Whitehouse Common Primary -

Year 2 speak to Antartica Scientist

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Year 2 were very lucky to be able to Skype call Dr Jenny Hillman from the University of Helsinki about her recent trip to Antartica. The children have been learning lots about the North and South poles and in particular what life is like in Antartica. Dr Hillman was able to talk to the children about what life is like in Antartica and spoke about how her and her team dove under the ice to see the effects of global warming on animals on the sea floor. The children were fascinated to find out about the special dive suits that she needed to wear to keep warm in the -2 waters and how sometimes her hands would freeze and take 2 hours to thaw out after a dive! They also found out that whilst Dr Hillman was in Antartica there was no darkness - they found this very exciting, they thought this meant no bedtime!

Polar Exploring Fun!

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We had a fantastic start back to school with our Polar Expedition day on Tuesday. It was great to see the children all dressed and ready for their adventures! During the day the children had a go at building shelters to keep them warm and protect them from polar bears at night, read maps to find clues around the school grounds with information about Captain Scott and his expedition, create igloos from marshmallows, pipe cleaners or cotton wool balls and finally finished the day with a nice warming cup of hot chocolate!

The children collaborated brillinatly throughout the day and used some fantasitc problem solving skills to create their shelters and read the map.

Christmas Festivities

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Year 2 have really enjoyed the build up to Christmas in school. The children gave fantasitc performances in this year's production 'Christmas with the Aliens' with fabulous singing and acting. They had a great time completing this half term's DT unit of work designing and creating gingerbread. They children decorated them beautifully and I understand they tasted as good as they looked!

Phew!! What a busy few weeks.

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We have had a very busy few weeks in Year 2.

We really enjoyed our visit from the West Midlands Fire Service who were kind enough to bring their fire engine into school for us to look around. They also delivered a session on fire safety and taught us all about the Great Fire of London. The children's favourite bit was setting off the hoses!

We have also been getting to grips with our Year 2 Multiplication and Division strategies. The children are beginning to apply their developing times table knowledge to support them when answering division and multiplication questions.

We are fully in the swing of Christmas rehearsals.... fingers crossed for the big event on Monday and Tuesday.

Remembrance Day Activities

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To mark 100 years since the end of World War I, Year 2 created pieces of artwork in rememberance of the many soldiers that fought and lost their lives.

The children created silhouettes against a blended background. The children learnt how the top of a sky needs to be dark and as the colour meets the horizon it needs to become lighter.

The children were really proud of their final pieces. Many are now on display in the KS1 entrance hall.

What type of house weighs the least...?

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Year 2 have really enjoyed working on their Design Technology unit this half term. The children learnt about, designed and created their own lighthouses.  The children really enjoyed learning about the purpose of lighthouses and their history. After investigating several existing lighthouses the children created their own designs based on what they discovered. The children were really surprised to find out many lighthouses also had a large bell or siren as part of their construction.

After lots of sticking and gluing the children's Pringle tubes were transformed! What bright sparks they are!

Lace Tying Fun!

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Many if the children in Year 2 have lace up pumps in their PE kit. This is great and they are a fantastic addition to their kits...However......

Many of the children are unable to tie their laces. This has an impact on the amount of time it is taking for the children to get changed and creates interuptions during lessons whilst the teacher reties laces that have come undone.

Weekend Challenge

If your child has lace ups in their kit, please could you spend 5 minutes looking at the video link attached with your child and helping them to practise a method that works for them!

Thanks

Science Investigation

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Year 2 have been busy testing a range of materials to find the most suitable to make an umbrella. The children planned their investigations carefully to ensure they would be 'fair'. After predicting Felt would be the best material for the umbrella, due to its ability to absorb water, the children discovered their initial prediction was not a good choice as when the felt reached maximum absorption levels it leaked! The children final settled on a plastic coated material as this allowed the water to roll off.

Outdoor Maths

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Year 2 have been busy using and recalling their numberbonds to 20. All of the children took part in an outdoor maths lesson where they rotated around 5 different games to help them create numberbonds. The children had a fantastic time in the sunshine and created lots of numberbonds throughout the session. They children were also able to talk about the commutative law of addition by comparing how each of the children had recorded their numberbonds.

Year 2 'Land Ahoy!' Day

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Yesterday Year 2 enjoyed a fun filled, pirate day! We made gold doubloons, decorated our own pirate treasure chests and then filled them with treasure and we even found out our pirate names! It was a great way to start our new topic 'Land Ahoy!'.

Year 2 have made a fantatsic start to the year! 

The Year 2 Team 

Year 2 Class Dances!

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Year 2 today performed their class dances and they were nothing short of FANTASTIC!! All of the Year 2 teachers are very  proud of them. They performed with energy, enthusiasm and big smiles! Well done Year 2!