We introduced the children to our Spring history topic – TOYS! We discussed how we know whether an object was a toy, the difference between modern toys and Victorian toys. We agreed that toys are primarily used for joy and amusement. The children were invited to bring a precious toy into school to share with the class along with research into its history or create their own toy. Each child was encouraged to caringly explain to their peers why they had chosen their toy, what made it special to them and to describe the history and materials used to create their toy. The children also had an opportunity to play with each other’s’ toys and ask questions. We were warmly surprised with members of SLT who also contributed by bringing in a childhood toy to show the children. This helped to showcase the huge range of toys available to children and the difference between old and new toys.

By the end of this Topic, the children had created their own toy model of a Ferris wheel. We looked into the materials needed, observations and drew 2D models of our intended inventions. We learnt how to create a moving wheel using everyday materials.