London Bridge, erupting volcanoes and the cane!

The Rabbits have been extremely busy this week!  Not only are they rehearsing for the Nativity performance, they have also been learning all about 3D shapes and in ICT they have been improving their mouse control creating their very own London Bridge.

The Dragonflies had a very exciting start to their week, they visited the cinema with year 3 to watch Finding Dory, the children had  a wonderful time.  They have also been exploring volcanoes and will be researching their very own to create a special fact file.

The Otters have made a start to their new topic Crime and Punishment.  They have been learning about life in Victorian schools and what happens if the children were naughty, eek!  There was a delicious smell coming from their classroom this week too, they'd made pineapple upside down cake!

 

Get your Pyjamas on for Pudsey!

The Rabbits have been exploring their topic of the Fire of London.  They have been baking bread and have used their ICT skills to recreate how they think it must have been in the blaze.

The Dragonflies have been delving deeper and deeper underground!  They have been analysing different rocks, learning the different layers of the Earth and even conducted a Volcano experiment!

The Otters have made a start on their Crime and Punishment topic and are really keen to learn more!  They have taken their Space satellites home and even went to the Cinema on Wednesday to watch "Capture the flag."  They had a great time and came back bursting with things to tell us!

























Today we are raising money for Children in Need!  The children are wearing their pyjamas and look fantastic!

New topics, performances and delicious Pumpkin recipes!

The Rabbits have made a super start to this half term, they are moving on to their new topic “The Great Fire of London!”  They have already started to learn about how the fire started and are looking forward to finding out more!

The Dragonflies have also made an exciting start to this half term.  They are working hard to perfect their Diwali Assembly that they are performing with Year 3 and have been evaluating crumble in their cooking.  They will soon be starting their new topic “Going Underground!”

The Otters have also been busy with their cooking!  They have been learning about the different ways you can use Pumpkin, they made a delicious soup and the children were very eager to tell Mrs Robinson how delicious it was!

The Riverbank would also like to wish everyone a Happy Diwali.

Creepy Crawlies, The Twits and delicious jam tarts!

The Rabbits have started their new topic about Creepy Crawlies, they've really reading "Superworm!" too.  The children have started making a Creepy Crawly fact file and have even been on a hunt to see what creatures they can find!

The Dragonflies have been working their socks off in Numeracy and have been learning their number bonds to 10!  They have planted seeds and will be testing environments to see where plants grow the best.  The Dragonflies have also read "The Twits" and have listened wonderfully!







The Otters have continued to explore the Indus Valley, and this week their focus was on the houses and living conditions.  In Literacy they have been learning about homophones and they really enjoyed their blind taste test of jams to help them design their very own tart.

What a sporty week!

Its the final week of preparations for the Rabbits!  Their scenery is completed, costumes ready and their lines are polished.  The children are really looking forward to their performance on Monday!

The Dragonflies have been working on their athletic skills in time for sports day!  This week the children were practising javelin.  They have also been working on creating their very own acrostic poems.

The Otters have also been practising for their sports day too!  They have also been learning about Jewish celebrations in RE.  They have been making choices for creating their own salad.

The barefoot trail!

What a wet and rainy week, luckily the weather certainly hasn't dampened the spirits of the Riverbank!  We have had an action packed week, read on to find out more...

The Rabbits are preparing for their play, they have been creating beautiful props and the children have been transformed into their characters!  In Numeracy the Rabbits have been learning about 3D shapes.

The Dragonflies have been following up their wonderful Castle trip by making their very own plasticine Turrets.  They joined year 2 to work on their sculpting skills.  The children had a super afternoon and really enjoyed using the tools to add lots of detail.

The Otters have started their new topic about the Indus Valley, which is located on the border between India and Pakistan.  In Numeracy they have been learning to make a arrays and they have also been conducting exciting Science experiments too!

On Thursday 16th June, all the children in Brookside took part in the "Barefoot trail."  The children were raising money and were asking their friends and families to sponsor them.  The Riverbank were eager to get stuck in (literally), we had a fantastic time squelching and squishing through lots of different textures whilst raising lots of money!

International Week 2016

It's that time of year again, Brookside School have been gallivanting off around the world exploring different countries and learning about what life is like somewhere else.  As I'm sure you would expect, the Riverbank have really enjoyed their travels, read on to find out where they have been!

The Rabbits and year 1 have been learning about Spain and took part in lots of Spanish activities.  It has been a very busy week for the Rabbits as not only have they been on a Spanish adventure, they have also been learning lines and making costumes for their 'Room on a Broom' play.  Miss Dixon says "Please practise your lines with your child at home.'





The Dragonflies have also had an exciting week!  They joined year 2 to learn about Mexico. They really enjoyed recreating their own Mayan art, comparing English and Mexican life, making a Mexican flag, using an atlas to find where Mexico is, learning a Mexican song and also learning about the "Day of the Dead" festival.  If that wasn't enough, they also visited Warwick Castle!  The children had a wonderful day and even got to go down to the Dungeons and see what life was really like all those years ago.



The Otters have also been exploring a Spanish speaking country!  They joined with year 4 to learn about Brazil.  They took part in Brazilian drumming and have made stunning carnival masks.

Story mountains and a puppet theatre!

This week the Rabbits have been getting theatrical!  They have made their very own puppet theatre for them to act out the story.  In Numeracy the children have been identifying 2D shapes and thinking about the properties of the shapes.

The Dragonflies have been writing their own version of the "Three Little Pigs."  Following on from last week where the children used a story mountain to develop their ideas, this week they have been developing their characters even further and have been adding dialogue to their story.

The Otters have also been using a story mountain to develop their stories too!  The Otters have been travelling around school measuring objects using metre sticks.

Everyone in the Riverbank wishes you a super half term!

Unicef Day for change

The Rabbits have "bean" having a lot of fun this week!  They have been practising hard for their innovative version of Jack and the Beanstalk that they will be performing today!  Not only that, but they made giant chocolate cakes and have keeping a watchful eye on their plants that they planted last week.  So far so good!




The Dragonflies have also been looking at plants, and have been making a collage of a plant and it's features.  They aren't quite finished yet so check back next week to see what they look like.  The Dragonflies have been working extremely hard in maths and have been finding one more and one less using lots of different methods.  This week in cooking the Dragonflies made ginger bread biscuits and chose different templates for dough.  They will be repeating the recipe in 2 weeks but will be making their very own gingerbread shield that they will decorate.

The Otters have been delving further into the Rainforest this week!  In Literacy they have been reading "Stanley saves the Rainforest" by Tony Frais.  The Otters have also been investigating the function of the plant parts.

Today the whole school have gathered for a special assembly to learn about the work of UNICEF.  Mrs Shergill set the children a challenge to collect as much loose change as they can to raise money for this important cause.  The children of Brookside have risen to the challenge and we are all looking forward to finding out how much money was raised.

The Riverbank are going green!

This week the Rabbits have really enjoyed creating their Jack and the Beanstalk display, but that's not the only plant fun that they've had!  They have begun their investigation into what are the best conditions for cress to grow.  Stay tuned to see what they find out!

The Dragonflies have also been exploring plants!  They have identified the names and functions of the different parts of a plant.  The Dragonflies have also been getting artistic, last week they decided where they wanted to build their castle this week they have painted their very own castle and designed their own flags.

The Otters have also been learning about plants!  But not just any plants, plants in the Rainforest!  They have been exploring the different layers of the Rainforest and also what creatures you may find in each one.

A bean growing competition, a visit to the Mosque and an amazing performance!

Yet another busy week for the children in the Riverbank.

The Rabbits have been role playing one of their favourite stories "Jack and the Beanstalk," they have enjoyed it so much that they have challenged the whole of year 1 to a green bean growing competition!  We will check back in a few weeks time to see who has been able to grow the tallest, most healthiest green bean.  Let's hope there is no grumpy giant at the top!

The Dragonflies have been getting out and about visiting the local Mosque in Oadby.  As part of their RE topic this half term the children are learning about the special Muslim pilgrimage to the Hajj.  What better way to further their learning by visiting the Mosque.  The children learnt a lot about what Muslims believe, how and why they prey and why the Hajj is such an important journey.  The children have also been using a story to analyse a character.  They have been analysing the big bad wolf and also the little pig who made his house out of brick.


A super exciting week the for Otters!  This week they were able to showcase their acting and singing talents in their Great Green Adventure performance.  The Otters and the year 4s did a wonderful job highlighting the importance of being greener and how we can all do our bit to help the planet.  The Otters have also been making Rainforest cookies in their cooking lesson.

Vaisakhi celebrations, a visit to Parliament and lots of super learning!

The Rabbits have had a very busy week!  After learning all about Lady Jane Grey last week, they have moved their attention to Jack and The Beanstalk!  The Rabbits have been thinking about the characters and have been giving their opinions.  The Rabbits have also been out and about making observations of the plants that are found in their local environment.  They have also been learning to take photographs and have really enjoyed using their garden centre role play.



The Dragonflies have been learning about Castles and how people would try to defend and attack them!  They have been given the tricky task of deciding where they would have built their own castle so they have been getting their maps out to locate the countries found in the British Isles.  Now they know the countries, they are keen to explore the landscape so they can make a decision.







The Otters have been dividing in Numeracy and have been using connectives to improve their writing.  They have also made a super start to their topic "The Rainforest."

The Riverbank representative for the school council also went to visit the Houses of Parliament this week!  A great day was had by all, and when asked about the trip she said it was "Awesome!"

Today is our Vaisakhi celebration day, we have been treated to a special assembly from year 5 and rhe children are very much looking forward to learning more about it throughout the day.  A huge thank you to parents who have donated party food for our special day.

Summer term has begun

What a splendid start to the Summer term!

The Rabbits have been looking at the life of Lady Jane Grey.  They have been finding out facts about her and looking at where she lived in Leicester.  They have also been painting the ruins from Bradgate Park and even painted portraits of Lady Jane Grey.  Miss Dixon recommends a visit to Bradgate Park!

The Dragonflies have been very busy this week!  They have made a great start to their Castles topic, they have identified the main features of a Castle and had a sneak peek at what life was like back in medieval times!  In Literacy they have been looking at traditional tales…with a twist!

The Otters have been finishing off their Romans topic this week and have also been practising very hard for their performance of Great Green Adventure.  They are working alongside year 4 and are very much looking forward to the show.

Giant food collages, John Neito inspired art and a traditional Roman recipe!

This week the Rabbits have created their very own giant collages using healthy foods!  That's not the only food-related thing they have been doing.  After working on their cooking skills, the children made a sandwich completely independently!  *Bread experiment update!*  Look at what the bread that has been touched is doing now...

The Dragonflies have been getting arty this week!  After looking at the beautiful artwork created by the artist John Neito, the Dragonflies created their own piece in the style of his work.  They worked carefully to choose colours that they thought blended well together.  The Dragonflies are also getting excited about performing the Easter assembly with the year 2s.

The Otters have been getting to grips with fractions in Numeracy, and in their cooking they used a traditional Roman recipe to make Libum cheesecake.