Today, the school had a visit from South East Water, who presented some key information about our waterways here in Kent. The children were able to learn, understand and appreciate where all our water comes from, how much we use and how important it is to preserve our water supply! South East Water shared lots of good tips for the children to take home with them to help save our water supply. Some examples included: turning the taps off whilst we brush our teeth, 5-minute showers and recycling water used in the kitchen for gardening. The children engaged brilliantly by asking lots of questions and sharing lots of excellent ideas! Do let your teacher know if you’ve managed to use any of the water-saving tips at home!

Reception

Today, the EYFS classes were investigating water displacement. We read the story "Mr Archimedes’ bath" and had to help him answer the question "Why does my bath always overflow?" The children observed the depth of the water when the tub was empty and then watched the level of water rise as they put animals in the tub. The children concluded that the water was rising because the animals’ bodies needed space in the bath and as a result pushed the water level up. Next, the children used rulers to measure and prove their theory. Wow, what excellent scientific work and skills Reception!

Year 1

On Thursday, Year 1 considered what would make the best habitat for woodlice. The children went to forest school to have a look at them in their natural habitat and decided it would be best to collect dark and moist materials for them i.e. damp leaves, bark and soil. We took all these natural materials back to the classroom to design and, subsequently, made our own habitats for them! We put the woodlice in and we will be monitoring them over the next 2 days to see which materials they prefer, consider why and then release them back into their natural environment early next week!

Year 2

Year 2 were busy stretching lots of different sweets today! The biggest challenge was working out the best way to carry out the investigation and how to record the results. There was a lot to think about, and a huge range of skills required, but the children had a lot of fun at the same time! (By the way... strawberry laces stretched the most!)

As well as this, Year 2 learned all about fingerprints. We learned that our fingerprints are determined in the womb and just get bigger as we grow. We learned that there are three main types of pattern; whorl, arch and loop, and our prints on each hand are not necessarily the same. We had to be detectives to find our own prints around the room! This meant using all our powers of observation. We learned that the police use magnetic powder and tape to ‘lift’ prints from crime scenes and that the first crime ever to be solved using fingerprint evidence was in 1892 in Argentina. We think we may have some budding Forensic Scientists in Year 2!  

Year 3

Today, Year 3 revisited their science and literacy learning about Mary Anning from Term 2 earlier this year! In groups, the children created a drama performance of a key event in the famous scientist’s life. Not only that, but then the children learnt all about how a green screen is used to create films and how the technology works. The children were able to see and use the green screen technology and equipment to superimpose themselves into a variety of different scenes to make their drama more realistic. It was fascinating to see how the programmed camera was able to pick out the green colours and immediately replace them with an image. The children were very inventive and were able to come up with different ways to incorporate props onto the film without their stand being seen (by using the green classroom bin!) The children particularly enjoyed watching their finished film at the end of the day!

Year 3 were also busy investigating different colour filters that would be suitable for an astronaut’s vizor! Using colour-changing beads, the children investigated which colour acetate would best provide protection from UV light. They had to work quickly and accurately, using careful observation skills, to measure and calculate rate of colour change and compare to a key. The children worked fantastically, and even considered mixing the colour filters to see if it provided any better results! As well as this, the children even considered whether more layers of acetate would provide better protection – although this sparked the question of how transparent the material still needed to be to be suitable for a vizor. Excellent scientific working Year 3!

Year 4

Year 4 were very busy today using our school virtual reality headsets! They were able to see and explore a range of different scenes and places, within and outside the globe! The challenge was, they had to spot as much science as they possibly could in the images! The children absolutely loved the challenge and blew us away with their knowledge and real-life application of science in the ‘virtually’ real world!

Year 5

Both Year 5 classes were lucky enough to take part in a STEM workshop run by South East Water. The task required the pupils to build their own network of water pipes to supply a town with the correct amount to each building, in the most efficient way. The pupils enjoyed testing their constructions using real water! Not only that, but the children had to consider the costing implications of all the pipes and materials. There was some excellent teamwork and problem-solving skills shown by the pupils – Well done Year 5!

In the afternoon, Year 5 also experimented with dough to see if it could be an electrical conductor. Two different types of dough were made - one with salt and one with sugar - and they were incorporated into circuits with LED bulbs. They found out that salt dough does indeed conduct electricity but sugar dough acts as an insulator.

Year 6

There is no doubt that music effects how we feel, but can we use music to make us cleverer? Many scientists and teachers believe that we can.  Of all the music that can help you become smarter, Mozart is believed to be the best. But is it true?  Year 6 spent the afternoon investigating this.  While learning some very difficult spellings, one group sat in silence, one group listened to Heavy Metal music, and the third listened to a Mozart piano concerto.  To our amazement, the group who showed the most improvement was the Heavy Metal group!  Move over Mozart, Metallica are here!