We were super scientists this afternoon. We had to work out which material would have been best to use for Eddy's raincoat. We decided we needed to test some different materials and find out which of them were waterproof. To make it a fair test, we added the same amount of water and waited for the same amount of time before checking to see if the water had gone through the material. We found that plastic and foil were waterproof but decided plastic would be the best material for a raincoat as it doesn't easily break. 

Today we had lots of fun in our computing lesson. We have been learning about using the paint app to create pictures. We have learnt how to fill, draw, undo, erase as well as using shapes and lines. Today we created a flower picture in pairs, taking turns to add to our drawing. We think our pictures look amazing!

In Jigsaw we have been learning about how to work well together. This has linked in really well with our value of 'understanding'. We started by playing a mirror game, where we had to copy what our partner was doing, this was great fun! We then had to design a wellington boot together. First we discussed our design, making sure to listen to our partner's ideas and then spent time completing our design. While we completed this activity, we were thinking about our new school rules, in particiular 'respect'. By listening to each others ideas, we were respecting them. We think our designs look great!

We had a great computing lesson today. We used our brand new laptops and were experimenting with the Paint app. Chestnut Class did a great job of logging in first and finding the app on the desktop. We worked out what the different icons did and created a picture on Paint. We all loved computing and are looking forward to our lesson next week!

Chestnut class were so lucky to have Poplar class come for shared reading. This time, Chestnut class read to the Year 5 children. They a tried really hard with the reading and phonics! It was great having them and Chestnut class were sad to see them go back to their own class.

This week we have been remembering our learning from Anti-Bullying week. We recapped what makes a bully and talked about what we could do if we are or see anyone being bullied. We said if it was us that was being bullied, we could tell a trusted adult or talk to a friend. If we saw someone else being bullied, we could talk to them afterwards and go with them to tell a trusted adult. We then talked about all the amazing ways Chestnut class know how to be kind and care for others.

We have loved coming in dressed up for Children In Need. Lots of us are wearing our Pudsey outfits and ears. We started the day with some Children In Need maths where we had to add the objects together. We learnt about Children In Need and that Pudsey bear was introduced in 1985. He is called Pudsey because that is where the designer came from. We looked at the map to see how far away it was and discovered it would take us 3 days to walk there! 

We have been learning about Esther Mahlangu. She was an artist from South Africa. We were surprised to find out that she only learnt to paint when she was 10 years old! She was part of the Ndebele tribe and we loved looking at the bright traditional clothes that she wore. Her paintings are based on tradiaitonal wall paintings from the tribe and she travelled over the world sharing her art, including on a British Airways plane. We had a go at painting a pattern in bright, bold colours like Esther did, it was great fun!

We had a lovely day today because Safari Stu came to school. He brought lots of amazing animals such as a lesser tenrec, hissing cockroaches and two pythons. Our favourite animal was the lesser tenrec. His name was Bob and he looks like a hedgehog. We found out that lesser tenrecs come from Madagascar and they live in the trees. We also loved the chameleon and the bright colours. Safari Stu told us that chameleons change colour depending on how hot they are and what they are feeling. We were all very proud as we all held or stroked the animals Sarafi Stu brought to show us, some of us even discovered a new favourite animal!

The children in Year 1 have had another fantastic week of learning. It is wonderful to see them becoming more resilient each day. Please find attached the home learning which includes some fun phonics sounds to practise, mental maths to help reflect on this weeks learning and an interesting project for your child to complete as the half term goes on. 

Have a wonderful weekend and we look forward to seeing all of the happy faces again on Monday!

The Year 1 Team