We have loved looking at the children's rainforest dioramas this week. Wonderful creative homework from everyone! We hope that the whole family enjoyed this extended homework and learnt a  little about the layers of the rainforest and the creatures that live there. In geography last week, we learnt about the indigenous people living in the Amazon rainforest and this week we will learn about deforestation and it's impact on the environment. We will study both sides of the argument and develop some debating skills.

Year 3 have had a fabulous half-term of learning which has included studying the River Nile. We are finishing the topic with a field trip to the River Thames at Mortlake. No pyramids or crocodiles but a chance for the children to use some of their new vocabulary and observe life on the UK's second longest river. Back at school, the children have produced some stunning abstract art work inspired by the work of Georgia O'Keefe.

Year three have celebrated coming to the end of their history topic of Ancient Egypt by making Canopic jars. These were used for storing the internal organs in the mummification process. Ask your child which jar they made and what organ would have been stored in them. Despite finishing the history topic, we will continue to study Egypt next term when we look at the River Nile in our geography lessons.  We will also continue to perfect our dance inspired by Ancient Egypt ready for our year 3 assembly; make sure that 27th March in in your diaries!

Year 3 have had a busy start to the new year. We have started our new core text, George's Marvellous Medicine, and are using this to inspire us to design our own powerful potions. Ask your child what theirs is called and what persuasive writing they have put on their label. The children are very excited to have started learning about Ancient Egypt especially as we are using the topic to inspire other lessons such as dance, art and music. The photo shows us beginning to compose a piece using just 3 notes.

In geography we have been looking at four different locations in the world which are all called Richmond: London, Yorkshire, Virginia USA and Melbourne Australia. Every day we have been recording the temperature in these locations  and using a key we have stuck a  different coloured leaf to our display to represent this temperature.  The photo shows 3T's display this week. As part of the topic, the children have learnt about different climate zones,  the northern and southern hemispheres and can describe locations as either rural or urban.

Year 3 have celebrated the end of a long half term by making and eating jelly. The heroes of our core text, Major Glad Major Dizzy, love jelly so it is an appropriate way to finish; our last piece of writing based on the book will be instructions on how to make jelly. The children have also been having science related fun by making shadow puppet theatres and putting on plays about the adventures of the two heroic soldiers. To do this successfully, they have needed to understand how shadows are formed and to choose materials which are translucent and materials which are opaque.

To celebrate black history month, we have looked at a timeline stretching back to pre-historic times which shows how key people of colour have been in British history for tens of thousands of years. We have also learnt a little about the amazing author Malarie Blackman. Have a lovely half term break!