On World Book Day, Year 1 had a very special visitor.  Mrs Hindle, who is completing a teaching training placement in Year 4 and is from Kenya, visited us to share her culture and customs. It was especially interesting because she comes from the same tribe as the character Akeyo in the story Handa’s Surprise, which we are learning from in our English lessons.

She answered our questions about the story. One question we asked was why Handa walked through the grasslands alone. She explained that in many villages, children walk on their own, and each village looks out for the children of other villages. 

She talked to us about the antelope and the other animals that live in the grasslands. She taught us how to say greetings in Swahili and how to dance to a traditional song. We even had the chance to handle African crafts and learn about how they were made. We were also very interested in the huts as they helped us understand what homes in some African villages look like. It was a wonderfully engaging visit, and we learnt so much about Kenyan culture and traditions. Thank you, Ms. Hindle, for your time and for sharing so much with us.

During our science week, Year 1 enjoyed a workshop on Mary Anning, the pioneering palaeontologist and fossil collector. Our visiting scientist, Dr. Mandy Hartley, explained how and where fossils form. She demonstrated how a fossil is formed by using clay to imprint into and plaster of Paris to create a cast.   She invited us to talk about our fossils and where we found them. We also learnt how Mary Anning’s finds influenced Charles Darwin’s ‘Theory of Evolution’. We joined Dr. Hartley for an immersive drama adventure to retell the story of Mary Anning. Through acting, listening, and dressing up, we retold the story from Mary’s being struck by lightning to her teaching herself and finding amazing fossils. We loved learning more about Mary’s friend, Miss Elizabeth Philpott! Afterwards, we went fossil hunting on a sample beach and discovered a huge ichthyosaurus fossil.  The children enjoyed this engaging workshop.

Thank you, Dr. Hartley, for bringing our learning to life. Thank you to Friends for funding this activity.

Year 1’s karate taster session was lively and fun.  Through structured activities, the children participated in warm-up and basic techniques activities. Thank you, Verve Karate, for demonstrating the techniques and for building on the balance and coordination skills we previously learnt.

Year 1 made thick and thin paint marks on a range of surfaces. They used primary colours and the dip, dip, dab method of painting. After practising making controlled marks, they were ready to work in the style of Piet Mondrian. Initially, they painted in blocks of colours before creating their own shapes, painting within their shapes, and drawing black lines.  Look how accurately and carefully they are holding their paintbrushes.  Wonderful!

Throughout the autumn term, Year 1 has regularly observed changes in the school field. We discussed how seasonal changes affect the flowers, grass, and trees. In September, we predicted that the tree near our classroom would be bare by the winter, and we were correct. Now that it is bare, we can see the branches very clearly and can describe them. We have learnt observation and recording skills and will continue to use these as we make observations throughout the spring term.

Year 1 explored how the size of a base affects a structure’s stability. We discussed what balance means and how it also affects stability. The children experimented with combinations of differently shaped and sized blocks, arranged in various ways to build a tower. We used our conclusions to agree on what makes a tower less likely to topple.

Andy and Elisabeth from Hope Church in Wymondham visited Year 1 to deliver “Christmas in a Box”. The children participated in a retelling of the Christmas story, along with craft activities.  We learnt about communities coming together at Christmas and why celebrations are important.

Thank you very much, Andy and Elisabeth. We had a very enjoyable and memorable morning with you.

The children had fun making numerical doodles and playing a game that involved addition and subtraction.

India class investigated an unexpected sound in the wildlife area. We discovered many unusual things, including shells, pink and blue leaves, and a book. After investigating further, we found a strange blue creature beside the pond and in the long grass. The creature had a tag attached that read ‘please look after me.’

We carefully brought the creature to our classroom, and we read the book.

By the end of the story, we decided that the creature we found was, in fact, a Bog Baby. We discussed what he might be and where he might have come from. Someone suggested he might have come to the pond’s surface as he was hungry.  One child said that he was lost. Two children thought he had no family.  Everyone agreed that we would look after the creature, but if it got sick, then we would take it back to the forest where it belongs.

Year 1 loved learning about the continents and oceans. They especially enjoyed our lively songs, which helped them remember the names, sizes and locations of each one. During our ocean learning we wondered together which ocean sailors might find the most difficult to travel through.  Most children though it would be the cold Southern Ocean – a great example of their collective reasoning.

The children had lots of fun playing a game with our continent cards. One partner hid a continent card, and the other partner had to guess the missing continent.  It was lovely to see the children referring to their knowledge notes to support their ideas and share what they had learned.