Lots of visitors!

Another busy week for the Riverbank children!

The Rabbits had a special visitor, Dixie the dog came to see the Rabbits and even took them on a walk.  In Numeracy the children used the Beebots to learn about position and direction.












The Dragonflies also had a visitor but he was not as fluffy as Dixie!  Sid the skeleton came to see the children.  The children could to see what bones look like and how they are arranged in our bodies.  The Dragonflies have been learning why our skeletons are important and imagining what we would look like without one!
















The Otters have made great progress with their "Magical Materials" topic by looking at the properties of wood, paper, rubber, plastic, to name just a few!

Fluffy, flat and farmer friends!

The Rabbits have been very lucky this week!  Their new topic is “Pets,” Mrs Worral brought in her Guinea pigs!  The children loved it and are looking forward to another furry friend coming to visit next week.  As part of their topic the children have started to read “My best friend, Bob” by Georgie Ripper.

   

The Dragonflies have made an enthusiastic start to the new summer term.  Their new topic is “Richard III,” this week they have started looking at bones.  The children were lucky enough to enjoy the sunshine in their PE lesson by joining year 3 and Mrs Kirby on the field to play Rounders.  The children displayed excellent team work skills and enjoyed learning the rules.  In Literacy the Dragonflies are learning about adventure stories and they are reading “Flat Stanley” by Jeff Brown.

The Otters have started their new topic “Marvellous Materials,” in cooking the children made Lassi and in Literacy they have started their author focus on Martin Waddell.  They have been enjoying reading his books and have even found some in our classroom!

Science Week 2015

Science week!

This week has been jam-packed with Science, investigations, discoveries and a Solar eclipse! 

The Rabbits joined Foundation for a trip to the Farm.  They had a wonderful time and saw some animals up close and personal.  Their animal adventures haven’t just stopped there, as part of Science week they have been learning about Jane Goodall, she is a chimpanzee expert and has been studying them for over 50 years, wow!

The Dragonflies have also been exploring famous Scientists. This half term we have been focusing on “Sound” so the Scientist the Dragonflies have been learning more about is Sir Alexander Graham Bell, he is famous for inventing the telephone.  The children found the development of the telephone fascinating, we can even play games on our mobile phones nowadays!

The Otters have been investigating Forces as part of their Science week activities, they have been having great fun exploring ways to push and pull! 

This morning all the children went out into the playground to experience the Solar eclipse.  The children all had a piece of card with a small hole in the middle.  You would expect that if the sun was shining through the hole, it would be round, however, the children saw an arc shape – the eclipse was happening right before their very eyes!  The children really enjoyed this special occasion.   

World book day 2015

The Rabbits have been learning about Spring, in particular, what signs to look out for to know when it is coming!  They have been making their own flowers and taking part in Spring walks.

On Tuesday, a professional theatre company came to perform a fantastic drama that explored relationships, decision making and friendships.  The Dragonflies and Otters joined the children from Key Stage 2 for this wonderful opportunity.  After the performance, the actors led a workshop that explored the various issues that arose from the play.  The children were encouraged to examine the actions of the characters and how they could have made better choices.  The performance offered a unique and exciting opportunity for the children to discover and develop their personal, emotional and social skills through the conventions of live drama.

On Wednesday, the author Rose Impey came to visit key stage 1 and the Dragonflies.  She spoke to the children about her story writing journey and how it all began.  The children were lucky enough to buy her books and even have them personally signed!  A series of books that Rose Impey has written is about ‘Pirate Patch,’ the following day was World Book day and the children in key stage 1 and the Dragonflies wore their best pirate costumes.  Foundation, Rabbits, Key Stage 2 and the Otters dressed up as a book character of their choice.  All the children made a fantastic effort and looked great!  At the end of the day, we had a surprise visit from the Twits.  Do they look familiar to you? 

The children in the Riverbank have also been experimenting with different painting techniques.  Blow painting, marble painting, finger painting, sponge painting…all sorts!  The children have really enjoyed learning about the different effect of each technique.

Chinese New Year 2015

What a great start to the second half of the spring term!  The Riverbank children have certainly been kept busy and today this afternoon they are celebrating Chinese New Year.

The Otters are continuing to learn about the Ancient Greeks, but they are also learning about their local environment.  They have been out and about taking pictures of the physical features of our school.

The Dragonflies have started their new topic and are learning about the Ancient Egyptians.  The children have been finding out where Egypt is on a map and have plenty of questions that they want to find out.  One thing is for sure, life is very different now!

The Rabbits have been experimenting with different painting styles.  The children have been splash painting, finger painting and sponge painting.  They have also made Chinese New Year puppets!

Next week we, like many other schools, with be celebrating World Book Day!

Dinosaur adventures and terrific teamwork!

The Rabbits are now onto their second week of learning about Dinosaurs.  They have created their own Dinosaur scene and have been learning songs to help them embed the facts.  Ask your child what they can tell you.

This week, the Dragonflies and Otters have teamed up to work together on partner art!  In their pairs, they have made collaborative collages and a picture using oil pastels.  The children have enjoyed using the different materials and they have certainly risen to the challenge by making beautiful pieces of art!  The best thing is they have made even better friendships and have displayed wonderful teamwork skills.  Well done Otters and Dragonflies!

Have a wonderful Half term break 

Get gas safe!

he Rabbits have started their Dinosaur topic. they have been very busy as they have been preparing for their Dinosaur assembly today!  They have been painting  pictures of Dinosaurs and have even made their very own movable T-Rex.  They have really enjoyed learning about what the Dinosaurs would have eaten and learnt what “herbivores” and “carnivores” mean.

The Dragonflies have been creating self-portraits in the style of Leonardo de Vinci by tracing over a picture of their face.  The drawings are very life like and the children were incredibly focused!  The Dragonflies have also been making wanted posters for a character of their choice from the story “Alex and the glass slipper.”  One Dragonfly has described the story to her Mum as a “boy version of Cinderella.”  The children are looking forward to sharing their posters with you next week.

The Otters joined year 5 to watch a special assembly about safety in the home.  It told the story of “The Perils,” a family who had moved into a new home and who were unaware of the dangers and hazards of household appliances and gas.   Click the link to find out more!

  https://www.getgassafe.org.uk/