The EYFS and Junior Pupils have had a fantastic first week of STEAM Fortnight. They kicked off the week with the arrival of the Ducklings and a Maths Workshop. All of the duckling eggs have hatched and we now have 5 ducklings! The children from different classes across the school have named them ‘Fluffy-Duck’, ‘Daphne’, ‘Tiny’, ‘Waddle’ and ‘Pecky’. The pupils have loved watching the ducklings and have closely observed them; examining their beaks and webbed feet. The pupils in Kindergarten have been so gentle when handling the ducklings and often sing to them to help them fall asleep!
Pupils from Reception to Year 6 enjoyed the Maths workshop at the beginning of the week where they had to put their problem-solving skills to the test and work collaboratively in small groups or pairs to work out the answers. Pupils worked in their houses to earn points and many pupils showed excellent leadership skills, as well as improving their Mathematical understanding. In Year 6, the first team to finish the code-breaking activity was Ridgeway and they completed the challenge in a record-breaking 18 minutes!
Junior pupils were racing against time to escape a ‘secret location’ in the BBC British Science Week 2024 Live Lesson. Pupils took part in the interactive lesson, using their scientific knowledge to solve a series of invertebrate-themed tasks. The pupils even got a shoutout from their teachers during this lesson!
Pupils across the Juniors have also been participating in other activities including lessons about the ducklings and their life cycles, learning about different careers in STEAM and fun themed Maths/ Art lessons. Kindergarten have been learning about rockets. They shared their ideas and knowledge about rockets and learnt about the chemicals and gases required for rockets to take off into space. The pupils then headed to the garden for a fun experiment using Coke and Mentos to represent a rocket. Later on, the pupils built their own rockets using blocks and enjoyed a delicious rocket-themed snack to wrap up the afternoon. Year 3 have been very creative with their STEAM knowledge and made pendulums in their classrooms. They worked in small groups and carefully followed instructions to ensure that their pendulums worked and they were all a success!
Junior pupils became Potters for the day in a workshop led by Mrs Scott. Pupils learnt new skills and made individual items from clay. The pupils enjoyed getting messy and experiencing something new. There have also been some exciting British Science Week Competitions that the pupils have been working on their entries for.
Reception Class finished off Week One with a fantastic class assembly all about Space! The pupils used their knowledge of the planets and sang songs to tell the other pupils and their parents all about what they had learnt.
Here is what some of the pupils have enjoyed in the first week:
Lachlan – Year 6 – ‘I enjoyed making the posters for the Competition.’
Emran – Year 5 – ‘In the Maths Workshop, the code-breaking was the best bit.’
Morven – Year 4 – ‘I enjoyed the Pottery workshop because it is new to STEAM fortnight and it was so fun.’
Eloise – Year 3 – ‘I loved seeing the ducklings because they were so cute!’
William – Year 2 – ‘I enjoyed making the puzzles in the Maths Workshop.’
Emaan – Year 1 – ‘I enjoyed my Art lesson and holding the ducklings because they are adorable.’
Olive – Reception – ‘I enjoyed making our faces in the Pottery because I like making faces.’
Hisham – UKG – ‘I enjoyed holding the duckling because it kept trying to eat my freckle.’
Casey – LKG – ‘I made a rocket with blocks with Mrs Papa and it has gas and oxygen which makes the rocket go zoom!’
What a fantastic first week for STEAM fortnight, the pupils are looking forward to seeing what the second week has in store for them.
