May 2023

We finished the term, still learning about growth and lifecycles during whole school Science week.  As the previous learning had been about the growth of animals, we decided to take a slightly different focus and look at plants in our locality.  We kicked off the week with a wellie walk- with our Year 6 buddies, who were more than happy to support our  observation skills, talk about the parts of the plants that we saw and share their knowledge and ideas about the lifecycles of a plant.  We were very excited to work with our buddies and we did a lot of talking and asking questions about the plants (and other things!) we saw on our walk.  The following day we worked with our buddies again to learn how to closely observe a plant using a magnifying glass and how to record it through drawings and words.  Then we had an outdoor classroom session with our buddies, looking at the texture of leaves & bark, describing it and taking rubbings; learning how to draw and label the different parts of a plant; learning about composting and how we can use fruit or veg waste to do this.  Our buddies are always happy to share their knowledge and we love working with them!

April 2023  Summer 1

We started the term, on the first day back to school, with an exciting trip to our local community farm in Laverstock, Riverbourne. 

The children were hugely excited as firstly many had never travelled on a bus before, so the coach was a complete novelty for many!  When we arrived at the farm the volunteers were hugely knowledgeable and great at showing us around, introducing us to the animals and teaching us about the growth and lifecycle of many of the animals and birds.  It started off our growing theme, linked in well with our previous learning too from the Spring term around eggs and previous learning about the shepherds and their roles with their animals.  We also learned about how the volunteers care for the animals and what they need to stay healthy and happy.  The weather stayed dry, so we had a picnic lunch at the farm, before catching the coach back to school for the afternoon.  Two of us fell asleep on the coach journey!

Below is a plan which covers what we hope to be teaching and helping the children to learn during the next term.  We will be covering the key enquiry question, 'How does it grow?' and we start the first day of term with our very first class trip out to Laverstock Community Farm for a morning getting to know the different animals, both large and small and also their babies.