After returning to school on 8 March, many signs of spring were emerging around St John's and on the College Playing Fields opposite school. It was the perfect opportunity for children in Year Two (T2) to get out into the fresh air to discover the opening buds, blossom and new life for themselves and to investigate their thoughts further back in the classroom with the help of microscopes, light boxes and different ways to find answers to their many questions.
With the flurry of recent daffodils emerging, T2s dissected these flowers and were able to study first hand the different parts and think about how best they might record their findings. Some children decided to make leaflets, posters or mini fact books while others preferred to paint or draw their discoveries with still life observations. The use of light boxes and magnifying glasses enabled the children to extend their curiosity further and to compare different flowers, while microscopes enabled them to see the tinier parts, such as the stamen and pistil. This led some children to ponder how daffodils are pollinated and they found out, through their own individual child-led research and with the encouragement of their teachers, that they are usually pollinated either by the wind or by insects such as bees, which transfer pollen from the anthers to the stigma.
Some T2s discovered more about different types of pollination, whilst others were curious as to why plants have green leaves and learnt how this relates to photosynthesis. Others discovered what all plants need in order to survive. On the creative side, the children used their nature 'findings' from the Forest Garden and Playing Fields to build collages or mandalas. One child remarked, 'I never knew that daffodils have a part called the corona and that this is the crown shaped trumpet. I found out that their botanical name is narcissus and they can be grown in almost any soil. I made a book about what I had found out.'
T2's spring investigations formed part of their weekly 'Discovery Challenges'. These come about through the children's own curiosities, such as their winter ice art and sciences challenges during lockdown when the weather was cold and snowy. Each week the children have various 'missions' they are encouraged to take on that will stretch their imagination, creativity and skills further but are open-ended enough to suit each child's learning style. These missions are designed to extend their knowledge in literacy, numeracy, science and art in particular and, with the right amount of adult input, will allow each child to develop their curiosities at their own pace whilst also sharing their findings with their peers. 'The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.' (Albert Einstein)
