This session begins some work on family life in the Roman Empire. Children prepare for, and then carry out their own research. Each group picks an aspect of family life and then use the internet as well as books and information sheets to find out some facts. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Following session 7, children look at which types of material are attracted by magnets and which are not. Using an experimental approach, they also investigate the two magnetic poles on a magnet and what happens when like is placed against like, etc. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Following the discussion about types of material in session 6, chn move on to explore magnetism. They look at which solid materials are magnetic and experiment to find out. They record their results in a systematic way. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Children look at Roman weapons and discuss the materials that these would have been made from. They then carry out some experiments to discover which materials are most suitable for which purposes. They devise a series of fair tests and communicate results. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

On Earth we still have the same drops of water that touched the lips of the dinosaurs! In this session children use all that they have learnt in the previous session to create a self contained bottle garden. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

In this session children find out how the rain drops that fall from the clouds get back to the rivers and seas so that the cycle can start again. Children test a variety of natural Earth surfaces to see which allows water to flow through the fastest. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

In this session children get a better understanding of why there is so much rain in rainforest regions. Chn create simple explanations in wordsildren pictures and diagrams. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

This poetry unit allows children to explore the wonderful array of rainforest animals. They use two poetry books to explore different features and go on to use these as structures their own poems. They have fun performing their poems to other children in the school Suitable for years 3 and 4.

The rainforest ecosystem is one of the oldest on the planet. Animals living there have adapted to suit their habitat. Children find out more about animals who use camouflage, sharp claws, long beaks or tails to survive in the jungle. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

90% of the world’s animals and plants live in the 6% of the world that rainforests cover! In this session the class splits into groups to find out more about animals that have rainforests as their habitat. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Children locate the Roman empire on a timeline and discuss how historians and archaeologists are able to piece together the facts. They look at the 3 systems of government: monarchy, republic and emperors, and debate advantages/disadvantages of each. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Epiphytes are small plants that live not in the soil but happily up on the branches of trees in the layers of the rainforest. In this session children find out more and create pastel epiphytes for the Rainforest display. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Using Where the Forest Meets the Sea children study in detail the palette of colours created by the rainforest. Then using pastels and blending techniques children create a pastel rainforest picture. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

In this session children get up close and personal with tropical plants on a visit to a botanical garden, zoo or even a large garden centre. Children find out more about conditions for growth and the life cycles of different plants. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Children look again at Roman catapults. Using a wide variety of materials, incl some mechanical components, they design & create a working model of a catapult in the Roman style. They develop their ideas, then compete to see whose catapult works best! Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Children look at how the Roman Empire expanded over a period of 400 years and then began to diminish in extent. They relate this to the systems of government identified in Session 2. They map the Roman Empire on today’s world map, identifying countries. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Children create a piece of rainforest in the classroom in this session. After looking at images of rainforests and their trees, children use coloured papers to create trees and leaves for display. Suitable for years 3 and 4.

Children learn the word ‘texture’. They look carefully at their favourite toy and talk about the feel and appearance. They decide which media they want to use to represent it and do a beautiful drawing! They talk about their work and the work of other people. Suitable for years 1 and 2.

How do we know that a toy is old? What happens to our toys when they get played with lots? Children explore different toys and look for the signs of age. They choose precise words and explain their reasoning in detail. Suitable for Years 1 and 2.

Children learn all about Britain and the different countries that make it complete. They write simple labels and create their own personal map of Britain, positioning favourite places and familiar landmarks. Suitable for Years 1 and 2.