Building Bird Hides in the Forest

 

Nurture Forest School group constructed their own bird hides ready for our Big Birdwatch. 

They developed skills in spatial awareness, construction, balance and safety. We were all  purposeful, calm and engaged. We listened to bird calls and spotted plenty of birds active in our woodland.  Bluetits, magpies, crows, blackbirds, guls, and our regular robins were all here today.

Frosty Forest Fun!

 

Last week at Nurture group was frosty! We explored puddles of ice and found frozen fungi. We couldn't hear many birds at all!

We kept warm by building shelters, building a campfire together, toasting marshmallows and enjoying warm drinks together. Cheers!

Mead Farm: Meet Hugo

Hugo has now made himself completely at home on the farm. Miss Rowton’s French Bulldog has now had all of his injections and he is able to go out and mix with the other animals. 

Mr Darcy and Betsy weren’t that excited to meet him, but he Goats were very keen to come and say hello. The ducks were much more reticent despite Hugo’s best efforts.

One job he will quickly inherit is ‘Fox Watch’. Even in the middle of the day those pesky predators are on the look out for the chance to snaffle a chicken or duck. Hugo will also be learning to read... he will be helping out Theo with getting to as many reading groups as possible. We can't wait to see him in the phonics lessons practising his sounds!

Welcome to the team Hugo!

New Farm Arrivals

When we heard that two rabbits had been abandoned outside a local pet shop we didn't hesitate to offer them a new home at Mead Farm. Sadly, while rabbits are the 3rd most popular pet in Britain, 40% are dumped or given back after purchase.

Since arriving in the setting the animals have quickly made themselves at home with burrows, a new hutch from the pet store and a huge bag of carrots. They have already proved to be very popular with our pupils as they are very tame and love to be cuddled.

We have already seen that the Nurture Group pupils respond really well to the rabbits and love to handle them. This provides a great emotional regulator and a mountain of material for conversations.
Miss Calitz.

Goats Are Ready!

During the holiday we popped down to Wellgate Community Farm to check on our two goats. They will be joining us in early September as we begin to add the animals to the farm.

We can't wait to get them into their new enclosure - keep watching the Facebook Page for further updates.

Para Athletic Evening! Watch out for us on BBC Newsround!!

On Wednesday Evening the 19th of July, 18 pupils from Mead and Broadford had the once in a lifetime opportunity to attend the Para Athletic Championship at the Olympic stadium.

The pupils were interviewed by BBC Newsround and were extremely excited to talk to them. Ricardas, Jessica, Charanjit and Paris shared what they know about athletics and then all of the pupils all cheered as loud as they could!!

Watch out for these fantastic interviews on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08xqhc9/newsround-20072017

Later on hey had a fantastic time watching Sammi Kinghorn adding another to Britain’s medal tally when she won bronze in a tight finish to the women’s 400m T53.

It was an evening to remember and most of the pupils had a nap back on the train!

 

Are you autism aware?

The school council are helping the children of Mead School to become autism aware.

They have performed assemblies to both KS1 and KS2, highlighting some of the effects that it has on children and adults.

What is Autism?

Autism is a lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them.

Some autistic people say the world feels overwhelming and this can cause them considerable anxiety.

If a person has a guide dog you know that they have trouble seeing. Autistic people often do not 'look' disabled. Some parents of autistic children say that other people simply think their child is naughty, while adults find that they are misunderstood.

This video clip shows how an autistic boy feels as he goes through the shopping centre with his mother.

Are you autism aware?

LAMDA Classes

On Friday the 10th of March we started LAMDA workshops at Mead Primary School. LAMDA is The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and have produced a range of outstanding actors and performers such as Dominic Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch and Katherine Parkinson over the years.

Mead Performers warming up! 

Pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 have the opportunity to develop their drama skills and explore the different methods used in the dramatic arts. Aiden Wardell in Year 3 exclaimed: "This was the best day of my life!" after taking part in the first workshop. The pupils participated in drama and voice projection games and was also introduced to monologues. Chloe Green explained: 'I already feel that I am getting more confident as a performer.

Nurture Group at the Library

The Nurture Group Visit to the Library

Do you enjoy looking at books?

Do you like listening to stories?

The Nurture Group do!

After walking to the new Harold Hill Library, 

the children sat and listened beautifully to an explanation of how the library works. 

They enjoyed joining in to the book "In My Heart - A Book of Feelings" by Jo Witek.

Time to look at some of the books by themselves!

Then back to school! A good time was had by all!

"When can we go again?" asked Ian.