Pumpkin Class Blog

On this page you can see updates over the term of our activities and learning.

1-Minute Maths App

White Rose Maths new 1-Minute Maths app helps your pupils to build greater number confidence and fluency. It’s all about targeted practice in engaging, one-minute chunks!

Find out more

Reading Changes at Stanford

Date:
1 December
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Mummification

In History this week we have looked at mummification and the process it entails. We learnt that when people were mummified to reduce the water in the body and to act as a preservative, they used Natron. We investigated using different kinds of salt on different fruits and vegetables to see which one would be a modern-day substitute for Natron. We scooped the insides of the fruit and veg out, weighed it and covered in different salts. Next week we will weigh the fruit and veg out again to see which salt has absorbed the most amount of water.

Date:
24 November
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Road Safety

After an insightful assembly on road safety yesterday today we recapped on all that we had learnt. We came up with posters to display in the classroom reminding us that we need to think, stop, look and listen.

Date:
21 November
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Our Metal Flowers

Today we put our metal flowers up in our reception area. I think you'll agree that the children have done amazing with these. Each of the flowers have incorporated an artist's design that we look at in each of these year groups. Be sure to look out for them as you come into school via the reception!

Another big thank you to Sam from Vanel for supporting us with this project.

Date:
13 November
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Anti-Bullying week

To start off our focus of Anti-Bullying week Pumpkin Class researched team building games that we could collaborate with year 6 to play. We also participated in a live Anti-Bullying lesson led by the BBC. We were all very excited to get a shout out on the BBC Teach website.

Date:
10 November
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Spoof websites

Pumpkin class has been focusing on E-Safety in ICT this week. We looked at examples of 'spoof' web pages and how we can tell if the information on these sites are accurate or not. We then had ago at creating our own 'spoof' web pages.

"I did mine about a player going to a football club when they aren't"

"I created a 'spoof' web page about spotting unicorns at Stanford"

"I wrote about elves helping at Christmas"

Date:
1 November
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Pumpkins bake for tuck shop for well-being Wednesday!

Pumpkin class have made some delicious oat-meal and raisin cookies for tuck shop this week for our well-being Wednesday. Children weighed out the ingredients and then added all the ingredients together to bake. Although Miss Purshouse nearly forgot the cinnamon, oops! We can't wait to sample these in our tuck shop on Friday selling for 50p.

Date:
31 October
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Metal Flowers Project

Today Pumpkin class were the first class to start the metal flowers project with VANEL. Year 3 created designs linking to their class artist Maud Purdy. They then painted these designs onto the metal flowers using key terms such as strokes, light, dark, pattern, layering. We were then joined by year 2 who came to have a look at how we were getting on and looking at the different designs we had created!

"I had lots of fun painting"

"I think they looked really pretty once they were finished"

"I liked mixing different colours to get the colour I wanted"

"I can't wait to see all the flowers when they are up!"

Date:
30 October
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Bollywood Dancing

Pumpkin class worked with Sunita this afternoon to do some Bollywood dancing as part of our Hindu experience work. Children wore suitable attire to dance in and Sunita showed us lots of different dance moves to try.

"It was so fun!"

"I really liked trying all the different dance moves"

"I got 2 team points for my dancing"

"It was funny that Miss Purshouse was the Queen"

"I hope we get to go that again"

Date:
20 October
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Presentations

This week in English pumpkin class have been discussing what they would like to change about the school environment. Linking to our class text 'Belonging.' Children used technology to research their ideas and then created a presentation. Today pumpkin class presented their presentations to Willow class. Pumpkin class did amazing to deliver their presentations to others. A big well done to everyone!

Date:
20 October
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Interactive Scenes

Today in computing Pumpkin class have been designing and creating their own interactive scenes. Children planned their scenes using different algorithms and made several things happen in the scenes.

Date:
18 October
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Pumpkin Class are artists

Today in art we have been using our designs to make Egyptian scrolls on papyrus paper we have previously made. We worked out what information we wanted to convey onto our scrolls using imagery, colours and patterns.

Date:
13 October
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Magnets

In Pumpkin Class we have been learning all about magnets. This week we made our own games using paperclips and magnets. We used keywords such as: attract and repel.

"That was so much fun!"

"I'm taking mine home to show my little brother"

Date:
13 October
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Behaviour Ambassadors

We love celebrating fantastic behaviour in Pumpkin Class. Today our behaviour ambassadors have seen lots of amazing behaviour.

"I saw people listening to what they had been asked"

"Someone held the door for me! I thanked them"

Date:
10 October
Posted by:
Mrs Smith

We love to read!! 📚

Barley and Pumpkin class came together to share their love of reading! Pumpkin class shared their favourite book with year 6 pupils whilst enjoying the sunshine!

"I loved reading with a year 6"

"The year 6 explained to me about speech marks in my story"

"I read my favourite story outside and it was very calming"

"I had a lovely time reading"

"Me and my partner took it in turns to read"

"I liked my partners book more than my own"

"I liked the author of my partners book and have looked for another book by that author"

Date:
8 October
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Basketball

Today Pumpkin Class have been practicing their basketball skills. We have practiced shooting, dribbling, and defending. We have been working really hard at remembering to bounce the ball whilst moving.

Date:
4 October
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Willow and Pumpkin Well-being Collaboration

As part of our well-being Wednesday Willow and Pumpkin class worked together to create some new recycling posters to put up around school. Willow class helped Pumpkin class with their spellings, and Pumpkin class helped Willow class with ideas they could have for their posters.

"I really enjoyed working with a year 4"

"Having the doors open was so cool!"

"It was nice working with a different teacher"

Date:
29 September
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Pumpkins are design technologists

In DT we having be learning all about mechanical systems and we have made our own moving animals using linkages and levers. We will back these onto a calendar ready to take home at Christmas.

"My fixed part is the head of my lion"

"My loose pivot was too tight so I had to loosen the split pin"

Date:
26 September
Posted by:
Miss Perrin

Harvest Festival

The Harvest Festival was an amazing event. Each of the classes prepared something to share - pieces of art, letters, poems and songs. It was lovely seeing the Foundation children join us to share their song. Rev Chris came to talk to us about harvest and spoke about how it is important to share and care for each other, qualities which we treasure within our school.

Date:
20 September
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Magnetic Forces

In Science Pumpkin Class have been looking at forces and magnets. We noticed how magnetic forces can act at a distance and attract some materials and not others. We sorted these materials into magnetic and non-magnetic materials.

Date:
15 September
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Class debate!

Today in English we thought about what happens to Rhodopis the main character of our book. We argued whether different things that happen to her are a positive or a negative. For example, she becomes a Queen. Which some children said would be a positive, but others said a negative. We then made a list and split them positives and negatives whilst debating which side they should go on.

Date:
8 September
Posted by:
Miss Purshouse

Egyptian Hook Day!

Today in Pumpkin class we have had our hook day. We have learnt lots about Egyptians and how they used to live, we even had a virtual tour of the British Museum around the Egyptian exhibition. Then we learnt all about papyrus paper and how it was used, then we had a go at making our own!