​Wow – what a busy and exciting time we’ve had in Year 2!
This week in RE we’ve been learning all about Diwali, the Festival of Lights. We found out that Diwali is a very special celebration for Hindus. It’s all about light winning over darkness. People celebrate by decorating their homes, sharing sweets, wearing colourful clothes, and lighting diva lamps.
We had a go at making our very own diva lamps – and didn’t they turn out amazingly?
First, we shaped the clay carefully with our hands. Some of us found it a bit tricky, but we kept going and made lovely little bowls. Then we decorated them with bright colours and patterns using sequins and beads. They really do look ready to shine!
When we put all our lamps together, the classroom looked so bright and cheerful – just like Diwali itself.
We’re so proud of our learning and our creations. Maybe you can spot yours in the photos!
Happy Diwali from Year 2!

Today, the children enjoyed using our new KS1 glockenspiels. We started learning a small part of our new song and the children really focussed and tried hard. I'm sure in a few more weeks they will be able to do this independently. Scroll down to see a small video.
​Well done year 2.  

Our Maths unit for the first few weeks of term is focusing on understanding numbers to 100.
Yesterday we practised counting!
We counted up to 100, using our fingers to keep track.
We counted how many star jumps we could do in 30 seconds.
We were then given collections of objects to count. We had to agree the number with our partner and write it down. Mrs Ellis and Mrs Senior were very impressed with the way we organised the objects to keep track while we counted.

Our Art unit this half term focusses on drawing and the amazing artist, Alma Thomas. Alma Thomas was an artist who loved using bright colours and shapes to make her paintings look happy and full of energy. 
The children in year 2 are building up their skills ready to create some beautiful, colourful Alma Thomas inspired drawings in the next couple of weeks. This week they focussed on using pencil to create repeating patterns. They made a shape drawing using small repeated shapes separated by small gaps. The effect was brilliant! I can't wait to see what their finished pieces will look like. 
Here are some photos of our focussed artists. Well done year 2!

As part of learning in our Design and Technology, Food unit, the children in Year 2 designed and made some tasty healthy wraps.
They learnt about different food groups and tried to achieve a balance of these in the wraps.
We finished our unit with a wonderful teddy bear's picnic in the sunshine.

On Tuesday 13th May, volunteers from the ECB and Kexborough Cricket club came into school to share some cricket sessions with the Year 1 and 2 children.
We learnt a lot about cricket and were able to practise batting and fielding the ball.
Everyone had a fantastic time and lots of children are interested in joining the All Stars cricket program that is running at Kexborough Cricket club on a Tuesday evening.

This afternoon we were joined by Joseph Bower, who helped us explore the Christian story of creation.
We had lots of fun acting out the story and creating our own characters and the worlds they lived in. We made rules for our new worlds and considered the consequences when these were broken.

This half term in PE we have been working on a dance unit inspired by The Three Little Pigs. We have learned the dance in three sections - the straw house; the stick house and the brick house. I wonder if you can see the sections as you watch our video?
The children worked hard to dance in in a synchronised way and use different levels.
We think the final performance is fantastic! (Apologies for the finger over the camera lens at one point!)

This term we are drawing inspiration from the artist, Alma Thomas. We have experimented with overlapping shapes and this week, used contrasting colours and layering to create some really effective artwork.
​We hope you like our compositions as much as Mrs Ellis does!