We have been learning about how plants have benefitted us throughout history and still do today.
One way that plants have traditionally been used for is for dye. We experimented by making pictures with lots of natural pigments from around the school.
Today we headed to Kirkabister to take part in rock scrambling activities. We saw different species of plants adapted to living near the shore, like Sea Pinks and we also spotted the ‘Curly Wurly Rock’ which was made by movement of the Earth’s plates. We spied Bog Cotton and Sphagnum Moss. We had great fun and our confidence grew all day. So many metaskills were on display. We had to focus and use initiative as we plotted our paths along the rocky terrain.
After our introduction to different types of computer hardware, earlier in the term, we have started to learn about coding.
Today we worked hard to code our Microbits into pedometers to track our step counts. There was a lot of discussion around which improvements we could make as, after outside testing, we realised there were a few flaws in our code. We had fun measuring perimeters and distances around our school, using our step count. Bunny hops were the most effective!
This week we are further investigating leaves. We made some slides so we could look at leaf material under the microscope. We pushed our curiosity, experimenting with petals amd different plant materials.
We have also been learning about food chains and food webs. We made some food chains and webs in the playground, thinking carefully about producers, primary and secondary consumers. We focused on collaboration, we had to work closely together to make a functional food chain.
As we continue to explore plants, we have been learning how leaves are the solar panels of the plant. We investigated the process of photosynthesis by placing different types of leaves under water in the bright sunshine. We watched closely to see if oxygen bubbles would start to form. They did.
Today we gathered lots of different types of seaweed from the beach. The meta-skill we focused on was collaboration. Even more collaborative skills were seen at the end when everyone worked together to build a giant dam! We looked carefully at the adaptations different types of seaweed have and will investigate further as we identify each type.
Today we carried on our exploration of the flowers that surround our school. We made mixed media diagrams labelling the different parts of the flower. We focused on two meta skills – creativity and collaboration.
