Living and Learning: Internet Safety and age restrictions
Year 3 had a visitor this morning from D:Side. We were learning about being safe online while playing on different games.
Lots of us enjoy playing games online and they can be really fun but there is also lots of things we need to be careful around.
Lots of games have age ratings and restrictions based on the content they show. In Year 3, we should only be playing games that are rated ages 3 or 7. This is because they have content that are appropriate for our age.
There are also many people online that we may interact with. Not everyone online is who they say they are so we must always ask a trusted adult if we are unsure or feel unsafe online. 
Even if someone says they’re 7, that they love reading and have a pet dog, they might not be telling the truth! We had a go at deciphering and deciding whether the friend requests were safe or not.
Help at home by checking the age ratings of your child’s favourite games to play online. Are they appropriate for them to play?
KS2 ice skating Planet Ice
As part of our involvement with Leeds Well Schools Partnership, a group of twelve Key Stage children recently took part in an ice skating session at Planet Ice.
After getting kitted out with our ice skates, we ventured onto the ice with some children being very hesitant. Our instructor taught us how to get up safely if we fell (and there were quite a few falls!), how to move forward on our skates and how to glide. All the children had a great attitude to learning these skills and showed excellent resilience and support to each other. By the end of the session, there was some great progress made and lots more smiles! Well done to all the children who took part.
This event was incredibly popular with over 90 children requesting to take part. If you would like to give ice skating a go, then have a look at the sessions available at Planet Ice. We’d recommend it!
Magna Trip!
Today, Year 3 and 4 visited Magna Science Adventure Centre. The main focus for Year 3 was their Topic learning about volcanoes and Science about rocks. We had a fantastic day exploring and learning!
There are four main areas to Magna (plus the playground!)…
Air
We explored the effect of air on movement.
Water
The children saw how water goes through the water cycle.
Earth
Here we saw the different layers of the Earth and how they interact.
Fire
The fire section displayed how fire acts and what happens to things that catch on fire.
and of course, we explored the playground!
Our workshop focused on volcanoes and rocks.
Help at home by exploring the Magna website to see if there are more workshops that are worth visiting for! They often have free workshops too! https://www.visitmagna.co.uk/
Living and Learning: Speak Out, Stay Safe
This week, the children learnt all about speaking out to stay safe with NSPCC.
We discussed children’s rights and the importance of the NSPCCs message of ‘speak out, stay safe’.
As part of this session, they identified their trusted adults that they could talk to if they needed or wanted. It’s so important to have these trusted adults and why we should always speak out rather than keeping our worries in.
Adults that we can talk to include:
- parents/carers
- grandparents
- older siblings
- teachers/headteacher
- club leaders
- friend’s parents
- Alternatively, Childline is always there to call or visit their website for help. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/
We watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRSJ0U3xWM4
Help at home: discuss who your child can talk to if they need help. If they don’t feel comfortable using their words, how else can they communicate? Write a note? Record their voice? Draw a picture?
Yorkshire Air Ambulance
This year, our Junior Leadership Team democratically selected Yorkshire Air Ambulance as our new school charity to support.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity providing a lifesaving rapid response emergency service to 5 million people across the whole of Yorkshire. Money raised keeps both of their air ambulance helicopters maintained and in the air.
This week, we welcomed representatives from Yorkshire Air Ambulance for an assembly to hear first hand about the excellent work they do and how our donations will help the charity.
Did you know it costs £21,000 per day to keep the Yorkshire Air Ambulance running.
It’s great to hear the children have already got ideas of how we can raise money for YAA. They are encouraged to put these ideas into our class Living and learning boxes for the Junior Leadership Team to consider.
Active travel and safety around the school gate
Science: How are rocks different?
Enquiry question: How are rocks different?
Scientific skill: I can record findings from a comparative test.
Last Friday, Year 3 completed three small tests to find out how rocks are different.
- The ‘scratch’ test: Use a nail or paperclip to scratch a rock to find out how hard or soft it is. The softer it is, the more of a mark it will have.
- Does the rock react with acid (vinegar)? We put a small amount of white vinegar on the rocks to see if they would react. There might be a change in colour, bubbles or no reaction.
- Will it float or sink?
Each table had one rock to focus on then at the end, each group shared their findings.
Here’s what we found:
Help at home by researching this question.
Is chalk a hard or soft rock? Why would it be hard to see the scratch test on chalk?
Spring term after-school clubs
We’ve had a great first week to our after-school clubs. There are some places available on the following clubs if your child would like to join. Please refer to the letter below to show the relevant year groups.
Living and Learning: I know what a drug is.
In Living and Learning this week, we have been learning about drugs, alcohol and tobacco. In Year 3, we discussed what a drug is:
A substance that changes the way the body or mind works.
The children discussed what different drugs and their uses. Drugs can be medicines like Calpol (for children) or paracetamol (for adults). These drugs are helpful because they can make us feel better when we are feeling unwell.
However, it is still very important that we use these with caution.
Here are some of the top tips we thought of to stay safe around medicines at home:
- Always ask a trusted adult to help you take your medicine.
- Read the instructions on the back that tell you how much you should have.
- Keep them in a safe place and out of reach from really little ones! Lots of us said that they have a special cupboard somewhere high up or with a child lock.
- Only take medicines that belong to you. For example, never use someone else’s inhaler!
- Only take medicines if you are actually unwell.
Alcohol and tobacco are substances that also change the way our bodies or minds work.
We learnt that the law says, you must to be 18 or over to buy or use these substances because they are not safe for young children.
Help at home: Read these two scenarios and think of some sensible advice you would give to help.
Yogi says, Yogi do!
This half term’s PE is yoga and dance…
We begin with a breathing exercise.
Bear breath: Breath in for 5, hold for 3, breath out of 5, hold for 3.
Warm up with ‘Yogi Says’! (It’s the same as Simon Says.)
Yoga poses with a partner… it’s all about trust.
End with a guided meditation: Lay down, close your eyes and pretend you are outside. You hear a rustling in the bush. There is an animal. It’s there to help you, listen to you and give you advice. Share your worries.
Help at home by trying this yoga routine just like we did in school! How do you feel before? How do you feel after?