Welcome to Oak Class

"From tiny acorns, mighty oak trees grow!"

We are looking forward to another exciting year of growing and learning in 2016 and 2017.  Please take a look at our pages to see what we have been doing.  

You can also follow us on Twitter at   @oak_holy

Oak Class Athletics World Championships

Today in PE with JBs Sports Oak Class had a mini competition to apply all the athletics skills they have been learning.  The teams were given countries to represent: Brazil, Australia, England, Spain and Italy.  They did sprinting, long jump, javelin, long distance running and relay.  They were also awarded points for good sportsmanship.  In the end, England won and raised the cup.  We even had a fly past by the Lancaster too! 

Clay Rock Pool Creatures

Oak Class designed their own ultimate rock pool creature then made it out of clay.  They studied lots of real life rock pool creatures and their adaptations, then invented their own version that had many of the best bits such as claws, tentacles, suckers, legs and shells.  They have also created a power point presentation about their creatures, saying what they eat, their adaptations, how they catch their prey, how big they grow and more.  They painted them after the clay had dried. Which is your favourite?

Our First Harvest

Oak Class picked their first runner beans and broad beans today.  We have some more on the way and some giant sunflowers too!

Barnes Wallis Global Cultural Day

On Monday Oak Class joined Willow Class and four other schools at Barnes Wallis Academy to take part in a global cultural day.  We split into 8 groups and every group took part in 4 activities to help the children learn about the different sustainable development goals launched by the United Nations at an age appropriate level.  The main focus we took back to school highlighted the need for clean water in many parts of the world.  The children watched a film about a girl who walked 4 miles every day to collect water.  They then tried to gain an insight as to what that would be like by carrying large water bottles around the running track.  This had a big impact on the children who found it hard work, especially knowing that to walk 4 miles they would have to go round 14 times!  There was only time for one or two laps, but it demonstrated how hard it is for some children and how lucky we are to have running water from a tap.  As a school we will be collecting change in a bottle to contribute towards a water sanitation kit to be sent abroad to a place in need.  Other activities included building shelters, learning how to filter water, handling animals from different environments and gardening.  A massive thank you to the organisers who made it such an enjoyable and educational day.

Rock Pool Art

Oak Class have been studying the rock pool habitat and the creatures that live in it.  We have been learning how the different types of animal have adapted to life in this harsh environment.  We drew our own cross section of a rock pool to show the variety of plant and animal life.  Then we sketched close ups of different shells, seaweeds, starfish and other samples of beach combing using the magnifiers to show the range of textures and close up detail.

Seawater Investigations

Following our trip to Skegness we looked at the seawater that Mrs Addison braved the elements to collect.  We compared it to tap water using magnifying glasses to look closely at samples of each in petri dishes.  We also placed different types of material in jars of sea water which we will investigate over time to see the affect it has.  We will shake the jars to simulate the objects being washed by the waves to see which material will degrade the most.

Oak Class Trip to Skegness

On Tuesday Oak Class visited the seaside as their engage activity for the new topic 'Beachcombers'. Unfortunately the weather was not kind.  When we got there we thought there was a break in the rain so we headed straight to the beach.  It poured down as soon as we had got our socks and shoes off so we had a quick dig and then headed to Natureland Seal Sanctuary.  We had a fantastic time learning about all the different species of animal, their habitats, whether they are endangered or not, what they eat and how the sanctuary saves them.  Everyone had an ice cream (despite the weather) and the essential visit to the souvenir shop too.  A big thank you to all the adults who supported us on the trip and to Natureland for making us so welcome!

Oak Class Family Sports Activity Day

After a lot of team work and instruction writing we invited Oak Class parents to come and try out our games.  It was a very hot day, but at least it didn't rain.  After the health and safety talk the parents found their children's team and followed instructions for the warm up that was led by the children.  Then the children explained their activities and all the adults had a go at each one.  It did come to our attention that some rules were being 'adapted' to make it harder for the adults, but they still took part with enthusiasm!  The children really enjoyed their event and would like to thank all the adults who came to support them.  We hope we have inspired our families to keep fit and active!

Instructions - Our Games

Oak Class have been working in teams to develop some sporting games for their parents to try out.  First they discovered that instructions need to be clear by following some very bad examples of rules for a game.  Then they tried out different equipment to get ideas to create their games.  Next they worked together to write the rules and instructions, including naming the game, creating a 'you will need' list as well as a warm up and cool down activity.  They then tested their games out on Maple class and got some really good feedback from them.  We are looking forward to getting our families active! 

Design Technology - balloon cars

We followed instructions to build balloon cars and then investigated how to adapt and adjust them to make them work better.  It was a challenge!!  We tried different wheels, different axles, with nose cones, without nose cones, making the chassis parallel with weights inside and many more ways too.  We only had limited success but it was fun making them.  The children then took them home where some of them have continued to make design adjustments and then bring them back in.  So far 4 straws works the best!

Year 3 Science - properties of rocks

Year 3 pupils investigated the different properties of a variety of rocks.  First they sorted them by their properties such as smooth/rough, dull/shiny, natural/manmade. They then tested how hard they were by scraping the surface, they looked at how permeable they are by applying water and used magnifying scopes to identify what they look like close up.   After that they learned how different types of rock are formed and used chocolate to make sedimentary and metamorphic of rock.  Then they got to eat their rocks!!

Science - How do germs spread?

Following a hygiene discussion about the different ways in which germs can be spread, the Year 2 investigated how germs are spread by touch.  We used glitter to represent the germs and then carried on with some normal activities such as sorting cards, colouring and using maths equipment.  After we observed where and how far the glitter had spread.  It was everywhere!  Not only on the equipment they used but also on the chairs and tables, on their clothes, in their hair and even on their trays and learning packs.  We then washed our hands and realised how hard it is to get rid of germs unless we wash properly with lots of soap and water. A very enlightening afternoon!

PE - gymnastics with hoops and balls

First we watched video clips of gymnasts from around the world and we were amazed at what they could do with a ball or a hoop.  They were so flexible and very accurate with their throwing and catching.  Then we tried it ourselves.  The balls were very tricky to control but we had greater success with the hoops.  

Science - Why do we exercise?

We investigated different types of exercise and the affects on our bodies.  We started by learning how to take our resting pulse.  Then we compared our pulse after walking, jumping and running.  We also described other changes in our bodies after each form of exercise.  We used the log boxes to record an average pulse per minute.  We found that jumping made us the most puffed out and hot, however running increased our heart rate or pulse the most. 

Bouncing Marble Art

We put painted marbles in shoe boxes and shook them to make them bounce about inside.  This created a piece of art work inspired by the work of artist Jackson Pollock.  We only chose two or three colours so that the mixing action created further colours.

Do all balls bounce?

This week in Science we investigated how balls bounce by creating a variety of questions: which materials are best for bouncing balls, which balls bounce the highest, which surface is best for bouncing on and will harder balls bounce better than softer balls?   We had fun finding out the answers.

Bounce, bounce, bounce!

We have had a bouncy first week of our Bounce topic.  We have been reading the story of the princess who bounced a ball into a well, finding out about animals that bounce and then moving like them, investigating how balls made from different materials bounce and, finally today, we had a bouncy PE session with JBs Sports when Mr Brown taught us bouncy basket ball techniques.  We are positively bouncing!!

Happy Easter

We hope you all liked our Easter cards, we took great care making them and we enjoyed using the water colours to mix rainbows.

Baptism in Oak Class

As part of our RE topic of Belonging Oak Class held a mock christening.  We were supposed to go to church but, because of the weather, Reverend Margaret very kindly came to us.  We dressed up in our best clothes and had parents, god parents and family for the baby, who we called Luke.  The service was just like a real one with readings, making promises, the water was blessed, the actual baptism of Luke (who was very well behaved and didn't cry!), lighting the candle and then prayers.  The parents were very proud!  A huge thank you to Reverend Margaret for making it such a fantastic event.

Flower Collages

Oak Class had great fun learning about how to make a collage using tiny pieces of torn and rolled tissue paper.  We designed and drew our own flower, then applied tissue paper balls by using lots of glue. Sticky stuff!  Some of us even added pollen, stigma and stamen to make them look realistic and to show our new science knowledge.  It took a lot of patience and  at times we helped each other too,   so it also taught us good team work.

Sublime Science Visit

As part of Science Week we had a visit from Sublime Science.  We had a great time being wowed by a scientist called Sodium Sam.  We found out how different materials can soak up water or expand in water, how air travels and how electricity can pass through us.  We then tried to make bubbles bounce and we made our own slime too.  What fun!

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Design Technology - Salad Making

Oak Class children have made salads as part of their plant topic but also to learn about healthy eating and food hygiene.  They started by asking a member of their family what kind of salad they would like and then designed a salad using the ingredients suggested.  Then, they made their salads for their family member and are now waiting for feedback to see whether they enjoyed it or not.  We do hope they were all a success.  The salads certainly looked amazing when they were made at school.  We just hope the journey home went successfully!

Is Custard a Liquid?

The year 3 pupils in Oak took part in an investigation this week to determine whether custard was a liquid.  They started by watching a film of a man walking on custard - honestly!  This really made them keen to find out what custard is like.  After making a bowl of custard, they put in through a number of tests and compared it to water.  The tests were very messy, but very interesting.  The most exciting one was handling the custard.  They discovered that if you keep it rolling in your hand, it behaved like a solid, however the second you stopped it moving, it became runny like a liquid.  This makes custard a colloid - another new word for their science dictionaries!

How do plants drink?

This was the question Oak Class tried to answer this week.  To find out we used food colouring in water and white carnations.  We observed closely and after a couple of days the petals of the white carnation had turned pink.  The coloured water from the test tube had travelled all the way up the stem to the petals.  Amazing!  However, the blue food colouring did not work in the same way and the petals remained white.  We are wondering why this has happened?

Food Pastel Art

As part of our preparation for making a salad the children used pastels to create 'fruit and veg' art.  The different varieties of fruit and vegetables were cut up in interesting ways so the children could study the different seed patterns, colours and textures and then create a pastel picture to show what they observed.  Very messy, but some fantastic work too!

Music and Computing

Mrs Hall introduced Oak to a new way to  make music using the computer.  We all really enjoyed using the Incredibox website.  The children had great fun adding different sounds made by the human voice to make an overall track with rhythms and beats.  They were all really successful and very creative. (It was World Book Day so we were not in uniform!)

Famous Scientist Homework

Oak Class pupils researched famous scientists as a homework project.  They had to find out the name of a famous scientist and why or how they became famous.  Some pupils found out lots more information too.  They found out about scientists that are from the past, such as Isaac Newton and Leonardo Da Vinci, to more modern day scientists such as Jane Goodall and Joseph Engelberger. We then discussed the impact of their work on life and the world as a whole.

World Book Day

Oak Class celebrated World Book Day by dressing up as book characters, writing mixed up fairy tales and answering fairy tale problems in maths.  We had a great day!

Fairy Tale Drama

In English this week we have been looking at the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, as well as the lesser know tale of Jim and the Beanstalk.  To increase our understanding of the characters we have been doing drama activities.  For example, we held a 'conscience corridor' to help decide if Jack really should steal the hen that lays the golden eggs, or if that is not the right thing to do.  We also created questions and held a 'hot seat' activity where we interviewed Jim and his mum and they had to answer the questions in character. 

Year 3 Science - BBC Terrific Scientific

This week the Year 3 pupils in Oak Class took part in a national science investigation as part of the BBC Terrific Scientific series.  They had to investigate which would freeze quicker - warm or cold water?  First they learned about where the idea came from - a child in Tanzania called Mpemba was trying to make ice cream quickly.  In the Mpemba Effect, as it is now known, the warmer cream froze quicker.  However when we investigated the colder water froze quicker.  This was a surprise.  As part of the investigation we had to test our water hardness.  It came out as very hard.  We are now wondering if this is why we got the different results.  We will put our data onto the national website and see what other schools found out.

Year 2 Science - Bulb Investigations

Over the last few weeks, Oak Class pupils have been investigating the answer to their own bulb questions.  They have been recording their observations using photographs and a computer program called Photo Story.  Some amazing changes have taken place.  Check out the photos below to see some of what has been happening.  They have found out that bulbs do grow in the dark (but are not very green or healthy), they can begin to grow in the freezer, bulbs do grow if they are planted upside down and bulbs do grow into flowers.  Next they will be creating their own seed questions.  Anything could happen!

Oak Class Flower Shop

Following our visit to Maxine's Flower Shop, Oak Class created their own flower shop role play.  We remembered a lot of the things Maxine had told us about: the ribbon, cards, diary, handbags, chocolates, the long opening hours, wrapping paper and, of course, the flowers.  We really enjoy playing in it in Golden Time!

Music - The Tiny Seed

Today we began creating our own musical performances of The Tiny Seed story.  We investigated different instruments and picked the ones we felt most represented things like the wind, rain, birds, insects, growing and the seasons.  Look out for the videos of our final performances.

How mud is made!

Today we investigated how mud is made.  We used our knowledge of reading scales and measuring liquids in millilitres to create different formulas for 'mud' using water and soil.  We had to research how the different mixes felt and whether they were suitable for making bricks or not.  Very messy, but fun!

Big School's Bird Watch

Oak took part in the RSPB's Big School's Bird Watch today.   We observed many different types of birds including: starlings, blackbirds, gold finches, pigeons, crows, seagulls and many more.  We also played bird Top Trumps and bird Bingo.  Our data will be uploaded to the national web site. Thank you to Pine who lent us their classroom. 

Flower Art

Following our science investigation into the parts of a flower, we painted our own still life flower water colours.  First we sketched rough outlines, then we mixed and painted the colours we could see in the real bunch of flowers.  Take a look at our fantastic art display!

Investigating Flowers

As part of our science topic about plants we investigated the parts of the plant used for reproduction.  We used tulips to find and identify the stigma, stamen and pollen.  We used magnifying glasses and a microscope to look up close. 

Planetarium Visit

We had great fun in the planetarium this week.  First we had to get inside and Joshua and Alice had the important role of door openers / closers so the air did not get out.  Inside we sat on the floor around the huge dome and looked at the fantastic night time view.  It was very dark!  We learned all about why the earth has day and night and also about nocturnal animals.  We watched the night sky move across the dome and learned how the position of key stars, planets and constellations change position as the night progresses.  It was amazing!  Thank you to Starlincs for an informative and interesting time and to the Edina Trust for funding the visit.

Visit to St Michael's Church

Also this week we visited St Michael's Church as part of our RE topic of 'Belonging'.  Reverend Margaret greeted us warmly after a very cold walk.  After an introduction, we explored the church in groups.  We found out what happens in all the different parts of the church and also what the different objects were for.   From the font, to the amazing match stick replica of the church, from the RAF chapel to the high altar, it was all very interesting and we learned a lot.  A huge thank you to Reverend Margaret; we are looking forward to visiting again and finding out about baptism ceremonies. 

Visit to Maxine's Flower Shop

This week we visited Maxine's Flower Shop as part of our Scented Garden topic.  We prepared lots of questions about being a florist and Maxine answered them all for us.  We found out just how hard it is to be a florist, including: long hours, early starts, dealing with all sorts of customers and deliveries and meeting deadlines for many different types of celebrations.  We also found out about what a florist shop needs to run so that we can make our own florist role play next week.  There were some many things we hadn't thought of, such as: wrapping paper, ribbons, cards, baskets and even chocolates and handbags!  Maxine very kindly gave us our own daffodil bulbs to take home and grow. Thank you to her for such generosity and for a fantastic, informative trip.   

Discovering Our Senses

Oak Class investigated the five senses and what it would be like to be without one.  We used blindfolds to discover what is was like to have no sight.  We had to really trust one another!  We investigated taste without the sense of smell and how things smelled without our sense of sight.  We discussed the different senses we use to appreciate plants in many different ways. 

Array for Maths!

In maths this week we have been making arrays and writing the multiplication and division facts that correspond to the array.  It has been tricky to remember which number shows the amount in a group and which shows the number of groups.   We have learned that some amounts can be shown using different arrays.  The photos show us investigating different ways to make an amount using arrays.

Visit by Author Gail Clarke

Oak Class really enjoyed their visit by the author, illustrator and story teller Gail Clarke.  First she introduced some of the science behind her stories and we learned about migration, hibernation and camouflage, as well as different habitats.  Then we listened to the story 'The Chameleon Who Couldn't Change Colour'.  After the story the class met Patrick the African grey parrot who caused uproar with his antics.  A huge thank you to Gail for a such a lovely afternoon.  

Christmas Party and Pantomime Trip

What an exciting time!  Our Christmas party one day, followed by a trip to the pantomime in Boston the next day.  We really loved Robin Hood and Babes in the Wood.  We shouted and danced in our seats, ate ice cream and sang and clapped along.  Fantastic! 

Celebrating 'Lights, Camera Action!'

Oak Class did a fantastic job of their nativity play with Maple and Willow.  Everyone performed excellently and the parents really enjoyed the performances.  Real competition for Strictly in the future!  So proud of you all!

RE - Celebrating Christingle

Oak Class followed instructions to make a Christingle.  We found out what each part of the Christingle represents and lit our candles so we could feel and experience 'Jesus, the light of the world'.

Street Detectives - The Postman Visits

We invited a real street detective in to tell us all about his work and our local area from an expert's point of view - The Postman!  Mr Hawkins, the local postman for the last 19 years, kindly came in and answered our questions.

We learned a lot about being a postman, for example: they work everyday apart from Sundays and Christmas Day, he delivers to over 500 houses or businesses, with letters going to at least 400 of them each day, on busy days (such as in December) he can deliver up to 1500 letters or parcels, everyday he walks between 8 and 9 miles, each year he gets 2 new pairs of boots, the biggest parcel he has delivered was a car bumper and, yes, he has been chased by dogs!

A huge thank you to Mr Hawkins for such an interesting visit.

RE - Advent

Oak have been learning the meaning of Advent and the five candles on the advent wreath.  We talked about hope, peace, love, joy and the birth of Jesus and lit the candles on the beautiful wreath made by Mrs Wood.   We look forward to watching them being lit in collective worship from now on.

Traffic Survey

As part of our local topic called Street Detectives we carried out a 10 minute traffic survey by counting the vehicles that were travelling on the main road through Tattershall, just at the end of the school road.  We were amazed at how many cars came passed - so many it was really difficult to count, even when doing a tally.  Over 92 cars passed, one motorbike, lots of other vehicles like vans and over 20 heavy lorries.  We were shocked at how busy it was!  We will put the data into graphs using computers and make comparisons next.

Science - Investigating Ice

Oak have been learning all about the properties of ice and other frozen liquids.  We used log boxes to record temperatures and investigated how ice melts under different conditions, including: out in the sun, on the radiator, in the room, covered in salt and covered in grit.  We also compared frozen water to frozen black current an milk. One block took over 24 hours to melt it was so big!  We recorded it using a time lapse camera and discussed the graph data and how it changed over the time period.  We will investigate how to stop ice melting next.

R.E.  'Light of the World'

We have been thinking about how light is used to celebrate in many different ways, in many different religions.  We have been discussing Jesus as the 'light of the world' as well as how light makes us feel.  We made 'light bulbs' to say how we would 'bring light' into someone's life.  We had real candles to help us remember how light makes us feel.

Poetry Week

This week Oak Class have been reading,  discussing, writing and performing poetry all about food. From Hot Chips, to Spaghetti, Spaghetti we have been learning about rhythm, rhyme and alliteration.  

Street Detectives - Autumn Term Two Topic

Oak Class are being Street Detectives this term.  We are investigating our local area, how it has changed, who works there, what it has to offer and how it might be improved.  For our first activity we went on a walk around the village, taking photographs to record what we saw.  It was cold but we had fun!  We then learned how to upload our photos, edit and save them. 

Isambard Kingdom Brunel History Topic

This week, the first back after half term, we have been learning all about the amazing engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.  We found out many facts about him through lots of reading, then recorded our favourite ones and used them to write an information report about him and why he is famous.  We also designed our own two pound coins to celebrate his contribution to Britain, using the 2006 coin that commemorates him as an example.

Year 3 Science - Forces

The year 3 pupils in Oak have really enjoyed investigating their own questions linked to force, friction and gravity.  They used different surfaces, different cars and different heights to find out how these affect speed and distance.  William also brought in his own circuit to show how electricity can power air to force balls to fly!  Thanks William :)

Oak Class Castles - Design Technology

This week we were set a challenge by The Three Little Pigs who are sick and tired of The Big Bad Wolf pestering them and knocking down their houses.  We had to design and build them a strong castle with a look out tower, a draw bridge, a moat and an escape tunnel (just in case).  We worked in teams and had great fun designing and constructing our amazing castles.  We used the iPads to record our progress.  We hope the pigs will like them!

Newspaper Bridges Science Investigation

As part of our materials topic in science we have been looking at how bridges are built, what materials are used and why.  We have sorted different bridges from around the world into different categories including what they are made of, what shape they are and what they are used for (what or who crosses them).  We then investigated how to make a newspaper bridge stronger.  We were given one sheet of newspaper and we created our own questions to investigate.  Riley wanted to know if he stuck the paper to the table would it work better?  Isabel wanted to know if she put weights on the end would it work better?  Maxwell wanted to know if he folded the paper would it be stronger?

Take a look at our photos below.  The test was to see how many billy goats the bridge could hold. 

We also learned that an arch shaped bridge would hold more penny coins than a flat bridge.  Amazing! 

Trip To Abbey Farm

Oak Class had a fantastic trip to Abbey Farm in Woodhall Spa this week.  We enjoyed learning about the harvest as part of our RE topic.  We found out the names of the different types of machinery used in growing crops and harvesting them as well as going on a tractor ride around the farm to see the crops growing in the fields.  We saw sugar beat and carrots but the most amazing was the elephant grass which is used to make electricity!  Walking through the elephant grass made us feel like ants because it is over three metres tall!   We also collected mini beasts and went on a trail to identify different types of trees.  Another great trip!

Science - Sticky Stuff!

As part of our materials topic, Oak class investigated how glue sticks to different materials.  Then we decided to look at other 'sticky' materials.  We stuck different craft objects made of plastic, wood and paper using different sticky substances: glue, hair putty, honey and flour mixed with water.  We tested them by turning them upside down to see how well they stuck, then we tested again in the morning too.  Most of the craft items stuck with most of the sticky stuff - even the honey!  Only a couple of the heavier beads fell off and we decided this was because they were spherical.  We also decided that honey was not the best glue because it stayed sticky even after 24 hours!  We were all surprised how well the hair gel worked.

PE - Towers and Bridges 

In PE Oak Class have been working on creating bridges and towers as part of their Towers, Turrets and Tunnels topic.  First they worked as individuals, then in pairs and then in groups.

Wall Busting Science!

Oak Class followed up their investigation into which material would knock down the most rubber bricks in the wall with a real brick wall this week.  Following last week's investigation, where the ball made with the heaviest material did not knock down the most bricks, the class wanted to see what would happen if we used real bricks.  The results were different today!  This time only the heavy marble ball knocked down any bricks - and that was only 1 brick after 3 goes!

Geography and Harvest

Today we carried on looking at the world map, but this time we found out where our food comes from.  We have started our Harvest topic by learning that it is not just the UK that has a harvest, many countries around the world also produce the food we eat.  We talked about how the food would travel to the UK and into our supermarkets.  The food that travelled the furthest was from New Zealand.  We thought it would have had to come on a plane from that distance.  The continent which had produced the most food from our selection was Europe.

Geography - Tall Towers

Today, as part of our Towers, Turrets and Tunnels topic we looked at some famous towers from around the world and used Atlases to find their locations.  We had to find out where in the world they were, which country and which continent and then place them on our giant world map.  We found three tall towers in London, one in Paris, Pisa, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Toronto. 

Oak Class School Council Elections

A big well done to all our School Council candidates who fought in the election to represent Oak Class. All the contenders made posters to advertise their strengths and gave speeches to tell the class all about their visions for the school.  They all spoke clearly and answered some tricky questions from their fellow class mates.  Now will follow a secret vote.  Good Luck to you all! 

Year 3 Maths

As part of our learning about shapes, the Year 3s in Oak made their own 3D shape models.  This really helped them appreciate the number of edges and vertices different 3D shapes have. Tricky stuff!

Our Trip to Tattershall Castle

On Monday (12th September) we went to Tattershall Castle to start our topic of Towers, Turrets and Tunnels.  We had an amazing time!  First we had a tour of the castle and learned many interesting facts about life in the past and Lord and Lady Cromwell.  We went from the cellar to the very top, where the view was incredible!   After the tour Paul, our guide, taught us some medieval dances and we even got to dress up in medieval clothes (check out the photos below). 

After lunch, we had two craft sessions in the 'audience room' where Lord Cromwell and his aids would listen to and advise people.  It was wonderful to make things in such amazing surroundings, there was enormous tapestries on the walls, a huge open fireplace, a table dated 1586 and a large candelabra.  We made peacock centre pieces for Lord Cromwell's table and stained glass windows. 

A massive thank you to Paul and the staff at the castle and also to the adults who accompanied us and helped make it possible.  We are really looking forward to our topic now!

Our First Week Back 

We have had an exciting first week back.  We had great fun looking through our 'Bags of Me' that we filled up during the holidays.  They were full of interesting things to share to each other so that we could learn all about everyone's hobbies, interests and life outside school. 

On Tuesday we set up a worm habitat investigation.  First we had to find worms.  Mrs Addison watered the empty plant beds at lunch time and we dug carefully in them in the afternoon.  We found 32 worms!  Then we tested them overnight with 4 different damp habitats: soil, newspaper, sand and leaves.  On Wednesday we searched through the habitats and found 25 of the worms in the soil, 1 in the leaves and 6 in the sand.  That they went into the sand was a surprise to us.  No worms went to the newspaper - Mrs Simons said 'maybe they can't read!'  When we were drawing the worms they kept escaping off the plates!  Mrs Addison said she had never seen such fast moving worms!

To start getting ready for our castle topic we made castles using 2D and 3D shapes in maths and talked about the different properties of the shapes and why they were good for the job.  We then used a computer program to draw and arrange shapes into castle pictures.   

We are looking forward to our visit to Tattershall Castle on Monday!