Hazel Week 2

 










Yesterday our Year 5 children had another exciting session at Forest School, with a special focus on water. It was a good opportunity to combine outdoor learning, science and teamwork.

We began by talking about why water is so important for our bodies. The children discovered that our bodies are made up of a large percentage of water and that we cannot survive for very long without it. This led us to explore the water cycle — how water travels through evaporation, condensation and precipitation, continually moving around our planet. One of the facts that really captured the children’s imagination was learning that the water on Earth today is the same water that existed when the dinosaurs were alive! The idea that the water we drink may once have been part of a dinosaur’s world was fascinating.

After our discussion, the children took on a practical challenge. Working in small groups, they were asked to design and build their own water filters using a range of materials. Each group had access to plastic bottles along with materials such as sand, stones, fibre matting, moss cardboard and filter paper.

The children carefully layered their materials inside the bottles and then poured muddy water through their filters to see how well they worked. There was lots of experimentation, problem-solving and teamwork as they tested their ideas. Some children change the lids of their bottles and put less holes in as they realised the water needed to drip through more slowly to allow for the filtration to work better. 

Some groups were so keen to improve their results that they decided to refilter their water, passing it through the filter again to see if they could make it even clearer. It was wonderful to see their curiosity and perseverance as they refined their designs.


The session was full of scientific thinking, creativity and collaboration. The children showed fantastic enthusiasm and resilience, learning that sometimes experiments don’t work perfectly the first time — and that improving and trying again is all part of the process.


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