Sunflower Class

This week the children have been enjoying different mathematical, science, art and technological activities. Here is just a snap shot of some of the tasks the children have enjoyed.

MATHS

To begin the week the children learned about statistics and how to collect data mathematically. Initially we did this as a class by making a tally chart and pictogram to show the different eye colours present in the class.

Then the children practiced these skills independently and created their own tally charts and pictograms by collecting information about the different coloured smarties they had been given.

SCIENCE

For our focus this week the children have been learning about everyday materials and their properties.

Do do this the children have been practically exploring different materials and considering what properties they have and therefore what makes them suitable for different everyday objects.

MATERIALS HUNT

Today the children completed a materials hunt. Unfortunately it rained so we couldn't go outside so we searched around our school hall. Look at all the different materials we found.

INVESTIGATING MATERIALS

Today we explored and investigated the different properties of materials by predicting and then testing to see if we could bend, stretch, squash or twist them. Look at what we found out!

EASTER CAKES

To celebrate the theme of new life at Easter, the children made Easter nest cakes. Look at what fun we had making them!

SUPERHEROES DAY!

Today Sunflower Class celebrated the end of their Superheroes learning by having a Superheroes day and dressing up as lots of different superheroes. They made superhero cuffs and masks as well as designing their own logos and painting them onto biscuits with coloured icing.

Exploring the Outdoors

Today in their art class Sunflower Class explored the outdoors by taking rubbings with charcoal and oil pastels of the different textures they could find in and around the playground.

THE EASTER STORY

As part of our learning about the Easter story we acted out the events of Palm Sunday with the children pretending to be Jesus and the donkey as well as the people who cheered and waved palms to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem.

BOOK WEEK

We enjoyed dressing up for World Book Day as different book characters as part of Book Week!

Look at how amazing we looked!

WHAT IS EASTER ALL ABOUT?

Today in RE focusing on Christianity and Salvation our big question to think about is:

What is Easter all about?

As part of our learning we began exploring the Easter story and then thought about the symbols that represent Easter and new life that you can find on Easter Cards. We designed our own Easter cards and then enjoyed tasting Easter eggs and Hot Cross Buns.

WELLBEING WEEK

As part of Wellbeing Week the children participated in a PHSe lesson where they considered different emotions and feelings. We played Emotions Charades and they thought about how they could show different emotions in art.

Here are some of the master pieces!

COSMIC YOGA

To enhance our wellbeing today we enjoyed a session of Cosmic Yoga in our PE lesson. We enjoyed stretching and making different body shapes.

HAPPINESS BOXES

Today Sunflower Class as part of our Wellbeing Week designed and decorated their own Happiness Boxes. After half term the children will then chose some special items they would like to put in them.

INTERNET SAFETY DAY

Today it was Internet Safety Day, we participated in a special assembly led by Mr Shipway to talk about how we can stay safe while using a computer on the internet.

During our computing lesson we talked more about this and then designed posters in pairs to share our message a bout how we can safe on the internet.

We also began learning how to program a computer by completing some block coding using Discovery Espresso.

PRINTING MASTER PIECES!

Today we worked collaboratively to finish our printing art work. We drew flower designs over the top of our prints and then drew over them with marker pens to make them 'pop' against the colours. After we used chalk to create a colourful background and blended it with our fingers to make a wonderful finish!

PRINTING FUN!

Today to begin our exploration of printing in art we created the background of a group art piece by printing with our hands and feet. Look at how much fun we had!

We also enjoyed exploring things from nature and completed continuous line drawings of them. We also completed feely drawings by holding twigs and branches in one hand and drawing them through our sense of touch with our other hand. We created some amazingly detailed drawings.

MICRO-HABITATS

Today as part of our science learning we explored our school field and outdoor learning area to look for Micro-habitats under leaves, logs, in bark on the trees, in the grass and under stones and rocks. We found lots of evidence of life in the form of Mini- beasts!

We recorded our findings on a mini-beast survey sheet.

Look at what we found!

HAPPY HISTORIANS

Today in Sunflower Class the children considered what it is to be an historian and talked about how we can find out about the past by looking in books, on the internet by digging in the ground as an archaeologist,by looking at photographs and by looking at artefacts which are all useful sources to a historian.

Today we used photographs and the internet to learn and find out more about the Victorian times to discover the kind of life Florence Nightingale might had led if she had not gone to help the soldiers at war.

The children enjoyed exploring their new learning and knowledge through drama. They took turns in role play activities to pretend to be Florence Nightingale and also took part in a Conscience Alley activity where they were asked to share their ideas an opinions about weather Florence risk her life and go to the war or stay at home where she would be safe!

WE ARE SCIENCE DETECTIVES

Today Sunflower Class were science detectives and we walked to the duck pond to explore and investigate the animals and plants that live in and around this habitat. We found lots of animal and plant life including mini-beasts such as centipedes and ladybirds. We also observed squirrels and pigeons as well as some fish in the river! We also found Ivy, Elderberries and moss. Look at how good we were at being detectives in our local habitat!

OUTDOOR LEARNING

Today in our Outdoor Learning time Sunflower class were set a challenge. They were given a selection of building materials and asked to pretend that they had been ship wrecked! The children then used the materials available to build themselves shelters on the deserted island!

THE LOST SHEEP

Today in Sunflower Class we explored the the messages and themes in the parable of The Lost Sheep. To show their understanding and to embed this the children made their own stick puppets and created puppet shows of this special story.

MAKING SHAPES

This week in Sunflower Class year 1 have been exploring shapes and patterns. We used lolly sicks to make different 2D shapes and talked about their names and properties. We then used counters to continue given repeated patterns and then made our own.

A TECHNOLOGY HUNT AROUND OUR SCHOOL

Today in Sunflower Class we learned about different technology we can find in our environment. After some class discussions about the technology we can find in our homes we turned our attention to what we could find around our school. So we completed a technology hunt in small groups to explore and find as much technology as we could.

SCIENCE DETECTIVES

In our science lesson today we were science detectives and explored our school surroundings and grounds to look for things that were living, not living and had never lived. We had fun recording our discoveries outside!

CHRISTMAS LUNCH

MAKING CHRISTMAS BISCUITS

Celebrating Hanukkah!

We played a special game with dreidels we had made to celebrate Hanukkah the Festival of Light. We enjoyed playing the game to win chocolate gold coins!

REMEMBRANCE DAY

We have been learning about Remembrance Day and what it means. We learned about why people wear poppies and why it is important to remember soldiers from the past and those fighting to keep their countries safe today!

Here are the poppy pictures we created.

The Gunpowder Plot

Today we learned about the the Gunpowder Plot and how Guy Fawkes was involved. Here are our firework pictures to celebrate!

ARTS WEEK

DRUMMING WORKSHOP

To finish our Arts Week Sunflower Class all took part in a fantastic drumming workshop! It was very loud but we all enjoyed it!

KALOM DESIGNS

Today we learned about about the Indian pavement designs called Kalom. These are made up of spiral patterns and are created on the ground using rice flour. Sunflower Class were inspired by these and we created our own using oil pastels on black sugar paper.

MAKING AND SHARING CHALLAH BREAD

As part of Arts Week Sunflower Class all participated in some cooking to make Challah bread to support and enrich our learning about the Jewish religion and the special time of Shabbat. We made a special chocolate Challah bread and enjoyed tasting it together.

SPIRALS

Our focus for Art Week in Sunflower Class is spirals. We have made spirals on small paper, large pieces of paper on the floor with pens and felt tips and then we went outside in the playground to draw them in chalk.

We have also enjoyed the process and the rhythms that go into making the spirals to slow and faster music!

SUNFLOWERS INSPIRED BY VINCENT VAN GOGH

We have been learning about Vincent van Gogh and some of his most famous paintings of sunflowers. Here is some of our art work that we have created inspired by van Gogh!

WILLOW MAKING

We have been lucky enough to work with a specialist artist who works with willow. We had great fun making willow baskets together.

MARVELLOUS MATHS

We had fun today using our greater than, less than crocodiles to help us compare numbers to 20. We had enjoyed working together when learning.

LIFE CYCLES

We have been learning about life cycles of different animals and how some offspring are like the adult animals and how some are not. We made life cycles of butterflies and frogs to show and share our new knowledge.

Computing with Beebots

We have been creating out own towns for our Beebots and programming them to travel around them. We have also been working together and learning how to debug our programs to make sure our Beebots get to their destination successfully.

OUTDOOR FUN!

We have been exploring and enjoying our outdoor area!

Mathematical Outdoor Learning

Sunflower Class has been making the most of the beautiful weather by enjoying their Maths learning outside. We have been making number lines and practicing our number formation with chalk on the playground.

Simchat Torah

As part of our R.E. learning we learned about the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah which celebrates the Torah and what an important part it plays in the life of people who follow Judaism. The children enjoyed making flags just like those that children wave in the synagogue during this festival.

MATHS

Today we worked together with our greater than, less than crocodiles to compare numbers. Look at the fun we had!

CONKER FUN!

After a welly walk last week during Forest School to collect conkers we made our own creatures by gluing them together and adding googly eyes and other craft!