3HP

This afternoon, 3HP were set a problem solving challenge. The challenge set was to build the tallest tower possible which could also balance a ball at the top. The children were given scrap paper, scissors, glue and anything else they chose to help them in their building activity. Not only did the children have to build the tallest paper tower to balance a ball on, but they were also given team points for team work, positive thinking and for praising each other. All teams successfully managed to work as a group using great growth mindset and positivity to attack their challenge! What really impressed Miss Price was how well 3HP worked together to over come the challenges they faced and how kind and supportive they were to each other. Each group successfully built a fantastic tall towers, with the tallest being over 1 meter!

The tower building was only half of the battle! After that, was the test to see whether the ball could balance on the towers. Some teams were successful and others weren’t as successful, however, that did not take the smiles off 3HP because even though it’s great to succeed we also know that it’s about trying and never giving up!

The children were asked about the strategies they used to complete the challenges successfully: “Positivity!”  “Perseverance” “Team work”  “Never giving up and trying different ways to make things work” “Having fun” “Being determined to succeed”. These are all qualities of growth mind set: with resilience, perseverance and determination they all achieved success.

5HH

The 5HH team were set a challenge. The marble needed to start at the top of the table and reach the floor. It had to take over 1 minute to get to the end. Before starting the challenge, the class discussed their initial thoughts on the task and how they were currently feeling.  

Within a team, the children began to think of strategies to solve the problem. They gathered equipment and set off on the task.

Half way through the challenge, they stopped to discuss their different techniques and strategies. Some groups had looked at the length of their track and explained to the class that they had discovered the longer their track was, the longer it took the marble to reach the floor. Other groups elaborated on the idea that the shape of the track can affect the time as moving round in a spiral shape would take longer than going straight. The groups also discussed the ideas of angles and stages to further increase the time. At the halfway point, the majority of groups had not reached the one minute time point given. The pupils recorded their thoughts and feelings showing they were determined to continue. The teams had time to consider adaptations to their approach and continue the challenge.

Once the time was up, the teams came back together to test out their different strategies. They spoke at length about their initial thoughts and feelings compared to the middle and end stages. Many felt excited at the start to have a go and were confident, whereas others were nervous and a bit worried that they would not be able to succeed. At the mid stage, many felt frustrated that they had not yet managed to complete the challenge but after stopping and discussing were ready to persevere. Now the challenge was completed, they began to address their thoughts and feelings. They expanded on the idea that they felt successful because they had worked as a team and were resilient as they had never given up. If one idea did not work the first time they adapted it and tried again. The final quote of the day, the children gave, was that the key to success is to show determination and work through the challenges because if you have tried your best you have succeeded.

4JB

This afternoon 4JB were set a near impossible challenge….

They had to make it from one side of the laser beam maze to the other. Mrs. Barber only set one rule…you cannot touch the laser beam. The first few volunteers proved that this was a lot harder than it looked and there were many possible routes that the children could take. Some children tried going over, some tried going under and some tried both. Each time someone tried, the rest of us watched carefully and analysed the mistakes. As we went on, more and more children came closer to reaching the other side. Finally- James managed to cross the laser beam without touching it. After this, we used our ‘growth mindset’ to try and again and make improvements.  

The second time round, many more of the children managed to get across the laser without making a mistake.

There was lots of excitement and we really enjoyed ourselves! Well done 4JB!

2BL

This afternoon, Miss Lewis set a challenge for 2BL to ‘build a house for a little pig that the big bad wolf wouldn’t be able to blow down!’. Each group had a materials pack which included; 25 toothpicks, 10 midget gem sweets and 10 mini marshmallows only! They began their planning process by discussing their initial questions, thoughts and ideas about the challenge ahead!

2BL began their challenge working in pairs connecting the sticks to the sweets without much clear direction or plan. It soon became apparent that the midget gems would serve as a strong base due to their weight and flat base for sturdiness. Some children became frustrated and disheartened when their house kept falling down but soon realised that the marshmallows on the taller layer would be more effective being lighter in weight. There were many different styles of houses which were constructed, all aiming to serve the same purpose!

Throughout the building process, the children experienced unsuccessful outcomes and developed the resilience and perseverance to continue their attempt to build a strong house. They learnt from their unsuccessful attempts and adapted their approach to improve their technique. A fabulous growth mind set demonstrated from all

5TJ

This afternoon, 5TJ were challenged by Mrs Jones to use a straw to create something useful or entertaining or visual !!! There was a lot of discussion about it.

Firstly the children had to work completely on their own with no discussion. Then they were allowed to discuss ideas and have another  go at making something!! Some felt that they had failed and were not content with their models!

Then someone suggested that we combine our efforts and our straws to make something collaboratively! This would enable a greater variety and more potential!.

They were given 8 straws each and they used them to create a number of ‘things!’

They added colour and  were allowed to use negotiated’ materials including scissors, cello tape and glue.

This kind of task lent itself really well to fostering a growth mind set : many of the children began the challenge nervously, some even suspiciously, assuming they were doomed to failure. By the end, they realised that perseverance, determination and resilience was the key to success! As was the idea of WORKING TOGETHER and combining our skills. We all have different strengths and can support each other ( practically and emotionally)

3TR

In PE this afternoon, 3TR were set some problem solving challenges. The first task was quite easy: pass a bean bag around your group using your hands. If the bean bag was dropped at any point, they had to go back to the beginning. All teams achieved this quickly and successfully! The next task was to pass the bean bag around using their elbows. Some groups worked really well together, listening and helping each other and so finished quickly. Other groups took a bit longer, as everyone wanted to be the leader and they didn’t listen to each other! The final bean bag challenge was to pass the bean bag round using only their feet. Most groups had learnt from the previous activity, co-operating well. If the bean bag was dropped they talked about why and what might be a better way to pass the bean bag. One group however, straight away said it couldn’t be done after dropping the bean bag, but after looking around at other groups working well together. They soon got back to it and again everyone achieved success.

The final activity was the frogs and toads challenge. The aim was for the frogs and toads to get to the opposite side of the river bank by leaping onto the lily pads (hoops). Only one frog or toad (child) could be on a lily pad at one time. Most groups started the challenge straight away, jumping into the hoops but then faced problems when the frogs and toads met in the middle. One group however, sat and discussed the challenge first and thought about how they would get around each other. They then set to work and got to the opposite sides successfully. All groups eventually realised that they would need to leave one lily pad free to be able to leap frog over each other. They were then set the challenge of counting how many moves it took them and which team could complete the challenge in the fewest moves. Counting the moves proved quite difficult as they kept losing count or forgetting to count somebodies jump! Eventually they discovered that the fewest number of moves it took to get to the opposite side of the river was 15.

The children were asked about the strategies they used to complete the challenges successfully: “Team work!” “We had one leader but she listened to us if we had any ideas to help.” “We learnt from our mistakes and if one way didn’t work we tried it a different way.” “We didn’t give up.” “Doing it more slowly, rather than racing to be the winner.” These are all qualities of growth mind set: with resilience, perseverance and determination they all achieved success.

Year 1 | 1JC and 1ME

This afternoon, Year 1 were challenged by Mrs Cotterill and Miss Elwell to “make a paper chain as long as you can” using only one piece of A3 paper, scissors and sellotape!

The children quickly set about their task in small groups. There were lots of different approaches: some cut the paper into long strips using the longer length of the paper, some cut their paper into short strips. Some children worked out quickly that if they cut thinner strips they could make more of them.

Some groups organised themselves very effectively before even beginning the challenge. One group had three members; one was responsible for cutting the strips of paper, one looped the strips on to the chain and the third sorted the sellotape!

After 15 minutes, we compared the length of all the paper chains. Straight away some children spotted what they could have done to make their method more effective and they were very keen to have another go.

This afternoon the children demonstrated that if you have a positive attitude, keep on trying, don’t give up and work well together as a team – anything is possible!

RAA

Reception were given a challenge to make a safe house for the 3 little Pigs so the Big Bad Wolf couldn’t get them. It needed to be enclosed and have a roof on- all we gave them were a selection of cups.

The children soon realised they couldn’t stack the cups or put them on top of each other- but they didn’t give up! By being resilient and resourceful they worked together to create a safe and strong house for the pigs. Well done RAA!