Well 375 schools may have closed today in West Yorkshire, but the pupils of Fagley Primary are not put off by a bit of snow. This afternoon's Forest School session began by with a spot of recycling. Earlier in the year, each class produced a piece of artwork to tie in with their creative curriculum topic. These were displayed on on Sculpture Trail day when families and members of the community were invited to come in to school and view our artistic masterpieces. Year 2's contribution was some Andy Goldsworthy inspired murals. The stunning murals were comprised of seeds, branches, leaves and pebbles mounted on coloured card. After a period on display, it was time to return the materials to land. The Forest School group dismantled the murals and added the branches to our bug hotel. The leaves and card were shredded and added to our compost bins and the pebbles were collected to use in future projects.
Of course, we couldn't ignore the fact that it had been snowing, so a spot of sledging was obligatory. The rest of the school had been out on the sledges over lunchtime and the embankment was starting to look the worse for wear. The boys decided that to protect the surface from getting any more worn, they needed to replace the snow. After a quick scout around the school grounds, they noticed that drifts of snow had accumulated against the boundary fence and in the walkway below the playground. "Look Miss, the wind has blown the snow down here and it's really deep!" They demonstrated by swan-diving into the mounds of pristine snow, leaving behind some rather impressive freeze frames!
The boys quickly worked out that they could use the sledges as giant snow shovels transport the snow to the embankment. Embankment sufficiently patched up, the sledging commenced. With so much snowfall this winter, we have perfected our sledging technique and are considering entering a bob sleigh team into the next Winter Olympics!
Whilst, collecting snow near the fence, we spotted a large nest in the hedgerow. The occupants were tweeting loudly. Adam said he would like to find out more about how birds build their nests and how they keep warm in such cold weather. We agreed that this is something we could research in class and perhaps have a go at building our own nests.
After a quick break for hot chocolate, sock changes and a discussion about the least painful way to warm cold hands, we headed back out to test the snow's snowman making potential.
Murad suggested that we start the snowman in the vegetable garden as there was plenty of untouched snow and we could roll the snowballs in and out of the paths between the raised beds. We tried to navigate a route between the beds which would mean that we passed along each path only once.
Unfortunately, we discovered that it wasn't the best snowman making snow after all, as the snow kept breaking apart. We mused over what makes snow better for making snowmen. Our theory is that the size of the flakes and water content determines the snow's stickability.
There is plenty more snow forecast in the coming days so more opportunities for snowman building and bob sleigh training.
Of course, we couldn't ignore the fact that it had been snowing, so a spot of sledging was obligatory. The rest of the school had been out on the sledges over lunchtime and the embankment was starting to look the worse for wear. The boys decided that to protect the surface from getting any more worn, they needed to replace the snow. After a quick scout around the school grounds, they noticed that drifts of snow had accumulated against the boundary fence and in the walkway below the playground. "Look Miss, the wind has blown the snow down here and it's really deep!" They demonstrated by swan-diving into the mounds of pristine snow, leaving behind some rather impressive freeze frames!
The boys quickly worked out that they could use the sledges as giant snow shovels transport the snow to the embankment. Embankment sufficiently patched up, the sledging commenced. With so much snowfall this winter, we have perfected our sledging technique and are considering entering a bob sleigh team into the next Winter Olympics!
Whilst, collecting snow near the fence, we spotted a large nest in the hedgerow. The occupants were tweeting loudly. Adam said he would like to find out more about how birds build their nests and how they keep warm in such cold weather. We agreed that this is something we could research in class and perhaps have a go at building our own nests.
After a quick break for hot chocolate, sock changes and a discussion about the least painful way to warm cold hands, we headed back out to test the snow's snowman making potential.
Murad suggested that we start the snowman in the vegetable garden as there was plenty of untouched snow and we could roll the snowballs in and out of the paths between the raised beds. We tried to navigate a route between the beds which would mean that we passed along each path only once.
Unfortunately, we discovered that it wasn't the best snowman making snow after all, as the snow kept breaking apart. We mused over what makes snow better for making snowmen. Our theory is that the size of the flakes and water content determines the snow's stickability.
There is plenty more snow forecast in the coming days so more opportunities for snowman building and bob sleigh training.
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