Pre-School- Physical Development- Help The Flowers Grow
In Pre-School the children have been developing their fine motor skills using the bottle sprays to squeeze the handle to water the painted flowers. The children are building muscle strength in their fingers through fine motor skill activities that offer a wealth of benefits, particularly in the development of writing: Stronger finger muscles, especially the thumb, index, and middle fingers (used in the tripod grip), allow for a more controlled and comfortable hold on the pencil. This reduces fatigue and improves dexterity. Increased strength enables more precise movements of the fingers, which are essential for forming letters accurately, neatly, and with appropriate pressure. These activities build finger strength often also improve the ability to move the fingers independently and in coordination (in-hand manipulation), which is vital for adjusting the pencil within the hand without losing contact with the paper.
Pre School - Computing - To Paint A Butterfly
In Computing the children painted a butterfly linked to our story The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Using the class chromebook the children sat and designed their butterfly on Purple Mash, selecting which colour they were going to use and then smaking their marks using the touch screen.
Safety on the Road
Staying safe on our roads isn’t just a skill — it’s a lifelong habit. It is crucial to learn key strategies for helping children navigate streets safely and confidently, from practising journeys together to teaching them how to choose the safest crossing points. We’ve collaborated with THINK! to offer real-world advice on issues like the dangers of parked vehicles, reversing cars and mobile phone distractions — it’s an invaluable tool for parents and educators who want to help young people travel independently without compromising their safety.
Pre-school - Maths - Repeating Patterns
In Maths this week we have been learning all about repeat patterns. The children have had different opportunities to repeat a pattern using colours or shapes. The children repeated a pattern on the caterpillar using colours linked to our story 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and made repeating patterns using chalk to draw shapes in our outdoor provision and hop along shouting out their repeated pattern.
Pre School -Mark Making - The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The children used different media to make marks to represent parts of the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Some children drew pictures of what they could recall from our story, some created caterpillars using paint and dabbers and others painted symmetrical butterflies by painting half of their butterfly and folding their picture in half.
Pre-School- Expressive Arts And Design- Caterpillar Creations
The children have been exploring all things caterpillars this week. Creating a caterpillar using the making tools to shape their caterpillar and adding features. This promoted fine motor skills and imagination to bring their creation to the page. When designing their caterpillar the children used language from the story book 'The Hungry Caterpillar' using their recall and sequencing skills.
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Online Safety - Making Friends Online
As technology becomes increasingly embedded in young people’s lives, it’s common for them to form friendships entirely online. These connections can provide companionship and community — but they also bring potential dangers that parents and educators need to be aware of. From online grooming and privacy breaches to exposure to upsetting content, meeting people on the internet isn’t without risk. This guide explains the possible hazards of online friendships and gives parents and educators essential advice on helping children build safe, positive relationships online.
Online Safety - Search Engines
Search engines are a routine part of everyday life, giving instant access to billions of web pages; however, this also increases the risk of children encountering harmful, untrustworthy, or illegal content. We’ve created this free guide – also available in podcast format – offering parents and educators quickfire information about the risks of search engines and practical steps that can be taken to safeguard children online.
Pre-School-PSHE-Courageous Advocacy
Today we had a super fun session all about making sure everyone feels happy, included and listened to! We talked about how we show kindness and respect in our environment, and the children had lots of brilliant ideas. They helped make decisions by voting for the story they wanted to hear—everyone added their vote to the chart and we counted up which story won! The children became the teachers for the day, choosing which activities we should do and what resources we should use. They were amazing at listening to each other, sharing ideas, and making sure everyone had a say. We also chatted about fairness and why it’s so important to be kind to everyone. Later on in the garden, the children worked as a team to move a big log—they helped each other, made a plan and got it done together. Teamwork and big smiles all around!
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Easyfundraising
We’ve registered Darwen St James CE Primary Academy with #easyfundraising, which means over 8,000 retailers will now donate to us for FREE every time you use #easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/support-a-good-cause/step-1/?char=379393&invite=6po80d&referral-campaign=c2s&utm_campaign=web-referral
Pre-School- Literacy - Gross Motor Skills
In Literacy, the children designed their own baby chicks using a variety of paint colours and shaped marks. They practised large, sweeping movements—stretching their arms and using Write Dance techniques—to help build upper body strength. Linking to their previous learning on the life cycle of a chick, the children carefully considered the features their chick would need, such as the shape of its body, beak, and webbed feet.
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