What Did You Do At School?

Prep

We have turned into little investigators diving into hands-on fun. This week we have been experimenting with play dough, wood, and foil as part of our Integrated Studies material exploration. In Maths, we are discovering 3D objects and creating nets to represent cubes, cones and more. Our production practice is really swimming along, turning into fish for the Finding Nemo JR production. Finally, in writing we are learning how to write a procedural text, like brushing your teeth! Every day is a new adventure in learning!

Year 1

Did you know that writing a picture storybook takes an author at least one whole year! We loved hearing how author and illustrator Sue deGennaro wrote and illustrated her books. We also took part in a hands-on workshop where we learnt how to draw some of her book characters. 

This experience provided not only an insight into how a picture storybook is created but also Sue deGennaro, who spoke about how making mistakes is an essential part of our learning and that sometimes mistakes are perfect and correct in our eyes.

Year 2

While learning about Light and Sound in Integrated Studies, we have been exploring how different objects move and produce sounds based on their size and shape. As part of this, we enjoyed selecting materials to create and decorate our own maracas. Our favourite activity involved playing these maracas and then ranking them from the quietest to the loudest. This hands-on experience not only reinforced our learning but also allowed us to have fun while experimenting with sound.

At The Barn, we went on a scavenger hunt to discover examples of things that produce light and sound in the natural environment. We were amazed to find such a variety of sources. We were also challenged to locate something not on the list, and to our surprise, we discovered some more interesting items.

Year 3

We had an incredible time running the Father’s Day Stall for Junior School. We were able to put into practice everything we had been learning about money and calculating change. It was great to use our communication skills as we engaged with customers, helping them find that perfect present.

We are looking forward to participating in the upcoming Junior School Musical, Finding Nemo. Come along and see us go with the flow and ride the waves, dude!

Year 4

We have been working hard to create balloon-powered cars! We have learned so much about forces like friction and push, and have had to make a draft car, test it, reflect on our design, and make it better. Some of our intelligent inventors have reflected on what they have learned along the way.

When making my balloon-powered car, I learned so much, and it was a very fun experience. One of our car issues was the wheels, and we solved that problem by sticking the wheels on with hot glue. Ellise Burgess (4T)

I discovered that fixing the balloon-powered car and making it move was difficult. I found it tricky to make the wheels not wobble. I’m really proud that I could fix every problem. Jeremy Zhao (4T)

An issue I had was with the wheels not working, so we used bottlecaps. Krystal Walker (4W)

We experienced difficulty when the air force wasn’t strong enough to push our car forward. My partner and I solved this by making the straw shorter, therefore gaining quicker access for the air to leave the balloon. We succeeded greatly. Isaac Wilson (4T)

My partner and I discovered that we didn’t need wings on our car. We found it tricky to make it roll. To solve this, we used less weight. Lachlan Breeden (4W)

It was really fun when we got to see our result!” Mawinu Buansing (4T)

My partner and I found it tricky to actually make it move, but when we worked together it was really easy. Sianna Sween (4T)

My partner and I discovered that the car needed to be light, or else it’ll be too heavy to move. Jasmine Kyaw (4T)

My partner and I discovered that the bottle caps are hard to put holes in. We found it tricky to make the wheels turn. We used a piece of paper to wrap around the skewer to hold it in place. Next time, I would make windows with cellophane (for fashion) and add a second balloon. Victor Ren (4T)

Year 5

In Integrated Studies, we have donned our lab coats to become aspiring scientists! We have enjoyed performing experiments to investigate air resistance, air pressure, states of matter, properties of water and even electrical circuits. It was wonderful to design and build our own balloon-powered rocket, which soared through the Junior School Upper Primary Building. However, it was fascinating to see how adding even the smallest load of paper clips had a significant impact on the thrust of our rockets. At The Barn we have furthered our scientific thinking planning and setting up our own investigations into the best conditions for growing seeds.

Year 6

FWOOOOOOSH! FWIP! Those were the sounds echoing through the hallways of the Upper Primary Building last week. We donned our engineering hats and took on the challenge of designing balloon-powered rockets capable of lifting the heaviest possible payload of paperclips from the bottom floor to the upper floor of our building. Through a process of design, trial and error, and thoughtful amendments, we explored the principles of aerodynamics and thrust. We tested different configurations and learned how even small changes could significantly impact a rocket’s performance. It was fantastic to see our creativity, problem-solving skills, and teamwork on full display.