Boat race!

On Friday 25^th May Year 5 had a boat race!  We've been thinking a lot about exploration with boats - especially as we have been studying Tudor explorers this half-term. Our objective was to create speedy boats which had a jubilee theme.  Many people chose to paint union jacks on their boats or on the sails.  We were lucky to have a sunny day with a breeze to help the boats on their way!

Sikh trip

On Wednesday 16^th May Year 5 visited the central Gurdwara in Shepherds Bush to learn more about Sikhism.  We had many questions to ask – including ‘when was Sikhism founded’ and ‘why don’t Sikhs cut their hair?’ We found out that Sikhism started around 1469 when Guru Nanak was born and that Sikhs don’t cut their hair as they believe it is a gift from god.  After our question and answer session we ate a delicious vegetarian lunch in the langar.

On Tuesday May 8th Year 5 visited H.Q.S. Wellington (opposite Temple station).  We were very surprised at how large the ship was inside as it appeared rather small from the outside!  We learnt new nautical terms, the history of trading, life as a sailor, a captain's role on the bridge and how to signal using flags and morse code.  We also discussed why people travel by ship - exploration being an important reason; a good link with our topic this half-term!

Visit from Tropical Inc.

On Wednesday March 21st we had a very special visit from a company called Tropical Inc.  We were able to hold  a variety of animals - many of whom can adapt to life in rainforests around the world. Here are some select photos of us with the creatures!  We learnt a lot about them and it was a very memorable way to end our rainforest topic.

Spring 2

This half-term our topic is 'Sounds like the rainforest'. This links to the music project we are doing with Mr Waithe based on the Guyanese rainforest. We are discovering rainforest facts and will be learning a story set in the Amazon rainforest. We will also be thinking about why it is important to look after our rainforests. We have been listening to rainforest animal sounds and in science we have been observing how sound is produced by vibrations. Here are some photos of us investigating vibrations - first we had to feel vibrations through balloons and then we had to investigate how other objects vibrate - making a range of sounds.

Trip to Westminster Abbey

On January 17th Year 5 visited Westminster Abbey to learn about famous Victorians burried there. We were also taught about Queen Victoria's coronation when things didn't quite go according to plan! Do you remember what happened?

Trying on Victorian clothes

On Friday, Mrs Palmer and her daughter came in to class to talk about their family history. We learnt that their family made some very famous biscuits called Palmer biscuits. These were first produced in Victorian Times. We also looked at some tins that were created to store the biscuits for safe travel if customers were travelling by horse and carriage. We were then fortunate enough to try on some original Victorian clothes!