Hello and welcome to your second Squirrel Station update. We've had another busy week and our learning went in some directions that we perhaps weren't expecting this week!
We've been busy learning about toys from history and how children's toys have changed across the ages. The children were shocked to discover how restricted toys of old were with girls and boys having very different toys that they did not share. They were also surprised to learn that children could only play with religious toys (e.g. a toy Noah's Ark) on Sundays in the Victorian era. We had some great discussions about gender equality and the progression of materials and electronics across the 21st century.
In our mantle story we've been invited to help a struggling toy company boost their sales by accepting a commission to design a new toy. The children have been giving a rough design brief that the toy must be electronic and screen free and must be educational. Apparently that is what parents want to buy! The team are preparing to conduct market research next week and decided that using last week's science knowledge on forces might be a good way to go.
In the Wednesday meeting this week, we discussed the idea of becoming a plastic free school. The children were confused about how so much plastic ends up in the ocean and the amount of single use plastics that are thrown away every day. We considered the school's part in single use plastics and celebrated the fact that last year we said no to single use milk cartons with plastic straws. Instead, all our milk is delivered in recyclable bottles and we drink from reusable cups that we can wash. The children then turned their attention to the plastic bags that our daily fruit and vegetables are delivered in. Following research online about the impact of plastic pollution in the ocean, the children wrote incredible letters to the fruit and veg company. They were polite yet compassionate and clearly requested the company send our fruit and veg in reusable or recyclable packaging. Miss Taylor and I are hugely proud of the writing they've produced. As soon as we know where to send these letters, they will all be popped in the post and we eagerly await a reply.
SPAG this week: Suffixes
We've been practising and applying our suffix knowledge this week for past and present tense verbs. The children noticed there are different rules for adding suffixes depending on how the verb ends. If you can spot the following suffixes whilst reading or practise applying them in writing, it would be brilliant!
- Short vowel sound verbs: double the last consonant before adding -ed or -ing.
E.g. skip = skipped or skipping. Beg = begged or begging. Clap = clapped or clapping. - Long vowel sound verbs ending in an -e: drop the -e then add -ed or -ing.
E.g. tame = tamed or taming. Love = loved or loving. Hate = hated or hating. - Verbs that end in a -y: drop the -y and replace it with an -i before adding -ed. Do nothing to add -ing.
E.g. empty = emptied or emptying. Hurry = hurried or hurrying. Tidy = tidied or tidying.
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