October 2018 - Life Bus
3rd October 2018
Life Bus: 03.10.18 - 04.10.18
On Wednesday we were really excited to see the life bus on the playground. Across the two days each year group took turns to go into the life bus to participate in exciting learning opportunities with Julie from Coram Education!
Please see below for details about the activities each year group took part in:
Reception
The children meet Harold the Giraffe who is very excited about going to his grandparents’ house and they help him check he has everything in his bag including the items in his wash-bag. Using a body tunic the children learn about the functions of some major internal organs. Harold gets plenty of exercise at the park and the children all join in exercising their bodies too. Back at his grandparents’ house Harold is feeling fed up and calls the Life Education Centre for ideas to cheer him up. Everyone feels a lot better after a sleep under the star-lit ceiling and Harold comes out to thank everyone for their help before singing one of his favourite songs about being happy and healthy.
Year 1
The children learn about the major food groups before looking at TAM (the interactive body model) to learn how food, water and oxygen get into the body to give it energy. Harold the Giraffe wakes up after a good night’s sleep and checks his lunch box for school but there is something missing! The children work out what he needs to have a balanced meal in his lunchbox before setting off to the school garden which gives them all plenty of exercise. At the school garden Harold’s friend Kiki the Kangaroo tries to help Harold find some fruit for his lunchbox but upsets their friend Derek the Penguin by mistake. The children help to sort everything out before Harold returns to sing them his special song about different foods.
Year 2
Harold is very excited as he is having a party for all his friends! He is disappointed that one of his friends can’t come to the party because he is not feeling well. After a discussion about the safe use of medicines the children learn about the body by looking at TAM. They then join Harold at his party and his friend Derek offers to take photos. Using some of Derek’s photos the children become ‘Feelings Detectives’ to work out how the children in the pictures might be feeling and the possible reasons why. Back at the party Kiki turns up late but feels left out of the action – the children help her think through how she could solve this problem and everyone is friends again. After a final ‘body shake’ exercise routine Harold meets the children again and sings them his special party song!
Year 3
Harold is practising a song to sing in his school Top Talents Show and asks the children to assist him with his homework. Using TAM the children help out by considering which body organ is the most important before meeting the classroom brain who explains how he controls all the effects in the mobile classroom. The children learn how their brain sends and receives signals through the nerves and how it controls movements – even actions to an exercise routine! Continuing with Harold’s homework the children consider whether choices such as taking a medicine, doing exercise, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes can help or harm the body. At the talent show Harold argues with his friend Derek over who should take the last place in the performance before the children help out by defining key friendship qualities and skills. Harold comes out to thank the children for helping and sings them his hit song about friendship!
Year 4
Harold is looking forward to his trip to Diversity World – a theme park where there is something for everyone. He is particularly looking forward to the Karaoke Kingdom where he can sing one of his favourite songs. While he is on his way the children look at TAM to consider how choices we make – such as doing exercise and taking a medicine – can affect what happens inside the body. At Diversity World Harold and his friends notice the park rules on smoking and alcohol which leads to a discussion about why there are these rules. Once inside the three friends can’t agree what to do as they all want to do something different. They decide to split up but Harold finds himself lonely without his friends to enjoy the day with him. He decides to go on ‘The Conformatron’ where he learns how important it is for us to be able to make our own choices and that we can still be friends with other people despite of, and even because of their differences. Harold finds his friends and they spend the rest of the day together!
Year 5
The two aliens, Veebo and Frobi, explain how four of our body systems work together to keep us alive. The children are given the opportunity to discuss not only what a drug is but how drugs can be used for medical and non-medical reasons. The risks of smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are explored although there is an emphasis that increasingly most young people do not take those risks. Through role-play the children explore the influence of friends on decision making. They identify and practise assertiveness skills. The importance of our basic human emotional needs in our decision making is threaded through the programme!
Year 6
Children review what they have learnt about the body and its major systems. Children are asked to list drugs they have heard of and then consider how these drugs have medical and/or non-medical uses. Tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and solvents are all touched on in this programme. They learn about the basic laws on drugs and how a drugs criminal record can affect a young person’s future aspirations. Through the use of audio visual material and role-play the children explore aspects of peer dynamics and risk taking in relation to alcohol and work out strategies for managing risk. Children consider the types of activities most young people enjoy doing which do not present the same risks as using recreational drugs.