Year 4 Science Experiments At Home!

We have some budding scientists developing in Y4 Poplar Class!

Over the last few week’s our home learning challenges have been linked to our topic on Teeth and Digestion. It is great to see children taking part and setting up their own experiments at home. 

One pupil even recorded his own home video for how to make the digestive system. Super work!

Follow the link to see his video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3yBPp2GkcY

Below are some photographs of our different experiments. One is to show how our intestines absorb the foods we eat and another uses eggs to see how different liquids have an effect on our teeth. 

Jack’s Egg Decay Experiment 

Miss Bethell’s Egg Decay Experiment

Merit Certificate Winner from Lemon Class (Year 1)

 

Merit Certificate Winner from Year 3 Chestnut

 

Houses of Parliament & Big Ben - Year 1 (Lime Class) Home Learning

What a fantastic model of the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben made Aarbi in Year 1 Lime Class as part of their home learning this week.

Merit Certificate in Pear Class (Reception)

 

Children's Mental Health Week. February 1st - 7th.

 This year's theme is Express Yourself.

Your children's teachers will be doing activities next week around this, whether they are in school or on Google Classroom. 

One of these with be encouraging your child to 'Dress to Express' on Friday (unless they have PE in school). Their teacher will tell them more. They can express themselves through their clothes, hair, accessories etc. They could wear their favourite colour or choose a range of colours that express how they’re feeling. In the lesson on Friday, if they want to, they can explain how their outfit represents them.

What can you all do at home?

Draw your feelings You could share one of these with your class, or email to school for the blog.

The Squiggle Game

Place2Be have some ideas for parents/ carers.

"Here are a few simple ways you can encourage your child to express themselves.

1) Could you build on existing interests or passions? Think about what has helped them get through the past year. A love of dancing? Baking? Drawing? Fashion? Encourage your child by noticing their unique interests and praising their efforts.

2) Trying new things can be a great way to find a new creative outlet. There are lots of online tutorials and video demos that you and your child could be inspired by... could you try out something new together? Or perhaps ask someone you know to share their creative hobbies and give them a go.

3) Some children may not think of themselves as being creative. Try to focus on the importance of the process and the way it can make them feel, rather than the end result. Try not to judge their efforts and remember to give encouragement for trying rather than for doing something well.

4) Listening carefully can help children feel more comfortable and confident when expressing themselves. Try to minimise distractions and give your child your full attention when you’re spending time together, being aware of your own body language and eye contact. You might want to try summarising what they’ve shared and acknowledging their feelings.

5) Children are expressing themselves all the time but not necessarily with words. ‘Listen’ to everything they are trying to tell you with their behaviour, or with their play and creativity or with their silence. It’s all self-expression.

6) Remember – you don’t need a lot of expensive equipment to get creative at home. Recyclable materials or older items you no longer have a use for can provide amazing inspiration, and of course there’s no limit to your imagination!

Let your child know that if they are worried about something, they should always talk to an adult they trust. It could be you, someone in your family, a teacher or someone else in their school."

Click here for more Wellbeing-activity-ideas-for-families

Cherry Class Home Learning - Miniature Model Town

Look at this fantastic miniature town created by Prahlad in Cherry Class. We love the traffic lights and people waiting to cross the road!

Cherry Class (Reception) - Home Learning

 Here is some home learning undertaken by Ayan, who is in Cherry Class.

Year 2 investigate... GERMS!

 This week, Year 2 have begun to investigate germs as part of our healthy living science topic. We want to understand how germs and bacteria are spread and whether washing your hands with soap and water really works to reduce the spread!

Method.

1. We placed our unwashed hands over one piece of bread and the sealed it in a zip lock bag.

2. We then thoroughly washed our hands with soap and water before touching the next piece bread and again placing it in a sealed zip lock bag.

3. Our third piece of bread is our 'control' bread. This piece was handled with a glove on and did not touch our hands at all, again placing it in a sealed zip lock bag.

We will monitor the bread for changes and see if we can answer our questions next week!

The London Eye - Year 1 Home Learning

Look at this great picture of the London Eye drawn by Aarbi in Year 1 Lime Class as part of her home learning.

Cherry Class (Reception) Home Learning - A Clock

Look at this beautiful clock which Latarni in Cherry Class (Reception) has made this week as part of her home learning.

Apple Class (Reception) - Home learning

 Look at this great map which Jaelen in Apple Class has created as part of his home learning this week.

Year 1 Damson Class Home Learning - Tower Bridge

 Look at this great model of Tower Bridge completed by a pupil in Year 1 Damson Class as part of his home learning.

The Adventures of Dario - Part 2

Thank you so much for sending in your beautiful pictures of Dario's garden last week! They were so bright and colourful and made us feel very happy! 

Here is another story for you to listen to. It's all about how Dario fell off his bike and now he won't get on it again! I hope you can help him?

Send in your ideas of how you can help Dario into workingtogether@bannockburn.greenwich.sch.uk

We would love to hear your suggestions!

Life skills to practise at home

Whilst everyone is spending much more time at home with family at the moment, it provides perfect opportunities to help your child improve their life skills. 

Children need to learn more than just academically. Life skills go hand in hand with development and can help your child succeed later in life. These are essential life skills your child should know for full participation in everyday life. 

Independence & Responsibility 

If children aren’t taught responsibility and daily-living skills today, it would be a problem for them in the future. Teach these skills now, before it’s too late! 

Some tasks they should learn to do on their own;

•  Keeping themselves clean (brushing their teeth, washing their faces, bathing/ showering properly).

•  How to tie their own shoelaces.

• Make their own bed.

• Set the dinner table.

• Help clear the table.

• Help with the washing up/ drying the dishes.

• Put their own dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

• Pack their own school bag.

• Pack their own lunch.

Make sure they know they can earn rewards if they do tasks well.

Health & First Aid Skills

• Empowering them with what to do in case of an emergency until they’re in the hands of an adult is vital.

• Essential first aid skills can start by showing them a first aid kit, its contents, when and how to use them.

• Remind your child about the importance of a healthy diet. This isn’t forcing them to eat vegetables, but discussing the health risks of eating too much junk food.

• Help them keep their fitness levels up. Join them for a little bit of exercise every day- Joe Wicks (or similar), cycling, at home circuits, Just Dance, trampolining etc. 

Basic Etiquette 

•  Teach them when and how to blow / wipe their own nose. 

• Teach them how to eat with a knife and fork. The knife is in the hand they use to hold their pencil. The index fingers are used to push down on the knife and fork (see photo).

• Teach your child about how to behave when eating out; how to decide on what they want to eat and place their own orders.

Household Chores

Linked to independence and responsibility. Start small - keep their room clean, make their bed and putting their own things away. 

Then expand to chores that support the household, such as dust the table one day and take the bins out on another. Ask them to set the dinner table in whichever way they think looks the best, make it fun by asking them to get creative with it.

People & Social Skills

It is important for your child to develop social and people skills. 

• Model for them how to differentiate between good strangers and possible bad strangers. 

• Teach them how to interact with good strangers. 

• How to be friendly to others. 

• Teach them how to make friends. What are the traits of being a good friend? What to do if someone is not a good friend to you.

Environmental Preservation 

Teach your child why looking after the environment is essential and how making small lifestyle changes at home helps.

Get them to practice eco-friendly habits in everything they do, such as-

• Not wasting water e.g. turning the tap off when brushing their teeth. 

• Wearing a jumper instead of putting on the heating.

• Separating the rubbish for recycling. 

• Collecting waste to throw in a bin. 

• Gardening, in either a portion of the garden or potted plants. They can plant whatever they like and it is their responsibility to look after the plants. 

Time-Management

You can do this by getting your child to claim responsibility for their own time. 

• Having their own alarm clock that they can use to wake up on time for school, instead of waking them up. 

• Using a planner to track their school work and other extra-curricular work or chores, to keep track of what needs to be done by when.

Money Management & Budgeting 

This is quite a basic one among life skills. Give your child a certain amount of pocket money every week or every two weeks that they have to use for their expenses. If they wish to buy something a little more expensive, ask them to save up their pocket money to buy it. This will motivate them more. 

https://brillianttots.com.sg/2020/11/02/8-essential-life-skills-for-little-ones/

LEGO therapy

Can you adapt how you use LEGO, to encourage turn taking, co-operation and speaking and listening skills?

   

https://www.nwautismandsend.co.uk/lego-therapy-at-home

https://www.thomasarnold.bardaglea.org.uk/home-learning/phoenix-home-learning-lego-therapy/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/bluchildrenclub/lego-therapy/

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-s-2547094-building-brick-therapy-resource-pack

Merit Certificate in Year 5 Rowan Class

 

Space Art in Year 2!

 Year 2 have blasted off into Space this first half of the Spring Term and while we are here we have learnt how to draw rockets using lines and shapes to create impact!

Here are some of the children's work across the year group. 

They're out of this world!