Exploring Through Play

Children in Year 2 were excited to be back at school after a much-deserved half term break; they couldn’t wait to share their half term adventures once they got back to class on Monday for our carpet time and Thought of the Week.

At the end of the last half term, children completed their report writing on a dragon, so what could be more fun than designing their own dragon habitats? They came up with some fantastic ideas and used their creative thinking to make 3D designs, using objects such as toilet rolls and plenty of paint.

In Science, children have moved on to looking at different materials and their uses; with the help of Mr. Mutembei, the children went on a walkabout in the Cottage Road area, looking carefully to see if they could spot different materials and how they were being used. Excitingly, the tour included the Nanyuki River, where children were able to discuss the river habitat as well as the importance of disposing of our litter correctly.

In RE, Year 2 have been learning about different harvest festivals. We went outside on Thursday and built our own Sukkot in groups as they do in the Jewish religion to celebrate the period of harvest. The children loved playing in their Sukkots, making food and creating different scenarios with their friends. The children had to rebuild their three-walled Sukkots a few times and some even moved location; everyone really enjoyed being outside and learning through play. This week, we have looked at Advent and learned the importance of the Advent wreath and the symbolism of the candles. The Year 2s created their own Advent wreath and coloured in the candles: joy, love, peace, hope and Jesus.

An exciting focus of this half term is the Nativity play that Year 2 are putting on together with the Year 1s. The children have been paired up and have been given their lines to learn, we even did a run through on Friday, singing some of the songs that they have been learning in class. Everyone is full of enthusiasm and has been working extra hard on projecting their voices so they can be heard from all the way at the back of the theatre as well as delivering their lines with expression. They are learning the songs and actions in Music and will be doing some set design in Art. Many more rehearsals are to come, but it is slowly coming together and the children are going to be fantastic shepherds, angels, servants and kings in the play ‘The Bossy King’.