Year 1

What a term it has been for Year 1! We kicked things off with our central idea: The past influences the present and the future. As enthusiastic historians, we dived into the fascinating life of Queen Victoria, putting together some fantastic fact files. The children also enjoyed acting out the story of Queen Victoria's bathing machine and wrote their own imaginative version of the story. This exciting work tied in perfectly with our geography unit, where we explored the countries that make up the UK. We even discovered Queen Victoria’s favourite places to visit and took a close look at the physical features of these countries, as well as what makes towns and villages unique -such as shops, churches, and detached houses!

This term, we explored Victorian toys! The children were absolutely thrilled to uncover the fascinating world of old-fashioned toys and learn how they work. They compared the toys of the past with modern designs, investigating their materials and uses. To deepen our understanding, we enjoyed reading our core text, Traction Man, which introduced us to the latest toys, the materials used to make these toys and how they work. It’s been an exciting journey through time!

As the term progressed, our budding scientists began an exciting investigation! We set out to discover which material would make the perfect wetsuit for Traction Man. We began by exploring a variety of materials and learning about their unique properties. Then, we delved into history, identifying which materials were previously used in toys and the reasons behind their selection. To finish off our exploration, the children carried out a fun comparative test with various materials—fabric, wood, plastic, metal, glass, and stone—to determine which one proved to be the most waterproof and ideal for Traction Man’s wetsuit.

Towards the end of the term , the children enjoyed rehearsing for their Christmas production. It was an amazing experience to hear the children sing beautifully and recite their poems. It has been a fantastic term and the Year 1 team wishes you all A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year !