Today's STEM was all about patterns - we went outside to look for patterns in nature, not necessarily symmetrical or repeating but a pattern that is unique to nature. We found many leaves, berries, tomatoes, bark, twigs, grass and a feather. We returned to the classroom to devise our own pattern by placing skittles around a plate and dropping warm water onto the skittle to make the colour run. Many children were amazed that beneath that shiny exterior lies a rather bland looking white blob! One club person asked the question "I wonder if we could transfer our pattern to paper?" - so we had a go, placing folded kitchen towel we managed to capture the pattern they had created. Great questioning skills which led to the idea that this use of nature could lead to design of fabrics and wallpapers, paint and so much more. Good observational skills are key.
As I write, natures pattern are the raindrops falling heavily mixed with the lightning flashes!
In 15 minutes how tall could you build a newspaper tower? To keep it a fair test each group had a roll of cellotape and one newspaper. The children had to design and construct the tallest free standing tower - the winner that round was 72cm. Adapting and revising their designs, the children had another go and this time , with the exception of one team,everyone built a higher and stronger tower. For the final round the children were given a suggestion as to how they could build an even higher tower. We talked about architects and civil engineers being 'real jobs' using the skills the children had used for today's session.
Children taking part in before school hockey are continuing to improve their skills. Today we had small games to practise our passing.
How many drops of water can you get onto a 1p? Does it make a difference whether you drop them onto the heads or tails side? Does it make a difference if you drop vinegar or oil perhaps? As physicists and chemists we investigated these questions. What we found was as the water was dropped, a dome shape formed which was the water molecules being attracted to each other creating one large drop instead of lots of individual drops. Then there is a battle between the surface tension keeping the water on the coin versus the gravitational pull, which eventually wins and causes the water to spill.
At our first STEM club it was lovely to welcome back some of the children from last year and to welcome new members too. We ventured into the world of mixocology to see how the different densities of liquids reacted when mixed together. Some wonderful creations were made - featuring lunar landscapes and potions Filius Flitwick would have been proud of!! Who knows where this knowledge will take our 'STEMMERS' next.
Please click HERE to view the lists of children in each school club.
School Clubs - Autumn 2019
Please see below for the list of clubs that will be available in the Autumn Term 2019. Slips should be completed and left in the green box outside the school office by the morning of Friday 6th September. Please do not send in email requests during the summer holidays. Please scroll down the page to view / download the letters regarding Cheerleading Club (Yrs 3 - 6), Fencing Club (All Years) and Chess Club (Yrs 5 & 6). Rugby Club with Mr Smith will be continuing - days to be confirmed - a letter regarding Rugby Club will be added to this page in due course.
Cheerleading Club - Autumn 2019: Years 3 - 6 only
Fencing Club - Autumn 2019: All Year Groups
Chess Club - Autumn 2019: Years 5 & 6 only
Rugby Club with Mr Smith - Autumn Term 2019
Please see the flier below for details of how to book a place in after school Rugby Club this term.
Rugby Club with Mr Smith - Autumn Term 2019
In order to assist with planning - Mr Smith has created an online form to capture information for next years after school rugby clubs.
Please use the the following link to complete the form.
Thank you for your co-operation
