A Roar-some Day at Waverley!

Yesterday was a very special day at Waverley as we celebrated Dino Day! It was very exciting for Pre-Foundation, Foundation, Reception and KS1 children as they arrived at school dressed as dinosaurs and explorers, ready for a prehistoric fun day. We saw a fantastic array of costumes. From roaring triceratops’ to adventurous paleontologists, everyone looked amazing!

The day began with special assemblies for KS1 and KS2 run by Sam and Olly from Teach Rex, where the children were introduced to a very special guest - Jam the T-Rex! They learnt about the incredible senses of a T-Rex, especially its powerful sense of smell and hearing. The children took part in interactive activities, ‘hiding’ food and then sneaking quietly to collect it without Jam noticing. Even the teachers joined in! Well done to Mr Barlow and Mrs Shore for their impressive speed and stealth!

The children also learnt that T-Rexes were carnivores and predators, with sharp teeth designed for eating meat. Some brave volunteers even became Jam’s ‘lunch,’ lying on the floor ready to be gobbled up. There was also plenty of laughter (and mighty dinosaur roars) as everyone practised their very best dinosaur impressions.

After the assemblies, Pre-Foundation, Foundation, Reception and Year 1 had some very special visitors in their classrooms - adorable baby dinosaurs called Sky, Dinky Binky and Roger. The children learnt how to call the dinosaurs, gently stroked them and even gave them compliments before having their photograph taken with Roger. It was truly a magical experience!

In the afternoon, KS2 pupils took part in an exciting green screen workshop. They began by exploring vocabulary (verbs, adverbs and expanded noun phrases) to describe Jam the T-Rex. They then developed these into similes and metaphors before using their new language skills in a creative filming activity. The children had great fun acting in front of the green screen, creating videos of themselves running away from a dinosaur. The finished videos were quickly edited so everyone could enjoy them and even the teachers joined in the fun! See their videos here.

Year 5 and 6 were also given a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how Jam works. Sam and Olly explained the technology and puppetry involved, including the camera hidden in Jam’s nose that helps bring him to life. It was a ‘roaring’ success of a day, full of learning, laughter and unforgettable memories! For a sneak peek at some of the photos click here. See below a video of the fun visit.