Welcome to Earth Class

Term 1 : Year 3

This term, year 3 have havested the vegetables from our allotment area. They cooked a vegetable stew with arborio rice, some herbs and stock and enjoyed eating this on a cold morning. They have also experimented making natural dye out of beetroot, onion and red cabbage. Having shown an interest in the amount of fungi growing naturally in the school grounds, some of the children made spore prints with the mushrooms. We were lucky enough to have some owl pellets donated to us from the local Exporers group and the children were able to disect it and analyse the bones and remains within the pellets. 

Last year during the parents volunteer day, 4 strong knowledgeable people, built 2 compost bins and this term we have been able to collect enough fine quality compost to spread and cover over our allotment area.

The children have also been practicing using the flint and steel to start a fire. The have chosen to build dens, use hammers and nails and clay. 

Year 3 at Earth Class

Term 1: Year 2

This term, Year 2 have been learning to use a variety of different tools safely. They have been looking after the chickens, cooking on the campfire using allotment produce and directing their own learning journeys using their own personal interests.

One of their Earth Class badges is  'habitats' and today we explored animal homes around the school, identified mature trees, pond and hedges as most important habitats. The children then went on to make miniature gardens including a varity of habitats. Some other children wanted to make a bird table, so rolled tyres to elevate it, cut the sunflowers and took out the seeds, poured water in the water table, then sat in the bird hide with binoculars and waited. After waiting quietly and patiently their perseverance was rewarded as a robin and a female blackbird came to visit.

Children's voice:

• "I am blending this to make a colour I can't make." - Belle
• "I'm making a colourful blue car." - Clara
• "I was doing hammers and nails and I learnt how to use the claw when the nail is bent and I want to get it out." - Ivy
• "I used the secateurs to cut stinging nettles. I learnt I have to keep the secateurs by my side when I am walking." - Fia
• "The curry plant has a strong aroma." - M
• "The curry plant has a pungent scent." - Abi
• "The rosemary has a strong scent." - Tennessee
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• "Hemlock has purple blotches on the stem and it is poisonous. My dad cut some down and it gave him red marks." M
• "We had to make a bird table so it wasn't tilting." Abi
• "We was birdwatching and we saw a black bird and a red roblin." Mia
• "I have made a garden with different habitats." Fia
• "I made a garden with lots of flowers." Clara
• "I made little trees for different animals and I made a log pile and a bug hotel." Tennessee
• "When Mrs Robinson let the chickens out, they all ran really fast so I stood still so they wouldn't bite me." Ivy
• "I've made a drum kit and when you bang it, it sounds like an actual drum." Joel
• "I've put two woodlouse in here." Nelson
• "I made a habitat with Edene and we have left it outside because we want the bugs to enjoy it." Daisy
• "I liked doing hammer and nails and choosing the beads." Edene
• "I liked doing the little garden thing. I added mud and leaves and grass." Radi
• "The great thing about my hammer and nails is picking up the bead and putting it on the wood." Sienna
• "I put berries in my garden so the bugs can have food." Emma
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• "We done some weaving and it took us alot of time." Mia
• First we had to cut some flexible wood and then we had to bend it into a circle and then put a piece of wood through the diameter." M

Term 2 Year 1

Children's Voice

I did bow saw cutting and I didn’t rush. I did really well. Noah

I did drilling with an electric drill. Quinn

It was a bit difficult to do the legs but Izzy helped me. Josie

It was tricky to do the knot where you had to make the tummy. Josie

I liked doing the knots because I’ve never done knots on my own before. Isabella

I cut off sticks with loppers with Mrs Bell. Rudhvee

I was building with Mr Killick and I used the drill. Rudhvee

Elder wood bark looks like the Gruffalo’s back. Brodie

Term 2 Year 6

This term year 6 have been learning how to make advanced shelters such as the A frame, lean to and arrow head. They have been absorbed in their own learning journeys, planning collaborating and using a variety of different tools and materials.

Children's Voice:

Florence - I went outside and found different types of leaves, like Pine and Oak and Maple. When I put on my first leaf I thought it looked really good. After I put on a few more leaves and used red, orange, turquoise and yellow to make a ballgown for a girl I drew

Amelia - I painted the square wood in black and waited for it to dry. Then I put a leaf on the dried paint and used a sponge with white paint to dab over the leaf to make an outline

Jayden - I've been practicing my leaf printing so that I can do my final piece on black paper

Charlie - I've explored using charcoal and I realised that if you put crayon on top of charcoal it makes it look smudged and it makes a better detail

Yasemin - I was doing the monocrome black and white leaves. I did a black background and painted white leaves and pressed down. I also inverted it and did a white background with black leaves. It was a lot of fun and I'm really happy with the result. I also used a little bit of sparkly acrylic paint

Jacob - I tried making the clay bowl lots of times but it kept failing until it finally worked. I was very happy about that

Sofien - I made a clay bowl and experimented with leaf printing and water colour

Florence - I’ve enjoyed looking for different materials for my miniature village.

C - I like using the chisels and carving tools

Sofien - I like using all the tools, it makes me feel mature.

Martin - I liked it when Mrs Bell taught me different ways to cut wood, like the straight cut, bevel and stop cut.

Florence - I thought it might be hard because I’d never seen that recipe before or made doughnuts but it was easier than I thought and I gave it a go and they turned out really well

Martin - I went outside and I really enjoyed cutting down all the stinging nettles and thorns and I thought it was really strange to pick up an egg that had poo all over it.

Carrie - I thought it would be difficult but when I saw the instructions, it was not too difficult. I got do lots of different skills that I have not used before and there was no-one telling me what to do all the time. It was really fun!

Yasemin - I painted the background for my pictures to be framed and I really liked how it came out and I also made a moon scene.

Jayden -  I swept up all the leaves with my bare hands and now I’m really tired. The area looks so much better though.

Sofien - When I was doing the finishing touches to my art work it broke. I was really sad and had to take a moment; then I came back and made another one.