Terrific Tooth Technology!
In October, we were excited to welcome dental technologist and Bodhi’s dad, Mr Curzon, into school to talk to us about his fascinating job at Hibbert Crown and Bridge Dental Lab. Year 4 were excited to conclude our science topic with this special visit and learn all about the importance of looking after our teeth properly, so that we don’t become one of Mr Curzon’s patients in the future!
We learned how a tooth is formed as a seed when you are still developing in the womb, how plaque forms, why brushing twice a day matters, and how sugary foods can affect our teeth. Mr Curzon taught us how and why teeth are different shapes, including why there are grooves on the tooth’s surface – did you know that this is so that the saliva can work with the groove to move any bacteria, dirt away from the tooth? Fascinating stuff! Year 4 also discovered that crisps can be very problematic for your teeth, as the crisp gets in every groove of your mouth! As well as discovering that plaque is basically the ‘poo’ of the micro-organisms that live inside your mouth. Mr Curzon advised us to brush our teeth twice a day (before breakfast in the morning) and at least 30 minutes after eating food in the evening, using toothpaste which has fluoride (a chemical which helps the saliva to prevent cavity-causing bacteria to grow!) in it. He also reminded us to brush our gums and not just our teeth, as that is where plaque can build up.
Mr Curzon explained how his role is different from a dentist’s — instead of working directly with patients, he designs and makes dental appliances such as crowns, bridges, dentures, and braces. Mr Curzon very kindly brought a wide selection of his work to our classroom: showing us some real examples of the materials and tools that he uses in the laboratory and explained how science, design, and precision all come together in his work.
The children were amazed to learn how each dental appliance is custom-made to fit a person’s mouth perfectly. We also talked about how dental technologists work closely with dentists to make sure everything fits comfortably and looks natural.
Everyone enjoyed asking questions about how teeth are repaired, what materials are used, and how technology has changed modern dentistry. The session also reminded us how important it is to take good care of our teeth so we can keep our smiles healthy for life!
We are very grateful to Mr Curzon for sharing his time and expertise — it was an inspiring session that showed how science and creativity can work hand in hand and the children came away buzzing with lots of scientific facts and curiosity.
Year 4 – 2025/2026
Miss Archard, Miss Armstrong and Miss Brown
What a busy start to the year we have had! The children have been working super hard stepping up to the new expectations of being in Year 4. They are enjoying the new-found responsibilities given to them and are taking it all in their strides.
This year the children will be taking part in the ‘Multiplication Tables Check (MTC)’ later on in the summer term; they have already begun preparing in earnest- completing daily times table practise and honing their skills using ‘Times Table Rockstars’. The children can access this from home too, and this is strongly encouraged. Go Rockstars!
Our TTRS with their first certificates
This year, the children have created their own tray labels using resources that they foraged from our outdoor classroom.
We love maths in Y4, and have been working on our understanding of place value. Some of the children enjoy using physical resources to help, such numicon and Denes blocks.
In science, we are studying the human body and in particular digestion and food. Here are the children creating a visual representation of how long the human intestinal tract is! Ask one of them and they will tell you – you won’t believe your ears!
The children are thoroughly enjoying our Power of Reading text – The Iron Man. Here they are perfecting their script read throughs ready for performance.
We continue our discovery of the weird and wonderful workings of the digestive system – head to SeeSaw to see our super scientists detailing the journey of a banana through the digestive tract.
In Year 4, we love the outdoors and here we are enjoying a mindful moment during our Wednesday afternoon sessions with Mr Sims. The children were trying their hands at the traditional Japanese art of Hapisome – they collected a variety of plant material, mainly leaves and used small hammers to create the imprint of the leaves on a piece of cloth. The results were beautiful. As our children are expert outdoors men and women, they were also able to identify each of the leaves that they had collected. Fabulous afternoon activity!
Our PE topic this half term is invasion games – hockey. The children are engaged and enthusiastic during our sessions and eager to improve their skills!