Year 6 have been busy exploring the fascinating world of inherited and adapted characteristics in their recent science lessons.

In our second Science lesson, we looked at the traits we inherit from our parents and how offspring carry characteristics from both sets of parents in their DNA. For example, we might have the same eye colour as our mother but inherit our father’s skin tone. To demonstrate our understanding, the children had great fun combining Mr Men and Little Miss characters to imagine what their “offspring” would inherit! Whilst we know traits such as glasses or hats cannot be passed down, it was a playful way to explore the concept — and the results were wonderfully creative.

Our next lesson focused on adaptations in animals. Working in pairs, the children researched three very different species: the Fennec fox, the green anaconda, and the gentoo penguin. They discovered how each animal has adapted to survive in its habitat — from the Fennec fox’s large ears that help it stay cool, to the green anaconda’s powerful swimming ability, and the gentoo penguin’s clever camouflage that protects it from predators both on land and from above. The children produced beautifully presented non-chronological reports to showcase their findings, which greatly impressed Miss Allen.

Finally, on Tuesday, Miss Allen set Year 6 an exciting challenge. Each group was given an imaginary habitat and tasked with designing an animal that could survive there. The children had to think carefully about what adaptations their creature would need — thin fur or feathers to cope with heat, camouflage to avoid predators, or special features to help them find food. The imaginative animals they created showed just how much they had learned about survival and adaptation.