Another highlight of our trip so far has been the magical evening around the campfire. Willow Class have enjoyed singing songs, sharing stories, and who knew we had so many comedians- oh the jokes kept coming! The laughter around the fire was great to watch, and it’s been heartwarming to see the children bond and support each other.

Perfect weather today for a spot of rock climbing and crate stacking! They definitely have a head for heights. There was even a spot of singing and dancing once they reached the top!

Willow Class have truly embodied the spirit of teamwork and adventure as they tackled new heights—literally! From climbing walls to crate stacking, they have been dangling in the air with enthusiasm and determination. Their cooperation and encouragement for one another have been lovely to witness.

Go Willow Class! This experience is not only building their physical skills but also fostering a strong sense of community. Some soundbites from the top of Gilwell:

‘I can feel my heartbeat through my knees!’

‘I’m shaken up here!’

‘My heart is beating so fast!’

Willow Class had a good night’s sleep—most of them, at least! This morning, the children were eager for breakfast, oh the excitement, breakfast together is so much more exciting !

They are all eager and ready for today’s activities and are looking forward to achieving more goals, though some of these heights look rather scary to us!

Willow class have arrived and have immediately immersed themselves in a variety of engaging activities. The teamwork challenge was particularly impressive, showcasing their ability to work together effectively and support each other.

Additionally, during the “Leap of Faith” activity, they demonstrated incredible climbing skills and resilience. It is wonderful to see them push their boundaries and achieve new heights, both literally and figuratively.

Willow Class had a wonderful project on puppetry  that was enhanced further today when they were joined by the Little Angel Theatre.

They began by watching a short film starring Scoop, who likes to reinvent things and give them new life, and Bertie, a puppet made of recycled objects. They followed Bertie’s adventure as he tried to reach the recycling centre and live out his dreams of being recycled as a kite. They  learnt about the science of plastic bottles and examined the different materials used to make puppets.

Then they built their own Bertie-inspired puppet. They had to consider how the puppet would move and would be able to show different emotions. They learnt how to make articulated limbs and add movement to our puppets.

Once the structure of our puppet was finished, we then used recycled materials to decorate. At the end of the session, They learnt how to perform with our puppets, helping to bring them to life.

So many new skills and so much fun! A big thank you to Little Angel Theatre for working with Willow  today! They had a fantastic morning.

Shakespeare’s Globe, the renowned theatre company, visited our school today and brought the enchanting story of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to life.

The performance was delivered by a single storyteller who skillfully used a variety of props to represent the different characters in the play. The children were thoroughly engaged and animated throughout the storytelling session. It was truly a delight to see their faces light up with excitement and wonder as they followed the magical adventures of the characters.

This experience was not only entertaining but also educational, offering ourchildren a unique introduction to Shakespeare’s timeless work in a way that was accessible and fun.

Year 6 had the incredible opportunity to hear a moving talk given by Chris Lubbe, the former bodyguard to Nelson Mandela. Chris shared his powerful story, recounting his experiences during apartheid in South Africa and his remarkable work with Nelson Mandela.

Chris Lubbe spoke passionately about the events from his childhood that led him to become an outspoken advocate against racism. His heartfelt and inspiring words resonated deeply with everyone present, leaving a lasting impact on both students and teachers alike.

One of the highlights of his talk was the emphasis on the importance of education, echoing Nelson Mandela’spowerful message: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Chris Lubbe’s visit was a thought-provoking and inspiring experience, reminding us all of the profound impact that courage and determination can have in the fight for justice and equality.

All the children had a wonderful time participating in a special activity to send off, Connor, who is getting married. The children and staff created a joyful human tunnel, full of smiles and laughter, to celebrate this joyous occasion. It was heartwarming to see the excitement and happiness on everyone’s faces. We wish Connor all the best for his big day and a future filled with love and happiness! I am sure you could hear them chanting Connor, Connor, Connor from miles away!

The children at Little Hadham Primary celebrated Empathy Day today the 6th of June 2024, learning how to boost their empathy superpowers. Some of you had the chance to see this in action during our Learning Together Morning, and we are excited to share more about this wonderful day.

Through stories, discussions, and various activities, the children explored the importance of understanding the feelings of others. The key elements they focused on were READ, ACT, and CONNECT. These three components are essential in developing empathy:

• READ: Encouraging children to read books that help them see the world from different perspectives.
• ACT: Teaching them to take empathetic actions and show kindness in their daily lives.
• CONNECT: Helping them build connections with others through understanding and compassion.

We want Empathy to be a core value at Little Hadham Primary. We believe that fostering empathy in our children helps them become kind and compassionate citizens of our world. Empathy enables us to understand and respond appropriately to others’ feelings, leading to more helping behaviour and positive social interactions.

Empathy Day highlighted the crucial role of books in developing empathy and inspired our children to learn more about empathy and put it into action. The feedback from our pupils was overwhelmingly positive, and they were eager to share what they learned.

Here are a couple of soundbites from the day:

• “You should always put yourself in other people’s shoes before you judge them.”
• “Be kind and listen when other people are saying something.”

We are so proud of our children for embracing these values and look forward to seeing them continue to grow as empathetic individuals.

Today Lime class had a much anticipated trip to West Stow Anglo Saxon village.  The journey together on board a coach being as much a part of the trip as the destination itself, we excitedly set off on a dry and warm(ish) morning, heading out through Essex to Suffolk.

The village is actually an experiment which recreates different theories about the construction of Anglo-Saxon houses and our guide for the day told us that part of the experiment was for her to occasionally test out the houses by living in them!  The children loved exploring the site, asking and answering questions, looking for clues, gathering evidence and being historians for the day.  The questions they had for our expert were really impressive and demonstrated depth of knowledge and understanding as well as effective application of their enquiry skills. We should all be rightfully proud!

In the afternoon we were able to explore the small museum on site which contained artefacts found at West Stow when the original village began to be excavated by archeologists in the 1950’s. The children were excited to discover that stone age people had also lived on the site, and this resulted in them recalling knowledge from their Autumn term topic about the Stone Age and animatedly discussing what they already knew, creating links with their prior learning!

Some outfits were available for dressing up which we all enjoyed thoroughly and the afternoon ended with an activity which involved handling and researching artefacts in small groups before reporting back to the class.

All in all a day which reinforced how important it is for the children to be involved in enrichment activities both on and off site in order to really bring their learning to life.  Oh , and how much fun it always is for children to travel anywhere by coach!