Over the last couple of weeks, each of our Year 5 classes has enjoyed an inspiring visit to Tonbridge School's Science Department. The children were hugely impressed by the size and scope of the Barton Science Centre, and in particular were intrigued by the Periodic Table display, complete with physical examples of each element. The children enjoyed two sessions: Chemistry, which explored chemical changes, and Physics, in which the children made their own rockets. The rockets were a particular favourite as we launched them huge distances across the grounds (one of which even landed on the roof!). In Chemistry, they were introduced to chemical changes in the form of mixing elements and solutions together. We were all amazed by potassium igniting and turning lilac when coming into contact with water. Thank you very much to @tonbridge.school and their science teachers for two fantastic afternoons – Year 5 certainly has many enthusiastic scientists in the making! #TonbridgeSchool #ScienceFun #FutureScientists #Year5Learning #STEMEducation #YoungScientists #HandsOnLearning #InspiringCuriosity #ChemistryRockets #PrepSchoolLife #ScienceExploration #PeriodicTableFun (fb)

Year 3 launched their new Stone Age topic with an exciting Inspiration Day full of creativity and discovery. An inspiration day at the start of a new topic helps spark curiosity, engage children from the outset, and provide a memorable shared experience that brings learning to life. The children explored the mystery of Stonehenge and painted stunning watercolour silhouettes of the stones set against a glowing summer solstice sky. They also worked with clay to design Stone Age-style necklaces, carefully shaping beads, bones, and antlers to reflect ancient jewellery. The whole class then came together to perform a rousing version of ’We Will Rock You’ with special Stone Age lyrics, bringing history to life in a fun and memorable way. We are looking forward to travelling back in time to explore life during the age of early humans. Our learning links closely with geography, where we study ‘settlements’, and science, focusing on ‘rocks and fossils’, creating a rich, hands-on experience. In English, we will be reading ‘How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth’ and ‘Ug: Boy Genius of the Stone Age’, bringing the Stone Age to life and inspiring the children’s own writing and creativity. #StoneAge #InspirationDay #CreativeLearning #prepschoollife #shapingpupilsstories #sevenoaksprep (fb)