We have had a busy last few days in Year 4. We have been busy making Roman catapluts using different materials. We then had a go at testing this on the playground too. As well as this, we have had great fun sharing our homework too. There were some fantastic pieces on show!

 Please see below the spelling rules/ patterns for Summer 2: Kind regards, The Year 4 Team. 

 We've had a busy few weeks at Nature Club. The children's input has been very helpful when deciding where to place the camera trap to effectively investigate what is living with us. You can find some clips from the camera trap earlier in the blog in the entry "Our amazing space". Last week we looked for evidence of hedgehogs and, rather unfortunately, found a dead one. The children's understanding of this sadness as part of the whole cycle of nature was pleasing to see as was their desire to see what more they could do to help this much loved species. On a lighter note this week, we found a fallen mistletoe ball complete with it's join to the host, in this case the large Acer in the wild area of the school field, and we researched the life cycle of this fascinating plant. I look forward to our next adventure! Mr Hopegood :)

 Over the past few weeks, we have had the opportunity to learn to play the ukulele. We have had great fun learning about the history of the instrument as well as the different parts. We have also been busying learning to play the C and F chords. We have been able to play these to a musical rhythm.

Carrying on with our theme of cricket skills, this week we focussed on fielding as a team, passing the ball between team player quickly and accurately and a little bit of batting. The adults were very impressed with Year 5's good sportsmanship, team support and inclusive attitude. Mr Hopegood

 Over the last few weeks we have been able to explore the goings on around our school throughout the evening and the night due to Miss Lucas's brilliant idea. Miss Lucas secured us the loan of a camera trap from The Colchester Zoological Society, in association with Suffolk University, with the aim of allowing primary age children access to the secret world of our local wildlife. We first set the trap in our nature garden area and were treated to a procession of the local cat population before a treat which you can see in the clip below. It has also given us the view at night-time. The camera trap in situ. Last night the camera trap was set up to allow a view from the KS1 block towards the Eco-Garden area. And this is what we saw! Look out for further bulletins. Mr Hopegood :)

Today, we had great fun testing materials to see which was the best material at absorbing sound. We listened to a piece of music and we had to stop on a spot when we heard that sound. The musical device was wrapped in various materials. We spoke about how some materials are better at absorbing sound waves, making it harder to hear.  

 Last week, Year 4 took part in the whole school mini marathon which saw the children try and complete 7 laps of the school field and playground. There was some fantastic resilience on show and all the children gave it their best which was amazing to see! Well done everyone!

  We have had a busy few days in Year 4. On Monday, we were joined by The Two Johns who spoke to us all about internet safety and how we can make good choices online and when using our devices. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to make our way to the wildlife area to see where the trap camera and been placed. This camera has been loaned to us by Colchester Zoo. We then managed to look at some of the videos it had captured. It was really cool! Today, we have been keen to start our D&T project. We started by learning about the new project and then we started to collect and gather research about Roman catapults.