Week Commencing 14th July 2025

Year 2’s Science Adventure! A Day Out at the Oxford Science Centre

Year 2 had a fantastic time on our exciting trip to the Oxford Science Centre – a day full of discovery, teamwork and plenty of fun!

We began our visit by exploring the science exhibit zones, packed full of hands-on experiments. We were amazed as we watched ice crystals form before our eyes and discovered how temperature affects matter. One of the children’s favourite moments was seeing infrared images of themselves – it was fascinating to see our body heat captured in colour! Even more fun was changing our colours by using hot and cold items to see how our bodies reacted in real time.

We also had the chance to build electrical circuits, testing out how to connect components to make lights and fans work. Then we explored the tiniest details of the world using microscopes, taking a close-up look at objects like bug wings, feathers, and even our own skin – there were lots of “wow!” moments.

Next, we ventured outside for a woodland walk, where we used clues to guess which woodland animals could be hiding nearby. From foxes to snakes, we had great fun putting our nature knowledge to the test. Then it was time to get moving – we became giant bees, whizzing around the wildflowers and learning all about pollination. The children loved it, and the adults looked particularly stylish wearing their sunflower hats as part of the game!

After lunch, we took on our trickiest challenge yet – creating our very own Rube Goldberg machines! These are funny and overly complicated contraptions designed to do a simple task in the silliest way possible (like popping a balloon using marbles, ramps, and dominoes!). It certainly tested our brains, but we showed great resilience and worked united in our teams, using our school values to problem-solve and persevere until our machines were ready to go.

It was a brilliant day packed with learning and laughter. The children returned to school full of questions, curiosity, and stories to share. A big thank you to the Oxford Science Centre for inspiring our young scientists – we’re already dreaming about our next adventure!

Week commencing - 7th July

We’re thrilled to share some exciting highlights from our Year 2 class, who recently embarked on two wonderful Eco Afternoons filled with creativity, learning, and a lot of fun!

Our young eco-warriors kicked off the afternoons with some entertaining and educational rubbish games. The goal was simple but essential: to practise sorting out different types of rubbish into the correct bins. The children demonstrated remarkable understanding and enthusiasm as they worked together to identify what items could be recycled, composted, or thrown away. It was fantastic to see them make connections between their actions and the impact on our planet!

Next on our agenda was a delightful craft activity where the children made "litter bugs" using the bottle lids we have been collecting. With their boundless imaginations at work, each bug took on a life of its own, bringing smiles and laughter to everyone in the room. The activity not only sparked creativity but also emphasised the importance of reusing materials that might otherwise be discarded.

Finally, our budding gardeners created charming cress planters using empty yoghurt pots. After learning about how plants grow, each child carefully planted their seeds and took on the responsibility of looking after their little planters. They’re very excited to watch their cress grow over the coming weeks!

Throughout these sessions, Year 2 have shown great creativity and a wonderful commitment to caring for the environment. It’s inspiring to see the next generation eagerly taking steps to make a difference. These Eco Afternoons have not only been about fun but also about fostering a sense of responsibility and a love for our planet.

Week commencing 23rd June 

We are thrilled to share the exciting project our Year 2 class has been working on: creating their very own Ferris wheels! This hands-on activity began with understanding the importance of wheels and axles, as these are crucial for making things move smoothly. The children explored different design ideas, choosing materials like cardboard and wooden sticks to build sturdy structures. A significant challenge was maintaining balance, ensuring that the pods stayed upright for our pretend passengers. After building, our young engineers tested their creations, demonstrating excellent problem-solving skills to make necessary adjustments. We conducted a survey to gauge the popularity of each Ferris wheel design, before adding colourful decorative touches to each unique creation. This project has taught the children valuable lessons about design, construction, and teamwork, and we are all immensely proud of their achievements!

Week Commencing 23rd June

In our Maths lessons, we've been diligently practising the use of positional language to articulate movement. Today, we observed the Dash Robots in action and described their movements using our newly acquired vocabulary.

Week Commencing 16th June 

This week, Year 2 have been working exceptionally hard as they wrap up their topic on "Time" in maths. We know that learning to tell the time can be quite tricky, but everyone has shown great perseverance and effort!

Throughout our lessons, we have learned to read the time when it is o'clock, half past, quarter to, and quarter past. We have also begun reading the time in 5-minute intervals and explored the concept of hours in a day and minutes in an hour. We are delighted to observe the progress each child has made and feel incredibly proud of their determination and enthusiasm.

We found this poster very helpful.

Week commencing 9th June 2025

We're thrilled to share that our Year 2 class has started reading the captivating picture book, "There's a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom." This enchanting story is not only delightful but also carries a powerful message about protecting our precious environment.

The book begins with a little girl who finds a cheeky orangutan causing a bit of mischief in her bedroom. The orangutan seems particularly interested in her shampoo and chocolate. As the curious girl delves deeper, she learns that the orangutan's presence is a result of humans causing havoc in its rainforest home. Trees are being cut down to produce palm oil, which ends up in many everyday products. Determined to help her new friend, the girl decides to take action and raise awareness about saving the orangutans.

Week Commencing 19th May 2025

We have been exploring our artistic skills by creating clay tiles inspired by various house designs. Throughout this project, the children have been learning exciting techniques such as 'score and slip' to attach decorative elements securely. Additionally, the children have used a range of tools to experiment with textures and patterns, making each tile unique. We are incredibly proud of their creativity and enthusiasm in bringing these fantastic projects to life!

Week Commencing 12th May 2025

In our Maths lessons, we’re currently exploring the concept of finding a "half." This is a fundamental part of their learning journey as they develop their understanding of fractions. The children are learning how to split different shapes and numbers into two equal parts. We're using lots of fun, hands-on activities to help make this concept come to life. You might hear your child talking about halving objects like sandwiches, apples, or even toys! It would be lovely if you could continue the conversation at home by practising with everyday items. Maybe they can help you split a pizza or a cake into halves and share it with the family!

Switching gears to our English lessons, we're focusing on writing fact files about two fascinating environments: the rainforest and the desert. These topics have sparked curiosity and excitement among the children as they discover amazing facts about these habitats. Did you know that the rainforest is home to around half of the world’s plant and animal species? Or that some deserts can go for years without any rain? The children are researching interesting facts about the climate, animals, and plants that make these places so unique. They’re learning to organise information creatively and write informative pieces that showcase their growing knowledge.
 

Week Commencing 5th May 2025

Year 2 Adventures in letter writing.

We're having an exciting time in Year 2 as we delve into the delightful world of "Meerkat Mail" by Emily Gravett. This much-loved story follows Sunny the meerkat as he embarks on adventures away from his home in the Kalahari Desert. To bring this engaging tale to life, our class has been busy writing letters from Sunny's perspective!

Letter writing is a wonderful way for children to develop their writing skills. Through this activity, we're focusing on crafting letters that capture Sunny's unique voice and adventurous spirit. We encourage the children to think creatively about the places Sunny visits and the experiences he might have.

To enhance their writing, we've been hunting for interesting adjectives—words that describe things in vibrant and exciting ways. These adjectives help us paint a clearer picture of Sunny's journey for anyone who might read the letters. Words like "scorching," "curious," and "friendly" have become some of our favourites!

We've also been practising using conjunctions. These are linking words that can connect thoughts and ideas, making our sentences richer and more engaging. Examples of conjunctions we've been exploring include "and," "but," "because," and "so." By using these words, the children are learning to develop their ideas and express themselves more clearly.

Sunny's letters are not just about writing—it's also a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn about empathy and perspective-taking by imagining Sunny's feelings and experiences.

Thank you for your continued support in our learning journey. We hope you're as excited as we are to see where Sunny's next adventure takes him!
 

Week Beginning 28th April 2025.

This week, we crafted clay pinch pots and learned how to securely attach decorations. We used a technique called score and slip to ensure the decorations stay in place once the pots dry.

Week beginning 28th April 2025

This Friday, our school was transformed into a time portal as we delved into the exciting world of the Great Fire of London. With the fantastic support of History Off the Page, our students were immersed in a variety of hands-on experiences that brought history to life.

The children had a marvellous time in the apothecary, where they tried their hand at making traditional medicines. Our young scribes worked diligently with ink in the scrivener's corner, while others explored the art of weaving and baking just like in the 17th century. One of the highlights was role-playing as barber-surgeons, where the children learned about the fascinating (and sometimes peculiar!) practices of the time.

We were incredibly impressed by how many facts the children remembered from our Great Fire of London lessons. Their enthusiasm and participation made us very proud teachers! It was a fantastic day of learning and fun, and we are excited to see the curiosity and excitement for history continue to grow in our young historians.

Thank you to everyone who made the day such a success!

Week Beginning 31st March 

As Easter approaches, I wanted to share the wonderful time Elm Class had on our recent church visit for the Easter service with Reverend Richard.
We walked together in the warm spring sunshine to the beautiful church. The children were excited and eager to take part in the special service.
A highlight was the Easter garden, a stunning display made by our talented children at Long Crendon. The garden was a vibrant depiction of the Easter story, full of symbols of new life and hope. The children’s hard work and creativity were truly impressive!
Our Year 2 students felt proud when they saw the bread rolls they baked earlier, shown proudly in the garden. 

Week beginning 24th March 2025

This week, Year 2 went for a delightful Easter workshop led by the wonderful Reverend Richard. 

We helped to create beautiful Easter rolls for a display which will be showcased in St Mary's Church. Under the guidance of Reverend Richard, our talented young bakers learned the art of making bread rolls! The children were thrilled to discover the secrets behind crafting the perfect bread bunny and creating intricate plaited rolls.

But the creativity didn't stop there! We spotted adorable dogs and fluffy chicks among the creations, and some inventive children even managed to bring their favourite Pokémon characters to life with dough!

We're looking forward to seeing the completed Easter display and all the wonderful bread roll creations on show at St Mary's Church. Well done, Year 2!

Week beginning 10th March

This week we have had lots of fun with Maths. Sharing games with the adults during Maths morning and using Cubes and counters to create arrays to help us learning multiplication.

Week Beginning 3rd March 2025

We have had great fun in Year 2 with World Book Day. We watched the Masked Reader and had a go at guessing which teacher was reading a story in disguise. We had a go at being an illustrator drawing a pictured based on some writing. We even found time to make some origami bookmarks to save our place in our favourite books.

Week Beginning 25th February 2025

We hope everyone has had a lovely half term.

Year 2 went to the library in Long Crendon this morning where we had a look around the library and found clues to all the different features of the library. we then explored lots of books in the library and asked lots of questions to the librarians. 

Lots of Year 2 let us know that they already visit the library however we will all be bringing home a form to join the library and a bookmark about their app. 

Week beginning 10th February 

Science day

Today the children visited a planetarium in the hall and learned about space and the moon and how they move around in space.

We also read a book called Moth by Isabel Thomas and Daniel Egneus. This told us how Peppered moths have adapt and changed over the years to help them survive in the wild. They have used camouflage to help protect them from predators.

We were challenged to colour in our own moth to camouflage them in our classroom. We then invited Mrs Ingham and Mr Owens to come and see if they could find all our moths. They found this very difficult. Have a look in the pictures below and see if you can spot all 9 moths.

Week beginning 3rd February 

Year 2 were very excited to be recreating the Great Fire of London in forest school this week. 

We have also been working hard in English coming up with our own stanzas (Like a verse in a song we use a stanza in a poem) to add to the poem London's Burning. 

Week beginning 27th January 2025

Year 2 have been building their own Tudor houses today to recreate the famous Pudding Lane where the Great Fire of London started. We made sure to use all the features we saw in a video of Tudor houses and used a picture of one for inspiration.

Week beginning 24th January 2025

Year 2 have been working with money this week working out the value of coins and notes.

We have also been retelling the story of Gorilla and some of us shared how we did this with the class.

Week Beginning 13th January 2025

This week we have enjoyed looking at pictures of London now and in 1666 and comparing them.

We noticed that buildings were smaller and made of different materials in 1666.

Week Beginning 6th January 2025

This week Year 2 have been learning about lines of symmetry and 3D shapes. some children used the magnetic tiles to make a 3D shape.

Week Beginning 16th December 

This week we have made some amazing Christmas acrostic poems that they have bought home with them. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as they enjoyed writing them. 

We hope you have an amazing Christmas and we look forward to seeing you all in the new year.

A huge thank you for the kind gifts and cards from all the Year 2 Team. 

Week Beginning 9th December 2024

This week in Geography we have been looking at atlases. We have looked at locating the 7 continents, what and where the Equator is and the North and South poles. We were also a bit sad to see that Long Crendon isn't mentioned in the Atlas but we did find Oxford, Thame and Aylesbury.

Week Beginning 2nd December 

Year 2 have been enjoying reading many stories from the book Greatest Magical Stories chosen by Michael Morpurgo. We have loved spotting the links with other traditional tales. Today we read Sleeping Beauty and spotting that a spindle is used in this story and Rumpelstiltskin.

Week beginning 25th November 2024

We are incredibly proud of all the children who participated in the Year 2 multi skills Festival at St Micheals school on Tuesday. Each one displayed not only skill but also determination and a positive attitude, embodying all the values we cherish at Long Crendon.👏

Elm class have been looking at what makes a good friend and have identified what qualities we have. We remembered reading the story called Have you filled a bucket today? and talked about our value of kindness.

Week Beginning 11th November

This week we have been excited to find out our parts in the nativity and have started to learn some of the songs. We hope you are ready for a lot of Bethlehem Boogie! If you want to have a boogie at home the songs can be found on Spotify and YouTube.

Week Beginning 4th November

November already!

Year 2 will be very busy this half term leading up to Christmas and the Nativity performance.

We will be introducing our new focus text in English which is an out of this word book called The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. Starting to learn all seven continents in Geography and the properties of different materials in Science.