There was a huge amount of excitement today at lunchtime as children from across all age groups were treated to their first experience in the sand pit! Having been filled with eight tonnes of sand on Friday, children from Foundation Stage to Year Six all played together building sandcastles, digging holes and creating sculptures and the sense of enthusiasm for lunchtimes newest attraction was evident for all to see. The pit is all part of our OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) provision which sees children of all ages given the freedom to play with each other across a range of zones.

Earlier in the day, the children in Woodpeckers used their Forest Friends session to continue their srt focusing on spirals. The children created their own spirals in the ground using sticks and stones. Later on, the children in Hedgehogs used their Forest Friends session to create homes for Chip the toy chipmunk. They worked in teams to gather branches and sticks which they were challenged to arrange n such a way that Chip would not only fit snugly but would also have shelter from the rain and wind.

Back inside, as the children in Owls investigated cities of the UK, the children in Hawks were challenged to create a bridge that would hold various amounts of weights using simply pieces of newspaper. The children worked in pairs to fold, twist, scrunch and secure the paper with some stunning structures being created and evaluated.

At the end of the afternoon our KS1 assembly saw the children investigate the Earls Hall Quality of being unique. Mr B hosted a massive game of living ‘Guess Who’ where the children stayed standing when he said a talent or feature about them. In the end a unique child was found to be the only left handed, glasses wearing, brussell sprout loving, brown haired boy with a pet dog and the ability to wiggle his ears! A unique combination that nobody else had! We discussed how each and every one of us is unique and how our differences should be celebrated.