Nursery - Art - Valentine's Flowers
This week, the children in the nursery class have been busy creating beautiful vases of flowers as special Valentine’s gifts for someone they love. The project began with the children focusing on their mark-making skills to decorate their vases. Using a variety of tools, including dabbers and felt tips, they practiced their control and intentional design to make each vase unique and colorful. To create the flowers, the children engaged in a tactile sensory experience by painting their hands with bright red paint. They then carefully used handprints to represent the flowers growing from their vases. This activity was a wonderful way for the children to explore the properties of paint and see how they can use their own bodies to create art. The finished pieces are a lovely celebration of the children's creativity and the spirit of Valentine's Day!
Year 2 - Science - Classifying Minibeasts
Have you ever wondered what truly separates a buzzy bee from a slimy snail? Our Year 2 explorers have been finding out this week as they dived headfirst into the wonderful world of minibeasts! Working in collaborative groups, the children turned into budding taxonomists, using their keen observational skills to sort and classify various creatures based on their physical features. From debating the number of legs on a centipede to identifying which insects boast a pair of wings, the classrooms were buzzing with scientific talk. By categorising their finds into groups like "legs vs. no legs" and "wings vs. no wings," the pupils haven't just learned about biology—they’ve mastered the art of logical thinking and teamwork.
Year 5 - Aim High Day
Aiming High: Year 5 Explore Future Careers Our Year 5 pupils had a brilliant time during our 'Aim High' morning, where the hall was buzzing with inspiration and curiosity. We were lucky enough to be joined by a fantastic range of professionals, including a DJ, an electrician, an accountant, and local PCSOs, as well as a face painter, a craft creator, dentists, and a professional sportsperson. The children threw themselves into the various hands-on experiences, gaining a real insight into the world of work and the diverse paths available to them. It was a wonderful opportunity to see our students dreaming big and discovering new passions—there was certainly plenty of fun had by all! If you could try out any job in the world for just one day, which one would you choose and why?
Year 1 Geography UK Weather
Little Geographers in the Making! Our Year One explorers have been busy diving into the world of UK Weather this week! From identifying clouds to prepping for those classic British rainy days, these bright minds are learning how the world works around them—one forecast at a time. It’s all part of our mission: Nurturing Ambition and curiosity from the very start. Learning Focus: Geography & Local Environments Skills: Group collaboration and observation Current Mood: 100% chance of fun! ☔☀️ #DarwenStJames #YearOne #EarlyYearsLearning #UKWeather #LittleGeographers #NurturingAmbition #PrimaryEducation
Year 1 PSHE This is my Place
Our Year One children have been exploring the concept of belonging this week for Children’s Mental Health Week. By creating their own personal maps, they have been identifying the places where they feel safest, happiest, and most at home. At Darwen St James’, we believe that nurturing a sense of belonging is the first step toward helping every child flourish. When children know they have a place where they truly fit in, they have the confidence to grow and the ambition to reach their full potential. #DarwenStJames #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek #ThisIsMyPlace #Belonging #NurturingAmbition #YearOne
Year 1 - Maths Fluency
Buzzing with Fluency! Our Year 1 stars at Darwen St James’ have been busy bees today, sharpening their number skills! We are focusing on developing fluency by combining hands-on learning with digital practice. From tactile counters to high-tech hits, the progress is amazing to watch. ???? Today’s Math Toolkit: White Rose Fluency Bee: Building those vital number foundations through active, structured play. NumBots: Leveling up our mental recall and subtraction/addition speed on the laptops! ???? Watch out, world—these mathematicians are becoming faster and more confident by the second!
Maths Magic in Year 1
Maths Magic in Year 1 A huge thank you to all the families who joined our Year 1 Parents Workshop on Friday. It was wonderful to see so many of you engaging with all things maths as part of our NSPCC Number Day celebrations. Our young mathematicians had a fantastic time showing how they are developing fluency using some of our favourite tools: White Rose Fluency Bee: Hands-on resources building solid number foundations. NumBots: Leveling up recall skills on the laptops. Working together, at school and at home, is how we keep nurturing ambition in every child. #DarwenStJames #Year1 #NSPCCNumberDay #MathsFluency #WhiteRoseMaths #NumBots #ParentPartnership
Year 1 - Active Learning in English
Year 1 have been diving into the world of Oliver's Vegetables this week. To help us retell the story, the children created a physical map of the garden, using it to navigate through the days of the week and the different vegetables Oliver finds. By moving through the map, the children are using active learning to cement their sequencing skills and build confidence in their storytelling. It was a fantastic way to bring the book to life and get everyone moving while they learn.
Year 4 Computing - Internet Safety
In this week's computing lesson, Year 4 have been exploring the ways in which we can keep ourselves safe when using the Internet. We have learnt that we cannot always trust what we see and that we should never tell others personal things about ourselves when we are online. Year 4 completed a quiz to show their expertise and enjoyed playing a game, helping our character make the right choices when faced with an online problem.
Year 2 R.E. - Can You Find Features of a Mosque and a Synagogue?
Our Year 2 explorers went on a scavenger hunt this week to discover the beautiful features of a Mosque and a Synagogue. Working in teams, the children raced to find clues hidden around the classroom, matching descriptions to pictures of important features. From the tall minarets of a mosque to the Ark within a synagogue, our learners showed fantastic teamwork and curiosity. It was wonderful to see the children discussing how these special buildings are similar or different to our church that we visited last week. Well done, Year 2! #Year2RE #CuriousLearners #Teamwork #RespectAndUnderstanding #SchoolScavengerHunt
Year 2 Maths: Doubling and Halving
Double the Fun in Year 2! Our mathematicians in Year 2 have been busy exploring the magical relationship between doubling and halving this week! Using colorful connecting cubes, the children moved from hands-on building to writing formal calculations. By mastering their 2 times tables, they discovered that doubling a number is just like multiplying by 2, and halving is the same as dividing by 2! It was wonderful to see so many "lightbulb moments" as the children realised that if they know their 2 times-table, they already know how to find double or half! ✨#Year2Maths #HandsOnLearning #YoungMathematicians #DoublingAndHalving #ConcretePictorialAbstract
Year 5 Art - Creating Backgrounds for our Monoprints
Year 5’s Hauntingly Creative Backgrounds Our Year 5 artists have been working hard to master the art of monoprinting. This week, we explored the vibrant properties of acrylic painted paper to create a series of beautifully layered, complex backgrounds. Drawing inspiration from the atmospheric poem A Ghost in the Garden by Berlie Doherty, the children used their custom-made booklets to experiment with colour and texture, resulting in some truly haunting and visually stunning pieces. These textured sheets will serve as the perfect foundation for the next stage of our printmaking journey. If you were imagining a ghost in your own garden, what colours and textures do you think would best capture the mystery?
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