We had an exciting morning today taking part in team challenges, we had so much fun.

In Science we have been learning about plants.  Today we have been talking about pollination and the different ways that plants can be pollinated.  We have made some seed bombs so that we can eventually put them in the school grounds and they can grow into wildflowers which will attract bees.  This will help with pollination.

Today in Computers we created our own Bee Bot map.  We decided on a theme for the map.  For example a playground or the beach.  We then drew pictures on some of the squares.  After we had done that we challenged each other to move from one place on the map to the other.  We used commands such as forwards, backwards, left and right.

DT - Completing a running stitch

Our DT unit this half term is a textile unit. By the end of the unit we hope to design and make our own pouch. We learned how to do a running stitch. We threaded the needle, practised the running stitch and tried to tie a knot. Great work, Year 2.

History - The Stone Age

Today, in our History lesson, we learned about our human ancestors being 'nomadic.'

We discovered that this was because they needed to travel around to gather and hunt for food. We sorted images into things that they would 'gather' and things that they would 'hunt.'

Sports Day

Year 2 had a wonderful morning for Sports Day...the sun was even shining! The children took part in a carousel of activities including the sprint and egg and spoon race, long jump, throwing, sack race and an obstacle course. A great and full-of-fun morning. Great work, Year 2!

Attendance Awards

A huge well done to our attendance superstars! These children have achieved 100% attendance for autumn/spring term...or even both! Well done boys and girls. We are very proud of you. Keep it up!

DT - Food Preparation

Our DT topic this half term is 'How do you make a healthy wrap?'

Today we learned different ways to prepare foods. We had a go at grating, chopping and snipping foods. Afterwards, we tasted a selection of foods that we will use in our wraps next week.  

Today we visited Leam Lane library.  We were very excited because we had not been for quite a long time.  We loved looking at the books and then deciding which books to choose. 

History - Why should we remember Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole?

In our History lessons we have been investigating 'Why should we remember Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole?

Today we learned more information about Mary Seacole. We became 'History detectives' as we looked around the classroom at sources of evidence. Our job was to match the correct source to the statements on our sheets. We all did a great job!

Art - Georgia O'Keeffe

Over the last few weeks we have been learning about the artist 'Georgia O'Keeffe.'

Georgia paints up close pictures of flowers. Today we had a go at drawing and colouring our own flower. The children worked really hard and produced some lovely work.

Music - Recorders

We are really enjoying learning the recorder with Mr Parkin on a Monday. We have been working hard to hold our recorders correctly and blow 'gently' to create each note.

Today we took part in our weekly Stormbreak.  This week's theme was Hope and Optimism.  We were given words and we had to show through movement how we would show that word.  Some of the words were excited, small, big, scared and relaxed.  We know that during the day we might have different feelings and this is okay.   We really enjoy Stormbreak!

Music lesson

On Monday we enjoyed our first Music lesson with Mr Parkin. Mr Parkin is a music specialist and he will be teaching our music lessons this half term. In our first lesson we learned about pitch (high or low), tempo (fast or slow) and beat. We practised being able to keep to a steady beat. Some children were chosen to try out these musical techniques on the keyboard. Next week, we will be starting to learn the recorder!

DT - Making a Moving Monster Toy

This term in DT we have been working on 'Making a moving monster.' We have learned how mechanisms, pivats and linkages work. Our design criteria for our toy was that it had to be:

• Suitable for a child
• Have moving parts
• Be colourful and interactive

After designing our toy, we have spend the last two lessons making it. As you can see, we have done a fantastic job. Great work, Year 2!

Reindeer and Santa Visit!

Our children have had a wonderful, Christmas-filled afternoon thanks to our PTA.

We visited a reindeer and had a talk about this wonderful animal. The children then did a question and answer session on 'all things reindeer.' Afterwards, we all met Santa and received a selection box. Children also received a stocking to decorate at home. We will also be making reindeer food in school, which we will bring home later this week.

What are the characteristics of the countries in the UK?

In Geography today, we learned about the characteristics of the four countries in the UK. We looked at each countries flag, flower symbols for each country and traditional foods that are eaten there. We then worked as a group to present our findings to the rest of the class.

Maths - Addition

We have been focusing on addition in Maths this week. On Monday, we added two 2-digit numbers. We worked practically using base 10 resources. We made each number using base 10. We then added the tens, then we added the ones and finally we combined the tens and ones together to find a total. Well done, Year 2!

Today we took part in our very first dance lesson.  We listened very carefully to instructions and worked as a group to compose our very own dance.

Geography - What is the UK?

Today we started our new Geography topic. Throughout the unit we will we exploring the enquiry question 'What is the UK?' Today we used atlases to find the four countries and the surrounding seas that make up the UK. We all did a fantastic job!

Food Chains

Today we have been learning about food chains.  We have found out that animals depend on other animals for their food.  This is very important as it gives the animals energy so they are able to live.  We looked at different food chains and described them to our partners.  We then made our own food chains.  We linked the paper together as a chain so we knew which animal would eat the other animal.

Performing Poetry

The Year 2 Literacy group worked well today to perform a part of a poem. We have been working on the poem 'Chocolate Cake' by Michael Rosen. The children thought carefully about their expressions and actions whilst performing. 

We love the poem! If you'd like to see Michael Rosen reading it, have a look:

Michael Rosen's "Chocolate Cake" - YouTube

Today we have been talking at micro-habitats and mini beasts.  We have been looking at the habitats and discussing what they would be like.  Using adjectives to describe them.  We thought a log would be damp, dark, moist and cold.  We then had to think about the mini-beasts that would survive there.  We thought spiders, ants, beetles, slugs and worms would love to live there.

We worked with our partner to look at other habitats, describe them and then draw the minibeasts that would like to live there.

Washington Wetlands Trust

Today we went to Washington Wetland Trust to look at habitats and mini-beasts.  We went pond dipping and found lots of different creatures.  We couldn't believe that so many animals live under the water.  We also went hunting for animals in the woods.  We found woodlice, worms, beetles and slugs.

After that, we saw the otters and the flamingos being fed - it was amazing!

The best part by far was having a picnic outside and then playing in the play area.

The Daily Mile

Today we took part in the daily mile.  We take part in this activity on the days that we have no PE.  It helps us to stay active and fit.  We  really enjoy taking part and being with our friends.

Maths - Place Value

Today in Maths we represented numbers up to 100 using tens and ones. We chose a number and showed it as a numeral, a word, as base 10 and also partitioned the number. We worked really well with our partner. Well done, Year 2!

We have worked so hard this week and because the weather has been so wonderful we were able to play outside and enjoy the sun.  We had a great time playing with all of our friends.