On Friday, Year 5 were very happy to see that the rain had stopped and we were able to go on our walk to see all the bridges along the River Severn.   

We were looking particularly at how each bridge was constructed, and at what type it is (beam, arch or suspension). As Stiperstones walked along the paths around the Quarry, towards English Bridge, we stopped to look in detail at each bridge and then sketch them as a basis for our own designs in DT. The sun even came out – briefly!

To find out more about the history of the local area, Stiperstones had a very busy and informative day at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings this week. We learned about the importance of this building as the first iron-framed building in the world, and thus the ancestor of modern skyscrapers. Tours of the outside of the building and then the exhibition helped us to appreciate the different roles that it has played over the years – from flax mill, to maltings, to accommodation and training camp for soldiers and finally its restoration as a visitor attraction.

As well as this, the class enjoyed several practical workshops. They handled historical artefacts; used drama to re-enact scenes from the point of view of children employed in the Flaxmill’s early years; and competed to construct the tallest and strongest towers out of blocks.

This week, a small group of children have been creating treasure hunts for a few lucky adults around school.

They carefully ‘aged’ the paper for their maps, researched and typed the steps in the directions with great care, and even used watercolour paints to create unique wrapping paper for the final (edible) treasure.

Year 5 have been working really hard across the curriculum this term. In Science, we have been studying the lifecycles of different classes of animals, from mammals to insects, while in Geography we have been learning about Migration.

Our Art lessons have been focused on Installation Art. Some installation artworks from well-known artists can fill whole rooms or involve a whole building, so we have been creating miniature versions. First, we used explosion effects to create an installation inside a box, then added Lego figures to imagine what the experience of being inside this ‘room’ would be. Next, we created individual and small group desktop art installations using only familiar classroom objects, solving problems of how to work as a group and fix items together as we went. We have certainly been pushing the boundaries of what we might have though of as ‘Art’ during this process!

In Science this week, Stiperstones pupils blew up balloons without touching them, and made a form of plastic that was used in the past to make buttons, buckles and pens.

We were learning about irreversible chemical reactions, and about the new materials that can be formed by them. The carbon dioxide made during the reaction between vinegar and bicarbonate of soda can be captured and used to blow up a balloon. Vinegar can also be added to hot milk to make plastic from the protein, casein, found in the milk.

Our classroom did smell rather strange after all of this chemistry, though!