Mayan Topic Activities

We had fun with lots of different creative activities linked to our Mayan Topic this term. We made worry dolls using wooden pegs and different coloured yarns. We created masks using mosaic tissue paper and card and we also made cakes using the cacao beans that come from the area where the Maya live and linked with our class text of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Lastly we made weavings using cardboard looms and wool. 

Chalk Stream Trout Release

It was a beautiful day when we went to release our Brown Trout into the local chalk stream. Firstly the children were able to explore the life that lives in the stream, collecting samples and then sorting and classifying what they had found. Then, each child was given one trout which they gently let free into the chalk stream. A brilliant day, we all really enjoyed it.

Chalk Stream Wildlife Workshop

We were really lucky to be visited by Ceri from the Chiltern Chalk Streams Project and she brought some creatures with her from Benson Brook. The children were given a tray filled with water and stones from the Brook which they then looked at closely and sorted through. They found lots of shrimps, Mayfly Larvae and a daddy long legs larvae too.

We are currently looking after some brown trout in the classroom and Ceri found one in the brook which she brought in to show us. We wondered if it was one that last years year 5 had released into the brook. We are looking forward to releasing our fish before the Easter holiday. 

Life Cycles

This term we are learning about life cycles in science. We looked at how plants reproduce and investigated the parts of plants that are involved in the pollination process. We dissected some different flowers to see what the parts of the reproductive system looked like.

Mars Mission!

In DT this term we have designed and then made some Mars Rovers. The children researched rovers that had gone to Mars and thought about the challenges they might face when on a mission, such as the terrain and collecting samples. After researching, the children designed their own and then combined their ideas in groups to build their finished design. The final test was to see if they could make it over our Mars Rover obstacle course which was very hazardous with rocks, hills, sandy terrain and meteors! The children then thought about how well their rovers had performed and whether they would change anything on a future design. We really enjoyed the project and there were some wonderful ideas and finished products.

Microbit Programming

The children used the BBC microbit site to program our microbits. They turned them into name badges, changing the LED light display to flash up their names and some even got them playing music!

Roller Coaster Ride

We went on a roller coaster ride in the classroom! One of the characters in the book "Cosmic" loves going on rollercoasters and we needed to design our own and think about how it felt to be on one. We simulated a ride in the classroom. Hands in the air and lots of screaming!!!

War Horse visit

We were visited by a War horse! Abbie and her owners came and told us all about WW1 and the role that horses plus other animals played in the war. We learned a lot about what the soldiers wore, what different equipment they had and how the horses were looked after during such a difficult time. Abbie was amazing and the children absolutely loved seeing her as part of our remembrance day events.

We were asked to create some healthy eating themed artwork for the surgery in Benson. The children learned about hot and cold colours and then drew slices of healthy fruit and veg to complement their background paper colour. The finished results were really effective.

Maths fun with multiples.

Mrs Bollam helped the children have fun with multiples by giving them all numbers and challenging them to find the set that the numbers belonged to. Were they multiples that were common to more than one number? The children had fun finding the sets that their numbers belonged to and do some active maths!

Space day science

On Space day we discussed how craters were made on the moon and then the children used their ideas about this process to find a question they wanted to investigate. We then set up these investigations, made predictions about the results and lastly tried to identify patterns in our actual results. 

Space day art

On space day the children made some amazing art using sponging and dabbing techniques to create stars and reflections in their spaceman's helmet. We were really pleased with the results.

As part of our science topic we have been looking at different materials and this week the children were set a challenge of separating different things that had got mixed together using different processes. They had to decide which process to use to separate each type of mixture.

We went to the local Millbrook Mead and collected some seeds for a science topic we have coming up next year. It rained and rained and rained but the children were excited to discover the nature that was all around them and we even saw a wasp spider in its web. They were absolute troopers in VERY SOGGY circumstances!!!