Lady Boswell’s didn’t have many pupils turn up to school today; instead we had 370 mini scientists!! There were some absolutely brilliant costumes throughout the school, including Mrs Oliver who came as Saturn!

This morning the whole school were treated to a science show from Fizz Pop Science. The show was all about forces and the findings of the famous Sir Isaac Newton! The children saw rockets fly, toilet paper twirled and ping pong balls and a beach ball kept in the air! I’m sure that they’ll be able to tell you lots about it! It was brilliant to see that, when asked if they like science, every single child had their hand straight up in the air!

An after school Fizz Pop science club will be starting for Years 4, 5 and 6 in Term 4 (starting 22/02/18). Letters have been sent home with the children today which contain all general information as well as information about online booking and payment. It will be a fantastic opportunity for the children involved so do hurry as places are first come first serve, and will undoubtedly fill quickly!

Year 1
In line with their habitats topic year 1 have been considering what woodlice would like for a habitat and why. They have all made predictions and have created woodlice choice chambers to see if they are right! I wonder which sections of the chambers the woodlice will choose… and why…!?

Today, year 1 also explored light as they made shadow puppets! There were some excellent puppets and the children enjoyed seeing how the shadows were formed from the light being blocked!

Year 3
Year 3 were busy today researching two fruits that they are going to grow from seeds later in the year: cucamelons and rhubarb!
Here are some of year 3’s favourite facts that they learned:

• The redder the rhubarb is the sweeter it is.

• Rhubarb was used in Ancient Chinese medicine.

• Rhubarb can reach up to 6-8 feet in height!

• Fibres from rhubarb can be used to make paper.

• Cucamelons look like mini watermelons, are roughly the size of a grape and taste similar to a cucumber with a hint of lime.

• Cucamelons are a savoury fruit, ideal for salads and pickling.

• James Wong developed cucamelons.

• Cucamelon vines need a support to help them grow.

In preparation for when year 3 plant their seeds and eventually transfer them outside, we all got our hands dirty and prepared our gardening bed! We carefully weeded the soil that was already there, topped it up with some quality top soil and then scattered some fresh compost straight from a local farm! The children were horrified to find out they were actually spreading cow manure! The gardening bed is now ready for when we transfer our seedlings outside in the late spring.

A huge thank you to local farmer, Mr Westacott, who donated the compost for all the year groups to use this week!

Year 4

Today, year 4 researched the dangers facing bees: since 1900 we’ve lost around 20 species of bee in the UK alone – and a further 35 are at risk. This is due to pesticides, loss of habitat and climate change. The children then prepared posters to highlight the problem and to show people ways in which we can all help bees. One of these is to make a "bee hotel" and the children are all in the process of creating these for our school grounds.

Year 5
Today, Cedar class put their learning into firefighting action! They successfully used their knowledge of irreversible changes and chemical reactions to extinguish flames with foam. Then, they watched an exciting presentation on forces. In the afternoon, they explored how to turn lemons into batteries. By setting up circuits, the lemons were able to light up LEDs - an illuminating experience!

Year 6

Year 6 have been preparing the gardening beds, using a mix of top soil and compost. They covered the beds to limit the growth of weeds and to keep heat in the soil. They were also very surprised when they stumbled upon a neglected crop of potatoes! The beds are now looking fantastic and ready for future gardening.

What an amazing week we all had!