Penpol Primary School

From Hive to Flapjack: Year 2’s Bee-tastic Week!

15th January 202612th January 2026 by Lisa Bettens

Year 2 were buzzing with excitement on Tuesday, 6th January 2026, when they welcomed local beekeeper Tamsin Harris to school! Tamsin has been bee-keeping since 1998 and now cares for an incredible 109 hives in the local area – talk about a hive of activity!

With a honeycomb of knowledge to share, Tamsin told the children all about her business, ‘Bee Special’, which creates a wide range of products from her hives, including beeswax candles, furniture polish, candle-rolling kits, balms and salves. The children were also treated to a truly sweet experience when they had the chance to taste some of Tamsin’s delicious local honey.

The highlight of the visit was an interactive workshop where pupils learned all about the different roles inside a bee colony. The classroom was soon abuzz as children dressed up as beekeepers, Queen bees, baby bees, worker bees, cleaner bees, guard bees and even hive-fanning bees!

This exciting visit was the perfect way to immerse the children in their new topic, ‘Where Would We Bee Without Bees?’, helping them understand just how important these tiny creatures are to our world. To top it all off, the children ended the week by rolling up their sleeves and making their very own honey flapjack – a delicious way to celebrate their learning. It was a sweet and unforgettable experience that left everyone bee-lieving just how amazing bees really are.

Bright Lights in Year 2: Our Christingle Celebration

16th December 2025 by Lisa Bettens

This week, Year 2 has been learning about a very special Christmas tradition – Christingle. As part of our lessons on Christian celebrations, we made our Christingle celebration a time to think about being thankful for what we have and hopeful for the future. We explored the meaning behind this beautiful tradition, which is celebrated by Christians around the world during Advent and Christmas.

The word Christingle comes from two words: “Christ,” who Christians believe is the light of the world, and “tingle,” which refers to the orange shape used in the celebration. We learned that the orange represents the world, while the candle placed on top is a symbol of Jesus being the light that shines in the darkness, giving people hope. The red ribbon wrapped around the orange stands for the love of Jesus, which reminds Christians to be thankful and caring towards others. Some Christians believe the sticks with sweets or fruit represent the gifts we give to others at Christmas, while others believe they represent God’s creation of the four seasons.

Learning about Christingle has helped us understand the Christian message of love, peace, thankfulness, and hope, and it was a special way for Year 2 to reflect during the holiday season and the beginning of a new year.

Towering Above the Rest with Their Cereal Box Castles!

11th December 2025 by Lisa Bettens

Today, Year 2 had a very special design and technology session with their KS2 Learning Buddies. The children worked together to create amazing castles using cereal boxes, glue, scissors, masking tape and plenty of imagination!

The classroom buzzed with excitement as the children buddied up to share their ideas about turrets, battlements and drawbridges. Then, putting their ideas into action, cutting shapes, attaching pieces, and making sure their structures stood tall. Some groups even added flags, battlements, and secret doors.

Throughout the session, the children showed fantastic resilience, one of Penpol School’s core values. When towers toppled or glue didn’t stick, they didn’t give up—instead, they tried new methods, adapted their ideas, and kept going with smiles on their faces. They also demonstrated wonderful creativity, turning simple cereal boxes into colourful castles full of character and clever design features.

Everyone worked carefully and cooperatively, showing brilliant teamwork. The KS2 buddies supported the younger pupils with tricky parts while encouraging them to make their own choices. Year 2 pupils said they enjoyed having “big helpers” and learning new building skills. After saying duw genes/goodbye to their buddies, Year 2 continued their projects by carefully painting and decorating their castles to bring their designs to life.