– Sara

A big well done to everyone who participated in Sports Day 2017. Thank you to the Year 4s and to Therfield First School for supporting us with this event. Many thanks to all of the families for joining us. The event was followed by a picnic in the local park in the sunshine.

– The Pre-School Team

As a whole group, we began our experiment by preparing it at yesterday’s register. As a large group, the children took turns in selecting a liquid to place an egg. We talked about the egg representing a tooth and wondered what would happen the next day. The children made predictions and hypothesised the effects of the liquids:

Orange Juice:

“It will turn a bit crispy” – Finn

“It will turn to blue” – Thomas B.

“It will pop” – Thomas N.

“It will crack” – Ophelia

“It will make the tooth dirty” – Monty

“It will go crinkly” – Jonathan

“It will go orange” – William

Tea:

“The teeth will go black” – Finn

“Turn salty” – Thomas B.

“It will pop” – Thomas N.

“It will turn into water” – Jonathan

“It will turn green” – William

Squash:

“It’s going to turn green” – Finn

“Turn orange” – Thomas B.

“Bang!” – Thomas N.

“It will stay as an egg” – Jonathan

“The tooth will crack” – Barnaby

“It will crack and then it will melt” – William

Vinegar:

“It will change to something” – Finn

“It will go pop” – Thomas N.

“It will turn white” – Jonathan

“It will turn white” – William

We began our Owl’s Guided session with a body reflex game, supported by the book ‘Why I Sneeze, Shiver, Hiccup, and Yawn’. The children explored a range of reflexes using their whole bodies. They played close attention when mirroring the actions, naming the body parts that moved and identifying the body reflex.

The owls observed and explored the eggs using their senses. We discussed the eggs representing teeth and the effects the liquids had had on them. The children’s observations included:

Milk:

“It was soft” – Finn

“It was cold” – Alfred

“It’s OK” – Thomas N.

“Crack” – Ophelia

“Nothing” – Monty

“A little bit cracked” – Jonathan

“It feels warm” – Harry

“I think it might get a bit fizzy” – William

Vinegar:

“It was smelly” – Finn

“It broke” – Alfred

“It looks not healthy” – Thomas B.

“Cracked” – Thomas N.

“All skin” – Ophelia

“Cracked it” – Monty

“Made it not healthy” – Jonathan

“It was breaking” – Harry

Orange Juice:

“It gone a bit browny” – Finn

“It broke” – Alfred

“It feels squashy inside” – Thomas B.

“Cracked and popped” – Thomas N.

“It’s fell off” – Ophelia

“You can peel the skin it off” – Jonathan

“It was cold” – Harry

We carefully used toothbrushes and toothpaste to clean the teeth and observe the effects further. We estimated why things had happened to the eggs and what would happen if we brushed them:

“Because it was a bit dirty” – Finn

“Because it cracked” – Alfred

“I brushed it to make it clean” – Monty

“Because it’s healthy” – Jonathan

“Because if you use water and toothpaste it can get cleaner than just rubbing” – William

– Natasha

– Sue

As a group exercise at register, the children were introduced to a visual prop, a tube of toothpaste. We discussed using unkind words and how they could hurt somebody else on the inside the same as punching and kicking can hurt someone on the outside. In a safe and controlled environment, the children contributed unkind words as we squeezed out the toothpaste. They then discovered that it was impossible to put the toothpaste back into the tube. We talked about how when unkind words are said aloud, it is difficult to take them back.

– Natasha

– Sue

This morning our Owls entered into the world of science. Before we started our experiment the owls all chose to wear protective gloves. There were some very helpful lab technicians handing out the different equipment and materials to their peers.

Our owls very carefully measured out the following materials:

• white vinegar,
• powder paint,
• sparkles,
• washing up liquid
• bicarbonate of soda

After each material was added the owls observed the chemical reaction, the smells and the colour.

“It smells funny.”

There was a lot of excitement as the mixture started to froth and bubble over the cups.

“It’s shaking like an earthquake!” Was one observation.

Another was; “It looks like Coke.”

The Owls kept stirring and adding materials to extend the experiment.

“I’ve made a volcano.”

After the children had finished their experiments they then recorded their results in a drawing.

– Sue

The Owls helped tell the story of the Gingerbread Man using a puppet and sequencing cards. We talked about the role of a chef before having a go at being one. The children found their named chef hats and were then absorbed in decorating and personalising them. We then made gingerbread playdough working together in pairs. The Owls helped measure the ingredients and investigated them using their senses, including smelling the spices. They selected themed cutters and created gingerbread families’ homes and hearts. The children carefully decorated their pretend biscuits with detailed features. The Owls were engaged and focused on their chefs experience for well over an hour!

– Natasha

We were delighted that our Father’s Day event was attended by Dads and Grandads. The children had great fun with our visitors, making pizzas.  Our Very Important Men also enjoyed playing and experience various activities in the sunshine in the garden. We joined together for register and all shared our thoughts on why our Dads are awesome. The final activity for the morning was a celebratory snack time. We sat together and sampled the delicious pizza. Our Very Important Men also had a cheerful cheers with ginger beer. Huge thanks to all who joined us.

– Natasha