Tiger Themed Art Week

This week has been art week and Hedgehogs have been so enthusiastic with getting stuck into all the different art activities. We have been studying the artist ‘Henri Rousseau’ and in particular the picture ‘Tiger in a Tropical Storm’. Year Two have loved looking at all the detail in this picture.

During the week, we have created our own pictures using collage, made tigers and even wrote poems. There sure has been a lot of messy hands, green tissue paper and smiles around the classroom. The results have been great and they are very much looking forward to showing off their artwork to parents at the art gallery next week!

Welcome Back Hedgehogs!

Wow… what a brilliant start to 2024! Year two has come back with lots of enthusiasm and excitement ready for a new half term. They have got straight back into routine and really impressed Miss Hall.

This week Hedgehogs’ have been super busy with their learning. They have started our new topic called ‘coastline’, explored vertices with 2D shapes (eeek we drew on the tables again) and wrote about all their wonderful Christmas presents. Have a sneak peak of some of them working hard during the week…

Camouflage Experiment!

This week, in science, Hedgehogs have been exploring animals and the different adaptations they have to protect themselves. We have been really focusing on what prey is and what a predator is in the food chain. We then went on to look at the different ‘prey’ animals and how they might have special features to protect themselves from prey. Hedgehogs learnt that an animal might have a shell, bright colours or even a stinky smell (yuck) to scare predators .

They then completed science experiments where we explored camouflage. We made our own camouflaged and non-camouflaged moths then went outside to see if we could blend them into the woodlands habitat. They explored the contrast between the camouflaged and non-camouflaged moth. Year Two then played lots of games where they had to find the moths. Year Two have really understood this concept and been super stars at understanding this then applying this in their learning. 

Author Visit!

Year Two has been doing lots of learning about habitats and what they are. We’ve explored different types, learnt about food chains and even done some identifying of different plants and animals. As part of our science topic, this week, we had a very special visitor come along and visit Hedgehogs class. 

You will never guess…We had an author come in! Hedgehogs were very lucky to explore the author's new book which is linked to habitats.We went on a journey around the world investigating the different homes. They were super enthusiastic and had lots of really interesting questions to ask. Year Two also learnt lots of interesting facts too. I think we have some mini David Attenborough’s in the making… 

Adding, Adding and More Adding!

This week, in maths, Hedgehogs have been working super hard on their adding. They have up their game and have been adding two lots of double digit numbers together. And guess what… they really got the hang of it!

Year Two were introduced to column addition to find the answers to a range of tricky number sentences. They used the resources and placed them onto a tens and ones table and then added the columns together to find the answer. Everyone worked really hard and really impressed Miss Hall. It really has been a fun week in maths!

Welcome Back Hedgehogs!

WOW… What a busy week Year Two has had this week! They have all come back after half term refreshed and ready for another half term full of lots of learning. This week, we have continued with our topics from last half term and Hedgehogs’ have been super keen to build on their previous knowledge.

In geography, we have been exploring data collection and why it is important. Year Two had the task of collecting data linked to the traffic control in Plaistow which as you can imagine wasn’t very much! But… They were excellent at this and used a tally chart to record data. We stood by the gate and counted the different vehicles going through our village.

To finish the week, in science, we have started exploring habitats and have been looking at living and nonliving things. We even got a bit of Halloween into our learning this week and created very lovely, individual looking pumpkins using pastels. Make sure you have a look at our classroom window…

Glitter Germs?

This week, Year Two explored germs and how they spread. This was part of our Science topic ‘Human Survival’. We put glitter and petroleum jelly on our hands and then touched lots of objects in the classroom to see how quickly the germs could spread. There was glitter EVERYWHERE (Miss Hall was secretly happy).

Hedgehogs’ we’re so surprised at how fast the glitter spread but knew exactly the right thing to do to get the glitter (germs) off their hands. They explained we needed soap and warm water to wash our hands properly. It was a very exciting afternoon!

We Made Stamps!

In Art, Hedgehogs have continued exploring the topic ‘Mix It Up’ with a focus on primary and secondary colours. Their challenge, this week, was to make their own stamps using clay and then use primary colours to make secondary colours to use on their printed pictures. They used the clay to make balls then flattened them and added holes to make their stampes. Year Two was so sensible and surprising… it wasn’t that messy. The time and detail children took over their individual creations were amazing to watch and Hedgehogs really did have fun! Have a sneak peak….

Cut, Boil & Eat!

As part of our D&T topic ‘Remarkable Recipes’, Hedgehogs have been exploring where food comes from and the importance of tools when cooking. They were very good at knowing where food comes from and even better at telling Miss Hall what all the different cooking instruments are used for. Did you know a colander is to drain water and not used as a space hat? Who knew!

So, Year Twos’ task was to explore what happens to vegetables when they are boiled. They prepared them by cutting them up and then boiled them until they were soft. Some of the Hedgehogs were even brave enough to try the vegetables raw and then cooked. They had such fun and were very sensible! Lots of mini five star chefs in the making…

Terrific Times Tables!

This week, Hedgehogs’ have been exploring the two, five and ten times tables. We have chanted them forwards and backwards, watched songs on them and even explored them on a hundred square. Their favourite activity was using the numicon. Year Two number lines with the numicon and then wrote the times tables underneath on the actual tables. Yes you read that right… on the tables (sorry Mr King). It was brilliant and the children really enjoyed it. Have a sneak peak below…

Mix it madness!

This week, as part of our ‘Mix it up’ topic in art, we have been exploring different colours. WOW… did it get messy in the Hedgehog classroom. Year Two explored the primary colours and then mixed them together to make secondary colours. They then added these to a colour wheel where they made their own unique colours of green, purple and orange. Hedgehogs’ were excellent at carefully adding this onto their colour wheels. Some Year Twos even got to mix the colour with their hands eeek! Have a look below…

Hello Happy Hedgehogs!

WOW, What a lovely couple of week!s It has been lovely watching the Year Twos’ settling into our pile of cosy leaves this week. They all have been very grown up and smart looking. I think it is going to be a super (sparkly) year. It has been so great to be back in the classroom with happy, hard working Hedgehogs.

They’ve had their spikes at the ready and noses down working super hard on their English, Maths and adjusting to new routines. We’ve had so much fun learning, exploring, and making all things hedgehogs. We have also started our new topic 'Movers and Shakers’ and already Year Two are keen to learn new facts and get stuck into different activities. Have a sneak peak below…

What's your favourite...

This week, in maths, Hedgehogs having been exploring data and how to use a block chart. They had to collect different information using a tall chart and then transfer this onto a block chart. Year Two had the choice to choose the thing they wanted to find out. We had…

• Favourite bug

• Favourite sport (of course)

• Transport to school

• Favourite sweet

They were brilliant at asking one another and so sensible. Of course, football had a lot of votes for the favourite sport. Hedgehogs’ then had to put this information into a block chart and they had to make sure they added all the key features on the axes. After, they coloured in the blocks to represent the amount of children that liked a certain category. The results were brilliant.

Minibeast Maddness!

Hedgehogs have loved our new topic ‘Wriggle and Crawl’ and have been great at getting stuck into all the different activities. This week, we went on a bug hunt and explored micro habitats. We found butterflies, spiders and bumble bees in all different places. They were under logs, in long grass and some in our wellies! It was super exciting. Year Two explored a life cycle of a butterfly and were amazed how caterpillars turn into cocoons. They then made their own representations of the cycle by drawing pictures and labelling the different stages.

FOODscapes!

In art, Hedgehogs have studied an artist called Carl Warner. We found out that he creates lots of different 'landscapes made from healthy foods. He prompts healthy eating through his art work. Year 2 were amazed by his creations. When we looked at his artwork, we found that he used broccoli for trees, different fruit as hot air balloons and even bread for mountains. Hedgehogs were so impressed and also very inspired.

So, we decided to have a got at recreating these foodscapes by either using pasta or oil pastels to draw the foods we would use. Hedgehogs were excellent at this and had some brilliant ideas when creating their own versions. They thought of blueberries for the river, candy floss for clouds and runner beans for grass. Miss Hall was very impressed. Some of the class decided to just make pictures from pasta and they were great too! Have a sneak peak below…

Dazzling Dissolving!

In science this week, Hedgehogs’ implemented their very own experiment. We were exploring dissolving as part of our ‘Muck, Mess and Mixtures’ topic. We started by using bath bombs to see which temperature of water makes it dissolve the quickest. Year Two found out that it was hot water because the molecules move faster breaking down the bath bomb quicker. They were really amazed and learnt some interesting facts.

Then, Hegehogs’ got to implement their own investigations. They investigated which materials dissolved and which didn’t. They tested salt, sugar, coffee, oats and even jam! Year Two were excellent at adding the substances and then stirring them in warm water to see if they dissappered. We found out that salf, sugar and coffe dissovles and jam and oats don’t! It was such a fun afternoon and Hedgehogs were such brilliant, sensible scientists.

Short But Sweet Week!

A very short week this week for Hedgehog class but this hasn’t stopped them from working hard. In English, we have wrote stories linked to the ‘Magic Porridge Pot’. In maths, we explored time and looked at telling the time to five minutes. Lastly, we have continued with our topic and created detailed sketches of different fruits. Look below for a few snap shots of our week…

Fascinating Food Groups!

This week, Hedgehogs’ have been exploring the food groups as part of their topic. We have looked at looked at the different groups of food including carbohydrates, minerals, protein, fats, dairy and fruit & vegetables. Year Two have been experts at knowing what a balanced diet includes. Hedgehogs definitely knew fruit and vegetables are good for us and sweets/chocolate are not so good for us! They have also explored different activities such as sorting the foods in science, making healthy adverts and even created their own healthy plate. These lessons sure did make us peckish…

Muck, Mess and Mixture Madness!

Welcome back Hedgehogs! Year Two have had a brilliant start to the new term. Everyone is rested and ready for learning. This week, we have focused on SPAG elements in English, measuring in maths and multi-skills in PE and all the Hedgehogs have worked so hard!

In addition to all the hard work, we have also started our new topic ‘muck,mess and madness’. So, on Tuesday afternoon, we kicked started the topic by having a very messy and creative session. Hedgehogs used paint, washing up liquid, straws, junk modelling and even mud to create mixtures to make a mess. They had such a fun afternoon and were super sensible too. Have a sneak peak at some of the muck going on below…

The Storm Whale!

This week, in English, Hedgehogs’ have been exploring a new fiction text - The storm whale. It is all about a little boy who saves a whale from the sea and end up bringing it home without him dad knowing…. imagine! So, Year Two have been working hard on planning their own version of the story. We used story mountains to plan our own characters and own sea creature to save as well as including a nice happy ending to the book. They are now ready to write their own versions next week. Have a sneak peak at some of the plans below and you could even have a look at the story over the weekend.