A state of calm
14 Feb 2025In humanities this week, Form 6 has been exploring how at the heart of Buddhism lies the practice of meditation.
This is a technique for training the mind to achieve a state of calm and focused awareness. They have also been looking at yoga as this also has an emphasis on physical postures and breathing techniques, which share similarities with Buddhist meditation. The aim of yoga and meditation is to unite the mind and body, promoting relaxation and inner peace. The Form 6 children have benefited from learning about yoga and meditation in the context of Buddhism. Taking part in yoga sessions has helped them develop mindfulness, concentration and emotional regulation skills.
In science this week, the children learnt about how the yeast we used last week in our bread rolls, caused the dough to rise.To start, they set up yeast and sugar solution at different temperatures and then used balloons to capture the carbon dioxide produced from the yeast respiring. Form 6 learnt that if the yeast gets too hot it is killed and so no carbon dioxide is produced. However, cooling yeast does not kill it and if the yeast is later warmed up, it will still respire.
They were also shown two tests to prove that the gas really was carbon dioxide. Firstly, it floated down to a candle and extinguished the flame. Secondly, when it was bubbled through lime water, the clear lime water turned cloudy.
In their music lessons, Form 6 has been composing their own music to a clip from a Mickey Mouse Cartoon. They planned their work using a storyboard and worked in small ensembles to create their music.
