Year 2 Science- Collecting Materials and Building a Microhabitat
Today in Science, Year 2 took a trip to Whitehall Park to gather natural materials for building a microhabitat. The children collected a wide range of items, including pinecones, bark, twigs, logs, grass, leaves, moss, stones, and rocks. Back at school, we combined these with bricks and cardboard to carefully construct a microhabitat designed to attract a variety of minibeasts. We’re hoping to welcome creatures such as worms, ladybirds, slugs, snails, ants, spiders, beetles, woodlice, and earwigs. Just as we were finishing, we were excited to spot our very first visitor—a ladybird! A fantastic team effort, Year 2!
Year 5 - Science
In science, Year 5 explored the chemical reaction between bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. This is an example of an irreversible reaction between an acid and an alkali that produces carbon dioxide.
Year 5 - RotaKids
Dear Parents and Carers, This October, Year 5 is organising a special charity drive to support refugee families in Darwen who are in need of warmth and essentials. We are inviting every family at St Barnabas to fill a shoe box with small items that can make a big difference. Suggested items to include: Warm winter clothing (hats, gloves, scarves) Toiletries (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo) Non-perishable treats (e.g. chocolate, biscuits) Once filled, kindly secure your shoe box with an elastic band and bring it into school by Thursday 23rd October. Together, we can show compassion and bring comfort to those who need it most. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Warm regards, Mr Mealor & The Year 5 RotaKids
Foodie Friends Club- Cupcake Baking
During the after-school club, the bakers had a wonderful time baking cupcakes and truly lived life to its fullest. From carefully measuring flour, sugar, butter, and eggs to whisking and mixing with enthusiasm, they took great care in each step of the process. The activity encouraged teamwork, cooperation, and joy, leaving the children proud of both their efforts and the delicious results.
Year 5 - Gymnastics
Year 5 continued to develop their gymnastic skills by incorporating counter tension actions into their routines. Previously we have worked on movements that mirror and match a partner’s actions alongside counter balancing.
Year 6 - Striking and Fielding
Today, Year 6 completed their final cricket session in our striking and fielding unit, finishing with a series of fun and competitive games. The children demonstrated the skills they have been developing over the past few weeks, including batting, bowling, and fielding and showed great teamwork and sportsmanship throughout.
Fundamentals in Year 1
In our Fundamentals Skills session today, we looked at a range of elements which included both side gallops and rolling a ball. We warmed up to music from the Jungle Book where the children moved around like big bears, scary black jaguars, mischievous monkeys and slithering snakes. Next we practiced our galloping, concentrating on moving in different ways with a lead leg and facing forwards. Following on from these we used the dodgeballs to develop our rolling of a ball. The children aimed to get the balls in the hoop, with many aiming and predicting as they went along. What a great first session we had in Year 1!
Reception: Muddy Monday
Our Reception class took part in a Muddy Monday session in our school grounds this morning. They climbed trees, made mud soup and collected resources to build bonfires and dens. The children used their gross motor skills and imagination brilliantly today. Well done!
Harvest Singing Worship
Another joyous start to the week by singing songs of thanks ready for our upcoming Harvest church services on Sunday 12th October and Thursday 23rd October. Year 3, Year 5 and Year 6 led our actions this week and we were super impressed with how well our Reception class had remembered the actions from last week.
Year 3- Science- Learning About UV Light and Sun Protection
Today, the Year 3 students became scientists as they carried out an investigation exploring the light that comes from the sun and how to stay safe in it. They tested the effect of sunlight on ultraviolet beads using different sun creams: SPF 15, SPF 30, SPF 50, and no sun cream at all. Our buzzing scientists made predictions about what might happen to happen to the beads coated in sun cream and without. The investigation used ultraviolet (UV) beads, which are special beads that change colour when exposed to ultraviolet light. This makes them a great tool for demonstrating the effects of UV radiation, the type of light that can cause sunburn and skin damage. Sun cream contains chemicals that absorb or reflect UV radiation, preventing it from reaching the skin. The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) number indicates how well the sun cream protects against UVB rays, the primary cause of sunburn. A higher SPF means greater protection. They then carefully recorded their observations, and thought scientifically about the results. They finally wrote conclusions explaining why it is important to use sun cream with a high SPF value to protect our skin. The higher the SPF value of the sun cream, the more effectively it blocks UV radiation. This visual and hands-on demonstration reinforces the importance of using sun cream with a high SPF to protect our skin from the harmful effects of the sun. The experiment serves as a powerful reminder that UV rays are always present in sunlight and that protection is essential, even on cloudy days
Year 4 Art - Optical Illusions
Our art lesson this week focused on creating an image by using an artistic process. We looked at how lenticular printing gives an optical illusion too. Using our Amazon theme, the children selected two of their favourite images that they would use in their piece. Next the children watched the step by step guide on how to create an optical illusion by cutting up each of their a4 sheets into 2cm strips. Cutting each photo one at a time ensured that the strips didn’t get mixed up and they also ordered them one to ten. After cutting up both images they then moved onto scoring a piece of a3 card using 2cm strips that had been copied onto the back of the sheet. This made it much easier to fold and following a demonstration, the children got to work making a fan by folding each piece alternately. This was super tricky and took lots of concentration. The children really supported each other through this helping with cutting and putting paper clips at both ends to secure it. As this took so much time, we will complete the second half of the lesson in a few days when we take the strips and stick them onto the card in sequential order. We can’t wait to see the finished articles on display in the hall!
Year 4 Picture News - Primary Park Run
In our class worship we shared Picture News which introduced the new initiative of a ‘Primary Parkrun’ which aims to bring junior running events closer to primary schools. It is inclusive and not just about fitness, but also about helping children build friendships, confidence and life skills in their local community. We then moved onto looking at community and what the bible tells us about the importance of getting together as a community. Christians believe service to others is very important, because it helps demonstrate love for God and others. We loved really like the quote from Phil Jackson who is an NBA coach as we really believe it to be true. ‘The strength of. Team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team’