This year the national theme for Science Week was ‘Journeys’ and we decided to explore ‘The Journey of a Plastic bottle,’ following on from Blue Planet II last year. Science week had an environmental focus this year and the children were encouraged to think about what they would like to find out and investigate, around plastic pollution. The children were introduced to the theme in a hook assembly which required them to share their knowledge about recycling, and some children volunteered to sort a variety of items into recyclable and non-recyclable groups. Science week was explorative opportunity for all classes as they: carried out practical investigation/experiments, attended science trips; researched plastic pollution through reading and writing tasks; and each child created a message in a plastic bottle as part of the whole school artwork which was displayed in the Creation Station. The children then shared their learning from the week with their buddy classes on the Friday and they spent some time reading and exploring the artwork together. The week concluded with a reflective discussion about what we can do to play our part in reducing plastics at school and at home.
‘It is really important to look at the journey of plastic because it is harming the planet and the animals.’ – Year 1 child
‘I’m glad that we looked at plastic bottles for science week because there are too many and I think it should change.’ – Year 2 child
