Polar bears very close to becoming extinct!

Image courtesy ofNative American Indians“

Scientists are warning that the polar bears may join the Dodo and disappear from the wild in less than 70 years! That’s within our lifetime.
It is a very sad and sobering thought.
It’s all happening due to the Polar bear losing its habitat- the ice in the arctic is melting as the Earth continues to get warmer.

If you want to find out more about the other animals on the endangered animals list, click here to play The Endangered Animals Game

you can see some of the animals which have already become extinct by clicking here or on the picture below:

Dodo by Roland Savery

Energy Games

Year 6 have just begin their topic on energy. Join them in their quest to learn more about how to save our planet!
Click here to go to the kids saving energy site to try out some great activities.

Antarctic Ice Bridge Breaks

There are definite signs of serious global warming as the predictions turn into evidence.
Click here to visit the BBC coverage with excellent footage of the ice shelf.

Click here to visit the National Geographic site which is where the animated picture is taken from.

Venice floods linked to Climate Change?

(Picture courtesy of Reuters)

Year 6 have just begun to look at Climate Change as their topical issue. We are waking up today to the news that Venice is experiencing the worst floods for 20 years. Is that due to Climate Change or the actual physical position of Venice and the water drainage system which is linked to tides? Look out for the various experts who will try and give an explanation about the reasons for the floods. All I can say is that of all the cities which was going to flood, Venice is probably the best prepared! After all it has a fleet of gondolas already!

Penguin Panic Game for Half Term

This comes highly recommended from Yasmin (007) for all the girls at the Falcons. The penguins are panicking. They heard that the hole in the ozone layer will soon melt their home. Freeze the panicking penguins before they hurt themselves. You have one minute to save them. CLICK HERE to have a go.

Aeroplanes and the Earth

Find out more about what an aeroplane leaves behind by going onto this excellent animation from the Science Museum in London.
Click here
At some point in or lives we will get on an aeroplane to fly to a place which is too far to drive/take a train to. Some of you might even have flown during these holidays. Sometimes when an aeroplane passes above us in the sky, we can see a trail of cloud behind the plane. This trail lingers behind even after the aeroplane has gone. Have you ever wondered what causes that trail? How does it effect the Earth’s atmosphere?

Year 5 have just been learning about some gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxisde which are released into the air from cars and planes as they burn petrol and kerosene for fuel.

Turnham Green

Turnham Green

We have two very special visitors coming from Turnham Green to talk about what GOING GREEN means to them.
Click on TURNHAM GREEN to go to their website to find out more about EATING GREEN!

Cyclone in Burma!

Since this ITN news report the death toll has been predicted to be 10,000 which makes this a very serious natural disaster. Cyclones are tropical storms which occur naturally on Earth . They absorb and release a large amount of energy. It is when this energy is released on inhabited land that the worst possible catastrophe occurs. Go to this site if you want to find out more about how these powerful storms are formed. Click HERE

Where do Christmas Trees Come from?

Nordmann Fir

You can decorate your own Christmas tree by clicking on the picture of the Nordmann Firs at the top of this page.

In some parts of Europe it was a tradition to have a Christmas trees since the 16th century. In England it became popular to decorate a Christmas tree and put the presents under it during Victorian times .
The main species of tree used are the firs which are coniferous trees. They have needle-like leaves and have cones instead of flowers for reproducing. They do not shed their leaves in winter and so are also known as Evergreen.

The most common species of Christmas tree used in Europe are the Silver Fir, Nordmann Fir, Noble Fir , Norway Spruce, Serbian Spruce and Scots Pine.

Silver Fir
Nordmann Fir
Norway Spruce
Serbian Spruce
Scots Pine
In the UK, The British Christmas Tree Growers Association represents the interests of all those who grow Christmas trees. The tree can take from 2 years to 8 years to grow to full size, depending on the species. First a seed is taken from the cone of an older, mature tree. It is planted and kept protected in a plant nursery for up to 3 years. The young Christmas trees are then sold when they are between 3 and 4 years old to Christmas Tree Farms in the UK. The final size and health of the tree depends on how well it is looked after, the climate and the soil quality.So when you buy a Christmas tree , it has been growing on a farm somewhere in the UK and then supplied to the shop or market near you.

It is very important to RECYCLE your tree when you have finished with it. That way all the nutirents from the tree can go back into the soil to provide goodness fro more plants to grow!

When you get your Christmas tree this year, perhaps you can ask the shopkeeper where does it come from and what type it is ?

You can decorate your own Christmas tree by clicking on the picture of the Nordmann Firs at the top of this page.

An Inconvenient Truth

Year 6 will be looking at climate change and how we can try and save our planet for the future. If you watch this promotional video for the award winning film about climate change you will begin to get an idea of what we may be facing soon IF WE DON’T ACT NOW!