This week, we launched into Case Study Two by exploring the exciting question: Who would you see having adventures at sea?

The children arrived at school dressed as people they might spot in or around the sea, and what an exciting start to our new learning journey it was! We met pirates, sharks, sea explorers, turtles, mermaids and many more adventurous characters. The costumes and role play ideas really helped to immerse the children in our expedition learning.

Throughout the day, the children dived into imaginative storytelling and role play, creating exciting sea adventures together. They explored different characters, settings and problems their stories might include, using lots of wonderful language and creativity.

To finish our hook day, each child created their own story plan for an exciting sea adventure tale. Every story is completely different and full of imagination — from Sonic at sea to magical glitter and sharks that bite ! We cannot wait to begin writing and developing these stories over the next few weeks.

As we began Case Study One, we arrived at school to discover a shocking sight — plastic had been scattered all across our tables and learning environment! The children were quick to notice how messy it looked and shared that it made them feel sad and worried.

This sparked an important discussion about plastic pollution and how plastic in our oceans can harm sea creatures and their habitats. Through a think-pair-share activity, the children talked thoughtfully about the problems plastic can cause and worked together to create an anchor chart full of their ideas and learning.

We also read the beautiful and thought-provoking book The Odd Fish, which helped us reflect on the importance of caring for our oceans and environment. We wrote some great sentences too.

Inspired by our learning, the children have each brought in a plastic bottle from home ready to transform into a large piece of land art. We are so excited to share our creative environmental project with you next week!

Children in Class 1 were hooked into our summer expedition by reading ‘Commotion in the Ocean’ written by Giles Andreae.  The colourful cast of sea creatures provided the perfect stimulus for children to make their own sea creatures. They used a variety of mediums, including paints, oil pastels and sketching pencils to create some beautiful art work that was proudly displayed around their learning environment.  As we joined in with the lively verses in the text, children became familiar with the different creatures that you find in our oceans. Each EYFS crew took a sea creature from the story and used non fiction texts to explore each creature further.

The children arrived looking absolutely amazing in their costumes, and the hats were truly sensational. A huge thank you to all of you parents for the time and effort you put into helping the children prepare for today – it really made the day extra special.

We started World Book Day just as you might expect… with our heads in a book! The children enjoyed some quiet reading time before we gathered together to share and admire everyone’s fantastic costumes and creative hats.

Throughout the day, the classroom was full of exciting book-themed activities. In the construction area, the children took on the roles of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, building houses and acting out the story together. We also created Hungry Caterpillar repeating patterns, made our very own beanstalks, and even had a go at writing our own stories.

It was a joyful day full of imagination, creativity, and a love of books. Well done to all of the children for their enthusiasm and fantastic participation – we are very proud of them!

Thank you again for helping to make our World Book Day so special.

To help the children understand this big idea, Mrs Chadwick took on a very special role — she pretended to be the world! She spoke to the children about the things that can make her feel poorly, such as smoke from cars, pollution, and waste. The children listened thoughtfully and showed great empathy, considering how their actions can impact the planet.

After hearing from “the world,” the children eagerly shared their ideas about how we could help. They suggested simple but powerful actions like walking more, using bikes and scooters, and putting our rubbish in the bin. It was wonderful to see their growing awareness of how small changes can make a big difference. The children enjoyed sharing their fantastic eco-vehicle designs. The children spoke beautifully and confidently about their creations, explaining how solar power and wind energy are much better choices because they help to keep our planet clean and healthy. Many designs included solar panels, wind turbines, and even imaginative new inventions. Their creativity and understanding were truly impressive!

Alongside our learning, we have also been making the most of our beautiful world by spending lots of time outdoors. We have enjoyed the sunshine, told stories together, and played fun games in the fresh air. Being outside has helped us appreciate exactly what we are working so hard to protect.

This week, the children have also begun building their eco-vehicle design models! They have been working collaboratively, sharing ideas, listening to one another, and discussing which materials might be best to use. There have been thoughtful conversations about recycling materials, choosing strong structures, and how to include features like solar panels and wind-powered parts. The teamwork and creativity on display have been fantastic. Watch this space for the finished results!

Our recent focus text, The Boy Who Sailed the World, has provided a wonderful springboard for creativity, language development and imagination in the classroom. By exploring the story together, the children were able to dive deeply into the language, themes and experiences within the book, turning one text into many rich learning opportunities. We began by unpicking the vocabulary from the story, helping the children to understand and use new and exciting words. This supported their comprehension and gave them confidence to talk about the story in their own words.

One moment that truly captured the children’s imaginations was the magical sunset described in the book. Inspired by this, we created our own sunsets through art. The children experimented with mixing colours, exploring how different shades blend and change. The results were truly beautiful, with each piece reflecting the children’s creativity and growing confidence as artists.

In our writing, we focused on the sentence: “The boat can sail.” The children used their phonics knowledge to segment each word and write the sentence independently. It was fantastic to see them applying their learning so carefully, and taking pride in forming their letters neatly and beautifully on the lines.

As the story continues, the boy stumbles upon an island home where he discovers new friends. This led perfectly into our Creative Chameleon Crew session, where the children used their imaginations to think about what they might find on their own island homes. Their ideas were imaginative and varied — from friendly animals and hidden treasures to colourful houses and exciting adventures.

This text has shown us just how powerful a single story can be. Through reading, art, writing, phonics and imaginative play, the children have developed a wide range of skills while staying fully engaged and inspired. We are so proud of their enthusiasm, creativity and the progress they are making every day.

During Hook Week, the children in class were treated to some very special visitors as we kicked off our new expedition titled “We Are on the Move.” To launch our learning in an exciting and memorable way, our school playground was transformed into our very own vehicle showcase!

The children had the fantastic opportunity to get up close with a wide variety of vehicles, each one sparking curiosity, conversation, and lots of excitement. The showcase included a tractor, a camper van, a beautiful vintage car, and even a fire engine. One of the highlights was a police car that was once in operation all the way in America, which the children found especially fascinating as they learned about how vehicles can be used differently around the world.

The children absolutely loved exploring the vehicles, asking questions, and imagining where each one might take them. It was a brilliant hands-on experience that perfectly set the scene for our new expedition and helped bring the theme of movement and travel to life.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Mr Parkhouse, who organised and arranged for many of the vehicles to come into school. His support helped make this experience truly special for the children.

We are so excited to see where our “We Are on the Move” expedition will take us next and can’t wait to continue our learning journey together!

Classes 1 and 2 have officially begun their exciting new expedition, “We’re on the Move,” and what a fantastic start it has been!

Our very first mission was to become explorers right on our doorstep. The children headed outside to carry out a survey, discovering what we could find passing by our school. Working collaboratively, they carefully observed and recorded the different vehicles they saw along the way.

From cars and vans to buses and bikes, the children were completely immersed in the experience. They took turns counting, discussing, and recording their findings, demonstrating brilliant teamwork and communication skills throughout the activity.

And the best part? The smiles! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much excitement over watching cars pass by. The children’s enthusiasm was infectious, and their curiosity set the perfect tone for our expedition ahead.

We can’t wait to see where “We’re on the Move” takes us next!