You may find lots of Robins and Chaffinches on a woodland walk! Exploring the beautiful woodland that we are so fortunate to have in our school grounds, was just one of the many activities that the children carried out on our Wow Day. Drama, dance, making edible nests and creating animals from natural resources, were just a few of the many activities that we squeezed into one day. We ended the busy day by starting to read our class book, ‘The Enchanted Wood’.
What a great first half term Chaffinches have had. From making our own ice lollies to drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows, Chaffinches have had a fun-filled and busy start to the year. We launched our topic ‘Fire and Ice’ with an amazing Wow day where we made beautiful snowflakes, caused volcanoes to erupt, used a variety of media to make giant flames and played ‘ice’ hockey too.
Chaffinches have settled in very well to their new class and routines and are already making great progress, both in their work and with their independence.
In our English lessons, we began by looking at explorers of the Arctic, reading a book entitled ‘The Great Explorer’ by Chris Judge. We researched animals of the Arctic and wrote an information text about polar bears. We then moved half way around the world to learn about Antarctica, and the animals that can be found there. Another book we enjoyed reading is ‘The penguin who wanted to find out’: this inspired us to write our own adventure about Otto the penguin. We have been dancing like penguins and singing a song about Rocking at the North Pole.
We have been learning how to find the Arctic and the Antarctic, using globes, maps and atlases. Chaffinches were lucky enough to speak to a Research Scientist who is currently stationed in Antarctica: the children thought of some fantastic questions to ask her and were enthralled by her answers.
What a fantastic start to the new academic year. Well done Chaffinches!!
The children from Chaffinches went out into the forest to gather natural resources to create their own artwork of rainforest animals. They created snakes, a sloth, a toucan, a butterfly and a jaguar, using twigs, branches, leaves and stones
. Take a look at our creations.
Chaffinches have had a fantastic week learning about Climate Change. They now realise the importance of recycling, re-using and not wasting things, and how this can make a difference to our planet. We made a video to highlight what we’ve learned and how we can help!
What a fantastic time Robins and Chaffinches had at Woodside Wildlife Park. We were able to see some amazing animals, some of which are usually found in the rainforest. Children were able to see birds of prey, a tiger (rescued from a circus), bats, meerkats, lemurs and a sloth (Sid). As you can see from the photos, children had the chance to handle or stroke some of the reptiles and they loved it! We learned a lot about these amazing animals and about the habitats that they usually live in and the food they eat.
Over the last few months, several children from Year 1 and 2 have been taking part in a Book Club. They have enjoyed reading several books, have written detailed book reviews and have attended several meetings where they have discussed elements of the books and have shared their opinions on the various texts. This week, we ended Book Club with a celebration event. We played games and shared our views on books and authors. There was also an opportunity to take part in a competition to design an alternative book cover with some super new books as prizes. Well done to all the participants, we have had lots of fun sharing our love of books together.
Last Monday, Chaffinches, Robins and Wrens were lucky to be visited by Yorkshire author, Eleanor McKone. Eleanor read her book, ‘Piper’s Passport’ with the children, discussed what it was like being an author and what inspired her to write. The children then did some follow-up activities based on
the book.
What a great way to start the new term!
Chaffinches began the term learning about Paddington in London. They loved learning about famous London landmarks such as the London Eye, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben. The children wrote postcards and narratives based on Paddington’s adventures. We also learned through dance and drama about the Great Fire of London.
Learning about Italy and its myths and famous landmarks was also a great success with the class. Chaffinches were also able to cook various types of Italian dishes, such as lasagne, spaghetti bolognese and pizza.
Chaffinches had a great visit to Pizza Express and the Botanical Gardens in Sheffield. At Pizza Express the children go to learn about the history of pizza and were able to make their own pizza and eat it. The visit was ‘the best visit’!
The children’s learning was culminated in our final event of our Italian Cafe. Children made souvenirs to sell, entertained parents with dancing and singing and then served pizza, which they had made.
Another huge success which was enjoyed by all!
Our local Librarian needed our help.
She wanted us to make some Christmas decorations, which would go on the front window of the library.
We were definitely keen to help her out.
Mrs Marriott went to have a look at the window once it had been decorated. It looks great, and we were happy to help out.
Chaffinches have really enjoyed learning new skills in hockey and have used them to play games. They are also currently learning new skills in gymnastics with Mr Kay: they can’t wait for the next lesson.
J.Adams
