Another successful week in Hedgehogs history lesson this week! Year Two have continued to extend their learning linked to our ‘Significant People’ topic, and have been busy putting their historical thinking skills to the test. This week, we explored timelines and how they help us organise important dates and events from the past in chronological order. Hedgehogs talked about how timelines help historians understand when significant people lived and how their lives fit into different periods of history. They were set the challenge of reading some very old and rather tricky dates before carefully ordering them to create their own timeline of significant people. We had to look closely at the numbers, think carefully about which dates came first and check that our people were in the correct chronological order. There was lots of thinking, discussing and problem-solving along the way! Our brains were certainly aching by the end, but Year Two rose to the challenge brilliantly! We are becoming fantastic little historians and are learning that understanding the past isn't just about knowing who someone was, but also when they lived and why they are remembered today.
Super Science!
Hedgehogs have been thinking about what humans need to stay healthy. We have been learning about different food groups, and the importance of exercise and hygiene. This week, we conducted an experiment to show why we need soap. When we put soap on our fingers, the germs (pepper) in the water wouldn’t stick! We learnt that soap helps to make sure the germs don’t stay stuck to our hands.
National Mental Health Day
Hedgehogs had a lovely day celebrating National Mental Health Day! Year Two looked brilliant in all their yellow. Happy FriYAY!
Historians In The Making!
Hedgehogs have been super historians this week! We have been working hard in our History lessons exploring some very important people linked to our topic, ‘Significant People’. First, Year Two learnt some very big and important words: scientist, activist, artist, explorer and monarch. We then challenged ourselves to sort a range of significant people under these different titles.For example, we decided that Christopher Columbus was definitely an explorer, while Rosa Parks was certainly an activist! Hedgehogs had some brilliant discussions about why each person belonged in a particular category, and it was fantastic to hear the Hedgehogs explaining and justifying their ideas. There were some really interesting conversations happening around the classroom, and Year Two showed fantastic curiosity and enthusiasm for their learning. Well done, Hedgehogs — you are becoming brilliant little historians!
Swirly Snail Snacks!
Over the last few weeks, Hedgehogs have been working incredibly hard in their Design and Technology (D&T) lessons and have really gotten stuck into our ‘Remarkable Recipes’ topic! This week, Hedgehogs had the opportunity to put their learning into practice by making their very own ‘Swirly Snail Snack’, inspired by our English story. They carefully used a knife to spread butter and jam before rolling their wrap into a spiral shape. They then used their knives to cut the wrap into smaller chunks, transforming them into their very own edible snails! There were lots of smiles, concentration and, of course, plenty of YUM YUM! as the children enjoyed tasting their creations. They were fantastic at using the tools safely and following the steps carefully. It was such a fun afternoon and Miss Hall thinks we may have some chefs in the making in Hedgehog Class!
Our Wonderful World
This week, Hedgehogs have started our exciting new Geography topic, ‘Let’s Explore the World!’ Year Two were super excited to begin learning about our wonderful world, and there has already been lots of fantastic discussion about the different countries they have visited with their families. On Wednesday, Hedgehogs focused on continents and oceans. We learnt a special song to help them remember the different continents and oceans, and by the end of the lesson, they sounded brilliant! Hedgehogs then put their knowledge to the test by plotting the continents and oceans onto a world map. They did a fantastic job matching the names to the correct places on the map and were becoming more confident as the lesson went on. We also had some time to explore atlases, which was super fun! The children loved looking through the pages, finding different countries and discovering just how big and interesting our world is.
Remarkable Recipes!
Over the last week, Hedgehogs have been working really hard in their Design and Technology (D&T) lessons and have been getting stuck into our exciting ‘Remarkable Recipes’ topic! Our topic is all about food, food hygiene and cooking tools. Year Two have been busy exploring where food comes from and also been looking at a range of different kitchen utensils, including vegetable peelers, whisks and graters. They had to identify each tool and explain what we use it for in the kitchen. Hedgehogs were fantastic at naming the different cooking tools and were excited to discover that many of them are tools they have at home in their own kitchens! They then put their learning into practice by writing sentences to explain what each utensil is used for. Miss Hall was very impressed with all the little chefs in our pile of leaves. Well done Hedgehogs!
Hello Happy Hedgehogs!
WOW! What a fantastic first week and a couple of days we have had. It has been so lovely getting to know all of our Hedgehogs and watching them settle into our cosy little pile of leaves. Year Two have had their spikes at the ready and their noses down, working super hard all week. They have been busy getting to grips with new routines, as well as diving into our English, Maths and Topic learning. Of course, we have also had lots of fun learning, exploring and making all things hedgehogs too. They have been incredibly grown-up in the classroom and are already taking their new role as the top of KS1 very seriously! Miss Hall and Mrs Stebbings have a feeling we are in for a super (and very sparkly!) year! Well done Hegdgehogs!
Happy Summer Holidays Hedgehogs!
Happy Summer Holidays, Hedgehogs! What a fantastic time we have had together. It has been such a fun-filled year, and I have loved watching every single one of you grow in confidence, learning and independence. You have all worked incredibly hard, challenged yourselves and achieved so much, and I couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of you. It has been an absolute pleasure teaching you all this year. Thank you for all the smiles, laughter and wonderful memories we have shared in Hedgehog Class. Have the best summer, Hedgehogs!
Happy Hedgehogs!
Hedgehogs have had a brilliant final full week and have worked hard right up until the very end of the school year. Year Two have shown fantastic enthusiasm and determination across all of their subjects, and Miss Hall couldn’t be prouder of everything they have achieved. Some of the highlights from the week have included making lever mechanisms in Design and Technology, creating our own non-fiction books in English and enjoying the wonderful Key Stage 2 production. It has been a week full of creativity, learning and celebration. They really have finished the year with lots of fantastic learning. Well done, Hedgehogs!
Fantastic Fieldwork Week!
Hedgehogs have had a fabulous geography fieldwork week! Year Two have really enjoyed celebrating Geography Fieldwork and have loved taking their learning outside. It has been a brilliant opportunity to develop our fieldwork skills and investigate our school grounds like real geographers. Hedgehogs started the week by surveying different areas of the school and then came up with our own inquiry question: “Where would be the best place for a bug hotel?”. Year Two then gathered data by visiting different locations around the school grounds. We carefully observed and recorded the bugs and insects we found during our observation times, using our fieldwork skills to compare each area. After analysing our results, Hedgehogs concluded that the ditch would be the best place for a bug hotel because it had the greatest variety of bugs visiting and was also the quietest, most sheltered spot. It has been such a wonderful week and a huge thank you to Miss Gordon for organising such exciting activities. Well done, Hedgehogs—you have been brilliant young geographers!
Hedgehogs made bag tags!
Wow, what a hot week of learning it has been! Hedgehogs have been absolutely brilliant and have continued to work really hard all week even despite the crazy heat. On Monday, Year Two explored the next part of the Design and Technology topic, ‘Cut, Stitch and Join’. Hedgehogs were challenged to make a bag tag using a running stitch to attach two pieces of fabric together. We have spent the last few weeks developing our sewing skills, and this was our chance to put them into practice. Year Two did fantastically and showed just how much they have learned. They were such skilled seamstresses and seamsters, carefully stitching their fabric together to create little pockets for their bag tags. Who knew it was so easy to make a little pouch? We were very impressed with their patience, concentration and determination.
Hedgehogs also had some fun on Wednesday during the heatwave. To help us cool down, we filled our trays with water and, sorry Mr King, turned them into mini paddling pools! Year Two were allowed to dip their feet in the water and they absolutely LOVED it. There were lots of smiles, giggles and happy faces all around. Well done, Hedgehogs, for continuing to work so hard even in the hot weather. Let’s hope for a slightly cooler week next week!
Wonderful Wetlands!
What a fantastic day Hedgehogs had on Wednesday! Year Two enjoyed the most amazing school trip to the Arundel Wetland Centre. It was a brilliant day filled with outdoor learning, exploration and fun! As part of our Science learning on ‘Animal Survival’, Hedgehogs furthered their knowledge of bugs and insects that live both on land and in water. They took part in exciting activities including pond dipping, bug hunting and sensory trails. Year Two made some fascinating discoveries throughout the day. One Hedgehog caught a beautiful beetle during pond dipping, while another found an interesting snail in the woods. These were creatures many of us had never seen before! We were also lucky enough to spot pelicans and ducks around the wetlands too. But the fun didn’t stop there. Hedgehogs loved the coach journey and enjoyed having a picnic outside in the glorious sunshine. Miss Hall and Mrs D’Aoust were incredibly proud of all the Hedgehogs. They represented our school brilliantly, showed excellent listening skills and demonstrated fantastic behaviour throughout the trip. A huge thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers who helped make the day possible.It was a hugely successful trip, packed full of learning and excitement. A massive well done to all of Year Two!
Crazy Hair Day!
Hedgehogs loved having crazy hair to help Plaistonbury! Happy FriYAY!
Dazzling Data!
Hedgehogs have worked super hard in Maths this week. They have started their new unit of work which is exploring data. Over the past couple of weeks, Year Two have learnt how to use tally charts, tables and block diagrams to collect, organise and present information. Hedgehogs have loved this area of Maths. The best part has been collecting our own data linked to things we are interested in. Year Two got into groups and became researchers, asking their friends questions about their favourite things. There were favourite ice cream flavours, colours and even their favourite football players! Hedgehogs enjoyed interviewing each other and recording the answers. Once we had collected our data, Year Two became mathematicians and analysed the results. We looked at which answers were the most popular, the least popular and worked out the difference between different groups. Who knew Maths could be so much fun? Well done, Hedgehogs!
Super Sports Week!
What a fantastic Sports Week we have had in Year Two! It has been an absolute blast from start to finish. On Monday, we were lucky enough to have a special visit from an Olympic athlete. Hedgehogs were inspired by his achievements and took part brilliantly in the sponsored challenge, showing determination and enthusiasm throughout. On Tuesday, Year Two enjoyed a taster session in golf. Everyone quickly picked up the skills and were fantastic at putting the balls into the holes. Wednesday brought the excitement of street dance. Hedgehogs came up with some great rhymes and showed off some very cool dance moves. It was wonderful to see everyone expressing themselves and having fun. Then Hedgehogs finished the week with Pilates, where Year Two impressed us with their strength, balance and control as they worked their bodies in different ways. We have had such a fun-filled week and discovered that Year Two has some brilliant sporting skills. A huge thank you to Miss Dore for organising such an amazing week for us all. Well done, Hedgehogs!
Terrific Time Telling!
A Brilliant Last Week Before Half Term in our pile of leaves. Hedgehogs have had a fantastic final week of learning before half term and have worked incredibly hard across all of their subjects. I am so proud of everything Year Two has achieved! A real standout moment has been Maths, where Hedgehogs have been working hard on telling the time. They can now confidently tell o’clock, half past, quarter past and quarter to, as well as reading time in five-minute intervals past and to the hour. Wow, what super mathematicians! On Wednesday, Year Two had lots of fun making their own clocks using paper plates, card and split pins. They carefully wrote the numbers, created moving hands and decorated their clock faces beautifully. It was fabulous to see everyone so engaged and creative. The best part was using our finished clocks to practise telling the time. Very impressive, Hedgehogs! Have a lovely half term. The break is very well deserved!
Interesting Investigation!
Hedgehogs worked fantastically in Science this week as we continued exploring habitats in our ‘Animal Survival’ topic. Year Two began learning about micro habitats. We discovered that a micro habitat is a small habitat within a larger habitat, such as under a log, in leaf piles or around a pond. Hedgehogs then became real scientists and carried out an exciting outdoor investigation. They explored different micro habitats around the school grounds and used a tally chart to collect data about how many different plants and minibeasts they could find in each area. It was a super exciting lesson outside and luckily we just about dodged the rain! Through their investigation, Hedgehogs discovered that bugs especially like micro habitats because they are often more sheltered, damp and cool. Year Two showed brilliant observation skills, teamwork and scientific thinking throughout the lesson. Well done to our excellent scientists!
Super Story Planning!
Hedgehogs have worked super hard in English this week! We have finally come to the end of our class book, ‘The Very Last Castle’, and the children absolutely loved it. It has been exciting from beginning to end and has really inspired our own story writing. This week, Year Two have worked hard creating detailed characters and setting descriptions, using interesting vocabulary and imaginative ideas. They have now planned their own versions of the story using a story mountain, adding their own interesting ideas and exciting plot twists. Hedgehogs were excellent at sequencing the different parts of their stories and thinking carefully about what should happen at each stage. They have all worked incredibly hard and we are so excited to begin writing the full stories next week. Have a sneak peek at some of our fantastic plans and planning!
Fun Fractions!
Hedgehogs have worked incredibly hard in Maths! Over the past couple of weeks, Year Two have been learning all about fractions and understanding that a fraction is an equal part of a whole. Hedgehogs have specifically focused on halves and quarters, and Year Two have been brilliant at finding one half and one quarter of both shapes and quantities. On Monday, Hedgehogs had a very practical lesson, using hands-on activities and even drawing their ideas on the tables (Shhh don’t tell Mr King) to show their understanding. It was very exciting! Year Two then confidently applied their knowledge in their independent work, showing just how much they have learned. Well done, you superstars! We sure do have a class full of mathematicians.
