Science Week 2022 was focused around the concept of ‘growth’. The children learnt all about human growth, as well as the life cycle of different types of vertebrates, including sheep, frogs and chickens. The children learnt new concepts such as reproduction and gestation periods.
Pupils in Year 4 had the opportunity to visit the auction mart on Wednesday to watch ewes and their lambs being sold.
We also interviewed Kirsty Allison, a scientist from Thirsk, who specialises in animal nutrition and makes food for sheep, pigs and cattle to help them growth and stay healthy. The children asked some pertinent questions, including:
Why did you choose to be a scientist? What do you need to study to do your job? Do lambs eat different food to their mothers? Why can’t sheep eat the same food as pigs?
All pupils carried out some enquiry work to find out whether a child’s age determines their height. This was in response to an article that claims it’s possible to work out the age of sharks by measuring their length.
We finished the week with chicks in the classroom. It was an opportunity to revise the different classifications of vertebrate and make comparisons between the five groups.
What a fantastic opportunity to use our local farming community and environment in science. I am sure that the children will have learnt a lot about growth of animals from interviewing a scientist and from the hands on, practical experiences.