gases.
For science, we learnt about the two main gases that make up the air around us (Nitrogen and Oxygen). The children now understand that carbon is in all living things – including themselves, which they found interesting! After we discussed the different types of gases in our atmosphere, we conducted an experiment. This explored the difference between the effects of a melting iceberg and the melting of glaciers on land to explore the relative effects on sea level rise. The children ensured that they kept the test fair by measuring the water and ice cubes, which made good links with our recent maths unit. Our findings revealed that the tub with the ice cubes that were placed on land saw the greatest sea level rise while the other did not rise. This is because glacier ice is mostly sitting on land, so when it melts it runs into the sea, causing the sea level to rise.
For art, we made a 3D model of planet Earth using papier-mâché. The children absolutely loved this activity! After they dried, the children added the different continents onto their planets.
During our writing session, Year 5 published some outstanding poems all about Planet Earth. Some children opted to write a haiku poem, free-verse poem or an acrostic. We were really proud of the final product, well done!
Year 6
As part of the year 6 SAW project, we looked at the adaptations of marine creatures and the ocean as an environment.
We started off by learning the names of the oceans of the world and thinking about the negative impact that human behavior has had on our ocean habitats, such as coral reefs. We discussed pollution within our oceans and what we can do to make a difference. We learnt amazing facts about sharks – did you know that they actually don’t have a skeleton? We produced some posters to persuade people to look after our sharks and protect their species. Following this lesson, we learnt about the different layers of the ocean and the creatures that live in each one and created a collage to display this information.
We then looked at aboriginal art and how they created wonderful artworks based on wht they saw around them. The children really enjoyed drawing their own animals and then painting them using the dotting techniques seen within this artistic movement.
The children in year 6 all thoroughly enjoyed their week and were more aware of the oceans as ecosystems on our planet, and the threat they are under.
To celebrate British Science Week the children at Toftwood Infant and Junior Schools took part in a range of different science-based learning activities. There was a variety of visitors and live talks from meteorologists, marine biologists and engineering geologists to name but a few! The children also took part in scientific investigations across their year groups. They loved putting their scientific skills into practice to test theories, identify patterns and record results.
Reception looked at reflections and symmetry using mirrors, used magnets, designed and made their own boats to see if they would float and created some shadow puppets. They even tried some bubble painting and had a go at making some giant bubbles outside!
In Year 1 we had a go at creating our star constellations using marshmallows and spaghetti. We practised using our fine motor skills to construct the constellations and had to observe the shapes and patterns carefully to create accurate representations. We also explored fair testing when looking at rocket mice and investigated which plastic bottle launched the rockets the highest. We predicted which rockets we thought would be the best and then tested them to see if we were correct.
In Year 2 we created our own ‘magic’ pictures. We investigated what happens to kitchen roll when it is put into water by drawing a black outline of a picture on one piece of kitchen roll and a coloured picture on another. We layered the drawings on top of each other and noticed that you could not see the colours through the paper. Once we put the drawings into a tray of water we noticed that the pictures had merged, and our drawings turned from black and white to coloured!
Year 3 explored the science of making toothpaste! We agreed that a good toothpaste should kill bacteria, have a nice scent and stay on the toothbrush! We carefully mixed ingredients to make our toothpaste. We then needed to think scientifically to plan a fair test to compare our own toothpaste to branded toothpastes. Finally, we collected the results in a tally chart and presented the results in a series of bar graphs.
Year 4 did an investigation in to fingerprints and whether they could be used to identify individual students! The children loved experimenting with different methods of collecting the fingerprints and then comparing their prints to their friends! They were fascinated by the different patterns within their fingerprints e.g. arches, whorls and loops. Finally, we discussed the best ways to record their findings and they were then given the opportunity to present them to the class.
Year 5 had a wonderful time designing rockets and looking at how a pneumatic system, that they have previously learnt about in science, can be used to create a force with which to launch a rocket! We had great fun launching our rockets outside and seeing who’s would go the furthest!
Year 6 took part in a live science lesson that looked at the adaptability of wool. We discovered that wool is even used in space! Within classes, we were set the task of investigating inks through a ‘dog napping’ scenario. We used chromatography to identify the thief from the ransom note they had written. We looked carefully at the different shapes and colours that the inks created.
To bring the week to a close, the children were able to take part in their very own Toftwood Science Fair. They were excited to bring in the science projects that they had been working on at home, to share with classmates, parents, carers and teachers. The children explained the Science behind the experiments they had designed and demonstrated them to all of the visitors. It was a fantastic turn out and the Toftwood Federation families enjoyed exploring all areas of science including a lemon clock, electrical circuits, erupting volcanoes and dancing milk!
For SAW week we have been exploring the ocean! Our topic this half term is ‘Around the world’ so we started by looking at the Earth and discussing continents and oceans. We found there were 7 continents and 5 oceans! We focused on the continent of Oceania (sometimes called Australasia) and looked at the Great Barrier Reef. We talked about how to look after the ocean and how important it is to recycle and look after the planet. We learnt the names of sea creatures, and found out facts about them, as well as making up stories with the small world sea creatures. For the Art part of SAW we make bubble paintings of the ocean and collages. We conducted a Science experiment where we discovered that ocean water is salty and this can effect on whether things float or sink. We predicted and then experimented to see what would happen to different objects in water with no salt, a little salt and a LOT of salt. We also did some excellent writing about ocean creatures!
Year 1
The children really enjoyed participating in activities this week for SAW week. They loved learning about different trees, and even had a go at matching the different trees to their leaves! They went exploring outside and even made friends with a tree (this helped them with their writing the next day). The children collected lots of leaves from outside and made some leaf rubbings using crayons and paper. They then cut around their leaves and collaged them to make their own tree! Some children even had a go at doing bark rubbings, even though it was windy outside.
When writing the next day the children described their tree! They were very imaginative, coming up with lots of different adjectives to describe their new tree friend.
The children loved this week, and had lots of insightful and interesting ideas, well done Year 1!
Year 2
For our SAW activities, year 2 looked at local insects and focused on three insects that are only found in Norfolk. They learnt all about swallowtail butterflies, Norfolk hawker dragonflies and pond mud snails. The children learnt all about the habitats of their chosen insect, what they eat and where they can be found. Using this knowledge they wrote their own cinquain poems which were decorated with collage art representing their chosen insect.
This all tied in fantastically with their habitats learning at Pensthorpe at the end of the week!
Year 3
We really enjoyed SAW week (Science, Art & Writing) in year 3 where we learned about the undersea world including plankton. We learnt about their role in food chains and how complex food chains can be! We then wrote plankton shape poems in our English lessons, considering language choices to enable the reader to visualise the magical vision of bioluminescent plankton we had watched recordings of. We finished the week by creating an interactive under the sea volcano painting which ‘erupted’ when squirted with vinegar using a pipette because of the hidden bicarbonate of soda in the paint!
Year 4
Year 4 had such fun during SAW week. First, we looked at some fascinating close-up images of yeast cells. We used scrunched up newspaper and shaped them into the shape of a yeast cell. We then covered the yeast structure in PVA glue and tissue paper so it looked like the false-colour images we had seen.
On our second day, we learned that yeast eats sugar and produces carbon dioxide. We wanted to test this, so poured dried yeast, water and sugar into a bottle. We used a balloon to test whether any carbon dioxide was produced. The balloon inflated, showing us that yeast produces carbon dioxide!
On our third day, we wanted to write a poem about what we have learned, seen and smelled about yeast!
Year 5
This year, Year 5’s theme for SAW week focused on Greenhouse Gases.
For science, we learnt about the two main gases that make up the air around us (Nitrogen and Oxygen). The children now understand that carbon is in all living things – including themselves, which they found interesting! After we discussed the different types of gases in our atmosphere, we conducted an experiment. This explored the difference between the effects of a melting iceberg and the melting of glaciers on land to explore the relative effects on sea level rise. The children ensured that they kept the test fair by measuring the water and ice cubes, which made good links with our recent maths unit. Our findings revealed that the tub with the ice cubes that were placed on land saw the greatest sea level rise while the other did not rise. This is because glacier ice is mostly sitting on land, so when it melts it runs into the sea, causing the sea level to rise.
For art, we made a 3D model of planet Earth using papier-mâché. The children absolutely loved this activity! After they dried, the children added the different continents onto their planets.
During our writing session, Year 5 published some outstanding poems all about Planet Earth. Some children opted to write a haiku poem, free-verse poem or an acrostic. We were really proud of the final product, well done!
Year 6
As part of the year 6 SAW project, we looked at the adaptations of marine creatures and the ocean as an environment.
We started off by learning the names of the oceans of the world and thinking about the negative impact of human behaviour on ocean habitats such as coral reefs. We discussed pollution within our oceans and what we can do to make a difference. We learnt amazing facts about sharks – did you know that they actually don’t have a skeleton? We produced some leaflets to persuade people to look after our sharks and protect their species. Following this lesson, we learnt about the different layers of the ocean and the creatures that live in each one and created a collage to display this information. The children created some ‘top trumps’ style cards using their new knowledge of marine creatures. The children focused their categories on: body size, weight, depth, life span and number of species left. They really enjoyed playing against each other and winning cards! We also painted some ocean creatures, using dots in the style of aboriginal art.
The children in year 6 all thoroughly enjoyed their week and were more aware of the oceans as ecosystems on our planet, and the threat they are under.
This year, the theme of British Science Week was growth. Children across the federation were able to engage with a science activity everyday through early morning work, science based stories and discussions. Further activities were arranged in each year group and children from across the federation were able to create posters to represent growth for the British Science Week poster competition.
Reception
The children in reception enjoyed listening to the stories, ‘It starts with a Seed’, ‘Nature’s tiny miracles: Bees’ and ‘A tadpole’s promise’.
On Tuesday the children made a seed bomb in class! They tore up paper, soaked it in water and then rolled a little bit of the pulp into a ball to dry in an ice cube tray. We discussed where seeds come from and what conditions they need to grow (water, soil and light). The children were very excited to take their seed bombs home to see what they will grow into!
Year 1
The children loved exploring throughout the week all about the different ways we, and the things around us can grow!
We focused in our early morning work, on plant and tree growth and of the properties of different materials. The children really enjoyed this. Mrs Pilbrow also surprised the children by bringing in some daffodils that we could watch grow throughout the day! Some children even had a go at sketching these, and observing their growth.
We also found out lots of interesting facts through our science week assembly, for example we found out that the Eiffel Tower grows up to 6 inches taller in the summer. Zach thought this was amazing, and described that “it expands because it’s hot, and then shrinks when it gets cold”.
The children were so excited by this whole week, and many of them spent lots of their break and lunch time, continuing to be scientists, investigating outside spaces, hunting for mini-beasts, and building bug hotels on the playground.
Many children also had a go at helping their bodies to grow by exercising at lunchtime, in our ‘outdoor gym’. The children got out equipment, and we spoke in our classes about how physical exercise is important for their physical development and growth.
Year 2
In year 2, the children thoroughly enjoyed exploring the theme of ‘growth’. We were lucky enough to have an assembly led by Dr. Phil Smith from the Joh Innes Centre, who introduced the week to the children. He talked about how the theme of ‘growth’ can include many different aspects of life, leading to lots of questions and enquiry from the children.
In class, we discussed how the bean that the children had planted had germinated and begun to grow leaves. The children thought about the different conditions that plants need to grow as well as discussing what humans need to grow too.
The children also smashed stereotypes in science. They drew pictures of what they thought scientists looked like before learning about all the different types of scientists. The children really enjoyed learning about the variety of ways people can be scientists and were surprised to discover that lots of everyday people do jobs involving science.
Year 3
Year 3 kicked off Science week with a familiar local scientist, Dr Phil Smith, a plant pathologist from the John Innes centre. He talked about pattern seeking in science connected to growth. The children really impressed him with their scientific observations and deductions.
Throughout the week, the children enjoyed watching unusual short videos linked to their current learning connected to plants, including explosive seed dispersal and the lifecycle of a bean, as well as their prior learning including macro photographic images of crystals and lava. They also enjoyed listening to the story, “A seed is sleepy” and answering questions about the text in guided reading. After their wellbeing visit from Mrs Owen, the children took some time to observe the growth of the trees on our site and sketched them.
Year 4
Year 4 had an amazing time during British Science Week! On Monday, we joined Dr Phil as he talked about how a scientist might go about conducting an experiment and it was exciting to hear how he played a part in bringing Dippy the Dinosaur to Norwich Cathedral.
During the week, we took part in discussions regarding plants and animals, states of matter, sound and electricity. We watched videos from the science website Explorify and we could start to use our scientific knowledge to explain what’s going on.
On Wednesday, each class enjoyed exploring the school grounds to try and identify tree species. We classified trees into deciduous and evergreen trees and looked carefully at the buds to identify individual species such as oak, cherry and birch trees.
Year 5
In Year 5, the children were investigating ‘do our body parts grow as we get older?’. We collected six hand spans per year group and measured the height of them. As a class, we filled in a table, working out the average height for each year group. After we had the averages, we plotted our data onto a scatter graph. The scientific enquiry we were focused on was pattern seeking. Our results matched our prediction that the older the children are, the taller the hand.
Year 6
The children have had visits from Dr David Murray (a marine biologist) and Dr Phil (a plant biologist). Both visitors talked about what it means to be a scientist; they told the children about their work and explained all of the things that we don’t yet know that future scientists will hopefully find out! The children were able to ask questions about the science our visitors specifically work within and consider a future in science for themselves.
Events across Toftwood Federation – Autumn Term 2020
This term, the children have taken part in a competition to design a poster all about protecting the environment and the different pollution that the planet faces. This was for global Pollution Prevention Week, which also coincided with U.K. Recycling Week. The children watched an assembly with videos and shared their ideas about the effects of pollution and how to recycle. They were then given the task to design a poster with an oak tree as the ‘prize’ for doing so. Almost 40 children across Infants and Juniors submitted amazing posters – have a look at Olivia from CP3’s poster and Katherine from RL5 with her tree! Those children who entered received an oak tree for their garden! The posters were thoughtful, imaginative and well presented, as you can see, and they really show what an amazing bunch of thoughtful and environmentally-conscious children we have across the Toftwood Federation. Planting trees is a major way we can tackle pollution and climate change and the children who received one made a promise to look after it, with instructions on how to care for their tree.
On Friday 11th December, Year 1 and Year 5 classes joined a virtual presentation from Libby Jackson, who is part of British Astronaut Tim Peake’s team. It was all about life at Christmas on the International Space Station (ISS). We learned about Christmas traditions – and why Christmas Day is in fact Celebrated twice – and how Santa delivers presents out in space! At the end of the presentation, which included videos of life on the ISS and how Libby works in Mission Control – schools who had joined from across the country got to submit questions via the ‘chat’ link in the video. One of our questions, ‘What do you like about your job?’ was even seen and answered by Libby Jackson herself!
It has been a different kind of term without visitors and the usual science events in school, so it was really nice to be able to be a part of something as engaging and interactive as the Libby Jackson talk and to be able to do something for the environment by giving away oak trees. We look forward to more exciting events next term!
Toftwood Junior Science Day 2020: part of British Science Week
On
Friday 13th March, we were lucky to have two scientists from Mad
Science (Dr DNA and Scientiffany) deliver an amazing assembly for the whole of
KS2. Dr DNA started by discussing the pressing crisis affecting everyone at the
moment: the short supply of toilet paper! An experiment involving lift, thrust,
gravity and drag was performed using toilet roll. Wren in Year 3 and an
industrial hairdryer helped to propel the toilet paper across the hall.
After singing happy birthday – twice – to Willow in Year 6 to emphasise how long to wash our hands for, two Oliver and Ellouise in Year 3 were selected to play ‘Toilet War: Paper vs Wipes.’ This was an experiment to show what we should put down the toilet (the three Ps – pee, poo and toilet paper) and what not to put down it. One side of the hall was encouraging the toilet paper to get through a funnel first and the other side encouraged the wet wipes to get through first. The funnel represented the toilet pipes and both sides made a whirlwind to show the toilet being flushed. Of course, toilet paper won and the wet wipes just got stuck! To show how strong wet wipes are and that they don’t break down easily, Dr DNA used a wet wipe rope to safely pull Harrison from Year 5 along on a trolley.
Then,
photos of blockages in sinks and drains were displayed and an experiment was
conducted where Dr DNA, Scientiffany and their volunteers tried to unblock a
fat-stuffed sink with washing-up liquid and boiling water. The explosion
hopefully reminded people not to put fat, oils and other items down the sink.
After all, “Fat and oil down your sink creates a massive stink!”
Finally,
a Year 3 volunteer – Zayn – was selected to help get an egg (Eggbert, one of
the Mad Science crew) into his ‘house,’ which was a glass flask. Using a match
to deprive the flask of oxygen, Eggbert was successfully sucked into the flask.
He was then pulled out of his house by Dr DNA, who blew into the flask to put
the oxygen back into it. Unfortunately, poor Eggbert didn’t survive Zayn pulling
him out of his flask-house!
Thank
you to Dr. DNA, Scientiffany and all of the volunteers for such a memorable assembly!
Year 3:
Year 3 took on the topic of ‘Diverse Places’ as
part of the ‘Our Diverse Planet’ theme for this year. They started by taking
part in an activity called ‘Don’t Tip the Ship.’
As
cargo ships have been around for thousands of years, transporting goods around
the world, the children built boats and investigated how much weight could be
added to the boats before they sank. They learned that the best way of loading
a ship is to spread the load (the weight) evenly across the ship. If too much
is put in one place, the ship will tip!
After that, Year
3 children worked in groups and read about Bransfield’s journey to the
Antarctic in 1819-20. The children researched and talked about what equipment
they would need to take with them and why. They looked at maps and charts to
learn about Antarctica, Bransfield’s journey there and how diverse habitats on
our planet are from one another.
Later
in the afternoon, Year 3 joined Year 5 to learn and play games that the older
children had developed based on the topic of ‘Diverse People.’ The aim of Year
5’s task was to adapt games for people who may be visually or hearing impaired,
or who may have some other kind of physical disability. Year 3 contributed
their own ideas to help Year 5 evaluate and develop their games further.
Year
4:
To
celebrate ‘Our Diverse Planet’ Science Day, Year 4 took part in a carousel of
activities on the topic of camouflage. We learned about the four types of
camouflage: concealing, disruptive, disguise and mimicry. As well as learning
about animals that do camouflage themselves to their environment, we also
considered animals that do not have any camouflage. Each child then each chose
an animal that they thought would like to be camouflaged and decided which way
they could camouflage them. The children used their imaginations and created
some superb camouflaged animals. For example a deer was given green and brown
stripes to blend in with its environment this is called disruptive camouflage.
An orang-utan was given tiger stripes so that fewer trees would be cut down as
people would be afraid of the orang-utan! This camouflage is called mimicry.
Another
of our activities was researching animals that use camouflage and the reason
for the camouflage. The children worked in pairs to research their chosen
animal and create an information poster. We had a variety of different animals
including sidewinder rattlesnakes, artic wolves and leaf insects! They all
worked really well together and created some wonderful pieces of work.
Building
on this, the children took the opportunity to develop their artistic skills
through creating their own watercolours based on camouflage art. Using
watercolours can be tricky, but year 4 persevered to make some wonderful art.
The children were creative with their approach, thinking about the colouration
of animals and the patterns they have that help them when they are out in the
wild.
All
in all, a fabulous day for year 4.
Year
5:
In
Year 5, the children learned about games that had been adapted for ‘Diverse
People.’ They watched videos and researched games such as Hugby, which is a
form of rugby that has been developed for visually impaired people. Instead of
tackling, people hug each other and then the person being hugged calls out
their team name so that the person hugging them knows whether they are on the
same team or not. The children thought about other games and activities and
researched their own ways to develop them.
In
the hall, the Year 5 children used equipment to pursue their ideas further.
They came up with individual and team games that could be played to include
people with a range of disabilities and diverse people. As our focus was on
inclusion, the children came up with ideas and played games against each other
using such things as blindfolds, sitting on chairs or having one arm held
behind their backs to simulate what it is like for those who do not have full
use of their senses or limbs. This meant that everyone playing had the same
chance of scoring or winning a game.
After
lunch, Year 5 children researched their own games to play using laptops and
tried out ideas for their adapted games in groups. They came up with rules and
instructions for their games so that they could rehearse them ready to show a
different year group. Each Year 5 class then teamed up with a Year 3 class to
teach the children how to play their adapted games. Year 3 contributed their
own ideas to help Year 5 evaluate their games scientifically and to help
develop them further.
Year
6:
As part of
British Science Week, Year 6 focused on adaptation and diversity in plants and
animals to explore the theme of ‘our diverse planet’. This links closely with
our current Science unit, evolution and inheritance. We studied the work and
research of Charles Darwin and learnt how influential his theories are today.
Our first activity involved investigating diversity within plants and exploring
how plants have adapted to suit new environments. This gave us the information
we needed when choosing our own environments and plants to design. Our plants
had to have been adapted in some way to highlight the diverse environments such
as: a lack of water, very hot conditions, very shady conditions or bright
sunshine.
Our second
activity highlighted the theory of ‘survival of the fittest’. To do this, we
read an interesting story about peppered moths. The story outlined the effects
of the industrial revolution on environments. This had an impact on the
environments in which everything lived including people, plants, animals
and even insects. Originally, the majority of the moths were white so they
could camouflage against the lighter birch
trees. As pollution discoloured the air, the birch trees
became darker, as did the moths. This meant that the darker moths were able to
disguise themselves against the bark which resulted in them living longer and
the number white moths falling. Our task was to illustrate the story of the
peppered moths in a comic strip style to show how the peppered moths changed
colour and camouflaged against the bark.
‘Our Diverse Planet’- Spring 2 2020
As part of British Science week the children enjoyed a super science day to learn more around the topic ‘Our Diverse Planet’. We started the day with a show hosted by ‘Mad Science’. They have visited many times and always ensure the children are enjoying their science learning. The scientists discussed the importance of good hygiene including effective hand washing. We believe this is particularly relevant based on current health measures in place by the government. The scientists discussed how we need to care for our planet and how part of this is how we dispose of rubbish (either down sinks or toilets). This builds on the children’s previous learning about recycling and reducing waste. The Mad Science team showed the children how some materials, such as wet wipes, are not biodegradable and can cause blockages. The children were shocked to see real pictures of ‘fatbergs’ that had been created by these non-biodegradable materials as well as congealed oils and fats. Discussions such as these help the children be mindful of how they dispose of waste and how they can protect the planet.
In the afternoon year 1 and 2 were visited by teachers and students from Neatherd high school. The teachers completed an enquiry that investigated the adaptation of finches beaks. This builds on the children’s previous learning about animal life. The children learnt that Charles Darwin discovered on the different Galapagos Islands finches had adapted to have different shaped beaks. They made a prediction about which beak they thought would be best for collecting seeds. The children used chopsticks, tweezers and peg to imitate the shapes of the beaks and took turns to attempt picking up seeds. They recorded their findings in a table and shared their results as a class.
Meanwhile, Reception children explored how to make bubbles, making their own bubble wand and being creative using washing up liquid, paint and straw to make some wonderful bubble pictures. This builds on them exploring a variety of media and materials to be imaginative.
Throughout the week the children have completed several science enquiries which have supported their working scientifically skills and encouraged them to ask their own questions. Year 1 enjoyed investigating whether our bodies are all the same, how animals can camouflage to their environment and which materials are the best insulators (imagining they were trying to survive in Antarctica!)
Year 1 and 2 both investigated how much weight can be added to a ship before it begins to sink. This experiment was based on the Cutty Sark which was used to transport tea from China to London. They took turns to make observations and Year 2 extended this investigation further by using different designs for their boats.
It is fantastic to see the children so enthusiastic about science and able to extend their skills through practical hands on learning!
Science Week 2019, EYFS and KS1
This year’s theme for science week was journeys. The children explored the journeys of food and other journeys they see around them.
Nursery
The nursery children looked at the journey for making bread. We used the book, The Little Red Hen for this. We explored bread dough and corn in the tuff tray. We made our own flour with a pestle and mortar. We made our own bread and butter. We also completed an investigation with a balloon and the yeast. Nursery children made coleslaw. They talked about the journey of the vegetables.
Reception
In Reception we looked at our journey from being a baby to a child. For our home learning we had to find a picture of us as a baby to share with the rest of the class. We all enjoyed looking at each other’s baby photos and we had fun trying to guess who each baby was. We discussed the changes that we could see and noticed small changes such as hair colour and bigger changes like growing much taller!
Year 1
We started the week thinking about where our food comes from. We learnt that food comes from either plants or animals. We sorted different foods into the correct groups.
We used our problem solving skills to create Lego tunnels for a toy car to go through.
We went on a journey round our school grounds to collect different natural objects to make journey sticks. We also used went on a senses journey and thought about all the things we can taste, touch, hear, see and smell around our school.
All the children loved learning about the journey of bees and they all created their own bee headbands! We pretended to be the bees going to collect nectar from the flowers and taking it back to the hive.
We carried out an experiment to see how many people get our germs when we sneeze without a tissue or our hand!
We also learnt about the journey our food takes through our bodies with the help of teachers from Northgate High School.
Year 2
The children made some delicious cheese straws and enjoyed measuring the ingredients using the scales. This linked well with the children’s maths lessons. Later in the week we were visited by teachers from Northgate high school who showed the children the journey food goes through in a workshop called ‘From gums to bums’. The children were amazed by all the things that are happening inside their bodies.
Next the children thought about how plastic is affecting the world and the journey that a plastic bottle can go on. They saw how plastic can end up in landfill, in the ocean or how it can be recycled and reused. The children were shocked by how plastic affected animals. They thought of ways they could make small changes to reduce the amount of plastic they were using such as reusable drinks bottles and reusable bags when shopping.
The children were fascinated learning about the journey of bees, especially how they are important and helpful. We showed the children how bees collect nectar for honey and how they cause cross pollination. We recreated these processes using a simple game. Afterwards the children enjoyed researching more information about bees using books and the internet.
We were visited by scientist Simone Payne from the UEA who taught the children about the journey of germs and how germs can be hiding on their hands. She showed the children the importance of washing their hands correctly. Simone took fingerprints from the children in agar plates and took them back to her lab. She then brought them back to school on the Monday to show how the bacteria had grown. In class we carried out an enquiry called ‘the sneeze zone’. We observed the differences between how far germs from a sneeze travels when you use a tissue compared to when you don’t. We also talked about how we can look after ourselves and were visited by dental nurses on Friday to talk about good dental hygiene.
Throughout the week the children enjoyed sharing a variety of books about famous scientists and inventions. We have discussed how there are many careers that involve STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths. There are lots of children who have been inspired to do a future career using STEM subjects!
The children in year 3 have been investigating light and the effect of opacity on shadow formation. They recapped their learning of transparent and opaque objects and then furthered their investigation into how to make shadows change size by building a shadow puppet theatre and using props at different measurements from the screen to see how they would alter for the audience. The children discovered that if they placed the props and puppets closer to the light source then they would block a greater portion of the light source and produce a greater shadow.
Year 4
Year 4 have explored the science of sound waves by making our own walkie-talkies! In Science we have learned that sound is made by molecules vibrating. In this experiment, we made sounds by vibrating our vocal cords and forcing the sound to travel down a piece of string. The string carried the sound wave and we could clearly hear the sounds on the other end of the walkie-talkie! We successfully passed a secret message down the walkie-talkie and heard it on the other end.
By experimenting, we found out that the string carries less sound waves when it was slack and carried the sound better when the string was tighter. Finally, we added two strings across each other to make a 4-way telephone. Amazingly, the sound we made through one cup travelled down both strings and could be heard on the other three-cup receivers!
Year 5
Year 5 have taken part in a very exciting STEM day, which we linked to our current science topic of materials. The children have learnt about densities of solids and liquids and explored this in an experiment. We learnt the word “immiscible” when we were finding out why water and oil do not mix. The oil floats on the top because it is less dense than the water. We also added syrup to the mix then introduced small objects of different densities, trying to predict what layer they might be suspended in.
The children also developed this knowledge further, using marbling inks, lifting the oily colours off the surface of the water. We wondered why it was called “marbling” so we thought back to our prior learning in geography about earthquakes and volcanoes and how rocks are subjected to heat to make the lovely swirly patterns. The children have then used these beautiful papers to make a Christmas card.
Year 6
Year 6 enjoyed completing a maths and science task in STEM week linked to our current learning – light. The children learnt that when light is reflected it obeys the law of reflection: the angle of incidence always equals the angle of reflection. The children then had a go themselves measuring the angles with a protractor. They had to be very accurate and work as a team to all hold a different piece of apparatus! Most groups were able to find that the angles were equal.
The children in Reception were focusing on healthy eating and where fruit comes from. The children had a look at a variety of fruits and discussed which ones they enjoy to eat. They also learnt that fruit have vitamins in them to gives us energy, helps us grow and stay strong. The children then had the challenge to make their own fruit kababs and try some fruits they never had tried before.
Some of the children shared their thoughts:
Leo said, “I had strawberries, grapes, blueberries and pineapple. My
favourite was strawberry. It had yummy flavours.”
shared, “I like blueberries. I never tried them before! It gave me lots of energy.”
The children in year 2 were challenged to create their own Pizzeria that focuses on healthy eating. The children discussed the Eatwell Guide and looked at the different food groups and the amount that we need from each food group to stay healthy. The children then created a list of healthy toppings that they could use on their pizzas.
Next, to make sure that their pizzeria would be popular, the children conducted some market research to find out the most popular pizza toppings. They did this by voting on their tablets and creating class bar charts. They then used this research to design their pizzas.
After that, the children looked at logos and marketing. They discussed how effective different logos can be and that a catchy name helps people remember. Using their tablets, the children created digital logos to promote their pizzerias.
Finally, the children cooked, tasted and evaluated their pizzas.
Year 1
We had so much fun investigating hibernating animals in our STEM afternoon. We learnt lots of interesting facts about animals which hibernate for cold weather and we even enjoyed some games and quizzes with our learning partners.
We even led our own experiment on insulation to find out what materials would keep warm water the warmest. We insulated our cups using lots of different materials: cotton wool, card, tin foil, wool, and we even had a control cup with nothing on it! Some children and teachers in each class helped to record our results, and we showed this on a table of results.
We used our Maths skills to help us measure the temperature on thermometers before and after the cups were outside for 10 minutes.
Some children even started speaking about this at home! Harry from RP1 found a hedgehog, and fed it some cat food, before him and his family took it back to the sanctuary. Harry wondered “Why the hedgehog was not hibernating?”
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The children proudly explained the science behind the investigations they had designed and demonstrated them to their visitors.
Year 3 kicked off Science week with a familiar local scientist, Dr Phil Smith, a plant pathologist from the John Innes centre. He talked about pattern seeking in science connected to growth. The children really impressed him with their scientific observations and deductions.
