Hello everyone and a big happy new year from all in p2!

Well, we’re all very well rested from the holidays and raring to go again! We had a fantastic time leading up to the Christmas holidays with our Christmas service, Christmas Jumper Day and our Christmas party where we were visited by someone very special…Santa! As you will all know, we also put on our nativity shows which we all really enjoyed! We’d like to thank everyone who came up to support us and those who supported from afar helping the ‘actors’ to learn their words and practise.

We’re back now and excited for the new year and all the fun activities we’re going to be up to! We even started the week with some shaving foam spelling with our sound of the week, u-e. Maybe this is an idea you could try at home too to make spelling homework lots of fun!

We’re having a money week this week before starting back into lots of new lessons and topics, such as our big topic, Toys of the Past. We’d love any toys or artefacts from your childhood if you would like to send them in!

We all in p2 hope that you enjoyed the holidays and are already enjoying a fun and prosperous 2015!

As part of our maths in p2b, ICT and topic ‘Man v. Robot’, we have been learning how to programme using Beebots and the software Terry 2. We have also used this knowledge in maths as we learned about right angles/90 degrees and  directions. We really enjoy using the Beebots and going to the ICT suite!

In p2, we have been learning about living and non-living things and how to differentiate between them. 
The children came up with 3 criteria for something to be living: it grows, it moves and it eats and drinks. We then used our criteria to sort objects that we found on a treasure hunt inside and outside. We also found lots of different living and non-living things in our community when we went on a nature walk. We discussed how a wall is non-living but the moss that grows on it is living. We then chose a way to display the information we had collected and came up with lots of different ways from using hoops to labelled diagrams in a chart!
We developed this learning in maths by learning about lots of different ways to collect and display data. In p2b, we also used our learning about living and non-living things in our topic, ‘Man vs. Robots’.

The two p2 classes have been settling well into their new classes and routines. They began the term with some revision of late p1 work after the long holidays and now the 2 classes are progressing well and developing new skills across all curricular areas. During term 1, the classes worked on a novel study of “The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark” and used this as their context for learning in writing, science, social studies, art, drama and writing. P2b used their research and ICT skills to make their own Nocturnal Animals book and p2a made animal profiles. The 2 classes came together at the end of the term and made a fantastic soundscape with lots of instruments, a conductor and narrators too, followed by a big bonfire party with campfire games and songs!

The children have been involved in lots of investigations and outdoor learning which they have really enjoyed! We have also been working on our spelling and sounds to help us to read and write too-we have enjoyed lots of creative ways of practising these, including spelling with our bodies! 

In art, p2a have been working on observational drawings and made a lovely display of boots they drew using patterns. P2b used their learning of textures and warm and cold colours to create their wonderful night display of owls and hedgehogs.

Well that’s all for now! Next term, it’s time for Hallowe’en and the very exciting Nativity! Some of our p2’s will help to narrate our show!