During this enquiry, the children will be considering their own aspirations and completing their own challenges such as becoming engineers to design and build their own rockets through a special STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This page will share with you how our enquiry develops. 

We have started by exploring our enquiry question and asking further questions that we want to find the answer to. Our enquiry mat also supports us in our learning by sharing what knowledge we are building on, key vocabulary and provides us with further ideas and concepts to question, research or debate!

The Honey Bee class have really enjoyed reading parts of "Incredible Jobs You've (Probably) Never Heard Of" by Natalie Labarre. We have had lots of discussions about some of the jobs and used this as a starting point to reflect on what might influence our decisions regarding jobs of the future (presented in the evaluation wheels)! We have also had some time to consider our own hopes and dreams and what we will do to 'reach for the stars!' 

One of the aspiring professions that we will be exploring is being an engineer. In order to bring alive this profession for the children, the Honey Bee class took part in a special workshop run by Grace Webb (CBeebies Grace’s Amazing Machines). First the children explored the features and differences between two different machines. They explored how engines, tyres and shape impact on the function of the machines.

Our second task was to use a range of image sources to assess how fast certain vehicles could travel and ask ‘why?’ The children used skills of inference and deduction to make     decisions about the vehicles abilities and justify why this might be the case. In detail we explore the impact of wheels and the shape of the vehicles linked to aerodynamics. After completing this research, the children planned their own vehicle and began to build it!

After building came the testing! The children explored how quickly their design would move and evaluated its performance. The children then had time to adapt their designs in order to develop the speed. It was amazing to see how small changes impacted the direction and pace of the vehicles! 

After this exciting visit, we have been taking on the professional role of an engineer by researching the impact of air resistance before planning our own rockets. We timed the speed of the flight of a balloon rocket with different surface area sails. We soon discovered that the larger the surface area, the slower the rocket moves.  

Now understanding the impact of air resistance, the Honey Bee class have used TinkerCAD to create a cross-sectional plan. Making prototypes has allowed the children to explore any potential construction issues and adapt their plans as necessary. 

In addition to designing our own rockets, we have been researching about technology currently being used to explore Mars. We are very proud of our reports and hope you will enjoy them too!

Water and Sun Safety Day

This term, we have had the opportunity to dedicate a day to learning about the risks involved with the sun and water. We have explored these dangers and taken part in dedicated activities to explore how we can keep ourselves safe when out in the sun or by water.

Reaching for the stars in Art

After exploring the artwork of Peter Thorpe, the Honey Bee class have been exploring ways to make abstract marks. We have used a range of materials such as sponges, string, brushes and marbles. 

We then explored another form of making abstract marks by being inspired by sounds! We listened to The Planets composed by Gustav Holst and used the speed, volume and tone of the sounds to mark make.

High aspirations on Sports Day!

The Honey Bees showed great determination and sportsmanship during sports morning. Have a look at their achievements here!

Aiming high at Tallington Lakes

The children have tried two new sports today - tobogganing and rock climbing! They showed great ambitions while having lots of fun!