Investigating insulation
Insulation is cool! Or is it hot? Actually, it’s both! An insulator is a property of material that prevents heat from moving, keeping cold things cold and hot things hot!
Tyler Fish – a polar explorer – set us a challenge to find the best material for their new kit. The Arctic is extremely cold and temperatures can drop as low as -50 degrees Celsius so the material would have to keep them warm. We chose our materials and set up our equipment…
…three cups containing the same amount of warm water, which we wrapped in bubble wrap, felt and cotton, for example.
We made predictions about which material would be the best insulator. Carefully and with precision, we measured the starting temperature.
After 20 minutes, we measured the temperature again.
Working out the difference in temperature, we were able to work out the best material. Challenge your child to fill in the blanks:
The smaller the ___________, the better the ___________.
Each group was able to recommend their chosen material to Tyler for him to order new Arctic kit. Success!
Polar launch day
We were very excited to welcome a visitor – our polar ambassador Terry Kirk!
First, we had to find the Arctic before we could dive in.
But who really sits at the top of the food chain? We worked in groups to discuss the right order.
It turns out it’s a lot more complex than it seems! A more accurate term is food web. We were tasked with creating a food web mobile to demonstrate the pecking order. This required teamwork and problem solving. It was really tricky at first but we were extremely proud of our results!
Challenge question- what would happen to the animals that eat fish, if the fish were poisoned?
To get inspired by Boaty McBoatface and find upcoming events and activities, visit STEM Learning.
How Do Polar Animals Stay Warm in Icy Water?
On Wednesday we kicked off our Life Forces topic by being polar explorers for the day!
We learnt how polar animals have a thick layer of fat, known as blubber, underneath their skin that keeps them warm. Year 1 wanted to find out if this was true.
First, we put our bare hands in the water to feel how cold it was. Then, we made our blubber gloves using rubber gloves and margarine and put our hands back in the water.
Year 1 discovered it was true! The blubber glove helped to protect our hand from the freezing water.
What fun we had!
Chick Cam 3!
We’ve now got seven chicks! We’ll start moving them to the breeder box today.
Polar Explorer Day in Y6
The whole school took on the role of polar explorers today to kick off our new eight-week Big Topic: Life Forces. We began the day with Terry Kirk, our school’s polar ambassador, learning all about the RHS Sir David Attenborough (a new research vessel for the British Antarctic Survey).
Year 6 then discussed how animals are adapted to survive in the cold conditions of the Arctic and Antarctic. Most of us already knew about blubber – a thick layer of fat underneath the skin – but we got to feel just how effective it can be by creating our very own blubber gloves.
We then imagined that we were explorers of the Arctic and wrote a diary entry of our adventures – there were some really great pieces of writing in the room.
In the afternoon, we learnt all about how animals are adapted to survive in winter and summer and across different habitats. We took notes of what we were learning all over the tables.
Then, we used all of the knowledge we gained throughout the afternoon to create our own creature. We were told whether they were a predator or prey and where they lived. It was important to consider this when thinking about how our animal would be adapted.
A great day was had by all – especially me!
Chick Cam 2!
The streams on YouTube only last for 8 hours, so here’s the next one!
It’s 17:10 and we now have three chicks with one more arriving very soon! Once hatched, the chicks need to stay in the incubator for about 24 hours to ‘fluff up’ before they are moved to the breeder box.
Chick Cam!
Good morning. Click on the following link to watch the chicks in our incubator. Two chicks have hatched already and there should be more hatching today and tomorrow! Stay tuned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSUKPotLzS4&feature=youtu.be
Special delivery
We’ve had an exciting start to our new big topic, Life Forces, today.
Parental partnership
Please continue to let us know what your child’s current interests are and those moments that make you proud.
This information really helps us to assess your child and lets us know what they are interested in.
For instance, you have told us which children have been practising their writing at home, learning to fasten their coats and reading to their younger brothers and sisters.
Thank you!
Maths Stay and Play
Join us on Thursday for our Stay and Play session which will focus on maths. Come along and join your child in their learning of number, shape, space and measures.
See you there!
There will be no Relax and Read this week.
