‘Ex Corde Vita’
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10 May – 14 May 2021
OUR WEEK IN PICTURES
WORKSHOPS This week we have been treated to a plethora of amazing workshops across our school. Year 1, Year 2 and Year 5 explored the chemical reaction within rockets to make them blast off. They learned which chemicals were needed, the reaction that occurs and then made their own miniature rockets to take home! Year 3 explored electromagnets. They made their own electromagnet and learned how to make improvements to them so they worked better. They then got to take their electromagnets home! Year 4 participated in the colourful candle workshop which introduced Heat, Light and Chemical Energy. The children learned about hydrogen, oxygen and carbon. In their workshop, Year 6 learned of the threats Cheetahs are facing, the pressures on many of our habitats and the importance of maintaining diversity in the health of individual species as well as our planet. We have had fantastic feedback on these events and you can see how much fun the children had from the pictures our teachers took in school.
NURSERY AND RECEPTION Nursery and Reception have had an exciting and jam-packed week of hands-on experiments and investigations!
In ‘Wavy Wax Painting’, the children explored how materials can change state when heat is applied. They used their learning to create works of art with materials that were once solid and then melted, when heat was applied, to become liquid. During ‘Crunchy Architecture’, the children had to design structures that could stand up using biscuits, crackers and chocolate to stick it all together. They had to consider which shapes would be good for certain parts of their structure and explain why they used a certain biscuit for a specific part of their building. For ‘Make a water purifier’, the children learned how dirty water is made clean through filtration systems. They discussed why larger chunks of ‘dirt’ were easier to remove compared to smaller and they then compared the water after filtration to before.
YEAR 1 Year 1 have been investigators this week!
amazing
In one of their experiments, ‘Fossil Folly’, the children were tasked with constructing a dinosaur using modelling clay. They had to investigate the strength and stability of dinosaur shapes, think about why dinosaurs come in different shapes and sizes and then record and present their findings to one another.
‘Peggy Problems’ was another experiment that Year 1 conducted. They had to consider the grip and strength of pegs and think about what makes a peg work well. They then tested different types of pegs to observe how strong they were and recorded their results to share.
YEAR 2 Year 2 have been buzzing with excitement this week and thoroughly enjoyed conducting their experiments.
During ‘Exploding fountain’, the children were introduced to the concept of chemical reactions. Mentos were dropped into a variety of carbonated drinks, allowing carbon dioxide bubbles to form rapidly and cause a fountain effect. They then discussed the reasons why some drinks made a bigger ‘fountain’.
‘Tea Bag Trouble’ saw the children thinking about materials and their uses. They had to investigate what makes a good tea bag, test different materials and observe how they behave when used as a tea bag and record their results to share.
YEAR 3 What a wonderful week Year 3 have had!
In their experiment, ‘Speed Scooters’, the children got thinking about surfaces and friction. They had to think about what makes scooters go faster or slower, test how hard it is to scoot on different surfaces and the effects of pushing harder and record and share their results.
‘Split light into different colours’ saw the children learning about spectrography and how and when it is used. They had to investigate light and study it on an atomic level with their very own spectroscopes, which they had made!
YEAR 4 It’s been a brilliant week for Year 4!
‘Making Toothpaste’ saw the children actually make and test their own toothpastes! They had to think about the properties of toothpaste and what makes it good before making their own and testing how well it worked! They then recorded and presented their results.
In one of their experiments, ‘Hoody Hearing’, the children explored how sound travels. They investigated whether or not wearing things over your ears affected sound, experimented with sound through a rand of different materials and record and presented their findings.
YEAR 5 Year 5 have been conducting some superb Science this week and having an excellent time in the process!
Their experiment, ‘Cheesy challenge’, saw them exploring changes in states of matter by turning milk into cheese. They had to use their existing knowledge of cheese to help them make their own and research other milk products. It was really fun but a little stinky!
Things got competitive in Year 5 when they investigated forces and gravity through their ‘Egg Drop’ experiment. The children needed to design and construct a structure that would keep a raw egg from cracking when dropped from ever-increasing elevations!
YEAR 6 Year 6 have proclaimed themselves ‘Southfield’s Super Scientists’ after this week!
During ‘Design your own Robo-bug’, the children explored the ways that insects have evolved to help them survive in almost every habitat on Earth. These amazing abilities have inspired robots used for things like rescue missions and even space exploration! The children needed to use their knowledge to then design their own robo-bug bug and justify their reasoning for attributes they had given it.
In the ‘Brilliant Birds’ experiment, man was pit against animal! Year 6 had to design and make a bird’s nest before testing it to see if it could withstand the elements as well as those made by these wonderful creatures. They had to consider the strength and stability of their nest under wet and windy conditions.
TADPOLE TALKS During ‘Tadpole Talks’, the life-cycle of amphibians were explained to EYFS and Key Stage 1 pupils, by Mr Dale our resident amphibian expert! The children were shown live specimens at different stages of development and learned how they progressed through their growth cycles. They were also introduced to some of Southfield’s very own newts that already reside in the pond! They found out what they ate and were able to see the differences between them and the frogs. At the end of the talks, the newts were released back to the pond and the frogs entered their new habitat!
BUGS! BUGS! BUGS! Across the school this week, from Nursery to Year 6, the children were tasked with making a habitat for minibeasts to help local biodiversity. Materials were upcycled and elements of nature were used for the children to create their own ‘bug hotels’. They then went on a local trip to Southfield Park, where they had to hunt for minibeasts and classify them based on their characteristics.
STEM AMBASSADOR DRESS UP DAY
What a fantastic Science week we have had thanks to our wonderful Southfield pupils’ enthusiasm and hard work! A wholehearted thank you to all of our parents and carers for supporting them, and us, in making this year’s Science Week a sensation! Without you, it would not have been possible.
‘Ex Corde Vita’
Email: admin@southfield.ealing.sch.uk
Southfield Primary School Southfield Road Bedford Park London W4 1BD Tel 020 8994 6173 or 020 8742 3127