Month: October 2026

As part of our Stargazers topic, the children visited Alston Observatory to develop their knowledge and understanding of space and the night sky. The visit provided a valuable cultural capital experience, allowing the children to apply their classroom learning in a real-world setting and experience an environment and subject area that they may not otherwise have had the opportunity to access.

Prior to the visit, the children worked together to plan and generate questions that they wanted to find out the answers to. This encouraged curiosity, critical thinking and active participation, while helping the children to identify what they already knew and what they wanted to learn more about.

During the visit, the children were able to deepen their understanding of key curriculum concepts linked to space, the Earth, the Sun, the Moon and stars. They were introduced to new vocabulary such as ‘constellation’ and were beginning to identify some of these by name. They listened to expert knowledge, asked their prepared questions and made links between what they had learned in the classroom and what they experienced at the observatory.

Upon returning to school, the children showcased and consolidated their knowledge through a quiz, recalling key facts and sharing what they had learned during the visit. This provided an opportunity for the children to demonstrate their understanding and reflect on their experiences.

The trip supported the development of scientific enquiry, vocabulary, communication and questioning skills, while also broadening the children’s experiences and understanding of the world beyond the classroom. It provided an exciting and memorable opportunity for the children to develop their curiosity about the universe and further engage with our Stargazers topic.

Bleasdale Class had a wonderful day out at Brock Bottoms with Charlie from the Wyre Rivers Trust. The children had lots of fun while learning about rivers and the natural world around them.

Charlie introduced the children to the natural and man-made features of a river. He showed the children how to draw a river and explained how to use a map key to add important features. The children then went for a walk to find a suitable spot to complete their own river drawings.

As we walked, the children spotted and discussed lots of natural and man-made features. They then used what they had learned to complete their river drawings and added the key features using a map key.

The fun continued with a wildlife guessing game! The children wore animal headbands and had to ask questions and use clues to work out which animal they were.

After the game, we walked back towards the cars and completed a river study. The children used nets to collect animals from the river. They gently kicked up the river bed for twenty seconds before using their nets to collect the creatures that had been disturbed.

The animals were placed carefully into shallow trays so that the children could observe them closely. They worked together to find, identify and name the different river animals they had discovered.

It was a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn outdoors, explore nature and develop their understanding of rivers and wildlife. Lots of fun was had, and a great time was enjoyed by everyone!

In Nicky Nook class we headed down to the river to become rock detectives!

We explored the riverbank and carefully collected a selection of rock samples to bring back to school. We looked closely at the different colours, shapes, sizes and textures of the rocks and discussed what rock type they might be. The children were encouraged to collect a variety of rocks, which they all did very well and finished the walk by using the rope swings.

Back in the classroom, we will use our samples to investigate and compare the rocks more closely. We will sort them into groups, examine their features and begin to learn how rocks can be identified and classified.