Dogs Trust

Did you know that dogs have 300 million smell receptors in their noses?  Or that they can detect different smells with each nostril separately?  Or that dogs can still smell the presence of a person three months after they have left a particular place (no matter how often it is cleaned!)?

These are just some of the incredible facts that we learnt today following a visit from Dogs Trust, who came to talk to us following our studies of the animal world in science last half term.  

We thank Charlotte from the Evesham branch of Dogs Trust for her fascinating insight into the canine world, and Mr Johnson, who organised the visit for us.

Half Term

Half term is here already! 

I hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing week away from school, and come back refreshed and ready for the exciting new challenges ahead in the rest of the spring term.

Mrs Vaqueiro

Poetry Recital

It was Poetry Week this week at Swan Lane and all the children participated in the annual 'Poscars' (Poetry Oscars) event.  Each class was asked to learn a poem by heart ready for the performance, which was judged by Mrs Roberts along with two of the school governors: Mrs Jones and Mrs Magowan.

The theme for this year's poem was nature, so 3V learnt and performed 'I wandered lonely as a cloud' by William Wordsworth.   They were awarded the runner-up prize for Key Stage 2, having been pipped at the post by 4M.

The children did a brilliant job performing the poem - it was great to see and hear them bringing such a well-known work of literature to life.  Well done 3V!

Be Kind to Your Mind!

It's Children's Mental Health Awareness Week this week, so we have all been learning about the importance of looking after our mental health.  In much the same way as we all try to adopt healthy habits to look after our physical bodies, it's also really important for us to look after our mental wellbeing.

In 3V we have been practising different mindfulness activities in order to look after our mental health.  We've especially enjoyed the 'Peace Out' series of 5 minute mindfulness activities which are especially designed for children.  If you'd like to try them at home, you can find them here.  

We've also enjoyed designing our own posters to promote mental health and wellbeing.  The finished posters will be entered in a school-wide competition at the end of the week.

Dry Bones...

As part of our Animals and Humans Topic in science we have been looking at the structure of the human skeleton, and learning some of the scientific names for the different bones.

The children began the lesson by drawing their own idea of the human skeleton.  We discussed what bones actually do and why we need to have them.  The children worked in small groups to complete a giant skeleton puzzle, and afterwards went on a treasure hunt around the room to find the correct labels for some of the bones.  They had to look carefully at the different bones to decide which name matched each one.

Professor McGinty

On Tuesday, Year 3 were lucky enough to receive a visit from a world-famous, time travelling detective.... None other than the legendary Professor McGinty!

Professor McGinty and his good friend Dr Hoot (don't laugh, it's his name!) shared the fascinating details of their time-travelling Roman adventure with us.  The children were able to handle real Roman artefacts, try on some Roman clothing and learn all about the Roman invasion of Britain nearly 2000 years ago.

A brilliant time was had by all - the children are really looking forward to writing a 'thank you' letter to the Professor in this week's Big Writing.

Maths Day

Monday 4th February was Maths Day at Swan Lane, and the whole school joined in the pirate-themed fun when we had a visit from Captain Morgan of the good ship Mathematics.

Year 3 were set some reasoning and problem-solving challenges and had to work in small teams to find the answers to some fiendishly tricky questions.

The children had a brilliant time with Captain Morgan and relished the chance to put some of the maths skills they have been developing in the classroom into action.