June 2025
Year 6 School Journey
Tuesday 10th June
Another early start this morning but it came after a much better night's sleep for everyone. Breakfast set us all up for a good day as we set off for our first activities. Before lunch, the children tackled the Aeroball and Canoeing. The children certainly did a lot of jumping in Aeroball, which was a combination of trampolining and basketball. It was a game of skill and balance and it was certainly a lot of fun. It was also exhausting and that was just watching them go up and down! The canoeing was enjoyed by everyone. A leisurely row around the lake and in some cases a leisurely row around in circles until they got the hang of how to use the oars effectively and work as a team. A few games were played along the way and a lot of fun was had. You may find a few of your children asking to go canoeing again!
After lunch, we had Problem Solving and the Giant Swing. During the problem solving session, the children had to work in teams, showing good cooperation skills and good listening skills. This could have been the toughest challenge yet for some groups! With some perseverance though, they managed to rise to the challenge and in some cases break the record for completing the problems in the quickest time. The Giant Swing was highly anticipated by all the children. One group could be heard screaming from the other end of the PGL centre as they were hoisted up and released! I am hoping there are some great photos of the moment the children pulled the string and were released into the air.
After dinner, our final activity of the day was PGL Games. The children worked in groups to show lots of different skills using a range of sports equipment. We then headed back to the rooms to take our final group photo (below) and start to pack our bags ready for tomorrow. It has been a busy day, with one child walking over 30,000 steps (no wonder they are tired)! I know the children are all looking forward to seeing you and they have lots of things to share.
Monday 9th June
It was an early start this morning and with a lot less sleep than normal (for everyone) it was a slow and sleepy start. Breakfast soon perked everyone up, with a choice of sausages, beans, hash browns, mushrooms, beans, porridge, cereals, fruit and yoghurts. Slowly this helped us all start the day and it was a good job as it has been a very busy one.
Before lunch, the children tried their hand at buggy building and climbing. During the buggy building there was a lot of teamwork on show and I was pleased to see that each group successfully built a buggy that they could ride on. Even better is the fact that they did not fall apart when they moved along a carefully marked out course. Climbing saw a lot of the children face challenges. It was wonderful to see the children challenging themselves and encouraging each other. Some made it all the way to the top, but wherever the children got to, they were proud of any fears they had overcome and learnt that they can achieve more than they think when they have a positive mindset.
After a lunch of pizza and chips the children were ready for their next challenges, in this case 'survival' and abseiling. During the surivival session, the children were given different scenarios and had to decide what equipment would be most useful if, for example, they were stranded on a desert island. I think, in some cases, it is a good job this is unlikely to happen! Abseiling was another activity where children faced their fears. It is certainly a scary prospect to lean back on the top of a very high tower and walk backwards! Certainly a step too far for me!!!
This evening all the children came together to try their hand at Frisbee Golf. The aim was to get their frisbee from the tee off point to the special frisbee shape containers. There were certainly some interesting techniques on show and I had to remind the children on several occassions that they will go no extra points for hitting me with a frisbee. It is a good job I am good at ducking!!!
So now we are trying to settle the children down and we are hoping the children will go to sleep a little quicker this evening. Fingers crossed!
Sunday 8th June
We had a great journey down, no traffic and the children kept us entertained by singing as we travelled. Some of the songs were sung with gusto and a great knowledge of the lyrics. Others dwindled rather quickly as they realised they only knew a couple of lines which they then repeated over and over again! Having said that it helped pass the time very nicely.
At around 5pm, we arrived to a wave from the PGL staff and a huge cheer from the children. The children excitedly got off the coach and collected their bags. We were introduced to our group leader Nell and she led us to our cabins. The children has a short time to settle in before we went on a tour of the site and ended up in the dining hall ready to eat.
After dinner, we made our way back to our rooms when a impromptu fire drill occurred. Apparently an alam had been acceidentally set off. All good practice though and the children showed they had listened well on our earlier tour. Our first and only activity of the day was the camp fire. Here the children continued their excellent singing skills with a range of 'repeat after me' songs. They were in fine form and even showed off some dance moves! Toasted marshmellows were also enjoyed bringing the camp fire to an end.
It is now the time when we attempt to get the children to sleep. Every year we hope that this will be quick and painless and every year we are out of luck. Hopefully at some point it will happen. Wish us luck.
May 2025
Design and Technology Summer Term project
To start our History unit of work, Year 6 designed and created their own model version of an Anderson Shelter. The children were able to use their measuring, marking and cutting skills from previous learning. They learned about the importance of triangulation brackets to add support to their structure. Knowing that Anderson shelters were built into the ground, some children opted to add camouflage to their fooftops. I was very impressed with how well the children could recall learning and skills from our previous DT units of work. This included the use of circuits to add a LED light.
February 2025
This week, Year 6 have been developing their weaving skills as part of our Textile DT work.
To finish our History learning on the Mayans, the children have found out that the Maya people created a 'God's Eye' to celebrate the birth of a child.
They created their own God's Eyes using a simple weaving technique.
A slightly harder technique was needed when using a loom to create a large piece of colourful fabric, as the Mayans did with their own grown cotton.
Year 6 worked incredibly hard to produce both of their textiles. Click here to view more pictures
November 2024
Design Technology Project
This week the class have been developing their DT skills by designing, making and evaluating a moving toy, using a cam system. In pairs, the children used a range of tools to cut and join materials. They decided on the best cams for the job of moving an element of their Greek mythical character and were able to accurately assemble and finish their product. I was very impressed with how well all of the groups worked together in producing their moving toy. The pictures below show how hard they worked throughout the week.
October 24th 2024
To conclude our History work on the Ancient Greeks, Year 6 have designed and made their own Greek pots today.
They investigated different Greek patterns and added them to their own drawings. They then watched carefully as differeht clay techniques were modelled to them.
The children used newly learned skills of making a slip to join pieces, using a coil to add support, pinching to add texture and smoothing to embed pieces to their own pots.
All of the children did such a great job, they can't wait to bring them home. Well done Year 6.
