Christmas at Hampden Gurney is full of joy and the children embrace all aspects of it, from our renowned Nativity performance, which brings all classes together to put a wonderful production, to our assemblies -where we discuss and reflect on the significance of the birth of Jesus-, to the cheer of welcoming Santa’s visit!
Our first trip of the year took us all the way to the Toy Museum, where the children in Year 1 had the opportunity to explore toys of yesteryear and compare them to the ones they are used to today. Materials, shapes, themes, hazards; all aspects where considered carefully. The staff at the museum also offered them the chance to create their own wooden dolls made out of fabric and pegs, which the children thoroughly decorated.
Hampden Gurney received an invitation from MP Nickie Aiken to take part in the Coronation Card Competition. This card will be part of the celebrations to commemorate historic occasion and send very best wishes to His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort and thanks them for their service to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. As all the children in the school, our Year 1 pupils put a lot of effort, creativity and dedication producing their entries and we are sure it will be a tough job for anyone to choose the winner design.
Science Week 2023 was, as usual, a whole school event and the children in Year 1 put their researchers caps on and had a closer look at food webs, food chains and the roles of producers, primary, secondary and and tertiary consumers, Together, they presented the following information at our assembly:
In Year 1, the children have also been introduced to the 5 senses. Having Hyde Park’s Lookout at our reach, we decided to pay a visit and out our senses to the test… smelled the flowers, the grass, we heard the birds singings, we touched slimy slugs and some prickly leaves. We got to taste our healthy snacks during lunch and, before forgetting, we use our sight to take a good look at the magnificent beauty of Hyde Park.
In Religious Education we learn about Christianity as well as about many other faiths. Recently, we have focused on Judaism and enjoyed a genuine Shannah Tovah meal prepared by one of the class’s parents. The children got to hear the traditional prayers and songs as well as getting a first-hand explanation behind all the rituals of this very important Jewish religious and cultural event. As an extra special experience, children got to tray wearing different designs of kippah and now understand its meaning within the Jewish religion.
We became historians and immersed ourselves in the horrific days of the Great Fire of London. Starting the Sunday 2nd of September 1666, and burning out relentlessly for five days and five nights, this catastrophic incident wiped out a lot of old London, affecting even the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral. The children shared on the stories that Samuel Pepys recorded at the time and drew comparisons as to why the fire spread so quickly and was so destructive. What materials were used to build houses? Were there fire brigades at the time? Would the fire spread the same way nowadays?
Geography
Children in Year 1 are using the geographer skills to deliver the weather forecast. They understand how to describe the weather changes, what makes these changes happen and the many ways in which they affect our day-to-day life.