Rubi said: “My favourite part of our visit to Culzean was collecting shells and smooth glass on the beach.”

Charlotte commented: “At Culzean, I learned all the different ways to predict the weather. My favourite thing about the lifeboat visit was learning that when the lifeboat capsizes it can get back up again. This is called self righting.”

Lilli explained: “I enjoyed learning about all the different rocks. My favourite rock was the black rock which came from a volcano many years ago.”

Millie added: ” At the beach we were given a card showing a list of things to find. I enjoyed looking for things like shells, crabs and sandstone.”

Beth said: ” My favourite part of the Culzean visit was the seashore hunt. Aimee and I found a crab which we named Crabbie! At Troon Lifeboats I enjoyed getting to go on board the small and the large lifeboats.”

Jayden commented: “Holmston is a small school with loads of opportunities to go on trips which we are all grateful for!”

Primary four travelled  by train to Troon this morning  where we visited the library for a story telling session with librarian, Annette. We then walked to RNLI lifeboat station. where we were met by Coxwain, Joe Millar. He informed us that the station covers the lower Firth of Clyde with its two lifeboats – a D class inshore lifeboat and a Trent class all-weather lifeboat. We really enjoyed the opportunity to board each of these. After lunch we made our way back along the ballast bank and spent time gathering shells on the south beach before heading back to the railway station.

We’ve had a fantastic day out at Culzean where we have been learning about weather forecasting and life on the seashore. Our rangers, Karen and Michelle, engaged  us in a variety of outdoor learning activities. We recorded today’s wind direction, lowest and highest temperatures, wind speed and humidity. Down at the seashore, we searched for different types of shells, feathers, stones, driftwood and crabs.

More to follow from the pupils about what they learned and found most enjoyable.

Today we welcomed two visitors to our classroom. The first of our guest speakers was Colin Hume, Commercial and Administration Manager from the Port of Ayr, owned by ABP (Associated British Ports). He started off by telling us about the history of the port, dating back to 1197 when King William the Lion granted permission for fishing boats and trading ships to use the River Ayr. We also learned that construction of ships began on the River Ayr in the year 1236. These were built from wood from the forests in Ayr and Alloway. Nowadays the Port of Ayr receives cargoes of fertiliser, animal feed, grain, soda ash, limestone, dolomite, white salt and brown salt. Each year the port of Troon receives timber in excess of 120k tonnes and has an excellent fish market.

Our second visitor was, Olly Epson, a Marine Engineer who talked to us about oceans. We learned about some of the key differences between Oceans, discovering that the Pacific Ocean is the largest while the Atlantic and Indian oceans are the next largest. Olly talked to us about tides, informing us that gravitational forces from both sun and moon continually pull the earth. We found out that although the moon is much smaller than the sun, the moon’s gravity is the dominant force behind the Earth’s tide. He also told us about ocean life and showed us the depth at which different creatures live.

More information to come from the pupils on what they learned and how they have been following up on these visits.

This term Primary 4 are enjoying reading ‘The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark’ by Jill Tomlinson. We have been working hard to research and present information about barn owls which we will use to create leaflets in ICT. We also created atmospheric poems about the darkness. It has been fun sketching barn owls which we hope to have on display very soon.

In maths we continue to develop skills in multiplication and division strategies. We will be exploring fractions and their use in the real world. We have been using Silva style directional compasses to help us plan and record routes around the playground. We are learning about clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation, particularly through right angles.

Our topic this term is a study of the local area where we are looking at how land is used in different areas of the town.

In science we are learning to classify animals through our study of vertebrates and invertebrates. We have looked at some well produced you-tube clips to gather information and are making posters to share.

Our “Big Splash” fortnight starts on Monday 22nd May. Highlights will include a visit to RNLI Lifeboats in Troon and Culzean Country Park for a shore life study.

We are currently working on fitness training through taking part in the ‘Fun and fit fifteen’ activity most days. We are also gearing up for sports day in June by practising athletics activities.

More updates to follow. Watch this space!!!