A train ride to Knaresborough

Thank you to Mr Carter for transporting us in the school minibus to Headingley station so that we could board the train to Knaresborough. We wandered down the cobbled Water Bag Bank, noticing the thatched roofs and chequerboard cottages. Reggie described the echoes we created under the viaduct as ‘the clouds talking back to us” – fabulous! By the time we reached the riverside, we were all “starving” so had to snack on a biscuit, attracting a duck or two and a black headed gull (thank you, Lucas’ grandma, for the identification). The 117(/118/120? steps – depending on who was counting steps were a challenge but we were rewarded with this spectacular view of the River Nidd flowing through the valley below. After a delicious picnic, we sketched the castle. You will have to wait to see more photos and our forthcoming art work at the Arts Celebration. An ice-lolly offered a refreshing treat before we headed back to the station for our return journey. Thank you to the family members who joined us.

Welcome Molee

Thank you to Hector’s mummy for delivering a caterpillar to our classroom on Tuesday. The children held a discussion around what we might call him. Hector chose Molee (an inspired suggestion from Alma). We are taking our responsibility as Molee’s guardians very seriously and researched how to give him the best chance of flourishing. We discovered that he needs a ventilated habitat, a warm environment and food: ideally the plant on which he was found – in Molee’s case, a broad bean plant. Isaac signed up to the poo-removal rota with gusto. A bit of sticky tape on the end of a finger seems like the most hygienic way to undertake the task.

Hatching chicks

Mrs Garden very kindly let us borrow the nursery chicks on Thursday afternoon. Miss Whiteley shared a fact book about chicks. We heard about: where chickens live: their life cycle; what they eat; how the egg functions; how the chicks hatch and what happens shortly afterwards. The children were invited to hold a chick very gently and then we wrote about what we noticed.