Breakfast, lunch and water to fuel your brain
This week we’ve found out how a healthy, balanced diet and good hydration provides us with the energy our brain needs to function throughout the day.
Nutritionists believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but what children eat can be just as crucial. Breakfast cereals and foods rich in whole grains, fibre and protein and low in added sugar may boost attention span, concentration and memory and prevent children having a mid morning energy drop. http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/breakfast.html
Fruit at playtime, provided free for Reception and Key Stage 1 and the only snack allowed at Key Stage 2 playtime, can provide an energy boost for the rest of the morning. Remember the weekly fruit tuckshop on Tuesdays is available to Key Stage 2 costing 20p per item.
A healthy, balanced lunch is also crucial to refuel the brain for the afternoon’s learning and this week children, who bring a packed lunch to school, have been given a copy of our Guide for Healthy Packed Lunches (https://www.moortown.leeds.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/packed-lunch-guidance.pdf). The guide was launched in September 2010 but may not have been seen by children new to the school or children who may have previously had school dinners.
The importance of hydration for the brain, to maximise learning, has been another focus of our Brain Box week. Children need to have a water bottle to keep in their classroom to allow regular water breaks throughout the day. This should be taken home weekly to be cleaned. Water is also provided at lunchtime for packed lunches and school dinners.
As well as regular exercise and opportunities for relaxation these factors all contribute to a healthy brain!
Better brains with more sleep
‘Your brain needs lots of sleep to repair itself and to organise and sort everything you have learnt’… One of the messages in the Good-night guide for children, published by The Sleep Council, sent home today, at the end of Brain Box week.
Research carried out by The Sleep Council revealed that lack of sleep among primary school children was having a devastating effect in schools with nine out of 10 teachers (92%) complaining that pupils were so tired they were unable to pay attention in class. More than a third (38%) said lack of sleep among youngsters is a daily problem for them.
This week, classes have been looking at The Sleep Council’s Better Brains with More Sleep initiative where children are encouraged to learn tips on getting their full sleep quota and the factors that can affect it.
Leeds Children’s Mayor Project 2012
Today, I have talked to the Year 6 class about this exciting project.
All of the class have been invited to take part in the competition, open to all schools in Leeds, to become Leeds Children’s Mayor. They must write a short manifesto saying how they would improve Leeds if they were the Children’s Mayor, based on one of the 12 Wishes for a more child friendly Leeds.
Entries should be brought to school by Tuesday 02 October and one entry will be selected to represent Moortown Primary. A panel including last year’s children’s mayor, Leeds youth councillors, city councillors and UK youth parliament members will shortlist all the entries down to a final ten. Everyone in the city is then asked to vote for their three favourite entries.
Our entry last year, by Bronwen Grainger, was selected as one of the ten finalists. Her idea was to link schools with local care homes / homes for the elderly and collect litter to improve the local community.
For more information and to hear from last year’s winner visit http://www.breezeleeds.org/pg/228/Leeds_Children’s_Mayor.
Good luck!
Ukulele lessons
Every Friday afternoon, Year 4 have a ukelele lesson. Mr Batton has made a guitar from a Quality Street tin!
Our Big Topics begin…
We’ve had a busy few weeks with mini-topics and our themed week but our Big Topics will begin next week!
Our topics for this school year are:
Year 1 and 2
- Roll up! Roll up! Learning about the origins of the circus and how they have changed over time
- Treasure A new topic for 2012-2013, ‘Treasure’ will include lots of map-reading and adventure
- Ee Ie Ee Ie O! Learning about different types of farms and animals
Year 3 and 4
- All aboard! Learning about transport through the ages
- To infinity and beyond! A popular topic delving deep into space
- Food, glorious food! Another new topic for 2012-2013, ‘Food, glorious food’ will look at popular food in different cultures
Year 5 and 6
- Rich and poor Thinking about differences in lifestyle between rich and poor over time
- Theme parks Another new topic for this school year, ‘Theme parks’ is a roller-coaster ride which links all the key literacy learning the children have done in the past, from reports to recounts
- Chocolate A popular topic looking at aspects such as fair trade and how chocolate is made
Learning about the brain
Year One have enjoyed a week of exciting activities. These activities helped them to understand and learn about their amazing brains. This is what they said:
- “Our brains help us think!”
- “My brain needs water.”
- “My brain has 3 parts.”
Class Assembly
It is our class assembly on Thursday 4 October. It will start at 2:40.
See you there!
Have you ever seen a rat’s brain?
Don’t worry! We haven’t dissected any rats but we did see a rat’s brain today! Dr Lewis, from Leeds University, came to talk to us today about the brain. Our brains are full to bursting with information and the 100,000,000,000 brain cells that we have made a lot of links after listening to Dr Lewis. He spoke to us about our brain’s activity when we learn something new; it truly is the most amazing organ in our body.
This is a rat’s brain – it’s quite similar to ours in shape but obviously much smaller. We also saw a snail’s brain but to be honest we thought it was a bit of fluff! Even though it was so small it did consist of 11,000 brain cells.
As well as looking at brains, we also tested our receptive points in our fingers and hands; we then tested our reflexes. Mrs Weekes asked the question, “Do our reflexes slow down as we get older?” The answer was “Yes. However if you keep your brain active then it will stay alert for longer!”
Finding all possibilities
Year 4 try to find all the ways of making 10. To find them all they need to work systematically.
Learning about brains!
This afternoon we’ve been learning about the brain. Two brain experts from Leeds University have helped us to understand how the brain works. They also showed us some snail and rat brains, tested our reflexes and taught us which parts of our bodies are the best at feeling things.
