Hedgehogs have blown Miss Hall with the efforts, creativity and detail they have put into their homework this week. The sea creatures they recreated were amazing and Year Two used such a range of different materials to create them. We had colourful clay, junk modelling and even glitter! They also chose a range of sea creatures to make which was interesting. There were whales to crabs to sharks to jellyfish. It was great to see how enthusiastic the children were with their creations they made at home. Here is a sneak peak of some of the sea creatures…
World Book Day!
Hedgehogs had such a brilliant day celebrating world book day. We got snug in our cosy clothes and shared exciting books with each other and Year 4! There was lots of discussion between the children about why it was their favourite book and there was some brilliant reading going on too. The love they have for books is amazing and there was a real buzz in our classroom. Year Two also made their own bookmarks for their home reading books which involved lots of bright colours and of course… They loved guessing the teachers ‘masked reader’. Hedgehogs guessed right, Miss Hall was in fact the pig! Have a sneak peak of our day below…
Facts, facts and more facts!
This week, Hedgehogs have been working super hard in English. We have explored non fiction texts about sea creatures to link with our topic ‘Coastline’. This means lots of facts which Year Two have loved. They have been great at remembering them and sometimes even better than Miss Hall. Did you know? An octopus has 3 hearts and 9 brains!!! Who knew!
Hedgehogs’ then worked in teams to write as many facts linked to sea creatures as they could. After that, they wrote their own facts and were brilliant at using either a list or spider diagram to show their knowledge. The work was excellent and very impressive.Have a sneak peak of our writing below…
Fabulous Flowers
Hegdehogs’ have had brilliant first week back! We became artists, on Wednesday, as part of our ‘Flower Tops’ art topic. Year Two had to choose different ways to express texture linked to flowers. They used tissue paper, clay and string to make their buds. Each flower was individual and Hedgehogs really took their time over the detail and delicacy of each petal. The end product looked fantastic. Have a look below!
A Busy Week!
Hedgehogs have had a brilliant half term. They have been super hard working, enthusiastic and a joy to have in the classroom. This week showed how they have fully adapted to Year Two life and stepped up to the challenge. It’s been a very busy last week and they deserve a good rest!
We have done more experiments linked to our ‘Materials’ science topic. We tested which materials can bend, twist and squash. They also worked hard in English. Hedgehogs explored poems and have written their own ‘Coastline’ poems which were a pleasure to read. They also preformed our class poem (head over to google classroom to see). Lastly, in Maths, they have learnt everything multiplication. They are pros at multiplication number sentences now. Here are a few snap shots from the week…
Perfect Paper
Another week means another experiment… On Wednesday, we lost our Hedgehogs’ and instead had a room full of scientists. The lab coats and goggles were out! Year Two had a very exciting afternoon where they tested different types of paper as part of our topic.
Hedgehogs investigated which paper was the most absorbent, which paper was the roughest and which paper was the strongest. We tested cardboard, paper, tissue paper, paper towels and newspaper. The results were very interesting. The scientists were very enthusiastic and excitement in the classroom was great. Who knew that testing papers was so much fun!
Erosion Experiment
Hedgehogs were very excited to complete our erosion experiment in science and geography this week. We learnt all about how the coastline erodes and how this happens. They were so intrigued how natural things like rain, wind and waves create erosion. We also looked out how to stop this from happening too.
So, we recreated this in our classroom! Year Two used sand, rocks and water to recreate erosion and see what happens with their own eyes. We made a cliff edge using sand and rocks and then poured water down it to see what happened. They observed the experiment and then used scientific words to describe the process. It was super exciting as you can see from the pictures…
Map Readers!
This week, in geography, we explored maps as part of our ‘Coastline’ topic. Hedgehogs used the maps to understand North, East, South and West (never eat shredded wheat) and had to work out which direction they were going in from one point to another. Year Two then looked at a key on a map. We loved looking at all the different symbols and what they meant. Our favourite was the ‘viewpoint’ symbol as it looked like sunshine. They all really got the hang of using maps and sometimes were better than Miss Hall at finding which way we should go! She would be lost without them…
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…
