But before we could do that, we needed to explore which materials would float and which would sink, so we set about testing a variety of objects and foods. We were so surprised to find out that even though they’re heavy, bananas can float! We weren’t sure about building a raft from bananas though and decided to use sticks instead! We put our wellies on and headed to the paddock to search for sticks the same width as our fingers. There was lots of careful measuring happening and before long, we had enough for our fleet of rafts. Back in the classroom, the children secured their sticks together before testing them out, with the goats, on the water. Thankfully for the goats, they all passed the test!

We had a very exciting morning on Tuesday visiting the Science Lab. The children looked at some of the key equipment used in the lab, including gas taps, test tubes and safety goggles, which we tried on, and thought made us look funny! The visit inspired us to carry out some experiments in our class, and make predictions about what might happen. We looked at the reaction between bicarbonate of soda and vinegar in our volcano experiment and observed the changes that happened in our walking water experiment. I was so impressed with the children’s critical thinking; I think we may have some future scientists in our class!

On Wednesday, we watched a presentation about animal habitats and learned about the special features that help them to live there. Afterwards, the children were challenged to create an animal of their own. Transition thought carefully about their creature’s features including size of ears and eyes, amount of legs, a long or short tail, and fur or feathers. Once they’d decided, we set out to collect natural items such as moss, sticks and leaves, to use for their animal. I loved seeing how unique each animal was, and hearing Transition talk so confidently about their choices.

During play, we have been making and exploring slime, whilst trying to decide if it’s a liquid or a solid. There was some disagreement over which one it was, but what we all agreed on was that slime is messy, but fun! We’ve also been using pipettes and coloured water, to explore what happens when we mix colours together. And in our home corner, we’ve had a team of vets on hand, using modern science, to help a dog who’d hurt his nose, a rabbit who had stopped moving and a kitten who wasn’t eating. You’ll be pleased to hear that all the animals made a full recovery, thanks to our brilliant (and very caring) veterinary team.

This week, the children were delighted to see that our beetroot seeds have started sprouting! It was easy to identify the beetroot because of their pink stems. It made us wonder what our courgette sprouts would look like when they start growing. Our worms have been busy too, and we’re starting to see the tunnels that they create under the ground and how good they are at recycling! We will continue to watch them for a few more weeks, before releasing them back to their spacious home outside.

Thursday was a very exciting day for Transition as it was our turn to lead the Pre-Prep Assembly. They acted out the story of a duck, who was determined to prove that he was good at something. After the story, each of the children shared something that they were good at. Myself and Mrs. Nelson felt incredibly proud of all the children for speaking so clearly and having the confidence to stand up in front of everyone. Well done everyone!