Homerswood
Primary and Nursery School
‘A pathway to grow, be curious and discover’
Science
Impact Statements
Resources
Summer 2024
Welcome back to summer term at Homerswood. As always, there will be many enquiries taking place from Nursery all the way up to Year 6. Look out on the page to see how many of the 6 enquiry types are completed throughout the school this term.
Spring 2024
This is an exciting term for Science with our annual Science week coming up. We have some new topics to explore and key enquiries to complete. Make sure to ask about the rocket words and scientists your child has learnt each week. How have you been a scientist recently? What enquiries have you completed and which scientific skills have you used?
Reception had a visit from bee keepers Louise and Steve. The children were enthralled and even got to taste some of the hunny that is produced by their bees. Each child has taken home a set of seeds so that they can also help the bees. Thank you Louise and Steve for your time and the seeds.
We were lucky to finish Science week off with a planetarium visiting the school! The children saw meteorite and rocks from Mars, prototype cars and projections inside of space landings and star constellations✨
How could your farm be efficient enough to create food for the whole town?
Most of us have had an opportunity to see the ducks growing since they have been at school, lets think about the life cycles of animals.
For Wednesday's challenge at home, can you experiment with jelly and observe it over time.
Today we're going back in time to the dinosaurs period for our enquiry!
For Monday's challenge, can you explore our (not very pleasant!) weather to spot patterns and record data.
Welcome to British Science Week! We kicked off the week with an assembly, exploring scientists and their careers, some greatest achievements from the past and how we use time in all of our enquiry types every Science lesson. UKS2 started the week listening to a STEM ambassador all about our Earth and how it has changed over time.
Nursery have been exploring ice this week. They have loved finding ice in the garden so we froze minibeasts and then explored different ways to melt and break the ice, including using hammers, salt and water.
Year 6 have began their electricity unit making predictions and creating circuits.
Do you think alien life exists? An interesting topic of conversation in Votes for Schools this week, leading to a discussion about life forms and the planets in our solar system.
Autumn 2023
We have some fantastic topics this term from exploring sounds, evolution and inheritance, space, rocks, our body and exploring animals across the school! Keep an eye out for different activities and photos from Nursery to Year 6.
Year 5 have been undertaking a fair test to investigate the solubility of materials in water.
Year 4 have been using egg shells for their comparative tests to imagine how different drinks affect our teeth!
Such a fascinating watch and so many lessons to be learned about living things and their habitats. I would highly recommend watching!
When investigating evolution, Year 6 set up their own comparative test to discover how the theory of the survival of the fittest works.
Year 5, as part of their space topic, identified the different phases of the moon... of course having to use Jaffa cakes!
Year 4 are using their enquiry skills to explore sound this half term.
Rocks! Year 3 are using their working scientifically skills to identify and classify various rocks and their properties.
Year 6 have started their topic of Evolution and Inheritance. They were researching animal adaptations to live in their habitat and finding out inherited genes compared to environmental factors in offspring.
Summer 2023
Our curriculum continues to inspire and create curious scientists into the Summer term with classes deepening their understanding of key concepts such as Light, Animals including humans, Electricity and Living things. We are focusing on the 6 enquiry types throughout our learning: Comparative/Fair testing; Observation over time; Research; Problem-solving; Classifying&Identifying; Pattern Seeking.
Year 2 have been observing plant growth over time - one of the enquiry types!
A STEM workshop for our Year 5 & 6 classes by the Sea Cadets: they explored many aspects and identified characteristics best for their boats.
Year 5 and 6 showed off their STEM skills today by taking part in a Knex challenge: trying to build a crane!
Year 6 have been asking questions and setting up their own enquiry to evaluate how light travels and how reflections work. We later discussed shadows.
Spring 2023
Welcome back to Spring term! We have an exciting one ahead with exciting Science enquires, a mixture of working scientifically skills and Science week too. Make sure you ask the children which out of the six enquiry types they have explored in their science lessons and keep an eye on the photos over the term.
Year 2 have been exploring and describing micro-habitats.
Year 6 used their new knowledge of diffusion and osmosis, to make predictions and set up their own observation over time enquiry with gummy bears.
The chicks are hatching! Learning about life cycles first hand.
From cress growing to finger print matching, we had a great science week start exploring all of the different connections around us!
Year 2 have been exploring that living things need to live in a suitable habitat.
Year 6 used their new knowledge of circuits to make traffic lights!
Which sock is the stretchiest? Year 2 have been completing fair tests and developing their working scientifically skills of measuring and recording.
In their current topic, Year 5 have been using the Research Enquiry to explore the lifecycles of various animals and endangered animals.
Our Votes for Schools this week was focused on Science: can Science fix our world’s problems?
Year 6 have been investigating various components functions in an electrical circuit. They focused on the enquiry type fair testing to create their own investigation.
Year 2 exploring how the shapes of objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching.
Autumn Term 2022
Welcome back to a new school year - ready for some exciting, interesting science learning! This half term we will have some classes exploring our bodies and foods we require for energy, whilst others are exploring sound and others are thinking about evolution and adaptations animals have made over the years.
Keep up to date with the various scientific enquiries on the page.
In their topic Living things, Year 6 explored how we can enquire into whether yeast is a living microorganism. They used a model text to write their hypothesis, equipment, method, results and conclusion.
Year 2 have been exploring the suitability of materials for particular uses, by investigating which materials are used outside and why.
Year 6 have been exploring Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection through their own investigation of using various utensils (beaks) to pick up items (food) to link to how finches beaks adapted dependent on the island they lived on and food they ate.
In Year 4, they have been investigating how sound travels using vibrations by creating string telephones.
Year 3 have been identifying and classifying various rock types and properties this week. They are also observing over time soil samples and their own fossilisation of dog biscuits!
Year 1 have been identifying, naming, drawing and labelling parts of the human body... on aprons!
Reception and Year 1 have enjoyed their outdoor learning sorting and classifying.
Year 6 have been creating a timeline of the Earth! It spanned over the entire playground and field. If you hold your arm out infront of you to create a timeline, the tip of your finger represents the time humans (homo sapiens) have been on Earth.
2021-2022
Welcome to Summer term at Homerswood! Following on from our fantastic Science learning in Spring, we are excited for all of the experiments, observations and exploration this half-term. There are some exciting topics whereby EYFS are exploring keeping safe and minibeasts, Year 1 will be off On Safari, Year 2 focusing on gardening and plants, Year 3 focusing on forces, Year 4 will be creating some circuits to explore electricity, in Year 5 they will explore growing old and finally Year 6 will think about how to stay healthy.
As the season changes, hopefully we can be outside exploring the natural habitats around us in the sun to experience all of the first-hand, practical science Homerswood excels at.
Look out for regular updates on the learning across the school.
Year 5 spent an afternoon at Monks Walk to support their topic of reversible and irreversible changes.
Reception have some new visitors! They are exploring minibeasts and life cycles this half term with their own caterpillars. We’re excited to see what happens next!
Year 4 are investigating different states of matter. We have been deciding whether the amount of ice changed it’s melting point and whether all liquids freeze. We also investigated chocolates melting points!
Year 5 are investigating reversible and irreversible changes. Here are there volcanoes in preparation...
Some wonderful Science displays around the school currently.
Here are Reception investigating snails and Year 2 classifying minibeasts in their Outdoor learning sessions!
An update on Year 4s investigations with electricity! Today they were testing materials to see if they are insulators or conductors.
Year 5 have enjoyed the entry to their topic trying to guess some baby staff photos! Can you guess any?
Year 4 have been enjoying investigations in their new topic Power it up! They have explored various components to be able to light up the bulb.
Welcome back to Spring term of Science learning!
We are working incredibly hard at Homerswood to consolidate our science learning whilst continuing to learn new topics and apply them during our learning through the academic year.
Lots of topics are being taught across the year groups including Plants and Animals in Year 1, Squash, Bend, Twist, Stretch in Year 2, Lights and Shadows in Year 3, Teeth and Eating in Year 4, the Circle of Life in Year 5 and Electricity and Light in Year 6.
We are also celebrating British Science Week in March 2022 in school through a variety of whole school scientific experiments (watch out for many, many shoe boxes!)
This page will be updated regularly throughout this term so revisit again soon to help us all celebrate the fantastic work of the pupils across the school.
Look at the wonderful Mars creations from all across the school! The progression seen shows the developments in our scientific knowledge from considering the colours of our creature and habitats to creating an underground habitat for protection from the radiation or low gravity level on Mars. Well done to our winners of the competition.
Year 1 have been exploring plant growth linked to their current topic as well as our Science Week theme by investigating different variants effects on their growth. Whilst Year 3 have been busy dissecting plants!
British Science week brought EYFS some wonderful chicks! Observing the start of a life cycle for these animals has been incredible first hand experiences of growth 🐣🐣
Are you ready for Science Week 2022? We will be celebrating our STEM subjects from the 14th March for two weeks. The theme this year is Growth. Alongside many investigations within your classrooms, our whole school competition is to investigate the planet Mars and to create your own creature that could survive on the red planet.
How clean are your teeth? Year 4 completed an observation over time experiment to test how different liquids effect an egg shell.
Year 5 had a Mechanical Engineering KNEX Challenge this week! Here are some of their finished bridges... we have some STEM ambassadors in the making.
Year 2 Science Investigation- Predicting and Measuring the width of socks from Mrs Reeve's house!
w.b. 17th January 2022 RSPB Big Bird Watch - Take part in the RSPB's big bird watch. Be wowed by your local wildlife. Big Garden Birdwatch is for everyone, whether you're a complete beginner or a birding expert. Simply count the birds you see in your garden, from your balcony or in your local park for one hour between 28 and 30 January 2022. Happy bird watching.
Welcome back to the Autumn Term Science Page!
I hope you have settled into your new year groups and are looking forward to lots of new learning, especially in Science! Take a look around the page, there are great story book suggestions that are related to Science. Have you read any? Let your teachers know, or myself, and we may be able to get them ordered for you.
Year 5 Earth and Space Unit using Jaffa Cakes to represent the different moon phases
Space Week 2021
Did you know that this week is World Space Week?
Year 5 have been looking at Earth and Space as part of their Science learning in school. Use these websites to find out more-
https://www.worldspaceweek.org/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/curations/space-week
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/58803425
Celebrating Science at Homerswood
Impact Statements
Big Butterfly Count 2021
The Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide citizen science survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world's biggest survey of butterflies. Over 111,500 citizen scientists took part in 2020, submitting 145,249 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK.
Big Butterfly Count 2021 runs from Friday 16 July to Sunday 8 August.
How to take part
Simply count butterflies for 15 minutes during bright (preferably sunny) weather during the Big Butterfly Count. We have chosen this time of year because most butterflies are at the adult stage of their lifecycle, so more likely to be seen. Records are welcome from anywhere: from parks, school grounds and gardens, to fields and forests.
If you are counting from a fixed position in your garden, count the maximum number of each species that you can see at a single time. For example, if you see three Red Admirals together on a buddleia bush then record it as 3, but if you only see one at a time then record it as 1 (even if you saw one on several occasions) – this is so that you don’t count the same butterfly more than once.
If you are doing your count on a walk, then simply total up the number of each butterfly species that you see during the 15 minutes.
Take a look at the website for more information and remember to submit your numbers!
https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/about
British Science Week 2021
Next week, week beginning the 8th March, pupils at Homerswood will be introduced to "Innovating the Future" by designing an invention to be used in the future.
Pupils can take part individually, or as part of a group/class. Certificates and prizes will be available for the overall winners from each class.
Pieces designed by classes/groups individuals can be of their choice to present, either through a poster, written piece, model.....the choice is yours!
Mrs Reeve will choose overall winners for each class, and then the school, before the end of the Spring Term.
British Science Week- Making Rainbows
