Storytime

Hargreaves class enjoy a good story. We, along with Potter and Butterworth, have used books as part of our Literacy lessons, such as That Rabbit belongs to Emily Brown and The Pirates Next Door and, of course, we have an end of the day story.

Recently our class book was The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. The children have been mesmerised by it and have never got ready for home quite so quickly, they just could not wait for the daily chapter! In fact some simply could not wait and asked their parents to buy it so that they could carry on reading at home!

On Tuesday we read the final chapter and the children asked if we could tell you about their favourite parts on the blog, so here we go..

Martha, Chloe and Olivia's favourite character was the saucepan man, Kirsten-Eve thought that the walking clock was the best character and Oscar, quite to the dismay of many in the class, thought it was Dame Snap!

Lyra, Tilly, Gracie, Charlotte and Grace enjoyed the bear chapters the best, whereas Esme was on Oscar's wavelength and enjoyed the school chapters!

Alice, Hannah, Alfie, Chloe, Dylan, Freddie, Jake, Naomi, Dainius and Rory all enjoyed different aspects of the birthday land.

Dexter and Kyler loved the adventure with the plane and the lost island and everyone else (Heath, Malacki, Kobe, Alice, Poppy and Isabella) enjoyed the children finding the tree for the first time and all the magical creatures they met.

It is a book that has totally captured their imaginations and sparked much excitement and all of Hargreaves class recommend you read it. They would also like to know what your favourite book is.

Golden Time

It's fun getting to choose your golden time from a variety of options. In these past three weeks some of them included rounders, football and playing on the apparatus as outside options and bingo, felt cushion making and self portrait drawing as inside options. We have had fun doing one of these activities for three weeks and can't wait to choose another fun activity after half term!

Written by a member of Year 6.

Tolkien class - clay pots

Here are the end results...

Don't they look great?

Practical maths

As part of their learning Year 1 enjoy practical activities. This week Hargreaves have been learning about capacity. Today, we decided to combined this new knowledge with the weighing skills they gained before Christmas and we made pancakes! 

A fun way to show our measuring skills

Esme - We had to gently pour the milk into the jug to make sure we did not use too much milk. We had a scale on the jug.

Chloe - We carefully weighed the flour to get the right amount and not too much.

Heath - We had to stir it carefully so that it did not come out of the bowl, because if it did there would not be enough mixture to make the pancakes.

Lyra and Kobe said they both enjoyed eating the tasty pancakes and that there was just the right amount to fill a 5 (and 6) year old tummy up!

Ks2 House Netball tournament

This afternoon we had a lovely time, enjoying the weather, at our annual House Netball tournament.  Everyone who played showed great teamwork and competitiveness whilst the supporters showed respect throughout all games.  Unfortunately the games ran over on time and so we are yet to announce the winners; more to follow on this.  Thank you to our sports committee for organising this event. 

Horowitz Clay pots

In Years 5 and 6 we have been making clay coil pots, decorated with a space theme to fit our current space topic.  We carefully followed the instructions, making coils and using a scoring technique to join them together. Then we smoothed the sides and decorated them with a space theme. Today we painted our pots.

 

We are really pleased with our final pots. 

Golden time - Music

Every Friday afternoon the children are able to claim their 'Golden time' minutes. During this time the children may select from the large range of activities offered by the staff. These can be indoors, outdoors, noisy, quiet, active or still. There is something to suit all tastes.
 

Over the past few weeks several of the Reception and Year 1 pupils have opted for music and have enjoyed investigating a range of instruments.


A - I like using the new instruments, they make a good noise.
M - The bells are really loud.
C - You have to scrape this one, I have done it before.
O - I like wooden noises.
F - The metal triangle is tinging.


We all enjoyed composing short phrases to play to each other and attempting to copy each rhythm.


Check the blog next week to find out about another activity! 

Cuffley Camp - children's feedback

We asked the children what they thought of their trip to Cuffley Camp.  Here are some of their comments:

Molly - I think Cuffley Camp was really fun.  I also liked the team games and the orienteering.

Billy - It was fun!

Ellen - I thought it was fun and interesting.  Everyone worked well as a team.

Jeevan - It was fun when we did the "up and over."

Sophie - It rained a lot but that made it more fun because we got really muddy.

Finlay - It was a great day out.  We had so much fun and I wish we could go again.

Jasmine - I enjoyed the orienteering because it was fun using a map.

Hayden - It was very muddy when we had to go under the log and through water.  It was fun.

I think they enjoyed it!

Kingswood Day 4

Our last full day at Kingswood has been a big success.

We started the day with Abseiling where we went down the wall in pairs. This was followed by Laser Tag and Quad Bikes. During the Quad Bike session all the children had to complete a mini driving test before being let loose on their own. Luckily everyone passed by demonstrating their great control and steering.

All three Christchurch teams worked together during orienteering. We worked in mini teams to hunt for the checkpoints around Kingswood and race back to base to swap the code for instructions from the leaders. 

This afternoon the children have been completing the Low Ropes Course and tried Bouldering. For both of these the children needed lots of good balance, strength and coordination. It was great to see everyone encouraging their friends again throughout the activities. 

Henry – I have really enjoyed Quad Biking and Abseiling. Abseiling was so fun because you are scared at the beginning but then you do it and it makes you feel really good.

Izzy – I liked the Leap of Faith when I jumped from the platform onto the trapeze.

Opeyemi – I liked the Zipwire best, going down it was so fun.

Scott – I’m looking forward to Laser Tag, I think I will really like it. My favourite so far is the Zipwire probably.

Tonight's entertainment was karaoke. Lots of enthusiastic singing took place, and even Miss Wake tried to join in. The girls finished the night off with an amazing rendition of Girls Just Want To Have Fun. We thought this summed up our week well as everyone has certainly had a fantastic time and had lots of fun.  

We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow and telling you the rest of our adventures. 

Cuffley Camp photos

Sorry for the delay.  Here are the photos from yesterday's trip.  As you can see, the children had lots of fun.

Day 3 Continued

 Our fun has continued this afternoon.

Some of us got our helmets and head torches ready for a session underground. We enjoyed getting muddy and learning how our eyes adjust in the dark.

Mrs Devine and Miss Vidler had lots of fun in the Nightline challenge, by adding a few surprises as the children made their way around the course. Fingers crossed the children do not try to get revenge on the teachers later on!

Another group were busy working hard as a team to cross the wooden planks without falling off, climb the wall and balance the seesaw. Miss Wake enjoyed watching the children overcome the challenges and help each other through.

 

All the children (and the teachers) had a fantastic time on the zip wire this afternoon. We helped each other into our harnesses, practiced using the carabiners and climbed the 4 flights of stairs to the top of the tower. Everyone took the brave step off the edge and enjoyed waving to their friends as they whizzed past.

We finished our night with a disco. The children all looked very smart and had a lovely evening dancing with friends, smiling, joking and laughing together. What a fantastic end to another wonderful day!

Cuffley Camp - year 5 trip

The year 6s were not the only ones getting wet today!  Year 5, with a handful of year 6s, braved the rain at Cuffley Camp.  They carried out a range of activities including a very muddy obstacle course, orienteering and problem solving games in teams.  Many children overcame their fears by crawling through some extremely small spaces and a great time was had by all.  They worked hard to succeed in all challenges and we were very proud of them all.  Photos to follow shortly...

Day 3

The rain has not stopped us having lots of fun so far. 

The Team Tech challenge from this morning had all the children working in Dragon's Den teams to create something that could hold 10 shoes off the ground. Then we had to create a product and pitch it to the teachers. The winning entry was a shoe/bag/bottle holder. Everyone had to have a role in the team and we saw enthusiastic designers, engineers, presenters and leaders.

We managed to avoid the rain for our Night Line session. This involved lots of giggling, bumping into each other and peeking under blindfolds. The teachers had a secret mission to get the children wet without them knowing it was them. I think we succeeded. 

Isabella – I liked all the activities and learning new things like learning to put all the gear of for Leap of Faith and trusting people.

Sam – Maybe the Leap of Faith was the best and Den Building. I really encouraged everyone and it wasn’t too scary.

Oliver – The Leap of Faith was really high, that was my favourite.

Ruby – I’m looking forward to the disco and which music they will play. I really like Kingswood, it is the best.

Albi – I can’t wait to do go-karts for the drifting and steering.

Natasha – I like having lots of fun with my friends.

Harley – So far I have really liked Aeroball, jumping and shooting in the goals.

Tommy – I liked caving. We went in a trench and learnt about World War 2, it was good. I can’t wait for go-karts.

Sophie – I liked the Archery and Aeroball, you get to be on a team and bounce and play with the ball. 

We are now off to enjoy an afternoon of Zip Wire, Mission Maker 2, Den Building and Team Challenge. Lots of excited children are raring and ready to go. 

Bottle Rockets

After carefully building our rockets and preparing for launch we took them outside and waited in the viewing area. We all enjoyed counting down and waiting in anticipation to see whose rocket would fly the furthest. The funniest was the one that whizzed in a circle on the floor, it was named 'The Best Rocket Ever'. 

Day 2

A few more of our adventures from day 2. 

Everyone has enjoyed Mission Maker. After completing their own games children were able to test each others. We enjoyed all the different mazes and levels created in each game.

We tested our den building skills in the woods overlooking the sea. Children used whatever they could find, worked together as a team and created a hidden hideout.

More team skills were needed in the Team Challenge session. The children couldn't complete the course unless they worked together. We saw fantastic communication, problem solving and team spirit. Well done year 6.

Kingswood Day 2

Another exciting and active day at Kingswood is coming to an end.

One of the favourite activities today was the leap of faith. All the children gave it a go, were incredibly brave and showed great support for their friends. Well done to everyone you made us very proud.

We have also enjoyed team games on the field, caving in an underground bunker and the Mission Maker task where children designed and played their own computer games. 

Another of the favourite activities today was the archery session, where children practiced their skills and had a friendly competition. During the competition everyone managed to improve their score and said how much they enjoyed using the bow and arrows. 

After dinner we were all very excited to build our own bottle rockets. Working in teams we made our rockets, took them outside to fill with water and watched them launch. The designs were so great several rockets disappeared over the building, one into the top of the tree and another was sturdy enough to protect the water balloon it was carrying. 

The children have also been enjoyed choosing items in the gift shop today. It is lovely to see them picking gifts for family and items to share with their friends. All the children are having a wonderful time, enjoying new activities and making us very proud.

We have arrived and have had a fantastic first day at Kingswood.

First we enjoyed a sunny picnic lunch on the beach followed by paddling in the sea, pebble sculptures, sandcastles and even a spot of sunbathing.  We didn’t want to leave.

Next we found our rooms, unpacked and made our beds. Some people made a bed for the first time. Everyone did a great job.

This evening we have played outside games on the field, some of us have been fencing, been go-Karting and have been den building. Unfortunately the den wasn’t quite water proof and people got wet!

After dinner it was time for Bingo. Miss Wake has never heard a bingo hall so buzzing with excitement. Then it was time for hot chocolate and bed.

We have all had an amazing fun filled first day and look forward to telling you about more of our adventures tomorrow.

Ronja – I enjoyed the go-karting and not bumping into anything.

Isabel  D – It was really fun when they poured water on us in the dens. It wasn’t that waterproof though.

Amy – I loved going to the beach most.

Charlotte – I liked the go-karting because it was like driving my own car.

Maeva – I am looking forward to staying up late and having fun with all my friends.

Isobel H – I liked jabbing someone in the chest in fencing!

M A – I liked dinner because it was funny and we were allowed outside.

Weather watching

Last week, in KS1, a member of the Met Office came to visit. He talked to us about the weather and then he spent time in each of the three classes helping the children to make a tornado in a bottle. Everyone enjoyed his visit.

Kingswood 2016

The coach has left and the adventure has begun!

PSA Rummage sale

The Rummage sale and vintage tearoom is now underway.

Come on down and grab a bargain or enjoy a slice of cake.

Rocket seeds

Have have you heard about the space seeds project? We have and we are taking part! 

Hargreaves class have planted the seeds and are caring for them, whilst Horowitz class are visiting, once a week, to take measurements and collect the data.

We will update you when we have bigger plants and have found out the final results.