World Book Day 2016!

What a wonderful week we have had!  Here at Brookside we have been fortunate enough to have not just one author come and visit us, but two!  Linda Chapman spoke with key stage 2 and the Otters, and Julia Jarmen spoke with key stage 1, the Rabbits and Dragonflies. On Thursday, all the children dressed as their favourite book character, it was a sight to behold and the children looked fantastic!

As well as meeting famous authors, the Rabbits have been also been learning about germs!  They have conducted an experiment using bread and will see how the bread will change over time.  one slice of bread has been touched by someone wearing gloves, one slice has been touched by someone who has washed their hands, and the third slice has been touched by unwashed hands.  We are all eager to see what will happen and will of course keep you posted on any developments!

The Dragonflies have been continuing with their fantastic Zoo recounts, they have so many things to say about their visit that they will soon be running out of space in their topic books to write about it all!  The children have been working especially hard in Numeracy and have been learning to count in 2s, 3s and 5s!  The Dragonflies designed their own questions for Julia Jarmen and really enjoyed hearing all about her life and her books, they even managed to have a photograph with her too!

The Otters really enjoyed listening to Linda Chapman, so much so that they were inspired to created their own story characters!  This week also saw the start of their rehearsals for their performance with year 4, "The Great Green Adventure."

Food glorious food, the Zoo and looking at the past!

Welcome back after a lovely half term break!

The Rabbits have started their new topic “Food glorious food!”  They have been thinking about healthy and non-healthy food and have been taste testing a variety of different things.  In Numeracy they have been identifying, sorting and matching coins and in Literacy they have been writing their own instructions.  They are currently working on making their own instruction booklet about how to make a cheese sandwich.

The Dragonflies have had an exceptionally exciting return!  They visited Twycross Zoo with year 2 and saw so many amazing creatures!  Penguins, Meerkats, Gorillas, Lemurs, Flamingos, Elephants, Giraffes…and so many more!  The Dragonflies were impeccably behaved and a good day was by all.

Have a look at some of the Dragonflies favourite photographs from their day...

 

The Otters have been historians this week and have been finding out about the past using different sources.  This will really help them with their exploration into their new topic “The Romans.”

Happy Chinese New Year 2016!

This week the Rabbits have been practicing for their “3 Little Pigs” role play, rehearsals have been going well and they are very excited for their performance!  The Rabbits have also been learning about hearing and have been on a listening walk, they even created their own big ears to help them.

The Dragonflies have been working exceptionally hard, particularly in Numeracy.  They have been using different techniques to help them solve subtraction and addition sums.  The Dragonflies have learnt how to “find the difference” when solving take away sums.  This is really tricky but the children have been super!  After learning about him, they have also enjoyed watching some of David Attenborough’s nature documentaries.  The Dragonflies are also excited to join the Owls and the Woodpeckers from year 2 to celebrate Chinese New Year!

The Otters have brought their chocolate topic to a close, but they are very much looking forward to learning about their next one…The Romans!  The Riverbank had the best attendance last week and were rewarded with Golden Time!, the children really enjoyed their milkshake party! 

3 Little Pigs, David Attenborough and a trip to Cadbury's world!

Last week, the Rabbits were getting to grips with the story of the 3 Little Pigs in preparation for their role play extravaganza this week!  The Rabbits have continued to explore their senses, last week they focused on smell and have been using their nose to smell things and match them to what they are.











The Dragonflies have been identifying the features of non-chronological texts and explanation texts.  They have made their own fact file about themselves and will be using their experience of non-chronological texts to make a fact file about Sir David Attenborough.








The Otters ventured to Cadbury's world last Wednesday!  They had a lovely time and have built on their already extensive chocolate knowledge.  They have also been working especially hard in Numeracy and have been improving their understanding of place value.

Goldilocks is in trouble...again!

Uh oh!  Goldilocks is in deep trouble for eating Baby Bear's porridge, let alone for breaking chairs and for messing up all the beds, not to worry, the Rabbits are here to save the day!  They received a special video from Daddy Bear asking for the help.  They have been helping the Bears by making "Wanted" posters to try and find out where Goldilocks has gone.   As well as helping the poor Bears, the Rabbits have also been completing independent art activities such as a cottage collage.

The Dragonflies have been animal detectives by investigating the different habitats on Earth, and why certain animals might choose to live there.  In Literacy, the Dragonflies have been identifying and sorting fiction and non-fiction books, and have been using the non-fiction books to find out more about the animals we have been learning about!







The Otters have been using their artistic skills by painting cocoa pods and have been looking at the features of explanation texts and writing their own!  The Otters are also very much looking forward to their trip to Cadbury's world!

Snowy days, greedy Goldilocks and Lira the Dog!

This week the Rabbits have been reading Goldilocks and the three bears, they have also been painting their favourite bear from a story.  The Rabbits have continued to explore the 5 senses, with their focus this week being on taste.  They had a tricky task to identify foods using taste only!

The Dragonflies have been lucky enough to attend a Dog’s Trust workshop with year 2 this week!  They met Sarah and her dog Lira.  Lira was so well behaved and the children learnt about what life is like for a dog.  Sarah also gave an assembly to all the children about how to be safe and smart around our 4-legged friends, especially those that you do not know.  The Dragonflies have also been looking at animal habitats and identifying what animals can be found where, and also why.

The Otters also enjoyed the visit from the Dog’s Trust and particularly enjoyed learning how to properly greet a dog.  As the temperature dropped and the snow came, the Otters explored their current topic further and had some hot chocolate to keep them warm, after all, their topic is…Chocolate!

A warm welcome to 2016!

The Rabbits have made an excellent start to the new year, not only have they received a letter from Julia Donaldson, but they have also welcomed a new member to their class!  They have started their new topic of "Give me 5!" where they are exploring the 5 senses.  This week they have focused on sight and have made eye shaped biscuits and built a tower...blindfolded!  In Numeracy, the Rabbits have been collecting data using tally charts.



The Dragonflies have made an exciting start to their new topic "Animal detectives!"  They have been thinking about what they want to know by recording their questions in a mind map and also thinking about how animals are special and the different ways we can group them.  Continuing our animal theme, the children have started to read "Giraffes can't dance" by the author Giles Andreae.  The Dragonflies will be reading more stories written by him in their Literacy lessons.



The Otters have a delicious topic to explore this half term...Chocolate!  In Literacy they have been identifying the key features of Explanation texts, and have been thinking how chocolate melts and the reasons behind it.  One thing's for sure, the Otters are very much looking forward to learning more!