This week we have continued our work on materials for Science. We discussed the properties of materials, and what it means for something to be buoyant. We then conducted an experiment, and predicted and tested if classroom objects would float or sink. This helped us to design and then make our boats out of recycled materials. After we made our boats we tested them on the water to see if they were buoyant enough to stay afloat. 

​We had a great afternoon trip to St Katherine’s Dock where we looked at the different types of boats that were moored there. We did some observational drawings of the boats and recorded the different materials that they were made from. We walked passed a very old ship that looked like the pirate ship from our current story we have been learning in English – Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs. It even had treasure chests on it!

​We had a great time participating in sports day this week. We took part in competing in javelin, basketball, standing long jump, minefield, penalty shootout, target throw, obstacle course, football dribble and then finally sprints and relay. 

This week we also had our scooter training and learnt lots about how we can stay safe travelling around on our scooters. ​

​We have been very busy in Year 2 this week! We began Maths and Science week with a Science trip to The National History Museum, and had a great time looking at all of the animals and artefacts. We watched a show about the ocean, we even took a submarine to explore the depths of the sea!
On Wednesday, we dressed up as mathematicians and scientists, celebrating the amazing inventions and knowledge that inspires us.
For Maths, we looked at inflation and how the price of our food products are rising. We used our calculation strategies for subtraction to work out how the prices have changed.
We also investigated Maths within nature. We collected fallen leaves and discussed ways that we could classify them. We decided to sort them into categories based on size, shape and colour. Then we took rubbings and measured the size of leaves in centimetres.
For Science, we searched the school grounds to identify the different materials things are made from. We noticed that there was more plastic and metal than other materials such as wood and brick, we decided this was because these materials are more durable. 

​For our prior knowledge the children named all the different kinds of weather that they knew. 
We then thought about what climate meant and defined it as being a measurement of weather over a longer period of time.  We looked at some different kinds of climates from around the world and thought about the weather.  We found out that around the world, climates are changing because of pollution, in particular, air pollution.  We discussed that the smoke and dirty air from our cars and factories is changing the way the weather behaves in different parts of the world. When there is too much pollution, the Earth becomes warmer, as if it has a big blanket around it. The Earth becoming warmer makes the weather around the world change from its normal climate. This is called climate change.
In groups we then looked at pictures of different climates from around the world and thought about how the weather has changed the environment in some way. We moved around to each picture and answered the questions what would happen if it got warmer/colder/there mas more rain and snow/less rain and snow and would it survive an extreme storm.
We then shared the ideas we recorded for each picture.

​This week we have introduced our new book – The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers.
The Night Gardener creates animal shapes from the natural forms of trees. 
As a hook to the book we went cloud watching.  The children spent time quietly lying on their backs observing the clouds.  We looked for shapes within shapes and patterns within the clouds.  We selected a cloud and drew what we could see.  We then thought about what shapes/picture we could visualise in the clouds and answered the questions what it is doing? and where it is going?

In maths we have been looking at measures.  We have been using a ruler to measure in centimetres.  We learnt that you have to remember to line up the item at 0 when measuring and read measurement where the object ends.  We then moved on to measuring in metres.  We learnt what we had to do to help us measure objects that are as longer than a ruler and a metre.  We know that 100cm is equivalent to 1 metre.

​This week during science we have been looking at lifecycles.  The children studied the posters that we have in school and then back in class they drew their own life cycle.

​Telling the time is an important skill in everyday life, but it can be tricky to learn. For the last 2 weeks in Year 2 we have been using the clocks to help us learn to tell the time.  We have learnt o’clock, half past, quarter past and to.  We have also learnt to tell the time to the nearest 5 minutes.  The children are now becoming really proficient in letting me know how many more minutes we have left until play time, lunch time and home time.