This week in Year 5 we’ve been very busy completing SATS papers in Maths and English in readiness for our transition into Year 6 in September.  Everyone has tried really hard and now has a good idea of what to expect next year. Well done with your efforts!

This was also the week we took a welcome break from our tests halfway through and, I think it’s safe to say, it’s been one of the highlights of this term!  It was our Year 5 class trip to the Science Museum in London. We went by train from Theobalds Grove to Seven Sisters and then by the underground to South Kensington and the museum.  Our first workshop (called the Wonder Show) was organised by Chiang.  He demonstrated all kinds of fascinating chemical reactions; for example, he mixed bleach with luminol to produce bioluminesence which he told us is used in forensic investigations and which is found in the natural world in certain species such as jellyfish and fish found in very deep oceans. He showed us how sound travels as vibrations in sound waves and how it can be used in real life from ultrasound to echolocation. 

Our second workshop was a hands-on immersive experience for all of us called the Wonder Lab. It was a huge space containing seven very different zones - forces, electricity, light, sound, matter, space and maths. The staff (called Explainers) were on hand to advise us on how to investigate the exhibits as well as do live experiments at the Chemistry Bar and do lightning demos at the giant Tesla coil.  It was great fun to interact with real scientific phenomena; such as giant slides and a wind machine that sent paper aeroplanes spiralling up to the ceiling, we watched ice form into crystals and then melt using our hands, we created different types of electrical circuits and travelled through space under a canopy of stars.  The day was a huge success and we all decided that we'd have to go back to the Science Museum again to investigate even more amazing exhibits on show there! 

Many congratulations to the whole class for being Stars of the Week and also to our Writer for their great effort too!

Best wishes

Mrs Howard