Merry Christmas!

3V finished off the autumn term with an afternoon spent decorating gingerbread biscuits, drinking hot chocolate and watching a festive film.  It was a lovely reward for all their hard work this term!

I would like to thank all the children, parents and carers for all the beautiful cards, generous gifts and good wishes that you have so kindly given, and to wish you all a peaceful and relaxing Christmas, and a healthy and happy New Year.

See you in 2019!

Mrs Vaqueiro

Panto Pandemonium

On Tuesday 18th December, Class 3V, together with the whole of Key Stage 2, were taken to the Swan Theatre in Worcester to see the Pantomime.  This year's production was Maid Marian and the Merry Men, and the children thoroughly enjoyed the performance!

Christmas Disco

3V had a great time showing off their dance moves at the KS2 Christmas Disco on Thursday evening!  Most of the children were worryingly familiar with a number of 1970s disco classics, but the star of the show was definitely DJ Chris' snow machine!

Here are some of the photo highlights...

Fun on the Farm

3V were lucky enough to be invited to spend the day on a local dairy farm this week.  The weather stayed fine for us as we visited Sandfield Farm, just outside Evesham, to meet some animals and find out all about life on a dairy farm.

The children were introduced to some of the cows and helped to feed them.  We went for a walk around the farm and learnt how the farmers take care of the animals through the seasons.  There was time for a play in the woods before we headed back to the barn for lunch and the chance to make some wooden Christmas decorations.  We even harvested some mistletoe from the apple orchard, and everyone was given a sprig to take home.

After lunch, we had some free time to play in the Forest School area before heading back to school.

We thank Emma and the team at Sandfield Farm for making us so welcome and giving the children such a fabulous day to remember.

Mud, mud glorious mud

We have been continuing our scientific studies of rocks and soils in 3V by having a detailed look at soil.

We learnt that soil is important to life on earth - in fact, it is so important that without it, we wouldn't be able to survive!  But what is it actually made of?  3V conducted an experiment to find out.

First, we gathered some soil samples from the school grounds.  Then, we tested the soil by trying to roll it into a ball, and then trying to roll it into a sausage shape.  If the ball was dry and crumbly, that would mean the soil contained a lot of sand.  If it could easily be rolled into a sausage shape, that would mean it contained a lot of clay.  If it was somewhere in between, this would mean it was a loamy soil.

Once the class had tested their soil samples, we used an online tool to find out what scientists had to say about the type and quality of our local soil.  You can find out about your soil type by clicking on 

this link and putting your postcode into the search facility.

After we had looked at the soil type, we tried to separate our soil into different layers.  To do this, we put a sample of the soil into a jam jar, and filled the jar almost to the top with water.  We checked the lids were on tightly before shaking the jars to mix the contents, and then we waited for the mixture to settle.  

Almost immediately we could see the soil separate into different layers.  At the bottom, there were small stones and larger grains of sand.  On top of that there was a fine layer of silt, topped with a layer of lighter clay.  Floating on top of the water we could see organic matter that had not yet rotted down.

We left the jars overnight, and the results were even clearer!

Krakatoa - it's actually west of Java!

In 3V we have been continuing our geographical studies of volcanoes this week, by carrying out an investigation into the famous eruption of Krakatoa in 1883.  The children have been using the laptops this afternoon to carry out some preliminary research, and will be preparing a full report into their findings during our lesson next week.

To be a Pilgrim

In our RE lessons this half term, we have been studying different signs and symbols.  This week, we have been exploring how people's actions can be a symbol of their faith, focusing particularly on the concept of pilgrimage in different religions.

We undertook our own mini-pilgrimage around the classroom, seeking answers to questions about some different places of pilgrimage that are important to Christians.  We explored the idea that the journey of pilgrimage is just as important to pilgrims as arriving at their destination, as it offers pilgrims the chance to focus on their beliefs and strengthen their faith. 

Let It Snow...

3V have been busy this afternoon with some Christmas crafts.  

We have been asked to make some Christmas tree decorations for a local charity on the theme of Snowmen, so the children have been making these jolly creations using LED tea lights.  

They are very simple to make (which makes Mrs Vaqueiro and Mrs Miller very happy!) - why not have a go at making some different designs at home?

Forest School Fun

3V braved the elements this afternoon for their first Forest School session of the year.  Wrapped up warm against the chilly autumn weather, the children enjoyed an afternoon playing in the Forest School area under the watchful eyes of Mrs Vaqueiro and Robbie, the Forest School leader.

The children began by reminding themselves about the rules of Forest School, and then shared a few minutes' mindfulness listening to the different sounds in the woods.  Then, we shared the story of 'Owl Babies' and the children spent the afternoon building nests for wildlife, creating pictures of owls using natural resources, and bug hunting using the magnifiers.  Luckily, the weather stayed fairly dry for us!

Our second and final Forest School session will take place next Friday.