We kicked off the first half of Summer Term with our new theme, ‘Trapped in a Rainforest’.
So far we have looked at the different locations of tropical rainforests, including the Amazon Rainforest and used a Venn diagram to compare tropical and temperate rainforests. We have carried out research on the four layers of a rainforest; Forest Floor, Understorey Layer, Canopy Layer and the Emergent Layer. We were then able to identify which animals live in which layers and produced a wonderful fact file. We even managed to learn some of the rainforest animals in Spanish…how impressive!
We have thoroughly enjoyed delving into the enchanting world of rainforests and have been captivated by the lush greenery, diverse wildlife, and incredible biodiversity found in these fascinating ecosystems. To enhance our understanding, we embarked on an exciting trip to Plantasia in Swansea, a botanical paradise right on our doorstep. In Plantasia, we had the chance to walk through a stunning recreation of a rainforest environment. We marvelled at towering trees, vibrant flowers and were captivated by the exotic creatures. It was an immersive experience that transported us into the heart of a real rainforest! We observed the different layers of the rainforest and learned about the incredible rainforest species…we even got to hold some of these wonderful creatures.
In Art, the children created their very own ‘rainforest scene’ inspired by French artist, Henri Rousseau. We found out that Henri Rousseau created abstract pictures and would compose them in layers.
In LLC, we read the book ‘Varmints’. Varmints tells the story of a lonely varmint, living in an idyllic world that is suddenly destroyed by the arrival of a grey, high rise city. He saves what he can and tries to re-establish something of his old world. We then watched the film and compared each version, giving an opinion on which was our favourite. More recently, we wrote and re-drafted a non-chronological report about a newly discovered rainforest animal.
In STEM we have been investigating whether of not seeds need light to germinate. We decided to put one broad bean seed in the cupboard and one on the windowsill in direct sunlight. We couldn’t believe the results! It turns out that light is not necessary for a seed to germinate. The majority of seeds grow effectively in the dark. The three primary and necessary conditions for a seed to germinate are water, oxygen, and temperature.
It has been the turn of Miss Rawling’s class to participate in rugby sessions with Steve from Dragons Rugby. We really appreciate him coming in and teaching the children how to play rugby and they all thoroughly enjoy it.
We were lucky enough to spend the morning with Mrs Hill making our own pizza from scratch and using the pizza over in our Forest School area to cook and eat them! It’s fair to say that the pizza’s tasted AMAZING and we had lots of fun!
After a fun filled, action packed half term, we hope you all have a lovely break! We are looking forward to learning a lot more about the rainforest when we return for the very last half term of Year 3.
