Friday 26th April 2024 - Fab Science

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All the school embarked on some amazing scientific explorations that left us in awe and wonder with Fab Science who ran workshops for all the classes.

We delved into the fascinating world of air pressure and its amazing effects. Did you know that air pressure can change the size of marshmallows? It's true! We witnessed this phenomenon first hand.

But that's not all! We also discovered how air pressure can force an egg into a flask and then expel it. It was an egg-citing experiment that had us on the edge of our seats. Who knew that air could be so powerful?

Next, we turned our attention to the wonders of aerodynamics. We learned how a large ball can defy gravity and stay up in the air with the right techniques.

And the grand finale was a rocket launch across the field! The anticipation was palpable as we counted down to lift off. And when the rocket soared into the sky, leaving behind a trail of excitement and awe.

The children had an absolutely fantastic time, and there were countless "wow" moments throughout our scientific journey. It's moments like these that remind us of the magic of learning and the endless possibilities that await us when we explore the world around us. "It was the best science lesson ever!" Y5 child. “She said science was cooler than magic and I think she is right. “ Y1 child.

11th – 15th March 2024 - Science Week

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Reception 

First, Reception planted cress seeds, which grow quickly, and corn lily and iris bulbs which take longer to grow. We watched time lapse films and talked about which parts of the cress they could see each day as they grew. Reception are looking forward to making cress sandwiches next week. 

On Tuesday, Reception investigated melting. The children predicted what would work the best to make an ice cube melt the quickest: heat, cold, salt, sugar or water. They each chose what to use and we checked on the ice throughout the afternoon. One child chose to hold his ice for a while and the rest of the children were surprised when his ice cube melted before those that were wrapped in Mrs Leviton's scarf. Reception were also amazed at how the salt and sugar made the surface of the ice go bumpy as it melted. 

On Friday, at the Animal Encounter, the children met a bearded dragon called Hagrid, a millipede called Tsunami, a small python called Miso and a rabbit. Mrs Keseru came in to talk to the children about her career as a vet. The children asked lots of questions and watched how to tie a bandage on a (toy) dogs leg. Reception enjoyed taking on the role for themselves later in the Vet's role play area. 

Year 1 

Year 1 have been learning about Mary Anning. The children found her fossil hunting fascinating. They created fact files showcasing all the new information they have learned about her. 

Year 1 also carried out their own child led experiment, focussing on how to make a paper helicopter spin faster. Some children thought that if you added a weight at the bottom if would change the speed, or they made the wings shorter thinking that may impact how the helicopters function. The children worked well in small groups, recording their experiment and drawing conclusions. 

On Thursday, Year 1 had an exciting visit from a dental nurse, Mrs Young. She told us all about her job, which tools she uses and how important it is to look after your teeth. The children had lots of questions about how baby teeth grow and fall out. Mrs young taught us how we should be brushing our teeth, how to use a toothbrush effectively and when we should brush. She gave each child a four week chart to track their toothbrushing habits. 

On Friday, Year 1 had an exciting animal encounter. We were introduced to a snake, cockroach, rabbit and millipede. The expert told us about the different living conditions these animals are normally found in, their diets and interesting information. Lots of the children bravely held out their hands to hold the different animals. 

Year 2 

Year 2 had a great week and enjoyed building their gliders as part of science week. They worked in teams and then tested their gliders in the hall. 

Year 2 also had an animal encounter experience where they were able to get very close to different animals. They could touch them if they wanted to and ask questions. The children learnt some facts about where they lived in their natural environment, what they ate and what else they needed to grow and be healthy. The millipede had lots of legs and Freya thought it felt 'tickly' when it walked on her hand. Violet said the bearded dragon was 'bumpy' to touch.

Year 3 

This week in Year 3 we have been celebrating Science week. The children have been looking at Science through different lens and have studied the Scientist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Jocelyn was noticed for studying Astrophysics and discovering pulsars left behind by a star, she is a Professor at Oxford university. The children wrote biographies on her life and found it quite fascinating how she fought for her place to study more technical subjects at school, as girls were only encouraged to study cookery and knitting back in the 60’s. The children also looked at plants and photosynthesis and they set up a child led enquiry where they planted seeds in different growing conditions. To see if seeds would still grow without water, light, heat and space. Lots of fun had by all and many children are showing an interest in science as a career as they realised anyone can be a scientist. 

 Year 4 

The children have had two visits from women in science; one from Takeley Smiles who came to the children and gave a tutorial on how to keep clean and healthy teeth and a visit from a Vet who shared with the children what it takes to be a vet and answered some of the children's questions on veterinary science.  

Alongside this, the children have been learning about Marie Maynard Daly and her influence on biochemistry.  

The children also conducted an experiment this week on tooth decay. They investigated how different drinks impacted the enamel. By placing egg shells in different liquids and recording their findings. 

Year 5 

As part of Science Week, Mrs Hogan talked to Owl Class about her job in aircraft engineering at Stansted Airport College. Mrs Hogan explained that engineers follow five steps in the Engineering Design Process - ask, imagine, plan, create and improve. We discussed how understanding forces is an important part of understanding how aircraft fly and when a glider is moving forwards its wings create an upwards force called lift. When lift overcomes the downwards force due to gravity, the glider will stay up. Mrs Hogan set the class a challenge to work in teams to design and make a glider. We then launched them to see which one was the most aerodynamic. all the teams worked well together to design a glider and had great fun testing them. There was a prize for the team whose glider flew the furthest and everyone felt proud of how well their glider had flown.  

Owl Class also learnt about a female scientist Libby Jackson who works for NASA  on the Space Station. She is responsible for organising different experiments and has worked closely with Tim Peake on his Primary Science Project. Puffin Class learnt about Mae Jemison who is an American astronaut and whose life example teaches young people to follow their dreams, no matter how great they seem.

Year 6 

This week we have been celebrating British Science Week.  In order to mark this, we had a fabulous visitor who was an Energy Surveyor.  He explained all about his job which involves creating sustainable buildings which use less energy.  Year 6 researched a British scientist, a space scientist called Maggie Aderin-Pocock and we planned and conducted an investigation into light and shadows.   

Monday 4th March 2024 - Year 2 Trip to Aerozone

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Y2 had a fabulous time learning all about Stansted Airport. They learnt all about its history and how it has grown over time. They found out about the jobs and who works there. They met ‘George’ the sniffer dog and Mark, Gary and the other firefighters who let us all have a go using the hose and ‘water blaster.’ The water shot out just like a rocket! We dressed up and became pilots, police officers and stewards. The STEM activities were great. These linked to forces and as we could try everything out. We got to see how air, friction and gravity work, making a vortex, flying balls and making an arched bridge with blocks.

Wednesday 28th February 2024 - Stem Ambassador

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On Wednesday 28^th February Amy a STEM Ambassador, who works for Arc a construction firm, came to our school and set us a ‘Go Construct K’nex Challenge’. Our challenge was to build a model bulldozer with a movable blade and a unique feature of our own invention. We worked together to first design and then construct our models. After an hour, we were judged on how successfully we fulfilled the design brief and on our teamwork. Everyone had built a bulldozer and some had even managed to get their blades to move too.  Sienna and Henry were chosen as the winners for Owl Class, as Amy was impressed with their cooperation during the task and the special feature of solar panels for their EV bulldozer. Sienna and Henry were awarded a medal and everyone was given a certificate for taking part. Their model will be entered into the regional final. “I feel like today’s challenge was hard but fun and it was also interesting to see what everyone else had made.” Oakley. “ I learnt about different mechanisms, when we made the blade, we made it so it moves.” Ivy and “I really enjoyed today’s activity because we got to try different ways to make it work and to make our structure stable.” Daisy-Mai. All the children had a brilliant morning and found the task challenging but fun.