Learn about new stuff

I’ve used this site (Virtual Eye) with my class, as we’re studying ‘How We See Things’ in science.

Some kids loved the gorey stuff, looking at a equivalent dissection of a cow’s eye.

Here’s some good links to fire safety stuff which you can use with your class, from EYFS to KS2.

There’s lots of lesson plans and goodies to download and print out, and some great activities to use in a whole variety of lessons. I’m using some of them with my class this week.

EYFS (Foundation!)
KS1
KS2

Those of you who are looking at WWII at the moment may be interested in this site:
RAF-Lincolnshire.

It’s got links to information on all the bases throughout Lincolnshire, used during the war and beyond. Some of the info is really good and some have photos of what the area looks like today.

If you use Google maps and have a good look around the area of the bases, you can often see an aerial shot of where they used to be. Link these with a print of the bases map, good old string to show where they are and what they look like now from above.

One of my favourite map sites old-maps has changed. Unfortunately the aerial views have gone but there seems to be more old maps from different decades, so you can see how the area has developed over a number of years.

Try MSN Maps or Google maps for great aerial or even hybrid map/aerial shots!

I ran a lesson a couple of weeks ago that mixed dissecting real owl pellets, thanks to our local suppliers The Barn Owls, and a great online dissection tool kidwings.

The online dissection tool was useful for those of a squeamish nature and to find out what the names of all the bones, for both those dissecting the real pellets and those online.

If you do this, can I recommend using plastic takeaway trays (one for water and pellet, one for clean water to clean up the bones), cocktail sticks to pull the pellets apart and plastic gloves (either from the first aid kit or local garage!).

My class loved it and linked to Springwatch it made a great reinforcement lesson for interdepedence and food chains.

Some of you may have found in the Science folder in the Smart Board Essentials for Educators that there’s something called ‘Froguts’ (a virtual dissection of a frog).

Here’s the site (Froguts) where, in the demos section, there’s a virtual owl pellet to disassemble and a rodent skeleton to assemble from the bones.

Have a go!