Kusama Year 2

6th June 2019 - Boggarts!

As part of our topic, ‘Enchanted Woodland’, we used the natural resources to create boggarts! We started the afternoon by discussing why trees are important. We went and hugged a tree, smelt and felt the bark and discussed our ideas and feelings. We did a tree rubbing to see the different textures of tree bark. Then, in a group, the children found a space on a tree and created a face in the clay, using natural resources, such as bark, flowers, leaves and moss. It was a wonderful afternoon and the children created lovely boggarts to put on the trees!

Pirate Day - 24th May 2019

To celebrate the end of our 'Land Ahoy' topic Marc, Mitchell and Kusama, resplendent in pirate attire, enjoyed a day of fun activities. 

The children created messages to put in a bottle, walked the plank and found treasure on a pirate map. They then played 'collect the treasure' PE games. We finished the day with a suitably themed film, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! 

We'd like to thank you all for the effort made with the children's costumes - they all looked amazing! 

PLEASE, PLEASE...HELP NEEDED! 

Dear Kusama Crew (and parents/carers too...)

Please can anyone volunteer a little time to help run Kusama's stall, at the summer fete, on 29th June,  between 11am until 2pm?

Any help (children must be supervised by a grown up please) would be absolutely fantastic. As we are the best class at Longlands, of course we want to run the best stall at the fete!!

Please let us know if you can spare a few minutes and then we will create a rota.

Thank you in advance,

Mrs. Michie and Mrs. Cumpson

xxxx

Dear parents/carers,

Please can I take a moment to say how incredibly proud I was of the quality of the research homework that has recently been handed in. The children had worked so hard on this mini-project and combined with their Easter homework, I felt this was worthy of a public mention!

We had a celebration session in class, where every child received a round of applause and house points and congratulations from myself and their peers.

Well done Kusama Crew xxx

Monday 4^th March and Tuesday 5^th March

A dramatic event took place at Longlands Primary School this morning. In the quiet area of the playground, there appeared to be an alien crash scene. There was a broken rocket, alien footprints and other weird and wonderful clues. The KS1 teachers were called out of assembly to assess the unusual debris that was left behind. The children became detectives to suggest who, what, why and how the wreckage came to be in the playground. Just WHO or WHAT might have landed there?

We used hot seating to discuss and develop ideas linked the crash site. The children were encouraged to use descriptive language, especially expanded noun phrases. We then created a class word bank, to help with the children’s incident reports. We focused on using our sounds to help with spelling unknown words and increasing our accuracy with the high frequency and common exception words.

27.2.19 - Bubbles!

We had a lovely afternoon out in the sunshine today! We were investigating the shape of bubbles and whether the shape can be changed by using different bubble wands. We started by making a round bubble wand using a pipe cleaner, which produced spherical bubbles. We then changed the shape of the wand and found out that the bubbles were still spherical. We saw larger bubbles, that started off elongated as we blew but as soon as the bubble was completed it turned into a sphere! 

KS1’s Muck, Mess and Mixtures Art Gallery

On Wednesday, 13^th February, KS1 had the pleasure to welcome parents and carers to our amazing gallery experience. The exhibition was the chance to celebrate all the hard work and achievements at the end of our ‘Muck, Mess and Mixtures’ topic.

The art on display included collages which were a representation of the recipes for our own marvellous medicines. There were also some fantastic bubble art paintings to liven the senses. The children were encouraged to act as guides and talk about the inspiration and media used for their wonderful creations with the visitors. Thank you for coming!

Tuesday 5th February 2019

Safer Internet Day

Mrs. Allen launched Internet Safety Day by leading a special assembly for Key Stage 1. The children were asked questions and had the opportunity to discuss and share how they might keep themselves safe on the internet. The children were given age appropriate advice on positive actions they should take. Perhaps the most important point was for the children to always check and talk with their adults when accessing the internet, especially if they are unsure about what to do or what information it is ok to share.

We then returned to class and in groups Kusama Crew produced some excellent posters on tips to help keep children safe when using the internet and what they might look for that would need an adult to intervene.

A really informative morning! Well done!

Friday 1st February 2019

Kusama had fun on Number Day finding and sharing interesting real life mathematical facts.

Did you know that bees store honey in hexagons or that in a class of 30 you are more likely than not to find two people who share a birthday, even though there are 365 days in a year?

The children worked in groups to create bright and colourful informative posters and then shared their facts in a group presentation.

It was a wonderful opportunity to bring real life mathematical facts into our classroom.

The children looked amazing in their mathematical themed costumes- well done everybody! 

Dear Kusama children, parents and carers,

The Kusama team would like to wish you a very happy Christmas break. We hope that all your wishes come true and we look forward to working with you in 2019!

Thank you for all your support, hard work and kindness...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

28.11.18

The Natural History Museum

Please let me start by extending a huge thank you to all the adults who made our visit such a huge success! Your support was invaluable.

Like all intrepid explorers we had a journey to undertake, so we set off at a brisk pace for Sidcup Station. Thankfully the weather was kind and the rain held off. A smooth transition to the tube and a short walk to the museum meant our dinosaur adventure could then truly begin.

We had a fantastic day exploring. Our first stop was the dinosaur exhibition. It wasn't long before we came across a truly realisitic, huge T-Rex, which bellowed and moved before our very eyes. I had to keep reminding myself that we hadn't been transported millions of years back in time! We were all amazed by the size of the dinosaur.

Next, we walked past a vast collection of fossils and models of different dinosaurs. There was so much information to absorb, including lots of facts and questions. We discovered that dinosaur paleontologists have changed their minds many times over the years, as to how the dinosaurs might have looked, especially regarding colours of  scales, skin, fur or feathers for example.

The marine fossil exhibition displayed fossils that Mary Anning (whom we have studied in class) had found, an inspirational pioneer of her time! After studying the fossils for a while, we moved on to our next point of interest - the model of the enormous blue whale. All the time the children were encouraged to look high and low, so as not to miss any amazing learning opportunities!

Whilst we were taking a short break, a museum volunteer kindly shared his knowledge regarding a selection of various skulls. A lively question and answer session ensued and we were very impressed by the answers that Kusama Crew provided, well done!

As the end of our amazing visit was coming to a close, to suggest one possible reason for dinosaurs becoming extinct, we bravely journeyed (literally) through the centre of the Earth, to the volcano and earthquake display. Children and adults then experienced an earthquake, twice, which was terrifying and made your legs wobble!

The children behaved brilliantly and were, as a result, a pleasure to undertake this wonderful learning experience with. A huge pat on the back Kusama Crew!

Growing up in Japan, Yayoi Kusama dreamed of becoming an artist. In the fields of her family’s nurseries she drew flowers and plants and stones, imagining the world around her as streams and clusters and arrays of dots.

“Our Earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos,” the artist has said. “Polka dots are a way to infinity.”

Welcome to Kusama Crew 2018. We are looking forward to getting to know you all and to a fantastic year of learning! 

CLASS TEACHERS: Mrs. Michie, Mrs. Cumpson

TA Support : Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Selvey 1-1, Mrs. Peden 1-1

Tuesday 6^th November 2018
Grant Koper's Story Telling!

KS1 were delighted to be visited by children’s author Grant Koper today! Grant gave an inspiring reading of his playful story, 'The Day Granny's Knickers Blew Away!' which told the tale of how one day Granny Moon's knickers blew off the washing line and became part of an exciting and unexpected adventure!

After his story, Grant invited the children to ask questions. Children raised hands to ask questions such as ‘How long did it take to write the story?’, ‘How did you think of the story?’ and ‘What will your next story be about?’. Finally, Grant gifted each child with a souvenir certificate to certify they had attended his story telling!

KS1 would like to say a big thank you to Grant Koper for visiting Longlands Primary!

Please be advised, in an aim to improve phonics and spelling, we have stuck a word and sound mat into the front of everyone's English homework book, (it has also been stuck into their classwork book). Please encourage the children to use this on a regular basis, which will reinforced in school. The Year 1 and 2 Common Exception Words (tricky words) need to be learnt in order to boost the children's confidence with spelling and writing sentences. 

Thank you in advance. 

The KS1 Team

 WOW ! WOW! WOW!

Dear Kusama Crew, Parents and Carers,

I just wanted to say how amazing the children's Pudding Lane houses are. We are taking part in Enabling Enterprise this week and I can say, without a doubt, this homework is exceptionally good. Everyone has aimed so high!

All the children who have completed their building will be rewarded in due course. Judging an overall winner is going to be nearly impossible.... I love that you have made our task so tricky!

A HUGE thank you. Well done Kusama Crew.

Best wishes

Mrs. Michie, Mrs. Cumpson, Mrs. Bennett, Mrs Selvey and Mrs Peden

Dear children, parents and carers,

The KS1 team wish you a very enjoyable break

Please can we ask that you put aside some time to do some fantastic reading, spelling and phonics work? Also, lets sharpen up our rapid addition and subtraction mental maths skills!

Many thanks in advance...

Mrs. Michie, Miss Black and Miss Brook.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Please can children bring in book bags everyday. 

Reading books will be changed on a Tuesday and a Thursday. The children will be choosing their own books from the boxes or the library. 

PE is on a Wednesday For this half term and Friday. 

Homework (Literacy, Maths, Spellings, Times Tables) will go out on a Wednesday and is due back on the following Monday. Spelling, times tables / number bonds test will be on Monday. 

11.10.18

A visit from Sidcup Fire Station

As part of KS1’s Topic, ‘Bight Lights, Big City’ we have been learning about The Great Fire of London, we had a very exciting visit from Sidcup Fire Station, who arrived in their fire engine. After a talk about how the fire fighters help the community, they showed us the tools that they use to help save lives. The children experienced the sirens and lights up close. They were allowed to climb inside the fire engine to have a look around. They also had an opportunity to use the thermal imaging camera, which allowed them to see how fire fighters can find people in a building. Finally, the children were allowed to use the hose, which they all absolutely loved!

We'd like to say a huge thank you to the firefighters who came to visit KS1.

Today, Tuesday 19th September 2018, KS1 welcomed a very regal visitor to their Royal Tea Party. Unfortunately Queen Elizabeth II was otherwise engaged, nevertheless the children were not disappointed as Miss Owen (Queen of Longlands) was available to host the event. The children entered the hall to the sound of God Save the Queen and quickly settled, ready to receive their royal guest. 

On Miss Owen's arrival, as a sign of respect for our esteemed visitor, the children stood quietly before they bowed and curtsied. Miss Owen opened the proceedings, reminding the children of why the Queen hosts a Royal Tea Party and who might be invited. The children then feasted on a banquet of posh sandwiches and luxurious biscuits. 

The top table consisted of Miss Owen and three princesses (please note that the prince, who was also chosen at random, wished to dine with his loyal subjects!) used fine bone china whilst they chatted and dined together. The Royal Tea Party was a huge success due to parents and carers providing the posh nosh combined with the excellent manners of our KS1 children!

Thank you everyone from the KS1 team. 

Bright Lights, Big City... our learning stimulus for this half term.

Hop on board a big, red bus and head for England’s capital. Yes, that’s right, we’re on our way to London! This half term, we’ll take tea with the Queen and visit Buckingham Palace online. Using maps and research, we’ll locate Buckingham Palace, understand compass directions, plan routes around London and learn about the countries of the United Kingdom. Our research will take us back in time to the Great Fire of London and to famous London landmarks, as well as giving us an understanding of what it’s like to live in a big city.  Help your child prepare for their project by visiting big cities- very exciting places! Why not visit a local city to spot interesting vehicles, buildings and landmarks? Alternatively, you could search the web for images, information and film clips about London and keep a scrapbook of your findings. You could also visit the local library to see if you can find some colourful books of nursery rhymes and traditional songs to enjoy together. ILP focus Geography English Recounts, labels, captions, adventure stories, instructions, emails Geography Directions, maps, countries, capital cities, human geography Computing Internet research, digital images, creating and debugging programs, stop-motion animation D&T Model making, mechanisms History The Great Fire of London Mathematics Sequencing and directions Music Traditional songs and nursery rhymes PSHE Citizenship Science Everyday materials Bright Lights, Big City Copyright © 2017 Cornerstones Education Limited