Our half-term in class has been busy, yet marked with excitement and lots of learning! By time it ended, the autumn leaves had fallen and it had become rather nippy, but our classroom was full of curiosity, kindness and warm smiles.
“I liked going to the fire station because I saw where the firefighters keep their hoses and helmets.” – Christopher
“Mary Seacole was brave because she didn’t give up when people said no.” – Sophia
“We learned that being kind is a good idea for everyone. It can make you and others around you very happy.” – Hafiza
“Our map showed where the park is, and I put our school near the library.” – Mohamed
“In P4C we talked about heroes, and I said that the emergency services are like heroes because they help everyone.” – Ataullah
Our trip to the local fire station was definitely a highlight for the children! They were fascinated by the equipment, enjoyed climbing aboard the fire engine and loved meeting the firefighters who keep our community safe. We even had the opportunity to use the powerful fire hoses, and we explored other important roles when we returned to class such as doctors, nurses, postal workers and teachers. We thought carefully about how each person makes a difference, and we focused particularly on understanding the emergency services.
We’ve also been inspired by the beautiful book Last Stop on Market Street to be mindful of doing acts of kindness whenever we can and showing appreciation for what we have. The children have been keen to keep building their kindness towers by supporting each other with their learning, making cards for people at home and various other admirable deeds. This helped us dip our toes into P4C (Philosophy for Children) as we continued to learn to listen carefully and respectfully, and to share ideas. In these lessons, the children enjoyed discussing big questions like, “What makes someone a hero?” and “Can one person make a difference?” Their thoughtful responses showed how reflective they are becoming.
A Joy of Learning Across the Curriculum
Our days have also been filled with music, science, plenty of reading, and much more. Whether we were investigating hygiene and health in science, learning new songs in music, making maps of our community, learning about forgotten inspirational figures from the past and present for Black History Month or diving into our guided reading books, the enthusiasm from the children has been wonderful to see . . . . Next stop: AUTUMN TWO.
