2RF have had lots of fun making clay pots inspired by the ancient Nazca people of Peru this week. Once they’ve hardened we’ll finished them off by painting them.

2RF have been observing different shells closely, classifying them by their shape, colour and other features. We then did observational sketches of our shells.

Today is Earth Day which has been celebrated every April 22nd since 1970. The aim of Earth Day is to raise awareness of the damage done to the environment.

You might like to try Google’s doodle for the day – a relaxing game where you control a bee visiting flowers and which will teach you lots of things about how important bees are: google.co.uk

Why not find out about some of the wildlife around where you live by learning the names of the birds that you can see from your own home? There is more information on what to do in the video below or read the text at the bottom…

If the video does not play in your browser, click here.

Objective: To be able to recognise and name at least six different British birds.

Quick bird spotting guides:  Sheet 1   Sheet 2

How: Spend half an hour a day for a week quietly recording the birds you can see from a window. Putting out some food can help if you have any but avoid bread at this time of year as it is not good for chicks.

Can you find out which is the most common bird to visit your garden?

Challenge: Can you think of an investigation to carry out as you bird watch? Perhaps you think different birds will come at different times of the day – how could you find out? Or maybe you could investigate the birds’ favourite food? (Try sorting out some mixed bird seed). 

Axel Scheffler has illustrated a digital book for primary school age children, free for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. Published by Nosy Crow, and written by staff within the company, the book has had expert input: Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine acted as a consultant, and the company also had advice from two head teachers and a child psychologist.

The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds:

• What is the coronavirus?
• How do you catch the coronavirus?
• What happens if you catch the coronavirus?
• Why are people worried about catching the coronavirus?
• Is there a cure for the coronavirus?
• Why are some places we normally go to closed?
• What can I do to help?
• What’s going to happen next?

We want to make sure that this book is accessible to every child and family and so the book is offered totally free of charge to anyone who wants to read it. However, we have suggested, at the back of the book, that families might make a donation to help our health service if they find the book useful: https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/.

Kate Wilson, Managing Director of Nosy Crow, said:

“We were very aware that many parents and carers are struggling to explain the current extraordinary situation to children, many of whom are frightened and confused. We thought that the best thing we could do would be to use our skills to produce a free book to explain and, where possible, reassure children. We asked Axel, whose work is so familiar and so loved, to illustrate it. He was happy to do it, and did it extraordinarily quickly. Meanwhile, having heard Professor Medley interviewed by the BBC, we looked him up and wrote to him, and despite his huge workload, he reviewed the book over a weekend, and we were able to incorporate his suggestions, together with those of two head teachers and a child psychologist, into the final version of the book. We hope it helps answer difficult questions in difficult times.”

Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo, said:

“I asked myself what I could do as an children’s illustrator to inform, as well as entertain, my readers here and abroad. So I was glad when my publisher, Nosy Crow, asked me to illustrate this question-and-answer book about the coronavirus. I think it is extremely important for children and families to have access to good and reliable information in this unprecedented crisis, and I hope that the popularity of the books I’ve done with Julia Donaldson will ensure that this digital book will reach many children who are now slightly older, but might still remember our picture books.”

Professor Graham Medley, Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said:

“This pandemic is changing children’s lives across the globe and will have a lasting impact on us all. Helping children understand what is going on is an important step in helping them cope and making them part of the story – this is something that we are all going through, not something being done to them. This book puts children IN the picture rather just watching it happen, and in a way that makes the scary parts easier to cope with.”

You can download a copy of the book here (or, if you have trouble with that link, here) – or watch Mrs Williams read it below:

• Watch the video here if the player below does not work in your browser

In the upcoming Summer term, Dr Fishwick would like to invite you to join him on an adventure of exploration in search of wildlife. An opportunity to appreciate the animals and plants of our own country which often go overlooked, Dr Fishwick will support you on your own adventures as you go Into The Wild.

Download the trailer here if the player below does not work in your browser.

Join Mrs Bowen for two fantastic stories, Traction Man is Here by Mini Grey and Jack and the Flumflum Tree by Julia Donaldson. These can also be found under the Year 2 Skils Practice link.

Have a read of William’s fantastic retelling of Aesop’s The Hare and The Tortoise given an ocean-setting twist – not that I would never have guessed that he would have chosen a shark!  :o)

The Sailfish and the Greenland Shark

Funky Fact: Like the tortoise, the Greenland Shark is very long living. In fact it may be the oldest living of all animals that have a backbone – scientists think they have found some Greenland Sharks that could be 300-500 years old!

Well I think science went okay on Tuesday, I hope you all enjoyed investigating sound – it was lovely to see all of you too! (Don’t worry, Mrs Bowen has promised to be online soon.) 

This Friday I’m going to organise a fun Maths lesson for Year 2 on shapes so please join me – details are below, if you need more information about using Zoom for the first time see previous blog post.

– Dr Fishwick

LO: Can I identify different 2D and 3D shapes?

Time/location:  
Y2, Friday 3/4/20,  11 am, https://zoom.us/j/8168811198 access code 816 881 1198 

You will need:  
– Big smiles and plenty of energy