We have had another very exciting week in Early Years and Primary.
Although they have been unable to attend Forest School learning at our Chobar site recently, our Early Years and KS1 students have been undertaking nature related learning activities right here on our school grounds! Some of the highlights have been the clay modeling and mud painting sessions, where the children explored their creativity by making sculptures or drawings based on their current learning theme.Ìý Our “I Spy Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Nature Hunt” was also very popular and sparked curiosity and teamwork as students explored the school grounds discovering and identifying various flora and fauna. It has been great to see our students engaged in such enriching activities that blend fun with learning!
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The Early Years children have been very busy participating in a variety of learning experiences as part of their ‘People Who Help Us’ theme and have enjoyed a trip to a local fire station, a visit from a dentist, and insights from one of our Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ guards.
Visit from School Guard
One of our school guards, Mr. Thapa Magar, took some time to speak with the children about his role in ensuring their safety on campus and the important work that he does. He also showed us how he uses the walkie talkie to communicate with his colleagues and the ‘stop and go’ sign to control traffic outside the school.
Fire Station Visit
On Monday, we visited Pulchowk fire station, where the children learnt about fire safety and the important role firefighters play in our community. During the tour, the children had a close-up look at the fire engines and equipment and even had the opportunity to get into the back seats of the cab of the fire engine. The children really enjoyed the trip and eagerly shared their highlights with us.
Dentist Visit
Following the fire station visit, we welcomed Dr. Pande, from Healthy Smiles who provided an informative session on dental hygiene. Dr. Pande spoke to the children about the importance of brushing their teeth twice a day and making healthy food choices. The session included fun activities such as demonstrating proper brushing techniques using oversized toothbrushes and models of teeth. Dr. Pande also distributed toothbrushes for the children to use at home!
Our Year 3 and 4 students are busy working on their PAWs unit of work, learning about all aspects of theatre and preparing for their upcoming performance at the end of this half term.
Our Year 6 students have been using and applying their mathematical knowledge, understanding and skills in a real life context this week. They converted a recipe using their understanding of ratio, which they have recently been studying. They then worked together to make pancake batter, applying their understanding of converting mixed numbers to improper fractions to measure the ingredients. For example, they needed 1 ½ cups of flour, but had only a ¼ cup measure, therefore they had to convert 1 ½ to 6/4.
Once they had successfully done this, they mixed the batter and took it over to the science lab where they then used the bunsen burners as stoves to cook their pancakes. They had a safety talk first and learned how to set up and use the bunsen burners and tripods safely. They used these again later in the week for their science lessons (but not for cooking!). Once the oil had heated nicely, the students put their batter in the pan and demonstrated how an irreversible change can happen. While cooking, students ably articulated their understanding that an irreversible change is one that cannot change back.
After cooking the pancakes, the students went back to class to prepare a healthy topping of fruit, telling us their preferred ratios of bananas, grapes and strawberries, then calculating how many of each they needed based on having half a banana. For example one of the pairs decided on the ratio of 1:4:8 bananas to grapes to strawberries, so calculated they needed ½ a banana, 2 grapes and 4 strawberries.
The children thoroughly enjoyed using their skills, and then eating their healthy snacks, so do encourage them to make you some at home too!
