Year 3+4 - Ash

Anglo Saxon workshop at St Leonard's Church Bengeo 06.07.2023

On Thursday we walked to the oldest church in Hertford for a very special workshop all about Anglo Saxon life. Firstly we all had an outfit to put on to transform us into Anglo Saxons - even Mrs Bond! I very much enjoyed my time as the lady of the manor! Next it was outside to perform three tasks that Anglo Saxon children might have been expected to do daily - collecting the eggs, finding sticks for the fire and gathering stones that might have been used for building walls. Gathering water from the nearby well would also have been a job that children would have been expected to do - but as we discovered it's difficult to carry the bucket without spilling any! Back inside we looked at typical foods the Anglo Saxons might have grown and eaten such as swede and cabbage, and examples of two of the grains they grew - wheat and barley. We even got to lift an iron cooking pot to get an idea of how heavy it was! We felt some fleece from a sheep and had a close look at the spinner they used to make it into wool for clothes. The children asked some great questions and we enjoyed a picnic lunch in Hartham park before the walk back to school.

Scooter workshop with World Champion Terry Price

Today we had a very special visitor to our school. Terry Price is a professional scooter rider and he travels the country and the world teaching children how to scoot. Terry shared his story in an assembly for the whole school before setting up the hall for our scooter workshop. After putting on our helmets Terry assigned everyone a scooter and we got the feel for scooting round the course. Next it was time to learn a few tricks before trying the ramp with Terry's help at the end. All the children tried their best and Darci was awarded a special medal for trying everything with enthusiasm and a big smile on her face. Everyone received an autographed picture with all Terry's information. The children can watch Terry's videos on YouTube - with the supervision of an adult of course. What a fun morning!

Our trip to plant trees 26.01.2023

Today we went over to Panshanger Park where they are planting a new woodland to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II. There will be 17,000 trees in the new wood, providing vital habitats for woodland creatures and making an attractive new place to walk. 

We we met with Jo Whitaker, the people and wildlife officer, overlooking Osprey Lake in the centre of the park. First we talked about what trees need to grow well and played a game which also helped us to warm up! Then it was time to plant some trees. The species of tree we planted today is Scottish Pine trees. In total we planted 35 trees to add to the wood which already has 10,000 trees in it. The trees were very tiny as they were only saplings so we had to be really careful not to tread on them accidentally as we clomped about in our wellies!

Although it was a cold morning, great fun was had by all the children and we soon warmed up once we began our walk back to school. Some of us were muddier than others! Well done, Ash Class!

A visit from Hertford Museum - 17.01.2023

Scientific skills

Learning about famous scientists

Observing, identifying differences and similarities, classifying

Identifying herbivores, carnivores and omnivores

Today we had a special visit from Hertford museum to provide a workshop all about different kinds of animals. We heard all about Alfred Russel Wallace, a local Victorian pioneer, naturalist and explorer who lived at the house which is now Wallace House doctor’s surgery. He later moved to the house next to St Andrew’s church which is now Ruby Indian restaurant! He attended Richard Hale school which was then called Hertford Grammar School. A contemporary of Charles Darwin, he travelled the world finding out about different species of plants and animals. He made scientific observations which were eventually to become a theory of natural selection, which is the theory which explains why so many different variations of particular plants and animals exist.

We were able to look close up at the animals and birds, and even a mouth full of shark teeth! It was a fantastic opportunity to see creatures which we might never be able to get close to in real life.

Outdoor Learning Day 04.11.2022

Today we enjoyed a fun day of outdoor learning with plenty of activities based around our theme of Fire and Ice. We began by making bonfire pictures with twig and leaf printing. We then found sticks to make into either a fire character or an ice character using materials and googly eyes.  Some very imaginative outfits were created! In the afternoon elaborate shelters were created for our characters - some including gardens, swimming pools and basements! It was amazing to see the collaborative efforts and detailed conversations that the children had whilst making the shelters. Later in the afternoon the children went round in small groups to observe the fires that the Year 5/6 classes had lit. We ended the day with a "campfire" song and story sharing session. All the children had a lovely time and got extremely muddy and painty - sorry parents!