A big part of our learning this month has been our Second Level Pathways focussed on Sustainability. There were three different workshops - Sustainably Cities, Water Consumption and Repsonsible Consumption. We each had to rank our preferences then got allocated to a workshop and were mixed with Primary 5, 6 and 7.

In our first lesson we talked about what makes a sustainable city and took notes on some of the features for example ubran agriculture (having farms in the city centre), green transport like electric cars and electric buses, and having pedestrian areas. We made posters, leaflets and PowerPoints depending on our group.

Next, we did a virtual walk around Maidenhill (we were meant to go outside and actually walk but the weather was horrendous!) by using Google Maps and we looked at how sustainable Maidenhill is. What do we do that's good and what could we improve?

Then we discussed what we had found. We saw that we have lots of solar panels (we think about 70% of the houses have them), some electric, a lot of paths for walking and a good drainage system.

But we still have lots of things to work on. There isn't much green space like a park to play in or a place for animals to be safe. There aren't any cycle paths in Maidenhill, just the ones on Ayr Road. There are also no public bins and no public electric car charging stations. 

After that, we created our own design solutions. We had to think about the 3 things that we thought were the most important to improve in our local area and think about how we fix it. We had to be really specific about our plans and draw a sketch of our solution.

Finally, we got put into groups of 3 or 4 and had to negotiate which of our solutions we wanted to choose as our final one. We then had to make a model of it using materials like cardboard, tape, glue, paint and straws.

We made all sorts of models including bins for the area, building a new shop so that people can walk rather than drive, electric car charing stations and a park for children to play in. We did an amazing job with our models and they came out much better than we had expected. 

We really loved our pathway and getting to build the models! 

By Cameron

In the first week there were lots of facts on the walls. We had to take notes in our jotters. We talked about what we had found out and shared our new learning. For example, the number of people that die every year from dirty water and the distance people have to travel to get clean water. There were pictures of turtles stuck in plastic and children playing with toys in dirty water. 

Then we split into two groups - the creative group and the education group.

The creative group used plastic bottles to make our own filters for cleaning dirty water. We used cotton buds and cotton wool pads to catch some of the dirt. They looked nice and did clean the water a little bit, but we're not sure we'd drink it! We also made plant pots and pencil pots using plastic bottles and painted them. 

The education group made posters and PowerPoints for the P1s to look at telling them all about water pollution and how to stop it. For example, put all your litter in the bin and make sure it's in the correct bin, especially if you're at the beach. Also, try to use reusable plastic bottles rather than one-use.

We also had a live call with a lady from Water Aid. She was from the Congo and she told us about where she lived and how she got sick all the time from drinking dirty water. She had to go to the toilet and shower in the same place where she drank from. She had to walk really far to get clean water and sometimes had to skip school to do it.

We really enjoyed our water pathway and our favourite part was the live call - it was so interesting to learn all about someone else's life that is very different to ours!

By Saamia, Fatima and Uzair

In week 1 there were lots of facts on the wall and we had to take notes in our jotters. They were all about "fast fashion" which means clothes that are bought but as soon as you buy them, the fashion trend is done so they don't get worn for a long time. 

Next, we learnt how to thread a plastic needle and then poke the needle through a piece of paper just to get some practise before we started the real thing. 

Then, we got loads of fabric that had been given to the school by parents and we chose one that we really liked. We cut it into a shape that we liked (mostly clouds, hearts and stars) and made plushies out of them by using stuffing from a cushion to make it squishy. We were taught how to finish off a sewing project by making a knot so that it wouldn't unravel. 

After that, we made tote bags using a material that we had chosen ourselves and by cutting out squares. We used our new sewing skills to sew all the parts together including the handles. They looked very funny at the start because the fabric kept on moving and it didn't look like a bag. But in the end they looked fantastic! 

We really enjoyed our pathway because we got to use a real needle and poke it through the fabric which we haven't really done before. Now we know how to sew things so we can do it at home!

By Amy and Sophie

In PE we have been learning how to play badminton with underarm and overarm shots. We have learned that you don't use a ball, you use a shuttlecock. When the shuttlecock goes up it always comes down with the heavy part at the bottom. We played a game called "King/Queen of the Court". If the challenger wins, they take over and become King/Queen. If the challenger loses they go back into the line to go and try to defeat a different King or Queen. I think lots of people found it quite hard to play badminton because they thought it was like tennis, but we did a really good job and had lots of fun!

By Margie

On Tuesday 26th March we did our first Bikeability session!

First, we learned all about safety on our bikes: 

1. Check your helmet - only two fingers can fit between the strap and your chin and it shouldn't wobble on your head.

2. Check your clothes - they shouldn't be hanging or they could get stuck in your bike.

Then we learned about M checks:

1. Front wheel - should be pumped up and have no bulges or tears.

2. Handlebars - should be equal, same direction as the front wheel and have the ends covered. You also need to check your brakes are working and the gears.

3. Pedals - they must go round and 2 o'clock is the best place to start. Also check that your chain is properly on the spikes.

4. Seat - must be at the right height. You should be on your tip toes.

5. Back wheel - should be pumped up and have no bulges or tears.

Once we knew all of this we could go out to the playground. We had to do our M checks for every bike to make sure we were all safe. When Miss Itcovitz or Mrs Wood was happy with everything on our bikes we could go into the MUGA and start to cycle. 

It was a lot to learn in one go but we did a really good job and all got to cycle because we did good listening and our bikes were okay. 

By Awais and Mohit