The display of their work titled Our hands may be little but they can do BIG THINGS really means something to them all.  Our walk around the school with their clipboards and tick lists looking for different items made of a variety of materials has given them a real hands on experience. It has helped them become much more aware of their immediate surroundings as well as giving them the opportunity to consider and understand the properties of different materials.

Why isn’t a drainpipe made from cardboard? Questions such as this led to lots of thinking and some great explanations. The fun of tapping drain pipes, fences and doors helped the children realise the different sounds that plastic, metal and wood make. Finding smooth and rough stones also helped their understanding, as well as improved their vocabulary as they described the differences. All of these experiences have been a great preparation for our more in-depth work on how to reduce, reuse and recycle different materials. 

Preparations for Backwards Day have been taking place with the children carefully decorating wooden masks to look like themselves by using felt tips and wool for their hair, which was another opportunity for materials to be discussed. 

Our maths work this week has centered around 3D shapes and the children have loved making cones, cylinders and pyramids - almost totally by themselves! Once shown the net of each shape, they then had to work out what 3D shape could be made from each net. It was wonderful to hear them coming up with ideas and explaining their reasoning.  By actually seeing the net and then making the shapes, they gained real insight into their various properties.  I was delighted that they applied their knowledge and started making their own 3D shapes during their play.