UFO Day! Reception children through to Year 7 pupils experienced a cross-curricular UFO Day, which challenged them to work with new people from other year groups across a range of activities. Every activity required pupils to lean on their HPL skills, particularly intellectual confidence, collaboration, open-mindedness and enquiring mind.
Communication
How would you communicate with an alien? In small teams – humans vs aliens – the children worked on their communication skills to describe earth items to their teammates. Their team tried to guess as many objects in the time available. Working with new friends in different age groups, our children showed great empathy and team work.
Originality
Every pupil from Reception to Year 7 contributed to an alien scene! Pupils were encouraged to come up with original ideas and find their own path. From alien dogs to an alien holding a planet, from alien worms and vehicles. welcome to the pupils’ collaborative project – The Alien Village.
Debate
How agile are you in your thinking? Could you put together a debate on a new topic in seconds? Younger pupils practised their meta-thinking and intellectual confidence whilst playing a debating game, whilst the older children debated the presence of life in the universe.
Training to be an astronaut
The children were put through their paces in teams on the astronaut training programme!
Curiosity
Every year group visited the mobile planetarium and we are sure the experience will have sparked a thousand thoughts and questions about our planet, solar system, sun, galaxy and universe. It was a fabulous immersive experience and, as you can see, the young children in this group were completely captivated.
Story time
Older pupils read 'out of this world' stories to the younger pupils.
Science
How to build the best meteorite launcher? Pupils were given the materials and they had to collaborate to make the launcher. Those who could tie knots were definitely at an advantage as were those who could effectively use their empathetic, creativity and problem-solving skills. Mr Brown also launched a water bottle rocket, which didn't quite reach the moon but the takeoff made everyone excited, happy and slightly damp!
Music
Younger pupils listened to the music of ‘The Crazy Alien Ball’ by Ann Bryant, a story set to the music of a Night on the Bare Mountain by Mussorgsky. Ann Bryant showed intellectual playfulness in combining story writing and a classical piece of music and by sharing the story and music with our youngest pupils we have sparked new thoughts and ideas about how to do something in your way.
You can experience the story here in a reading by Ann Bryant herself: