We have been looking at ways in which we can care for the environment.  We looked at recycling our rubbish and how littering can affect the habitat of animals.

We visited our local woodland to assess the littering and we considered the affect it would have on the wild animals, our pets who go walking down there and the environment.  We were not happy with what we found!

As we walked past the park we found lots of litter and broken bottles.   The children wondered why people didn’t use the bottle bank across from the park to recycle their bottles and help the environment. Broken bottles in the park can cause injury to children and animals.  The children were not happy about this!

When we got to the woods we found lots of surprising rubbish.  Things that we didn’t think we would find e. g. front doors, shopping baskets, roof insulation and much more.  Have a look.

As you can imagine we were all angry and upset that our habitat has been spoiled by people who will not recycle their waste properly.  All of these items are non-degradable, this means they do not decay over time.  Animals and children playing down at the woods could get hurt or worse!

We collected a lot of litter as well some bio-degradable (decays over time) and some non-degradable.  We brought it back to class and we organised it into piles according to which recycling bucket it would go into.

We then made a data handling chart to show the different materials the litter comprised off.

Jade had an idea for an experiment!

She thought it would be a good idea to bury bio-degradable litter and non-degradable litter to see what would happen.  We all thought this would be a great idea.  So we buried some litter and will check at the end of the term to see what has happened to it.

aybe you could try your own experiment to see what happens and could you please look after your environment by recycling your litter.

Reece said:  always remember to reduce, reuse and recycle your rubbish!

P3/4 had a taste of STEM learning today. Last term the class were learning about houses and homes. They were set a challenge to design and build a house that the specified toy person could fit into. The criteria were that it had to be only made from the provided pasta and playdoh and that it had to stand unsupported. This gave the pupils creative freedom to try lots of different techniques and methods to design and build their houses. In their small groups they set about the task. Many quickly found that it wasn’t easy to do and had to try different ways to get the pasta to group together to make walls and other parts of the houses. Some had good ideas but the buildings then collapsed so they had to start again using things that had worked well and changing the things that didn’t. When the time was up we went around all the groups to inspect their work and assess how it did to meet the design problem and follow the criteria. They found only one house that was fully successful but all the other houses had areas of improvement that they could give ideas for. They learnt that the process was where they learnt the most by working together, trying things out, discussing their ideas and working to improve their work.

On the Tuesday before the holidays P6/5 attended a cross-country event with other pupils across the cluster. Our very own Euian came second overall. He brought in his medal to show us.

On Tuesday pupils in P3 and P4 spent the day at Polkemmet Country Park. We walked there and met the boys and girls from Stoneyburn there as they had to get the bus. The P3 pupils started the morning with the Park Ranger. They learnt about the different trees in the park. The P4s started with den building and creating nature cocktails. For the dens they could use any materials they could find. They had a play at the park over lunch and then the groups swapped over.

Primary 7 have had many opportunities this term to learn in a variety of environments. Here are some of our highlights.

We took part in a Dragons’ Den project with West Lothian College. This involved us designing our own products, making prototypes and designing business plans. We also developed our teamwork and presentation skills.

We have also been learning lots of interesting facts about space and our solar system and having interesting debates about the moon landing and life on other planets. Primary 7 also put lots of effort into their homework projects. We had model rockets, planet factfiles, posters, stories and Angeline even made a planet-themed cake! We all really enjoyed eating it! We also had a fantastic trip to Dynamic Earth to learn more about the evolution of our planet.

Lots of P7s also had a fantastic week at camp. They learnt to be more independent and challenge themselves to take part in lots of activities! Some of their favourite activities included rock climbing, abseiling, archery, giant swing and trapeze. The children were very mature and behaved very well for the entire week. They enjoyed eating new foods and sharing rooms with their friends. It was a fantastic week.

Primary 7 have had a great term and we are looking forward to our final term after Easter! Have a lovely holiday!

We had a fantastic day at Polkemmet Park on Tuesday.  We made dens in the woods and ate our lunch in them; we played in the park and experienced Polkemmet Park and its grounds with the help of the ranger. It was great and we want to go back!

The children can’t wait to go back!

Happy Easter to all.  Maybe you could go to Polkemmet Park and do some den building of your own!

P5/4 has been learning about electricity this term.

We have learned that electricity is made of atoms and that atoms are made up of protons (+ charge), electrons (- charge) and neutrons which have a neutral charge.  We made our own atoms from marshmallows.  Have a look.

We have also been learning about static electricity and participated in experiments to investigate what can cause it.

We have also learned about the many inventors and scientists who helped to invent electricity and the electrical gadgets we have today.  We have learned how they persevered and never gave up and we are building resilience in this area as well.  This was a great project to help pupils learn that you have to make a lot of mistakes in order to learn!

Happy Easter from P5/4!