P2/3 Update

Good afternoon everyone, 

We have had another week bursting with lots of learning opportunities. On Monday, Mrs Greig had a great discussion with the children about what they needed to do to stay healthy. The children were all aware of ensuring they got enough fruit and vegetables each day. They learned that they also needed food from the other food groups too. This would ensure that all parts of their bodies grew healthily and would give them the energy they needed for day to day tasks. The children also learned they needed to keep their minds and body healthy through regular exercise, sleep and good relationships.

On Monday afternoon, we visited the woods. It was very wet but we kept mainly dry because of our waterproofs. The children played a guess my tree senses game. The purpose of this game was to encourage the children to really notice their surroundings and to highlight that every tree is different just like people. The children also got an opportunity for unstructured play. This was great fun. They explored an 'echo' tree and climbed trees too. Some children chose to slide down the muddy hill and two boys made a face using natural materials. 

In Numeracy this week we continued to focus on division. Some children learned how to divide by 3. Other children consolidated their understanding of sharing and grouping. Next week, some children will continue with division. They are almost finished the block but need to practise dividing by 4 and explore the link between division and multiplication. Some children will move onto a mini Maths topic until everyone is ready to move onto fractions. 

For Project this week, we have been learning about plants. Mrs Greig introduced the children to the life cycle of a plant. The children learned what a plant needs to ensure it can complete the life cycle. We have set up an experiment to see what would happen if a seed does not have all the conditions required to grow successfully. All the children have planted cress which has been put in a mini greenhouse. They will be watered regularly and will be kept in a warm, light room. I planted other seed pots. One will not be watered, one will be kept in the dark and one will be kept where it is cold. We will watch to see if these pots grow differently from the ones in the greenhouse.

We also planted bean seeds in a plastic freezer bag. This means we will be able to see every part of the bean plant as it grows, including the roots. This gives the children a real life view of the plant life cycle in action.

For writing this week, the children created a text about the functions of different parts of a plant. They watched a video clip and discussed it. Key words were noted on the board. They then used the key words to write an explanation of the functions of the roots, stem, leaves and flowers. 

Finally, the children were very excited on Tuesday when they found out that we have caterpillars to look after in class. This is to give the children the opportunity to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly. There has been lots of interest from the children and they have the opportunity to use magnifying glasses to look more closely at them. They have grown quite a lot since Tuesday already! 

Monday is school photo day. The children should come to school in their full school uniform. Mrs Greig and I would be grateful if the children could come with their outdoor learning clothes in a bag so they can change later in the morning for the afternoon woodland session. Thank you.

Have a lovely weekend. Mrs Thomson and Mrs Greig.