Breaking News! Children discover a giant egg…
The discovery of 3 giant eggs by the Reception children has led to a whirlwind of excitement and speculation: how did the eggs get here?; what is growing inside?; do we have sufficient risk assessments in place?! Learning through immersive, hands-on activities is ideal for our youngest children and indeed for the older ones too. It has captured their imagination, added new words to their vocabulary and provided the necessary hook for their current PYP inquiry focus ‘Clues from the past give us a deeper understanding of life long ago’, so much so that they transformed into roving reporters.
This exploration was carefully planned to build the children’s understanding around hypothesising, scientific research and detailed observation. They studied Mary Anning, connecting with notions of resilience and facing adversity. Weaved throughout these learning moments are the fundamentals of language development and numeracy so that the children continue to make excellent progress. And of course we don’t like to keep these awe and wonder moments to ourselves, so across the week all the parents of Reception children have been invited in to enjoy pupil-led assemblies.
In quite different ways, our Year 5 pupils have also been engaged in immersive experiential learning – this time battling the elements on a 3-day residential in Bradwell. Let’s face it, making the pupils trade their tablets for a pair of muddy hiking boots is hitting the “fast-forward” button on their personal growth. Pulling them from the comforts of home puts them in the driving seat for getting themselves up and ready for the day. When you throw in physical challenges, whether it’s trembling at the top of a climbing wall or working together to paddle a raft, their confidence skyrockets. They learn that “I can’t” is usually just a temporary feeling, and the sense of accomplishment they get from conquering a fear stays with them long after they have tidied their tents. Plus, there’s nothing quite like the shared hilarity of a rain-soaked walk to turn classmates into genuine, lifelong friends.
More photos will be available soon.
Next week sees Year 1 heading to Colchester Zoo and Hesletine’s House Assembly. I look forward to telling you all about them before we break for the half-term.
Best wishes,
Alice Goodfellow
