Pre-School-Literacy-Painting A Monkey
In literacy this week our story is HUG. The story is about a monkey that can't find his mum and needs a hug. The children used their skills to create a monkey by painting their hands to print for the monkey body and painting the head to create their monkey. Painting is a wonderful way to support literacy development in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The connection is primarily through mark making, communication, fine motor skill development, and storytelling.
Pre-School-Stay And Play
Pre-School really enjoyed our stay and play session this week. Our grown-ups came into Nursery to play alongside their children and see what they get up to during the day. It was a lovely opportunity for parents to see their child’s learning in action and share in some of the fun.
Reception- Class Worship- Story of Joseph
The children enjoyed a very special class worship, as Jack the Puppet helps us explore an important Bible story: the journey of Joseph. Jack tells the dramatic tale of Joseph and his brothers. How jealousy led Joseph's brothers to send him away to Egypt, and how Joseph trusted God and became a powerful and good man. The most wonderful part? We saw how Joseph showed incredible courage and forgiveness when he finally came face-to-face with the very people who had hurt him.
Reception- Science- Colour Mixing
Our little scientists have been diving into the world of colour mixing! Today, Reception children explored the magic of primary colours—red, yellow, and blue. We used the paint on our cauldrons to combine the base colours and see what amazing secondary colours we could create. It was a hands-on, exciting lesson that sparked curiosity and introduced early concepts of scientific investigation and observation. Watch as they discover how just three colours can make so many more!
Nursery - R.E - Diwali Celebrations
Today, the children were introduced to a new cultural and religious celebration: Diwali, the Festival of Lights. We began by exploring the concept of celebrating good over bad and the spreading of light in the world. To enhance their understanding of this vibrant celebration, we looked at several inspirational images. The children then engaged in two wonderful, hands-on activities: in the water tray, they explored colour and pattern, mirroring the beautiful Rangoli designs by carefully using pipettes and watered-down paint to create circles of colour. Simultaneously, they accessed the craft area to make festive Diwali lights, using a variation of glittery shapes in many bright colours to decorate their creations. This provided a rich, sensory, and visual introduction to a new religious and cultural tradition.
Reception – Art and Design: Printing
This week in Reception, we’ve been reading Winnie the Witch! The children loved exploring Winnie’s magical world and created their own potions bubbling away in cauldrons. Using finger dabbers, they carefully printed and mixed colours to bring their potions to life. It was a brilliant way to develop fine motor skills while having lots of creative fun.
Year 5 PSHE - PCSO Bonfire and Firework Safety Talk
Years 5 and 6 received a vital visit this afternoon from our local PCSOs concerning Bonfire and Firework safety. Students were clearly taught The Firework Code and the life-saving Stop, Drop, and Roll technique. A key discussion point focused on responsible behaviour, stressing the importance of avoiding hoax calls during this busy time of year. The children showed excellent maturity, making relevant observations and participating confidently in the Q&A session.
Nursery - Art - Literacy - Finger Painting
During our Art and Literacy lesson, the children explored autumnal coloured paints and learned a new technique using their fingers as their painting tool. The task focused on refined movements to develop fine motor control. The children were taught how to carefully dab one finger into the paint and then press it onto their paper, successfully creating a controlled dot or fingerprint. They worked with autumnal images that had designated white spaces, requiring them to select a colour and deliberately fill in the void using this specific finger-painting technique. While it was initially tempting for some to use their whole hand and "go wild" with the paint, the children did a brilliant job practicing this new, refined skill, demonstrating excellent self-regulation and control to create beautiful, textured autumnal pictures.
Reception- Computing- Skeleton Drawing using Purple Mash Programme
The children have used the purple mash programme to create a skeleton on the interactive board. The children selected the colours and tools they needed to make their own skeleton using language that we have been learning throughout the week. The children concentrated on the small features of their skeleton and showed great control with their fine motor movements. Some children created themselves and others created an animal.
Year 6: History: Writing a Viking Saga
This week in History, Year 6 analysed two different Viking Sagas, which told the same story in different ways. They then produced their own Saga, including facts which are historically accurate as well as mythical elements. L.O: To create a Viking Saga
Year 6: PGL
Last week Year 6 had an amazing time at PGL, we participated in raft building, abseiling, zip-line, traverse, orienteering, archery tag and survival skills.
Cidari Earth Conference 2025
???? Cidari Earth Conference 2025 ???? This week, pupils from across the Cidari family came together under Gaia, the magnificent Earth installation, to take part in our Cidari Earth Conference. The theme was insurmountable problems — from disease and illness to deforestation and droughts — and how we, as a global family, can work together to solve them. Our children from Darwen St James were fantastic representatives. They spoke with real thoughtfulness and hope, offering ideas for how faith, kindness, and action can make a difference. They also created active prayer stations, encouraging others to reflect, pray, and act for the good of our world. It was wonderful to see the whole Cidari community united in faith and purpose — caring for creation, inspired by Christian values, and showing that even the biggest problems can be faced with love, courage, and perseverance. We’re so proud of our pupils and their passion for looking after God’s world.
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