Year 4 PSHE
Year 4 were lucky enough to have a visitor in our class, who gave us information and allowed us to feel comfortable with regards to the years of change that are in store for our boys and girls. Year 4 were fantastic in showing our visitor the respect and values of Darwen St. James' and were very sensible with the information that they received.
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Year 4 Art
Year 4 have been studying different types of art displays, particularly statues that are displayed on plinths. We have created our our plinths and statues out of paper and card, and needed to solidify these items using paper-mache techniques. It was a very messy job, but lots of fun in the end!
Nursery And Pre-School - Imaginative Play, Pirates!
The nursery and preschool children have loved the pirate theme this week, quickly selecting dress-up items to transform into swashbuckling pirates. A significant highlight was the children's collaborative effort in constructing a pirate ship using the jumbo building bricks. They worked together, demonstrating emerging cooperation and negotiation skills as they discussed where to place bricks or how to make the ship bigger. Once their magnificent ship was constructed, the children climbed aboard, steering their vessel and actively sailing their ship across the imaginary seas. They eagerly engaged in target practice, throwing 'cannonballs' at 'enemy ships' in the distance. This action-packed segment refined their gross motor skills, including throwing and aiming, and further fueled their imaginative narrative.The rich vocabulary used by adults (e.g., "Ahoy, matey!", "Walk the plank!") was frequently echoed by the children, showcasing developing communication and language skills within their play.
Year 1 - Maths - Time
Help your Year 1 child confidently tell the time to the hour with our engaging "Learning O'Clock" lesson. We combine practical work with clocks and an energetic "O'Clock Bingo" game to make mastering this key skill enjoyable and memorable.
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Nursery - Art And Design - Sensory Play Ice-Creams
The children showed delight and engagement with the shaving foam. Their initial response was tactile, poking, squishing, and spreading the foam, exploring its texture directly. The activity quickly transitioned into imaginative play as children began making "ice creams." They demonstrated developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor control by actively scooping foam into cones and cups. Using shakers to add "sprinkles" further refined their fine motor skills through precise grasp and release. Rich imaginative role-play emerged, with children offering their foam creations to peers and adults, exclaiming "Yummy!" or "Ice cream!" This showed budding communication and language skills and engagement in pretend scenarios.
Year 2 Science - Testing Strength
In Science, children explored the concept of strength by constructing and testing paper bridges, discovering firsthand what makes a structure stable.
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Year 3 Class Worship
During today's class worship, Year 3 learned about Australian scientists who discovered that humans inhabited mountain caves over 20,000 years ago. The children then discussed the characteristics of a good place to live. Worship concluded with the hymn "Praise" and the school prayer.
Year 5 - Youth Zone Visit
Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of engaging activities with Darwen Youth Zone. This vibrant session provided a wonderful opportunity for students to acquire new skills, strengthen their teamwork, and enthusiastically try out novel experiences they hadn't encountered before.
Year 5 English - Final Independent Write of the Year!
This week, Year 5 proudly completed their final independent narratives, a testament to their exceptional effort throughout the writing process. Drawing inspiration from their class novel, Journey to the River Sea, students ingeniously innovated the text by transforming characters and, in some cases, entirely reimagining the setting. They demonstrated remarkable dedication, meticulously applying the diverse range of writing skills cultivated throughout the year to craft their compelling stories.
Pre-School - Expressive Art And Design - Creative Play - Making Rockpools
In Pre-school this week our story is- Sharing a Shell, the children have really enjoyed this story especially learning about rockpools. The children created their own rockpool in our sand tray, selecting different materials such as rocks, wood, shells, twigs and pinecones. They created a circle shape in the sand and built a wall around their shape using these materials and then I poured water into their rockpool to see if their wall would hold the water or would the water pour out. This type of hands-on, imaginative play directly supports several EYFS learning areas: Understanding the World: Children explore a miniature ecosystem, learning about marine life, natural habitats, and different materials. They might discuss where rockpools are found, what creatures live in them, and the characteristics of various natural elements. Communication and Language: As children create and interact with their rockpool, they naturally engage in conversations. They might describe what they are doing, ask questions, explain their choices of materials, and even create stories about the creatures living in their rockpool. This enhances their vocabulary, listening skills, and ability to express ideas. Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills): Manipulating different materials like sand, pebbles, shells, and water helps to develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and dexterity. Scooping, pouring, arranging, and picking up small objects strengthens the muscles in their hands and fingers. Expressive Arts and Design: Children are using their imagination and creativity to design and construct their rockpool. They are making choices about materials, textures, and arrangements, essentially creating a miniature world. This also allows for sensory exploration as they touch and feel different elements. Personal, Social and Emotional Development: If children are working together, they develop social skills like sharing, taking turns, and collaborating. The open-ended nature of the activity also allows for emotional expression and can be a calming, sensory experience. Mathematics: Children might engage in early mathematical concepts by sorting materials (e.g., by size, type), counting shells or pebbles, or discussing quantities of sand and water. Problem-Solving Skills: Children might encounter small "problems" to solve, such as how to make the water stay in a certain area or how to arrange the rocks to create a sheltered spot.
Year 6: Bowling
As a reward for all of their hard work this year, Year 6 have been bowling in Blackburn! Everyone has had a great time!
Year 6: Leavers' Disco
Year 6 have been preparing decorations for their Leavers' Disco. Everyone has participated and produced some fantastic decorations, while working collaboratively.
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