From 19 to 23 May, the Junior School was transported back in time for an exhilarating Cross Curricular Week themed around Dinosaurs — a topic that sparked imaginations, inspired learning, and brought a prehistoric twist to classrooms and corridors alike!

Throughout the week, pupils from Reception to Year 4 immersed themselves in a rich array of cross-subject activities, exploring all things dinosaur through science, art, music, drama, writing, maths, geography and outdoor learning.

 

Giant Journeys and Prehistoric Visitors

A standout moment came on Tuesday 20 May, when the school welcomed a visit from the Giant Journeys team. The day began with a special assembly, complete with real fossils and even live dinosaur puppets! Ms Smith received quite the surprise when she was asked to hold a piece of fossilised dinosaur poo, and there was plenty of excitement (and a few squeals!) when Tricksy, the baby T-Rex, nearly nipped Mrs Bloxsom and Mrs Moth!

Giant Journeys’ expert Darren then led a day of interactive workshops for pupils in Reception to Year 4, guiding them through fossil digs and scientific investigations to identify their prehistoric finds.

 

Wellington Country Park Dinosaur Trail

On Thursday, the whole Junior School set off on a thrilling day trip to Wellington Country Park, where pupils explored the park’s dinosaur trail and enjoyed a raft of outdoor learning experiences (see our separate news post for more on the trip). The children were delighted to spot life-size dinos in the woods, adding an extra touch of magic to the week’s theme.

 

Maths Workshop Brings Pre-historic Creatures to Life!

This week, pupils across Key Stage 1 took part in an exciting maths workshop inspired by Steve Jenkins’ fascinating book Prehistoric Actual Size. The workshop combined numeracy skills with prehistoric exploration, allowing children to engage with real-world maths in a creative and memorable way.

Using life-size illustrations from the book, pupils measured, estimated and compared the sizes of ancient creatures. It was a fantastic opportunity to apply mathematical thinking in a hands-on context.

Children got to meet a dragonfly with a wingspan of 60cm, a 2 metre-long millipede and also adopt a 8cm spiny shark. Not all pre-historic creatures were super-sized!

The workshop sparked lots of enthusiasm and linked in beautifully with the assembly and workshops provided earlier in the week by Giant Journeys. It was a great way to make maths more meaningful and joyful!

Reception’s Roarsome Week!

Reception became budding palaeontologists! We started by discovering mysterious footprints and eggs in the woods. Using water and paintbrushes, we carefully dissolved the eggs to reveal… a diplodocus! This exciting discovery inspired some brilliant writing and our very own fossil creations.

We baked dinosaur cookies, built woodland homes for our favourite dinosaurs, and were amazed as Miss McIntyre’s volcano cake erupted! In maths, we explored the actual sizes of prehistoric insects in our Jurassic-themed lessons and went on a dinosaur word hunt around the classroom.

Adding to the excitement, some real (dino-related!) eggs have hatched in our classroom—our baby chicks have arrived! We're thrilled to welcome them, and their names will be revealed very soon…

 

Year 1 Go Pre-historic!

Year 1 have had a jam-packed week full of dino-themed delights! 1S got creative designing their own dinosaurs, crafting colourful dinosaur plates and dreamcatchers, and diving into dinosaur-themed comprehension. Meanwhile, 1G launched a Dinosaur Drawing Club Adventure, made beautiful sun catchers, and measured their "pet beanstalks" as part of their maths work on length and height.

Both classes enjoyed a special prehistoric maths workshop—complete with millipedes and dragonflies "two rulers long!" As one pupil put it, “It flew over our heads. It was fantastical.”

There was even more excitement as Year 1 “walked the dinosaur” with a special dance teacher. No-one could be quite sure who was in the dino-suit but Mrs Chaplin was never seen in the same room as the Funkosaurus. Needless to say, Year 1 loved the whole thing!

 

Year 2’s Dino DT

Year 2 have been stomping through a dino-tastic week of learning and creativity! They roared into action by learning and performing the lively poem “Dino Stomp”, complete with actions.

In DT, pupils designed and sewed their very own felt dinosaur soft toys—each one as unique as the child who made it! Working together in groups, they became dino-experts, researching different species and creating colourful Fact Posters to share their findings. They even turned palaeontologist for the day, carefully excavating dinosaur skeletons. A week full of fun, facts, and fossils!

Year 3: Dinosaur Directors in Action

Year 3 stepped into the world of animation this week, taking inspiration from stop-motion films. Pupils designed their own dinosaur-themed sets using shoeboxes and sculpted plasticine dinosaurs to star in their scenes. Bringing it all to life, they used iPads to create their very own stop-motion movies—combining hands-on creativity with digital storytelling. A roar-some display of imagination and tech skills! (Movies soon to be released to a screen near you - watch this space!).

 

Year 4: Welcome to Jurassic Lab!

Year 4 turned their classroom into a high-security Jurassic Park-style science lab this week—entry strictly by staff ID only! Pupils were tasked with caring for mysterious dinosaur eggs, creating nests to keep them safe while studying life cycles and hatching processes.

They also designed their own dinosaur species, complete with Top Trumps-style cards, and got creative with dinosaur silhouette paintings. Excavation kits brought the excitement of hatching eggs to life, blending science, art, and imagination in true Jurassic style!

 

Year 5: Music with a Roar!

On Monday, 5S listened to the Jurassic Park theme by John Williams and then performed their own version as a class orchestra — featuring cellos, guitars, flutes, a drum kit and glockenspiels. A truly musical moment of cinematic wonder! You can listen to the recording here.

 

A Week To Remember:

The buzz of excitement, curiosity and creativity was felt throughout the Junior School. Pupils dove headfirst into the world of dinosaurs, uncovering fossils, learning about extinct creatures, creating imaginative work, and developing cross-curricular skills across subjects.

Huge thanks to all the staff who planned and led the week, and to our visiting experts from Giant Journeys and Wellington Country Park for helping us bring the dinosaur era roaring back to life.

🦖 It was a dino-mite week to remember! 🦕