Category Archives: Science

Science
This week in science we continued our work with materials. We were set another task by Professor Pole! He wanted us to choose the most suitable material he could use for his umbrella. He told us it must be waterproof and not absorbent. 
 
We discussed the idea of a fair test – a test where’s only one variable is changed while all the other variables are kept the same. We established the thing that would change in our experiments would be our materials.
 
We tested fabric (felt), tissue paper, paper towels, cardboard and a plastic bag. We made our predictions first just by feeling the materials that might be the most suitable for an umbrella. 
 
We worked in our table groups and tested all the materials using water. At the end of the experiment we came back together to discuss what we found out. We found out that the best material Professor Pole could use would be the plastic bag because it is waterproof and all the other materials were absorbent… pointless for an umbrella! 

 

Materials

Science

This week the Toucans have been learning about different types of materials. They have been identifying and comparing  glass, plastic, metal, brick, rock, paper and cardboard. To start with, they were given a range of different everyday objects to explore as a table group. They were encouraged to discuss the uses of the different objects and to see if they could sort them into different groups. Each group then shared their findings with the rest of the class. 

Toucans were then encouraged to re-sort the materials to see how many different groups they could make.  Miss Hookes asked the children why certain objects were made with certain materials, for example why wouldn’t table legs be made of cardboard? Why are our classroom chairs made of plastic and metal? Why are windows made of glass? The children were then asked to share their thoughts. Toucans then went around the classroom to spot different objects made with each of the various materials and recorded these independently.

Miss Hookes also introduced the Rocket Words: flexible, rigid, smooth and rough.

 

Sea Animals

Science

Today in our science lesson we were looking at what animals live in the ocean and where about in the ocean they live. We started off the lesson by listing as many sea animals as we could. We came up with shark, whale, octopus, seal, eel, sea otter, plankton, jelly fish and star fish!

We found out that the oceans can be as deep as the mountains on Earth are tall! Our task was then to look at the different sea animals we had been given and read the information carefully as to where we place them on the sea bed. We learnt that eels live on the sea floor and feed on the dead animals found there. However, an animal that floats on the surface of the ocean is a sea otter. We were given a big seabed and we had to organise our animals in the correct place.

Habitats around the World

Science
This week in Science we have started a new topic: Habitats around the World. In our very first lesson we looked at four different habitats: rainforests, coral reef, Arctic and the desert. We discussed together the types of animals we might find in these places and why those animals might live there. 
 
We went on an adventure with Sally the polar bear,. She travelled through the rainforest and the city, but she was just too hot! This was because she is a polar bear and she has thick and furry fur to keep her warm. She belongs in the Arctic where it is a lot cooler.
 
We had a go at looking at different animals and deciding on their habitat and why, here is what we decided! 
 

Life Cycles

Science
This term in Science we have been looking at growth in animals. So far we have learnt about the life cycle of a chicken and a human, and this week we learnt about the life cycle of a frog.
 
The children were very excited when the play dough came out! We went through as a class what the life cycle of a frog was. We spoke about how a frog begins it’s life as eggs which is known as frogspawn, then the eggs turn into a tadpole and eventually into a tadpole with legs and then it grows into a young frog before growing into an adult frog.
 
A fun fact we learnt was that a frog lives for up to 10-12 years, but not many tadpoles survive to become a frog.
 
The children all had a go at making the life cycle of a frog with each table having a different stage of the cycle. Next week we are looking at the life cycle of a butterfly.
 

Crisp Investigation

Science

This half term the children have been learning about how to have a healthy lifestyle. Today the children completed an experiment using various crisps. The aim of the experiment was to establish which crisps had the highest fat content – we did this by crushing four different types of crisps on paper towels which in turn were on graph paper. Toucans had to count how many squares on their graph paper contained grease once crushed. They filled out their results on a table and then presented them on a bar chart. We found out that McCoys crisps contained the most fat out of all the crisps that we tested. 

Terrific Toucans!

English, Maths, Science
In Year 2 today we have been consolidating our knowledge of number bonds, focusing on number bonds to 10. We have worked very hard and are showing great independence in completing tasks. 
 
During English Toucan’s have been writing sentences on dictation. We have revised what makes a super sentence: making sure our sentence makes sense, using our neatest handwriting, using correct punctuation and starting our sentences with a capital letter.
 
Topic this week is a continuation of our topic about Healthy Eating. We have discussed “What makes a healthy meal” and have talked about the different food groups which we all need to stay healthy  – these include: carbohydrates, proteins, dairy and fruit and vegetables. Today we were learning about where different animal products come from and what foods could contain them. 
 
Toucans have settled in very well into Year 2 and are trying very hard to follow our routines – well done Year 2!

Changing the shape of an item

Class Work, Science

Toucans enjoyed a practical investigation today. They thought of ways to change the shape of an item.

Karly – You can squash it.
Olivia – Bend or fold it
Joseph – Stretch it
Declan – Twist it.

The class then experimented to see if they could change the shape of some items by using one of these methods. They tested a plastic bottle, pipe cleaner, a sock, a drinking straw, some play dough, a towel, a sponge and an elastic band.

Then we compared and discussed our results and findings together.