Magpies & Red Kites

Term 1

Cornerstones Project: Splendid Skies

Driver Subject: Science

Imagine floating high above land and sea on a bed of clouds, silently sweeping by on a billowing breeze. Back down to earth, let’s take a walk outdoors. But what should we wear? Wellington boots? A sun hat? Maybe a warm coat? How do we know what the weather will be like today? Read and write poems and postcards, and, if you don’t like today’s weather report, why not write your own? Make a weather station to find out more about the weather in your area. What weather do you prefer? Sunshine, snow, storms or showers? Get your wellies on – let’s go!

2020/21

Term 5

Street Detectives

Driver Subject: History

This way or that way? Where should we go? Up to the local shops or down to the playing fields? Let’s learn about our local community, looking at houses old and new and finding out how our streets have changed since our mums and dads were young. Perhaps your granny or grandpa went to your school or maybe they worked in the baker’s shop? Make maps and plans of the streets around us, planning our routes. What can you see? What can we find? Whereabouts do you live? Do you know your address? Find out how to write instructions, directions, adverts and learn rhymes all about our community from different times. When the Lord Mayor writes and asks us to help make our street a better place, it’s time to get your thinking caps on and paintbrushes at the ready. Ready to roll, Street Detectives? Get your clipboards and cameras – it’s time to start investigating.

Term 4

Muck, Mess and Mixtures

Driver Subject: Art

Let’s get messy. Muck and mess are good. In fact, they're marvellous. Dive in and get your hands and feet all sticky and covered in paint. Play with liquids, squish some dough and check out the slushiest and mushiest foods. Pour, mix, stir, splat. How does it feel to get your hands covered in goo? Make a wobbly jelly and draw with wibbly clay. Write recipes, instructions, riddles and poems – there are loads of scrummy words to describe messy mixtures. Work with paint and other squelchy stuff to create a new gallery space. What will you make? How will you arrange it? How will the gallery make you and your visitors feel? Don’t worry about the mess – it’ll always wash.

Term 3

Superheroes

Driver Subject: Physical Education

Intergalactic greetings, young heroes. It’s time to rescue the planet from evil villains. Who’s your favourite superhero? Spiderman? Wonder Woman? Maybe your heroes are ordinary people who’ve achieved great things. Or is it those people who save lives in our emergency services that you admire most? Superheroes have super senses. Use yours to identify mystery items by their smell, taste, sound and touch. What do true superheroes eat to keep their senses and special powers sharp? Can we stop the dastardly plans of Professor Slime? He’s dropping his villainous instructions around town. We must stop people following them, but can we make it in time? Is that phone box free? Please excuse me – I have to save the world.

Term 2

Maestro Project: Moon Zoom

Driver Subject: Design Technology

CRASH! What’s that in the playground? Let’s go outside and take a look. Stand back everyone – it looks like a UFO has crash landed. Find out who might have landed by exploring the craft and investigating scattered scientific specimens. Create a ‘Welcome to Earth’ box for an alien explorer. What can you put in it to help explain what life is like on our planet? Would you like to be an astronaut? You’ll need a pretty sturdy spacecraft if you do. Start off small by making an air-propelled rocket. How far can you make it travel? Find out the names of the planets. There’s Mercury, Neptune, Mars and – do you know any others? I’ve forgotten the rest. Then, an alien is found. Can you help get him home? It’s got the experts in a right kerfuffle. Professor Pong doesn’t know what to do. Are you ready for take off Year 1? Hold tight. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… LIFT OFF!

Term 1

Project: Enchanted Woodland

Driver Subject: Science

If you go down to the woods today you’re in for a BIG surprise. Foxes and badgers, voles and mice, beady eyed owls in the swaying tree tops. Beneath the leaves are tiny footprints – animal or imp? You decide. Deciduous or evergreen? Can you match a leaf to its tree? Can you match a petal to its flower? Let’s build a den, stick by stick and branch by branch. Or we could make a teeny tiny home for a woodland fairy. Then let’s party down in the woods with Mr Fox and all his woodland friends. We’d better not get lost. Let’s leave a trail of conkers as we go. At last, it’s time to rest by the woodland fire, listening to stories and toasting our sweet, gooey marshmallows. Yum, yum.

2019/20

2019 -2020

TERM 3

Cornerstones Project: Towers, Tunnels and Turrets

Driver Subject: Design and Technology

See the castle ahead? Get ready to invade its mighty walls! Shoot a projectile with an archer’s aim! Head across the drawbridge, over the moat and up to the top of the tower. Meet Rapunzel who lives in a tall, tall tower. Let’s build a brand new one. Whose is the tallest? Can you measure it? Then dig deep, deep down, making burrows and tunnels, just like the animals who live underground. What’s that sound? I hear little hooves going trip, trap, trip, trap, over the rickety bridge. Watch out for the angry troll underneath. He likes to gobble up little girls and boys! Make sure your bridge is sturdy enough to take our weight and get us safely to the other side. And finally, meet three little pigs who need your help to build a strong fortress. Inside its strong walls they’ll be safe from the big, bad wolf! No huffing and puffing will blow your fortress down!

Term 2

Cornerstones Project: Paws, Claws and Whiskers

Driver Subject: Art and Design

Soft fur, sharp claws and twitching whiskers. What’s your favourite animal? One that meows? One that barks? Or maybe one that scurries or slithers? From pets at home to animals in the zoo, let’s find out what animals like to eat and where they like to sleep. Do you know how to look after a rabbit? A cat? Or even a snake? Find out how the elephant got his trunk and how the rhinoceros got his leathery skin. Perhaps you know how the dog got his waggy tail? Can you make a food chain to show who eats who? Who is a herbivore and who is a carnivore? When a gaggle of mysterious pets arrive at the local pet shop, it’s up to you to take care of them. Feed them, clean them and discover their daily needs. After all that work, curl up and take a nap – a cat nap!