communication

The varied weather has created topics of conversation amongst the children and opportunities to explore, create and do. Every day is a teaching and learning opportunity and we have seen the wonders of nature and science in the weather changes.

At Darlinghurst, we make links across subject areas within our connected curriculum and this week ‘real life learning opportunities’ gave way for us to spark interest and conversation about key elements of our curriculum. We love to learn and making connections with science, nature, geography and art. Within the curriculum, children learn about the weather, seasons and extreme weather. They also learn about electricity, energy and climate change. I know that has everyone talking about science and the world around us. I have included some facts that you may want to talk about at home or engage in some research or projects together. If you do, I would love to see the work and celebrate it together.

Monday’s wind even showed how strong and how extreme the wind can be to help things take flight and what a force of nature it can be. I know that children and staff were surprised at the wind and hail at lunchtime and immediately took cover. Why not take a look at the video together– What is wind? on BBC bitesize. Where does wind come from?

If you decide to write a poem about the wind, we would love to read it!

On Tuesday the day started with a power cut. We opened the gates and ensured that all the children were on the playground and initiated our contingency plans. Thank you to the community and fire brigade for responding quickly. With some adaptations to the morning, school continued, and it wasn’t long until the power was supplied again. The catering team supplied cold meals for children with a tweak to the menu on Wednesday ahead of getting more supplies for pick and mix later in the week.

Children were fascinated about the world of energy and the reliance that we have on electricity day to day. They were full of questions and science conversations about electricity and energy took place all around the academy.

Why not have a discussion or mini investigation at home. There are some great facts with Enn and Gee’s on Digital Radio What happens if there's a power cut? And is there enough energy to go around? - Fun Kids - the UK's children's radio station (funkidslive.com)

Did you know, that bad weather can cause damage when rubbish and branches are carried by the wind? Whilst flood water can affect cables underground too. You could take the Elecquizzery on the Fun Kids podcast.

On Wednesday, year three went on a trip to Belfairs woods. The children were able to enjoy learning in the woods and at the education centre. The trip was linked to their connected curriculum theme - 'a bugs life' and they studied nature and habitats. They made leaf rubbings and outdoor music. The weather was kind and the children were buzzing with excitement, even with Mrs Powell’s brisk pace walking there and back! They relished a well-earned lunch once we were back in school. The year 3 team would like to say thank you to all the wonderful parents who helped on the trip.

The dodgeball team went along to the Essex Finals to play the best of the best taking this high energy sport up a level. They played with determination and confidence, successfully climbing the ranks to the semi finals and quarter finals. What an achievement!

As the week continued, children and staff were in full swing with learning and academy life. Year six have settled and are engaging in the final revision and preparation ahead of next months SATs. They are showing a great work ethic and commitment to secondary readiness.

We are also preparing for the screening checks for phonics and multiplication. Children are practising at school and we encourage practice at home. Phonics packs will be shared with parents shortly.

Over the Easter break, some children also looked at the importance of bees and flowers. In the curriculum, our children study bees and their lifecycles in year 5 in Science and Outdoor Learning. Across different year groups, they also look at plants and flowers including pollination. They develop their knowledge from naming the basic parts of plants in year 1 to understanding how seeds are dispersed in year 3 to naming the parts of a flower in year 5 and understanding how they lead to pollination. By year 6, children can understand how plants have adapted to suit different climates and environments through their different features.

Children used magnifying glasses to take a closer look and had some flowers to hold and study too.

The Importance of Bees

Some children have been busy looking at bees and finding out why they are so important. They studied the difference between bumblebees and honeybees. They looked closely at their appearance. How do you spot the difference?

Honey bees are smaller and slimmer than bumble bees. They are often coloured golden yellow with brown bands.

The honey bee has less hair. It has more translucent wings and can be mistaken for a wasp.

They also differ in their social interaction, nesting habits, honey production, hive population, noise output, communication and pollination.

Did you know that there is even a difference in their stings and the longevity of their Queen Bee?

They discovered that bees are excellent pollinators and important to farmers and gardeners. They spend their days collecting pollen and nectar whilst pollinating plants as they move around. They looked at different flowers, having the chance to take a close look at some flowers. These were kindly donated by Hamstel Road Florist (who is also Mr Blewett’s Mum!)

It was a great way to learn about bees and parts of the flower all at the same time. We love learning about nature and science. Why not take a look at some flowers in the garden. Perhaps draw or paint a flower. We would love to see them. You may want to encourage your child to make a bee picture or poster? We would love to see the artwork and display them in our gallery. Please send to generalenquiries@darlinghurstacademy.org.uk Subject: Busy Bee