Year 1: What We Are Learning!

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

This week in Geography, we went on an exciting walk around the school premises to observe the world right outside our classroom doors.

We focused on two main areas: 

• Describing Our Surroundings: The children used descriptive adjectives to detail what they could see, hear, and feel around our school ground.

• Human vs. Physical Features: We explored the difference between natural elements and man-made structures. Each child identified and drew one physical feature (such as trees or grass) and one human feature (such as a house, fence or car). 

You can help reinforce these key geography skills during your everyday routines at home. 

• Spot the Feature: During your walk or drive home, ask your child to identify one human feature (e.g. a bus stop, zebra crossing, building) and one physical feature (e.g. a park, hill, stream) they spot along the way.

• Adjective Challenge: Challenge your child to use three ambitious adjectives to describe a local park or your garden (e.g., towering trees, bumpy pavement, breezy air)

This week in PE, the children continued developing their yoga skills. They practised a variety of yoga poses and movements, focusing on balance, flexibility, coordination and body control. The children also worked on listening carefully, controlling their breathing and moving calmly and safely using hula  hoops. It was lovely to see everyone joining in, trying their best and developing their confidence as they explored yoga!

This week in Science, our Year 1 investigated the physical properties of everyday materials to find out which ones are waterproof and which are absorbent. Before testing, the children used their prior knowledge to make a prediction (a sensible guess). They looked at different materials—such as plastic, foil, fabric, paper and tissue —and predicted whether water would pass through them or slide off. 

Using pipettes and water droplets, the children carefully tested each material. They observed whether:

• The water stayed on top in droplets or rolled off (waterproof).

• The water soaked into the material or made it wet (absorbent or not waterproof).

The children practiced recording their results in a simple scientific table using ticks, crosses, and key vocabulary to show whether their predictions were correct.

How You Can Support at Home

To help reinforce this learning, you can try these quick 2-minute chat prompts at home:

1. Rainy Day Detective: On the walk home or during rainy weather, ask your child: "Why are your wellies made of rubber instead of fabric?" or "What material is your raincoat made from?"

2. Kitchen Science: When wiping up a spill, ask: "Which material should we use to clean this up—a plastic spoon or a paper towel? Which one is absorbent?"

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work!