Year 2 woods visit

Year two woods visit 19^th March 2012

Monday in the woods showed me how important forest schools are to children’s learning and just how effective they can be. The children had a great time and were eager to become involved in the new and exciting activities around them. Without realising it the children were building upon what they had learnt in the classroom and then taking this further by becoming actively involved in their own learning.

At the start of the day Harriet and I lead the first activity. This involved the children translating a series of messages that had been carved into logs from runes into English. They were given a translation sheet and asked to decode the directions from the clearing, up the pathway to the fire circle. In order to allow full participation and inclusion we split the children into groups and then staggered the sending of each group. This worked well and the task was very successful.      

However the task unfortunately didn’t involve a large amount of science, although it did use the children’s English skills with the ability to find the right letters, write them down, then spell and read the word. It also involved the children identifying different symbols and then finding the corresponding letter.

It didn’t take the children long to take up the task and get the hang of what they needed to do. This was good as almost straight away they became engaged and eager to find the next clue. I altered the activity whilst carrying it out by swapping the child who wrote down each translation as I soon realised some children were more dominant than others. I also chose children every so often to translate a letter who were very capable but shy, and as a result tended to remain quiet. By doing this all children could feel included and reach a sense of accomplishment.

I was surprised by the children’s teamwork with some offering to hold the log so that everyone could see it during the translation. I was also impressed when one child recognised the word ‘the’ in each clue because he remembered the signs from before and this gave him a sense of achievement each time resulting in further engagement.    

The only slightly difficult part for the children was when two symbols looked similar and then choose the wrong letter. Sometime this was due to the symbols we used, or the way the letters had been carved. However after saying to the children ‘I don’t think that’s quite right, have another look’ they soon came to the right answer and happily carried on, with some remembering which letters looked similar for next time the problem arose.

Overall the activity was successful and the children were all able to become involved and feel included. I believe the activity was pitched and delivered at the right level and this is backed up by the children’s overall success. I would feel confident in carrying out the activity again as the children seemed to enjoy it and it provided a great start to the rest of the day. 

Lauren Harden 

Thoughts on Grouping

Having just read Duncan's email saying that there are 20 boys and 9 girls in Red class, I think it would be sensible to pair up the girls so they're not left on their own and outnumbered by boys within a group. What does everyone else think?
(Zoe)

Insect Hibernation

Do Insects Hibernate in Winter?

Many insects hibernate as adults; they each have their own method for surviving the conditions of the winter season. Lady birds for example, congregate in large numbers in the fall at high levels above ground. Tree holes, leaf litter, and under logs and rocks are all places insects hibernate in winter. In some insect larvae, the water content of its body is reduced and it builds up glycerol which acts as an antifreeze. Generally, it is easier for insects to survive cold temperatures when the temperatures are stable rather than fluctuating.

A ‘sleep time’ which is different to hibernation is known as diapause. This is usually done by insects and is a delay in the insect’s development where they do not grow. There are two types of diapause. One type is called obligatory. This is where the insect must go through diapause at some stage in its development. The second type is called facultative. This is where the insect ‘sleeps’ because of adverse weather conditions. However, unlike hibernation, the insect ‘sleeps’ before the adverse weather.

Before the insects leave diapause and begin developing again, they receive warning signs, such as; the days get longer (which the insects can sense) and/or the outside temperature increases. In conclusion, diapause is simply the way ‘animals adapt to the world around them’.

References: (All Accessed 27^th February 2012)

www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/winter.htm

http://www.riverwestcurrents.org/2004/February/001376.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312800/diapause.htm

By Emma Barkley, 27^th February 2012