How to build a stream

1. How to build a stream Jane Mulligan, Austrey Primary School

2. That the stream we visited last week was probably too far away (hence a quick map to recap our journey), how we could carry it. Which would be better the suggestion a cup or a bucket, and why? They decided the bucket. Suzannah thought that we would need teamwork to get the job done. Discussion prior to stream building I scribed while the children thought of the materials they would need to make a stream. This led to a lot of discussion about where we would get the water from.

3. Google Maps proved an excellent resource in showing the children a real river. Having discussed what the map might be showing, Katie said that it was, ‘Here, England.’ I then showed the children how we could ‘zoom in’ and get a closer look at the river Severn. They knew from the story, ‘The Journey’ where and what the estuary was. Some noticed that the river got narrower. I used the words they had been using to sketch a map of a river. The children used their knowledge of phonics to tell me what to write.

4. Joe and Joel were particularly interested in manipulating the picture. Joel asking if could press, ‘Satellite’? I replied that it was already pressed and to try, ‘Map’ instead. Joe immediately said, ‘m-a-p = map’ and pressed the correct icon. Katie then said that a friend of hers had a satellite dish.

5. The children were encouraged to separate the materials from, ‘the bottom of the stream’, using a variety of sieves and strainers. They then talked with the teaching assistant about the different sizes of materials, counting and adding one or two more pebbles to a group.

6. Armed with trowels, in small groups we start to dig the stream. Stream Building ‘I didn’t know it was going to be this hard work!’

7. ‘We’ve found loads of worms!’ ‘I’ve found a really tiny one.’

8. We sprinkled in sand and pebbles. ‘It’s like adding chocolate chips!’

9. Then we collected water in watering- cans and buckets.

10. The water was poured in carefully. ‘There’s a deep bit at this end.’

11. We tried to make it look like the story, about the little red boat.