All posts by Mrs James

Sounds and Waves

December 4, 2019ScienceMrs James

This week we used wire coat hangers and string for our sound investigation. We worked in pairs to bang the hanger off the table. We each held the end of a piece of string that was attached to the hanger and we could hear the sound quite quietly. When we wrapped the string around our fingers and then placed our fingers in our ears the sound was much louder.

Following this, we took turns individually, held onto both pieces of string and placed our fingers in our ears. The sound was even louder it sounded like ‘booongg’.

We watched a video on how vibrations make sounds for example when we sing our vocal cords vibrate and create a sound.

Communication and Sounds

November 26, 2019ScienceMrs James

As part of our science work we have started investigating sound and animal communication.

As an introduction Mrs James showed us a video on TigTag showing how some animals communicate. It was interesting to see what an important part vibration plays in the creation of sound.

We carried out a task that required us to attach two plastic cups together with a piece of string. We tried it out with different lengths of string and we could hear a little of what our partners were saying.

It was suggested that we pulled the string tight in order that it would vibrate. It was fun to hear the laughs and giggles as the voices at either end of the string became clearer.

We discussed how stringed instruments work and a few musicians amoung us shared their experience of tuning instruments which required us to tighten the strings.

Friction Experiment – Rice

November 20, 2019ScienceMrs James

Last week we investigated friction using rice and plastic bottles.

Mrs James asked us to fill the bottles with rice and then pick it up using only a stick.

To begin with we thought she had missed out something but then as we followed the instructions and gave it a try there were shrieks of laughter as we all managed to pick up the bottles.

We had to make sure that the bottle was filled tightly right up to the top with rice and then we pushed the sticks in carefully.

The fact that all of the air had been pushed out of the bottle allowed friction to be created between the stick and the rice particles. Therefore when we tried to lift the bottle the stick held it up – FRICTION!

Friction – Ball Rolling

November 6, 2019Outdoor Learning, ScienceMrs James

We have started to investigate Friction as part of our science work. To kick start this area of learning we carried out a simple investigation using a range of different balls outside.

We compared how each ball travelled on three different surfaces. The pitch, the playground and the grass. We used a tennis ball, hockey ball, a spiky ball, a basketball ball and soft football to compare how the size and weight of the ball changed how well the ball travelled.

In groups we noted down our findings and then we compared them with the other groups as a plenary.

Raft Building – Models

October 9, 2019Outdoor Learning, ScienceMrs James

This week for Outdoor Learning we collected twigs and leaves from the playground to make model rafts. We gathered items and then returned to class to construct our rafts. We worked in pairs or individually, then when they were ready we placed the rafts in the sink to see if they would float.

Children’s Rights – The Right to Shelter

October 1, 2019Learning ContextMrs James

Following a discussion on the Rights of the Child we decided to create shelters. Due to time restrictions and resources, we built shelters for our little stone creatures. We worked with a partner or in a group of three to design, collect resources and create little houses from the natural materials that we found outside.

In order to successfully complete this challenge we had to work together, helping each other and discussing our plans.

We only had a limited time to work on our shelters, but we all managed to create somewhere for our little creatures to hide.

We hope you enjoyed checking out some of our creations.

Outdoor Learning – 3D Shapes

September 4, 2019Maths, UncategorizedMrs James

Last week we built 3D shapes using branches, sticks and string. We worked in groups and were given the materials that we available to us to use.

Most groups were given the same items however, one group only had pegs to join the corners together. This made the task very difficult.

All groups successfully made a 3D shape…except from the group with limited materials. Mrs James explained that she planned this on purpose in order that we could discuss fairness and equality. This links in with our topic of the Right’s of a Child.

On Monday we used our knowledge of 3D shapes and their properties to create nets for 3D shapes. We used chalk and Loose Parts to draw them. We worked with a partner or in a group of three to create our diagrams.