Week 2: Different types of houses including our own home.

The children have really enjoyed their expedition learning this week. They have looked closely at their own houses and then the different types of houses they coulod see in the local community.

They looked at the different materials houses were made of and how each type of house looked different on the outisde. We noticed the bungalows in the community didnt have an upstairs. Presely in FS2 said “this meant they didn’t have stairs inside, which helped old people to move around more easily”.

In the classroom the children used all their new knowledge to build houses in the bricks, print bricks in the paint, build using “cement” in the water tray and create their own dream houses in the workshop.

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During Hook Week, the children in EYFS watched how heavy machinery can make building projects easier. Mr Hull is building new path around the school and the excavator could dig a lot faster and deeper than his spade! 

The children discussed the importance of safety around heavy machinery and they wore their visible vests so that the excavator driver could see them! 

The children felt the rubble in their hands and commented on its texture. They were told how it would sit together to make an even and safe path.

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As part of Hook Week, the children in EYFS completed a Scrapheap Challenge! They explored a range of resources and materials in the school hall before working collaboratively in small groups to plan and build a simple structure. As part of the Scrapheap Challenge, the children were given a criteria to achieve – their structure needed to remain stable for at least three minutes and it needed to be big enough to house three children inside. 

The children concluded the Scrapheap Challenge by completing a gallery walk and critiquing one another’s structures. 

Henry praised Crew A for making their structure colourful. 

George praised Crew C for building a structure big enough to fit their whole crew in. 

Dominic wondered if Crew B’s structure was strong enough because it was leaning to one side. 

Messiah wondered how all the structures could be made fireproof so that the crews could camp and cook inside them.

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Last week, the children in EYFS started their new expedition! Their expedition title is ‘Early Years Engineers’ and their guiding question is ‘In a world of possibilities, what would you make?’ 

As part of their expedition this term, the children will be completing three case studies and answering some thought-provoking questions as part of these case studies:

• Case Study 1: What can we use to create and build? (Expressive Arts and Design: Creating with Materials) 
• Case Study 2: How do you build a community? (Understanding the World: People and Communities)
• Case Study 3 : How can you be a maker like me? (Understanding the World: The Natural World) 

Throughout the expedition, a range of traditional tales will be used to inspire, shape and lead the children’s learning: 

• Case Study 1: The Three Little Pigs
• Case Study 2: Hansel and Gretel 
• Case Study 3 : The Gingerbread Man

Over the course of the term, we will blog about what the children have learnt and experienced as part of their expedition on our individual crew pages. We will also upload photographs of the children’s learning and share their completed work on our expedition website. 

Foundation are learning all about “being a maker” after Christmas for their expedition learning and we are in need of cardboard boxes, large and small, cardboard tubes and other things we could use for building. 

Please keep us in mind once Santa has been 🎅(or before) as we are going to be completing a scrap heap challenge during our hook week.

The children will be using all the resources we collect to “design, build and test” a structure they have constructed as small crews.

Please bring anything you may have to the foundation classrooms where staff will gladly accept them.

Thank you for your continued support.

The EYFS team.