The children started the week learning about the story of the first Thanksgiving that celebrated the wonderful harvest that came about through the collaboration between the Native American people and the Pilgrims. Through videos and stories the children learnt about the journey the Pilgrims took from England and how they found it hard to grow food successfully when they arrived in America. We thought about how kind the indigenous people were to help the Pilgrims and how important teamwork is. The children then sequenced the story of the first thanksgiving and made their own little books to retell the story. The children then wrote what they were thankful for.

On Tuesday, the children learnt more about the beliefs and traditions of the Native American people and learnt how to make natural dyes using fruits and vegetables. Blueberries, onions, carrots and rocket were all chopped and mashed to extract the juices. The children then put a square of white cotton in whichever one they wanted to try. After a few days of soaking in the vegetables and fruit it was exciting to remove the fabric and see what had happened. The children were really pleased with the results as they were left with beautiful purple, orange, yellow and green fabric.

The children have really enjoyed our Thanksgiving roleplay this week and have been setting the table, making Thanksgiving dinner and sharing the food and drinks. The children decided to have their snack in the roleplay which has been lots of fun! Whilst sat at the table we each took it in turns to say what we are thankful for. The children were thankful for their families, pets, their friends and teachers.

Form 1 have been getting creative and made some necklaces using beads and feathers in the style of Native American jewellery. The children drew around a cone to create a circle and then cut it out and threaded it onto some wool. They then carefully threaded some beads onto either side and added feathers and tribal symbols to show strength, bravery, protection or power.

In maths, we have continued to learn about subtraction, but this week we have been jumping back along a number line to find the answer. This is a tricky concept, but the children have mastered it really well and after some real practice at jumping back along a number line we made on the carpet, the children were ready to have a go in their maths books. The children used this method alongside checking on their fingers and crossing through the pictures.

Linking to the journey the pilgrims took, the children were challenged to build their own boats using recycled materials. The children experimented with the shape of their boats and thought about different materials properties. Some children thought plastic would be best because it was waterproof and others felt a big sail was important. Once we had a collection of boats, we went to the pond to test them out! It was fun launching our boats and then blowing them across the water to see how well they sailed. We took masking tape, lollipop sticks and scissors along for repairs and adjustments. Some children found their boats toppled over, so they were cut down to help them become more stable. Some children added more tape and lolly sticks to help them balance and some removed their sails to stop their boats from tipping to one side. Great problem solving Form 1!