Flip Art in Year 4
As part of our art unit - The Formal Elements of Art, this week we focused on Flip Art. The children first created a 20cm x 20cm grid split into 4 10x10cm squares. Next they selected a an image of a simple insect or flower and then selected a part of it to trace. Once they had traced it into a 10cm x10cm square they then ‘ flipped it’ and applied pressure to print the image on the first square. This was then repeated 4 times to create the end piece. As you can see from the images they were super impressive!
.jpeg)
Year 3- Year of Prayer-Our Achievements in drawings.
As part of this week’s Year of Prayer reflections, the children took time to celebrate both their milestones and our collective achievements as a class over the past year. Each child thoughtfully created a drawing/ shape to represent something they were proud of trophies for sporting triumphs and accomplishments outside of school, pencils for their progress in handwriting, reading books to show how far they’ve come in reading, musical notes for learning new instruments, and stars for moments of kindness, courage, or perseverance. These drawings now brighten our classroom walls, forming a display. Together, they remind us of how we have each grown in confidence, character, and faith, truly living life in all its fullness.
Year 3- Exploring Design Technology Through Castle Construction
Over the past few weeks, the Budding designers have been learning the skills needed to design and build their own castles. They explored the features of castles, practised using tools for cutting, shaping, and joining materials, and sketched detailed designs of what they wanted to create. Today, our young designers finally brought their ideas to life. After watching the Pupil video Constructing a Castle for guidance, they began building their structures. Using shoeboxes from home as sturdy bases, the designers constructed turrets from cardboard tube rolls, battlements from sugar paper, and added flags made from straws and coloured card. Each castle was unique, reflecting the creativity and planning of its maker. The children selected from a variety of tools and materials, using them carefully and with purpose. Many included features such as drawbridges, windows, and gatehouses, and some even furnished the interiors of their castles with handmade items. In the next lesson, the children will evaluate their finished structures, considering what went well, what could be improved, and how effectively their design ideas were brought to life.
Transition day- Year 2- 3- Getting Ready for Year 3:
Today was an exciting day for the children in Year 2 as they got to experience Year 3. The children created their "bucket of kindness." Everyone wrote little messages, showing off their great handwriting, all about how they're going to spread kindness in Year 3 and to the whole school. It was lovely to see how much they care about making a positive difference. They also shared what they're looking forward to most in Year 3. We heard about their excitement for new clubs, amazing science lessons, learning new things, and the excitement of challenging themselves. It gave us a peek into their unique hopes and dreams. They also made bookmarks, for September and coloured in a pencil crayon for our display to show that even though we're all unique, when we work together, we make one amazing "box". It was an absolute joy to hear their stories and see all their wonderful, unique personalities shine through!
Growing from Year 3 into Year 4’s Transition Day
What a fantastic day we have had with our soon to be Year 4 class! We have had a PSHE lesson - All About me , a Creative Writing session which focused on a dragon called Targon and a boy named Seb, plenty of artwork and we even managed to squeeze in some time on the MUGA and outdoor gym at the end of the day. The children have shown the four B’s and have been super enthusiastic, producing some wonderful pieces of work for our new displays. We can’t wait to welcome them back in September as they are definitely more than ready!
Year 1 to Year 2 Transition Day- Self Portraits
Today was a great transition day for our incoming Year 2 class! They drew some fantastic self-portraits for a new classroom display. They worked incredibly hard, carefully tracing the outlines of their faces and features before colouring them in with felt tip pens. The results look brilliant, and we can't wait to get them up on display!
Year 3- Design Technology-Features of a Castle
Today, our young designers started their final D.T. unit on structures by learning about castles. They explored the different features of a castle, such as turrets, battlements, moats, and drawbridges. We discussed why castles needed to be strong and stable, and linked this to stories and real-life examples of castles and how they were built to protect the people inside. The children then sketched their castles using 2D shapes, carefully labelling key parts. This helped them develop the skills and understanding they’ll need to build their 3D castles using boxes and cardboard tubes later in the unit. They showed fantastic creativity and a growing understanding of how structures are designed for strength and purpose.
Year 4 Formal Elements of Art
In our first art session this half term we focused on the formal elements of art. We worked on developing a range of mark-making techniques using charcoal. Using the charcoal we expressed the meaning of different words and phrases such as gentle, powerful and chaotic. It was great to see how every child interpreted these in such a variety of ways and the end result was great.
Year 3- Art- Observational skills
As part of our Art topic, Year 3 artists are developing their observation skills by focusing on the intricate details of everyday objects. Today, inspired by the meticulous studies of Charles Darwin, the children used magnifying glasses to create highly detailed drawings of flowers. They then applied their shading techniques to beautifully capture the effects of light on their floral subjects.
Year 1 Art- Printing Shapes
This afternoon, Year 1 were asked to look back at the sketches (of a building) that they created last lesson to look for shapes and patterns within it. Then they practised printing with these shapes. They used building blocks and duplo to print with. They chose their shapes carefully e.g. choosing semi-circle shapes if their building had arched windows, doors or domes and rectangular and square shapes for standard windows and doors and the outline of their building. They also carefully applied the paint to their duplo and blocks in order to print with them. They are now ready to create a print of their chosen building (India Mill, Darwen Library, Darwen Post Office, Darwen Leisure Centre or Darwen Market Hall). Well done Year 1!
Year 1 Art- Printing
As part of their art unit, Year 1 have been inspired by Lowry. They first explored his artwork and some of the buildings in Darwen such as Darwen Library, India Mill, Darwen Market Hall, Darwen Post Office and Darwen Leisure Centre. After weeks of studying the landmarks, observing the shapes and lines that they are made up of and practising drawing and printing the shapes and lines that these buildings are made up of, Year 1 have created their final print. I’m sure you’ll agree that they have done a fabulous job.
Year 5 - Pop up Books
This week, Year 5 completed their pop-up book designs, bringing classic nursery rhymes to life with creativity, colour and imagination. The children carefully planned their layouts, experimented with different mechanisms and added artistic flair to each page.
Year 1 Art- Observational Drawing
In their Art lesson this week, Year 1 took part in some observational drawings of local landmarks such as the Leisure Centre, India Mill, Darwen Market Hall, the Post Office and Darwen Library. In order to do this, Year 1 replicated the shapes and lines that they could see (and identified last lesson) using good control of their pencil. They started with the outline of the building before adding finer details such as the windows and doors.
Little Craft Club
At Craft Club this week, the children made miniature action figures of themselves! The children thought about what accessories they would come with and made the figure look like themselves using pens and paper craft. They then welcomed spring by making some floral bookmarks.
Year 2 Art- Mixing Primary and Secondary Colours
Today in their art lesson, Year 2 did some colour mixing with paints. They mixed primary colours to make secondary colours.
.jpeg)
Reception: Creative masterpieces
The children have been reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar. They have really enjoyed sculpting their own caterpillars in the malleable area, painting symmetrical butterflies and creating butterfly collages too.
Year 3- Art- Developing observational skills
For Art this term, Year 3 are developing their observation skills to create their interpretations of still life. Our future Artists in the making, focused on geometric and organic shapes to recognise how artists interpret their environment, and share this through their artwork.
Year 1 Art- Identifying Line and Shape
To start their new unit in art, Year 1 explored the work of artist L.S. Lowry. They explored some of his paintings and identified the lines and shapes that they could see. Following this, they moved on to looking at photographs that they took before the Easter holidays of local landmarks within Darwen and again identified the lines and shapes that they could see. From this, the children will be completing some observational drawings of these local landmarks, ensuring that they replicate the lines and shapes that they can see in their drawings.
Year 6 Visit to the Rose Garden
Year 6 enjoyed a peaceful visit to the beautiful Rose Garden at Whitehall Park to appreciate all of the wonderful Easter artwork that children have produced. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and the children really enjoyed some time to reflect.
Year 4 - Big Lent Walk to the Rose Garden
Yesterday, the Year 4s took advantage of the lovely weather and completed a Big Lent Walk to the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. Whilst there, we spent time exploring the selection of artwork and poetry shared by each class. We helped the Reception children read the poetry and completed challenges to find each part of the Easter story.
Year 5 - Rose Garden Visit
Year 5 visited the Rose Garden to view the beautiful Easter artwork on display. The children took time to reflect on the meaning of Easter as they explored the creative pieces, which celebrated themes of hope, new life and resurrection—reminding us of the message of living life in all its fullness. They also collectively contributed 70km to our Big Lent Walk.
Year 1- Exploring the Easter Artwork in the Rose Garden
This afternoon, Year 1 went to explore the fantastic artwork produced by our school in the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. They enjoyed exploring all of the artwork and poetry created by each class across school and identifying the various parts of the Easter story that they showed. They could see artwork and poetry to reflect Palm Sunday, The Last Supper, Peter and Judas’ betrayal, The Crucifixion and The Resurrection. They also added 70 km to our Big Lent Walk too!
Year 2 - Visiting the Rose Garden
Yesterday afternoon, Year 2 walked to Whitehall Park to look at the Easter artwork produced by our school in the Rose Garden. It was great to see so many lovely pieces of Artwork depicting different parts of the Easter Story. Some of Year 2 were very pleased to see their very own artwork! They also contributed collectively 70 km towards our Big Lent Walk.
.png)
Year 3- R.E- Artwork Reflecting the Sadness and Joy of the Cross
Year 3 has created artwork that represents both the sadness and the joy of the cross. Through their work, they have explored the events of Holy Week, reflecting on the sorrow of Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified, and the overwhelming joy of Easter Sunday, when He rose again. The cross, a symbol of suffering, also becomes a symbol of hope and salvation. Their artwork captures this emotional journey, showing how these two powerful feelings, sadness and joy, are connected in the Christian story of Easter. Some of the artwork will now be displayed in the Rose Garden for everyone to experience and reflect upon.
Year 1- Big Lent Walk
This morning, Year 1 walked 7.5km each, totalling a huge 225km as a collective. They did this by walking into Darwen Town Centre to take pictures of some of our well known landmarks in preparation for their art unit next half-term. This included India Mill, Darwen Post Office, Darwen Leisure Centre, Darwen Market Hall and Darwen Library. We extended our stay at Darwen Library by going inside to enjoy a lovely story. Finally, we came back to school to write a recount of our walk. We had to make sure that we were capitalising proper nouns (including the names of people, places and street names) as this is the grammar skill that we we have been working hard on over the last couple of weeks.
Reception: Easter Artwork
For their Muddy Monday session, Reception class walked to Whitehall park and explored the Easter artwork our school family have created. The children enjoyed looking at the artwork and enjoyed listening to the poems that some of the children wrote. As a treat after, the children visited the playground. Also Reception class collectively walked 72.5km for the CAFOD's Big Lent Walk. Well done!
Year 3- R.E-Exploring Easter Through Art
This afternoon, Year 3 walked to the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park to admire artwork created by the whole school. The displayed pieces reflect the Easter story and have been inspired by what pupils have learned in their R.E. lessons over the past few weeks. Year 3 took time to pause, reflect, and appreciate the powerful expressions of both sadness and joy, brought to life through art. The visit gave the children a chance to think, feel calm, and feel connected. They thought about how the Easter story teaches us to live life to its fullness. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were proud to see how their learning has been transformed into something so meaningful and creative.
Year 6 Art
Year 6 have created their own artwork based on the work of Lubaina Himid’s ‘Five’. Lubaina Himid grew up around bold colours and fabrics due to her mum being a textile designer, and is renowned for her artwork telling stories about black people in western society. In the artwork ‘Five’, various items on the table carry symbolic meaning: the plates clearly displaying the stars and stripes of America and the continent of Africa; the sugar bowl representing a sweeter relationship between the two continents and other items on the table symbolising the transatlantic route taken by slaves in the past. We used this as our inspiration for our Easter artwork and provided images that carry symbolic meaning in answer to the question ‘Who was Jesus?’
Reception: Muddy Monday
The children explored Jack Keys for their Muddy Monday session. They enjoyed a walk, built sculptures, built a den, balanced on natural materials and collectively walked 58km to add to our CAFOD Big Lent Walk. Well done!
Year 5 - Friction
Today, Year 5 explored the mechanics of gears as part of their friction unit. Using cardboard and wooden lollipop sticks, they carefully designed and assembled their own working gear systems, gaining a hands-on understanding of how gears transfer movement and change direction. The children demonstrated great problem-solving skills and creativity, experimenting with different sizes and placements to see how their gears interacted. It was a fantastic opportunity to apply their learning in a practical and engaging way!
Year 5 - Easter Artwork
Year 5 have been exploring Jesus’ victory during this period leading up to Easter. Through discussions and reflections, the children considered how Christ’s triumph brings hope and light into the world, overcoming sadness and darkness. They then expressed their understanding through artwork, using contrasting colours to depict the cross as a symbol of victory against a dark background. Each piece powerfully represented the message of hope, reinforcing the significance of Easter in the Christian faith.
Year 4 DT - Building circuits for our torches
In the first part of our DT session we constructed our circuits to put inside our torches. These consisted of a bulb, three wires, a battery pack and a switch. We made the switches ourselves by attaching two split pins to a piece of card and then the switch itself was a metal paper clip. The children found this stage of the process very challenging but they persevered and worked collaboratively to make a full working circuit that they then carefully placed inside their torches which have been made from water bottles.
Completed Torches in our Electrical Systems Torch Design Unit
In the second part of our DT lesson, we added the circuits to the casing ( water bottles) and fixed these together securely, ensuring that the switch was still in working order. Throughout this unit the children have worked extremely hard to develop their subject knowledge about electrical systems including identifying electrical products and explaining why they are useful, making a working switch, identifying the features of a torch and creating and designing a functioning torch. Following the testing of each design, we will now move on to evaluating the success of a final product.
Year 3- Art-D.T- Recycled Bottle Art
For Mothering Sunday, Year 3 transformed recycled plastic water bottles and lids into a work of art for their special someone. They painted the bottles with acrylic paint, imagining them as miniature vases, and then added hand-drawn flowers and stems to complete their designs.
Year 4 DT - Designing Torches
In our DT session this week we looked at designing our product to fit a set of specific user needs. To begin the session, we created our circuits that we will need for our torches and then we drew the circuit formats out using the correct symbols. It was quite challenging to make the circuits light the bulbs as some of the crocodile clips in the wires were tough and some of the batteries no longer worked. We worked in small groups and it was great to see the children working as a team to problem solve. Once we had done this we then designed our torches and labelled all of the components. We can’t wait to start making the torches in our next session now we have collect all of the resources which include; a water bottle, I battery pack, a bulb, a switch and three wires.
Year 6- Graffiti Tunnel
We had a great time appreciating the graffiti art in Leake Street tunnel and we got to create our own graffiti art. Earlier on this year we looked at graffiti art in our Art unit so it was great to be able to apply the skills we learnt. All of the Year 6 London trip photos can be found here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/year-6-london-trip-2025
The Little Craft Club
This week at The Little Craft Club, they celebrated St Patrick’s day and had lots of fun together making Irish themed crafts.
Year 4 Art- Batik - Final stage Washing Process
In our final art lesson we completed the washing process of batik. The children each had a tray in which they washed their fabric which had both acrylic paint and pva glue covering it. We then placed each piece of fabric on the drying rack which once dry will be the final article. The children have really enjoyed the whole process and we are all looking forward to displaying these wonderful pieces of artwork.
Little Craft Club
Today at The Little Craft Club, the children designed and decorated their own pencil cases. They thought of their favourite things so the final products represented each of them! Some of the children delved into our Imagination Station box to find things to creatively decorate the zip pull too! This activity is going to be part of a special Craft Club session at The Carus Centre in Hoddlesden during the Easter holidays. In the session, we will also be painting canvases and making bracelets/phone charms. The session is open to the public and can be booked here: https://fredandpearl.com/collections/easter-holidays
Year 3- 40 Days of Kindness – Day 1
Following this morning’s school worship, where Mrs. Ham introduced the 40-day kindness challenge, we began Day 1 today. As we explored the similarities between Lent and Ramadan, we discussed how both are times to feel closer to God, give things up or fast, and give back to others. To start our challenge, each of the 31 children drew a picture, some chose suns, love hearts, stars, rainbows, books, cups, flowers, and even ice creams. At the end of the day, Chloe went around with a basket and handed each child a picture created by someone else. This small but thoughtful act brought smiles to everyone’s faces and reminded us how simple gestures can brighten someone’s day. We also spoke about the importance of kindness, especially during break and lunchtime when small disagreements can happen. Instead of only giving to our best friends, we challenged ourselves to give selflessly and spread kindness to others, seeing the joy it can bring. This discussion helped us reflect on how our words and actions shape the friendships and community around us.
Reception Visit to Imagine That
Our Reception class visited Imagine That today. They had a brilliant time using their imagination in imagination village, creating art making magnets and bags. They also made snow and slime! The children really enjoyed the dry ice experiments and loved the science room where we got to explore and learn. It was a wonderful trip where lots of memories were made. The staff commented on the children's behaviour and how amazing they all were, what superstars! For all images, please look at our gallery: https://stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/reception-visit-to-imagine-that
Year 4 Creating Batik Artwork Inspired by William Morris
In our art unit, we have been looking at the work of William Morris. We have spent time creating patterns on tracing paper and then transferring these onto paper and then onto fabric. Next we moved on to adding pva glue onto our fabric pieces, copying the patterns that we had created on paper. This week we used acrylic paint to cover the whole piece, including the pva markings. In our next session, we will soak the fabric in water to dissolve the glue and this will leave us with a finished batik design - we can’t wait to see the final result.
.png)
Year 3- Art- Paper Weaving- Making baskets -
Over two lessons, Year 3 budding artists created their woven baskets, selecting colours from their mood boards, tie-dye T-shirts, and other sources of inspiration. They explored the work of Anni Albers, a key figure in the Bauhaus movement, which revolutionised modern weaving techniques. The children practised weaving using paper strips, developing an understanding of key terms such as warp and weft. Once the weaving was complete, the edges were folded to form the sides of the basket, with children adjusting the height to approximately 5cm or their preferred size. The corners were then creased and stapled for stability, and a leftover weft strip was used to attach a handle. They were all pleasantly surprised with how well they turned out.
Year 2 - creating texture in artwork
Today in Art, Year 2 looked at different textures we can create with pastels. We discovered that by holding the pastel in different positions and using different edges of the pastel it creates different textures. We also used different amounts of pressure to create different effects. After practicing with different techniques, we had a go at creating our own picture using these techniques.
Amazing Art Displays
We have some amazing Artwork up on display around school as Reception, Year 1, Year 5 and Year 6 have completed their Art units for this half-term. We can really see the different Art skills the children have developed in their units and how hard they have worked to create a fantastic final piece.
Year 1 Art- Hundertwasser
Year 1 have been working hard this week to produce a piece of artwork in the style of Hundertwasser. To produce this piece of artwork, they had to use and apply the skills that they have been learning in art over the last few weeks such as drawing various lines (curved, wavy, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, spiral and swirled) and shapes (circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, semi-circles, hearts and pentagons). Water coloured paint was the chosen media for adding colour to their final pieces. Their pieces of artwork will be displayed in the infant corridor so please take a look. Well done Year 1!
Year 5 - Art
Year 5 continued to craft their futuristic designs, refining their use of lines and shading to create a striking 3D effect. They carefully experimented with light and dark tones to bring their futuristic visions to life. Through precise shading techniques, they added realism and contrast, ensuring their designs stood out against their dynamic, space-inspired backgrounds.
Year 5 - Cosmic Backgrounds
Year 5 embarked on the next stage of their futuristic art project by creating stunning cosmic-themed backgrounds in preparation for their final pieces. Using a variety of techniques including: printing, flicking, smudging and painting. The children experimented with texture and colour to achieve a dramatic, space-like effect. The children carefully blended tones to capture the depth and mystery of the universe, setting the perfect backdrop for their futuristic designs.
Year 5 Art - Sketching
In art, year 5 have been working on ideas for sketching a futuristic design. They carefully traced space-themed images, using sketching pencils and tracing paper. They then transferred their chosen images into their sketch pad and used their pencils to shade and blend. All of the children have produced amazing artwork!
Reception: Presentation of Learning all about Chinese New Year
This week, Reception class have learnt all about Chinese New Year. Today, they presented their knowledge to the whole school. They shared what they had made and a little bit about Chinese New Year. We learnt that this year is the year of the snake. The children made some wonderful lanterns, wrote Chinese numbers and also painted the animals from the great race. Some of the children even took part in a dragon parade. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the rest of the school Reception, we learnt lots!
Reception - tissue paper collages
As part of our Art unit, we have been looking at different ways to be crafty using different materials. Last week we learnt about how we can manipulate tissue paper to create a new effect on our art work. We scrunched up the tissue and glued it to a sea creature template, making sure we filled the template to create a colourful effect and new texture.
Year 4- Creating Patterns in Art - Fabric of Nature
In art, we have been exploring using a textile technique to develop patterns. Our success criteria included: to discuss the work and patterns created by William Morris, creating a pattern using a drawing and developing a pattern using inspiration taken from research. The children used their artwork from the previous lesson - One picture, four views and using tracing paper they traced their drawings, picking out main shapes. They then transferred their traced shapes and patterns into a piece of paper in preparation for the next stage which involves Batik artwork. We can’t wait to see the final result in a few weeks.
Year 1 Art- Exploring Line
In Art, Year 1 have been exploring line and mark making to draw water. The children decided that wavy lines and cool colours would be most appropriate for this activity. They then got to exploring how to create thick, thin, dark, light, solid, broken, high, low, wide and narrow waves whilst listening to a piece of music. Finally, they added some plants and creatures to bring their art to life.
Little Craft Club
This week the Little Craft Club celebrated Chinese new year. They made dragon crafts and lanterns too.
Year 3- Art- Tie-dyeing a t-shirt
In today's afternoon's art session, Year 3 engaged in tie-dyeing. After watching a short clip on how to tie-dye a t-shirt the children carefully scrunched, folded, or coiled up their T-shirts and secured them with elastic bands. They then picked their favourite colours and mixed them in separate bottles, linking to their mood boards from our last art session. After applying the dye, each child's T-shirt was placed in a plastic bag labelled with their name. It is recommended to let the dye permeate the cloth overnight if possible, as it takes several hours for the colours to develop fully. The next day, the t-shirts were washed in cold water and left to dry, ready to be worn.
Wellbeing Warriors Badge Design Meeting
Today our Wellbeing Warriors had a working lunch, so that we could prepare for the WOW design a badge competition. The children will be launching this in Celebration Worship tomorrow. This years theme is ‘Walk with Joy’ and every child in school will get to design their very own badge for the competition. We want them to be big, bold and colourful. Diversity and originality are key to stand out from the crowd. WOW badges are only 3cm, so simple designs without small details will work best. The Wellbeing Warriors can’t wait to receive and judge the entries, so let’s get cracking!
The Little Craft Club: Rainbow Week
This week at The Little Craft Club is RAINBOW WEEK. The children in our Monday group made 2D rainbow collages and 3D rainbow structures. It was amazing to see so many children working independently to construct the tricky 3D rainbow! We still have some spaces on our Tuesday sessions. Please WhatsApp Becky on 07725973908 to book your child onto Craft Club.
Year 6 Street Art
In art, year 6 have been creating street art, using a combination of chiaroscuro (an effect of contrasted light and shadow) and symbolic imagery to convey a message. They used chalk pastels and masking tape to create these fantastic pieces of artwork. These skills will be able to be put to good use when we visit The Graffiti Tunnel in London in March.
Year 5 Art
In Art, Year 5 have been focusing on interpreting the message within an image. They thought about what they could see, what stood out to them and why, how the image made them feel and what title they would give it. They then created their own version of an image, using pastels to blend and highlight, plus tissue paper for texture or to draw attention to a focal point. They created some real masterpieces!
Year 3- Art- Weaving inspired by Anni Albers
This afternoon in Art, Year 3 explored weaving techniques inspired by artist Anni Albers. Using thick card as their base, the children created woven pieces with wool and ribbon. To deepen their understanding, the children watched short video clips demonstrating various weaving methods and their historical significance: 'Carpet Weaving' 'Hand Weaving' 'Palm Weaving' These clips highlighted the long tradition of weaving, which has been practiced for thousands of years, using a wide range of materials, from natural threads to modern synthetic fibers. Before starting their projects, the children referred to the mood boards. They carefully selected a colour that matched the themes or emotions reflected in their boards. When weaving, they alternated the wool and ribbon strips in an under-over-under-over pattern, ensuring each piece was pushed tightly into the weave. They continued this process, repeating the pattern, until all the strips were integrated into their designs. They were thrilled with the outcome and in awe with they created.
Year 4 Art - Fabric of Nature
Our art this week is inspired by the rainforest. We were looking at the starting points in a design process with a focus on rainforest plants, flowers and animals. We selected images that interested us and then drew our own versions on a 15 x 15cm square. Next we used various media including pastels, chalk, pencil crayon and felt to enhance our designs. The end result was amazing and the children were all super proud of their efforts.
Reception- Painting the snow with water colours
Whilst the children were junk modelling using water coloured paints, they came up with an idea of painting the snow with the water colours. We decided to get stuck into some child initiated play. The children had so much fun decorating the snow and becoming artists, mixing colours to make new ones and making pictures and patterns on a different texture.
Year 1 Art- Creating Lines
This week in art, Year 1, have been exploring and creating different types of lines. They have been looking at the direction in which a line can be drawn (vertically, horizontally and diagonally) and how we can draw various types of lines such as straight, curved, wavy or broken. Having this understanding of line is going to support them to create interesting pieces of artwork in the style of Friedrich Hundertwasser.
Year 3- Art- Making a Mood Board
Year 3 budding artists created their mood boards today, using a selection of items. Through this activity, they expressed their personalities and showcased what was important to them. Their choices included pictures of their families, symbols representing their favourite sports or hobbies, images of their role models, and drawings or stickers of school-related themes. Some even added items representing their love for nature, like leaves, flowers, or favourite colours and patterns. They were also able to explain their choices and the significance behind them, sharing what makes each aspect meaningful to them.
Reception: Challenge Champions
This week in Reception, we are focusing on the story, Sharing a Shell. The children have been really busy in provision completing challenges. They have been attempting to write sentences, strengthening their muscles in the fine motor area, creating rockpools, drawing fish, painting using the skills of Pointillism, counting shells to play a subitise game and moulding the playdough to create different characters from the story. Well done!
Reception: Junk Modelling
Our Reception class have really enjoyed our new junk modelling area. They have been using their imaginations to create dens, treasure boxes, jewellery boxes, post boxes and bags. They have joined materials together and embellished their items.
Year 2 - Artwork in Whitehall Park
We had a lovely afternoon in Whitehall Park. We walked to the Rose Garden to look at the amazing artwork being displayed there. Children from across school, have put lots of effort into making beautiful pieces of artwork for the public to enjoy. It was lovely to see a few pieces from Year 2! We also had time for a Advent quiz linked to the artwork.
Year 2 - Christmas Cards
Year 2 enjoyed make our Christmas cards for our chosen loved ones. We created a starry night background box mixing paints. Then we added a Christmas image of their choice to the front. They all looked brilliant and I’m sure who ever receives them will love them!
Year 1- Christmas Cards
Year 1 have made some beautiful cards to gift to their loved ones this Christmas. I’m sure you’ll agree that they look absolutely fabulous and will bring a huge smile to the faces of those who receive them. Well done Year 1!
Year 3- Art- Making Christmas cards
After class worship and learning about the importance of sharing joy, the children decided to make hanging Christmas cards for their loved ones. They thoughtfully chose their favourite colours and designs, using strips of sugar paper to decorate their cards by sticking them diagonally across a Christmas tree shape. Each card was created with care and contained a beautiful message for their loved ones, making them truly meaningful gifts.
Reception - Christmas Challenges
Reception have enjoyed completing a range of Christmas challenges this week during their choosing time. They have been using strips of paper in the creative area to make Christmas tree pictures, ordering the gingerbread men from smallest to biggest, following instructions to draw a snowman and developing their fine motor painting skills.
Whitehall Park Rose Garden Art Trail
Thank you to all the children who created fantastic Art work for our ADVENTure trail at the Whitehall Park. A selection of the Art work is now on display in the Rose Garden for everyone to see. All classes will be visiting next week to look at the Art work, talk about the Nativity story and sing some Christmas carols to get us all in the festive spirit!
.png)
Whole School- Design Technolgy
This half term, our students have been busy creating a range of designs in Design Technology. From Reception's wooden Christmas decorations to Year 6's electronic steady hand games, our children have showcased their imaginative and creativity skills. Year 1 brought their imaginations to life, creating interactive moving storybooks using slider mechanisms. Year 2 developed their sewing skills, designing and creating a range of Christmas puppets. Year 3 designed and made festive pouches, perfect for holding small gifts or treats. Year 4 stitched up Christmas stockings, ready to hang by the chimney, finally, Year 5 created festive cushions. These creations were showcased and sold at our Christmas Fayre. We're incredibly proud of the hard work and imagination our students have demonstrated in these festive DT projects.
Reception: Elf Workshop
Reception class have been busy little Elves making Christmas decorations ready for the Christmas Fayre. The children chose their own design and painted their wood slices as either Santa, an elf or a snowman. The children then added googly eyes and some festive string so they can be hung on their Christmas trees. The children will be able to buy their decorations for £2 at the Christmas Fayre.
Year 3- Design Technology- Christmas themed pouches
Year 3 have been busy in Design Technology this term, creating their very own pouches and building on skills they’ve learned in previous years. They’ve practised sewing a running stitch, keeping their stitches neat and making sure both ends were securely knotted. They carefully prepared and cut fabric using a template, stitched the pieces together, and creatively decorated their pouches with the materials provided. It’s been amazing to see how much effort they’ve put in, tackling challenges along the way and improving their skills with every step. Now, they’re excited to show off their fantastic designs at the school Christmas Fair. Well done, Year 3 – your hard work has paid off!
Year 6 - DT Products
Over the last couple of weeks, year 6 have worked hard on designing and making their Christmas themed electrical loop games. They are all set to be sold at this year’s Christmas Fair. They look brilliant year 6!
Seasonal Stocking Making Mission Nearly Complete
We are very nearly there with completing our seasonal stockings. We just have a few more bits of final decoration and they will then be ready to take to the Christmas markets next week. The children have really surprised us with how quickly they have developed their sewing skills and followed instructions so carefully. These stockings are definitely the best we’ve ever seen!
Reception: Nativity Crafts
The children in Reception have been getting very creative. They have made stables using different materials and drew the scene explaining who each person and animal was. The children have also made angels using paper plates.
Year 6 - Designing our Christmas themed loop game
Year 6 have been working towards their Christmas themed loop games this week. They started by researching existing products and how it is important that form follows function. Following on from this, the children then designed their loop game, keeping in mind that it is to be sold at the Christmas fair. The designs are absolutely fantastic and I look forward to seeing all of the final products.
Seasonal Stocking Making in Year 4
In our DT session this week we carried on adding details to our stockings using appliqué. The children added extra felt to both sides of their stockings which included snowflakes, stars and snow. Most of the children are now up to sewing their two pieces together which is very exciting. The children have worked so hard to bring their designs to life and we can’t wait for everyone to see the finished article.
Year 4 Seasonal Stockings - Bringing our design to life
In this week’s DT session, the children tried to bring their design to life. They got their two felt stockings and separated them so they could start to sew on their extra pieces which included snow men, Christmas trees, love hearts and their initials. The children really persevered with quite complex skills which was great to see. We can’t wait until the next session to add even more appliqué and create wonderful vibrant Christmas stockings.
Little Craft Club: Dinosaur Week
This week at The Little Craft Club, it was Dinosaur week! The children used problem solving skills to make paper plate dinosaurs without instructions. They also created exploding volcanoes using paint in a spray bottle… this was lots of fun! The children finished by working together as a team to clean and tidy the Rainbow Room. Next week is the final Little Craft Club of term and the children are excited to be making some cold climate creatures.
.png)
Year 3- R.E- Exploring God's Story through Art
This afternoon in R.E, the children looked closely at the People of God panels in the big frieze by Emma Yarlett. They searched for words hidden among the pictures, such as "idols," "temptation," and "repent." The children discussed why these words were included in the artwork and how they relate to the stories of God's people in the Bible.
Year 1 History & Art- The Great Fire of London
This week in Year 1, we set the children a challenge to act out the Great Fire of London in our Role Play Area and decorate a Tudor style house in our Creative Area during their independent learning time. They absolutely rose to the challenge and wowed us with their knowledge of the Great Fire of London and their super drama and creative skills. Well done Year 1!
Seasonal Stockings Session 2 - Can I explore different ways to join fabric using sewing skills?
In our second DT session, we looked at the different sewing stitches, how to thread a needle and joined two pieces of fabric together using a sewing stitch. The children showed great perseverance and determination as many found it difficult to thread the needle at the start! Eventually, the children selected the sewing stitch that they preferred and got to work joining the two pieces of fabric together. Some children even managed to get on to creating their very own stocking design so hopefully, next week, we can begin on the wonderful seasonal stockings that the children will be making for our Christmas Fair.
Reception: Birthdays
As part of our celebrations topic, we are focussing on birthdays this week. The children have enjoyed making birthday cards, birthday cakes, bracelets and birthday crowns too. They have been focussing on their fine motor skills to complete their challenges and also have been working really hard when writing their names. Well done!
Year 4 DT - Seasonal Stockings
In our DT session this week we started our Seasonal Stockings . We focused on visual appeal and function. The children looked at lots of sample stockings , identifying which designs they preferred and why. We also highlighted different types of stitching and which is most suitable for their stocking for durability. We also gave the children time to select their felt colours for their design so we can begin to cut out the templates and create our own designs.
Reception: Bonfire and Firework Safety
This week the children in Reception have been learning all about Bonfire night. They learnt how Guy Fawkes planned to kill the king using gunpowder. His plan failed and we now celebrate Bonfire night to remember. The children have learnt how to keep safe around bonfires and fireworks. We then created bonfires using playdough and fireworks using pens, pegboards, sand and paint.
Reception: Painting Skills
Our Reception children have been really working hard on painting like an artist. The children have carefully selected colours and the right amount of paint to create some Rangoli patterns for Diwali. Well done!
Reception: Diwali
Reception have been learning all about Diwali this week. Diwali will be celebrated by Hindus on Thursday and we are looking forward to teaching the school about it on Thursday. The children learnt about Rama and Sita and how Diwali is the festival of light. They have made Rangoli patterns, cards, Mendhi, diva lamps and cards. The children have also learnt a special song all about Diwali.
Cre8ability
This week is our last Cre8ability session. We discussed what we could do when we feel different feelings. To cheer ourselves up, Harry said we could watch a film, Jacob said we could play together, Hendrix said we could go out for a walk and April said we could comfort someone. When we feel an emotion, it takes a minute and a half for us to feel an emotion and then it is the thinking time that happens after which makes an emotion linger. We created a lovely weaving craft today. Thank you so much to Carol and Maria for running such a wonderful group.
Reception: Junk Modelling
The children in Reception found a box in class. We discussed what we could do with it. The children said we could hide in it or decorate it. As a class, we decided to make a house. The children couldn’t believe that we could make a house from a recycled box! Together we painted the house and added materials to it. We then decided it was a house for the Funnybones Skeleton family.
Year 1 Art-Cold Landscapes
As part of their Art unit this half-term, Year 1 have been building up the art skills to create a cold landscape. They have learnt about warm and cool colours, the composition of a landscape, how to use watercolours to create a background and how to use different materials to create different textures. This week, they have completed their final piece of artwork incorporating all of these skills and I’m sure you’ll agree that the end results look amazing. Well done Year 1!
Year 3- Art- Ancient Egyptian Scrolls
Throughout this half term, Year 3 have explored the fascinating world of Ancient Egyptian art. They learned about the unique styles, patterns, and techniques used by the Egyptians. To showcase their knowledge and skills, they created their own scrolls on papyrus, which they created using coffee and tea. They’ve carefully chosen colours and materials to make their scrolls visually appealing and historically accurate. They’ve also used sketchbooks to record their observations, experiment with different ideas, and plan their scroll-making process. By studying how artists in the past produced art, they’ve gained a deeper understanding of the influence and impact of historical methods and styles on contemporary art. This knowledge has inspired them to create their own unique and meaningful works of art.
Reception: Funnybones
This morning, our Reception class read ‘Funnybones’. Each time we heard big, little and dog skeleton we put actions in so that we all paid attention and could retell the story after. We then completed some challenges in continuous provision linked to the story. Some of the children painted skeletons, some children had to problem solve to complete a skeleton using playdough, some counted bones and matched the amount to the numeral and some practised their fine motor skills too. It has been wonderful to see lots of busy children living life in all its fullness in Reception, well done!
Reception- Autumn activities
This week we have enjoyed an autumnal week in our reception class. We read the story ‘The leaf thief’ to talk about the season and how the weather changes. In provision, we have been painting an autumn tree with orange, red and yellow leaves. We have been practising our fine motor skills by following line patterns and have been making hedgehogs using Autumnal treasures in the playdough area.
Year 2 - Clay Tiles
In Art, we have been building our previous skills with clay. Today we used our new skills to make shapes and patterns on our tiles. The results were brilliant and the children really enjoyed using a different medium to create artwork.
Year 6 Art- Symbolic Imagery
Year 6 continued their work on symbolic imagery by recreating Maya ‘Wayob’ that best suited their character. These were displayed in a 15x15cm tile within sketchbooks and decorated with colours that also reflected the individual. In addition, they started to look at the technique of Chiaroscuro which involves making something look more 3-dimensional on a flat surface. Leonardo Da Vinci, among others, was well known for his use of this technique.
.jpeg)
Year 5 - Christmas Cards
To help with our FOSB fundraising efforts, the children took part in a creative project where they designed their own Christmas cards. Each child had the opportunity to bring their festive ideas to life through art, incorporating bright colors, holiday themes, and personal touches. These unique designs are going to be professionally printed and sold as part of our fundraising campaign. This activity not only allowed the children to express their creativity but also gave them a chance to contribute meaningfully to a great cause, fostering a sense of community and generosity during the holiday season.
Craft Club: Emotion Plates
Today at the Little Craft Club the children made emotion plates. They discussed all of the different emotions and the children chose 4 to put on their plates. They have a peg to attach to the emotion that they’re feeling at any time. Super crafting!
Creating Optical Illusions - Year 4 Art
This week we have started to create optical illusions using a tropical rainforest theme. First the children selected two images such as toucans, macaws, tropical fish and tribes people. Working within a small group they then cut each of the pictures into 2cm strips. Following this they placed the strips down one side of a vertical fan and the same with the other picture. It is extremely difficult to place the strips in the correct place so that the image isn’t distorted, so we numbered the strips to help us. We are using a carousel of art activities so that each group can focus on their own optical illusion and ask for support where needed. We can’t wait to see everyone’s final piece which will go on to be displayed in the school hall.
Year 1 Art- Creating Different Shades Using Paint
This afternoon in Year 1, the children created different shades of greens and blues in preparation for painting the sea and sky on their cold landscapes. They did a wonderful job! Well done Year 1.
Year 1 Art- Painting a Landscape
After experimenting with watercolours to create different shades of blues and greens, Year 1 painted the sea and sky on their cold landscapes. They are now ready to add their cold features to this landscape and collage them.
After School Craft Club
The children had great fun today creating their space themed crafts. A huge thank you to Becky from Fred and Pearl for providing this opportunity to our children.
Year 5 - Installation Art
Year 5 created their own installation artwork, transforming simple shoeboxes into imaginative, three-dimensional displays. Each child selected a theme or concept to explore, using a variety of materials and techniques, such as painting, collage, and sculpting, to design their unique scenes within the boxes. The project encouraged creativity, problem-solving, and the use of different textures and colors, resulting in a diverse and visually engaging collection of individual artistic expressions. The final pieces reflected the children’s ability to think critically and express their ideas through art.
Art Year 4 -Willow Patterns
In art this week we have been looking at designing our own willow pattern style plate based on an Amazon theme. We selected key features from our class novel ‘The Explorer’ and added these to our design, first in our sketch books and then on our plates. We drew the designs into our plates and then used diluted blue ink to highlight them. We used lots of different tones of blue by adding more or less water and the final pieces looked amazing.
Year 2 - Exploring Clay
This afternoon, year 2 had a great time exploring different shapes and textures using clay. We used our hands to start and created different shapes such as spheres. Then we moved on to using other tools such as rolling pins and sculpting tools. We are able to explore different ways to create interesting textures. These new techniques will come in useful in our future art lessons.
Year 6 Art - Experimental Mark Making
In Art, year 6 have started their unit by experimenting with mark making inspired by the Mayans. They looked for patterns that interested them and carried these on in their sketchbooks using pencils and other media.
.jpeg)
Year 4 Art - Soap Sculptures
Our art session this week focused on Soap sculptures. We looked at the work of Barbara Hepworth and how things can be sculpted from a variety of materials. We used bars of soap for our sculptures and decided to stick with our rainforest animal theme. We decided between a butterfly, fish or turtle and then selected various tools to create our design. The children soon realised the need for a calm and steady hand in order to make intricate designs especially with the fish scales. As you can see we had some wonderful examples by the end of the lesson.
Year 5 - Installation Art
This week in Art, Year 5 children had the exciting opportunity to explore a wide range of installation art pieces. After discussing and analysing various works, the children were tasked with recreating their favorite installations. Using a mix of different media—such as paper, fabric and recycled materials—they brought their artistic visions to life. Their creativity shone through as they experimented with texture, color, and form to achieve unique and personal interpretations of the original artworks. It was an inspiring afternoon full of hands-on learning and artistic expression!
Year 1 Art- Composing a Cold Landscape
This week in their art lesson, Year 1 explored landscapes. First of all, we looked at some landscapes (particularly cold ones) and brainstormed some of the features that we could see such as mountains and icebergs. We learnt about how to draw a horizon and then an additional line for where the sea meets the land. We then cut out images of features of our cold landscapes and positioned them on our own scenes, discussing where they should go: on the land, in the sea or in the sky. Next lesson, we will be exploring textures so that we can collage our landscape appropriately e.g. collaging the mountains in a hard, rough material and the polar bear in a soft, fluffy material.
Cre8ability Session 1
We had our first parent and child ‘nurturing emotional wellbeing in creative spaces’ group today run by Cre8ability. The children together with their parents created some artwork in the style of Picasso. It was lovely to see them working together in such a calming environment. The children and parents learnt which colours reflect their feelings and also learnt some calming techniques. A huge thank you to Carol and Maria, we can’t wait for next week.
Year 3- Creating Ancient Egyptian Art
This afternoon, Year 3 started their first art lesson by learning about Ancient Egyptian art and how it was made. They discovered that the Egyptians didn't use plain white paper but used papyrus instead. They also learnt that the Egyptians always painted figures sideways and the most important people were shown as the largest and prominent figures. To recreate this, Year 3 artists made interesting surfaces in their sketchbooks using water-based paints, tea bags, and coffee. After watching a demonstration, they tried making their surfaces to draw Egyptian patterns and shapes and their work turned out amazing!
Year 1 Art- Self Portraits
This week in Year 1, the children have used various paper techniques such as folding, fringing and bending to make a self-portrait. They have done a wonderful job and they will be displayed outside of our classroom. Well done Year 1!
Year 1 Art- Warm and Cool Colours
In their art lesson, Year 1 explored warm and cool colours. They then applied this knowledge to complete an activity where they had to sort some landscapes by the colours that had been used within them (warm or cool). The children could also choose to complete an extra activity. This was to colour a picture in and represent the warm part of the picture with colours such as orange, red and yellow and the cool part of the picture with colours such as blue, green and purple. For example, the children coloured the ocean in cool colours but a sunrise in warm colours. Year 1 will be using their understanding of warm and cool colours when they come to create their own landscape in a few weeks time.
Year 2 - Self portraits
We had a lovely afternoon on Wednesday as we headed to Whitehall Park. This was ideal for gathering materials to make our self-portraits out of natural materials. The children loved finding different ways of showing their unique features. As the children walked wonderfully they got the chance to test out the new play area on the way back to school.
Reception: Our First Day Group 2
This afternoon we welcomed our second group to Reception. They were superstars and settled in really well. They enjoyed exploring our indoor classroom today. We are so glad they have joined our St Barnabas family.
Year 4 Art - Using reflection and symmetry to create patterns
In this session we looked at how we can create a pattern using reflection and symmetry. First the children measured out a quadrant of four 10cm x 10cm squares. Next they drew a 10cm square onto their tracing paper and using masking tape, they traced an animal of their choice. As each one was traced they then flipped the paper to make an imprint on the other side. The final pieces were of such a high standard, especially when the children went over them with a dark coloured felt pen.
Creating Geometric Patterns in Year 4 Art
In this session, the children used a compass to draw a circle. They then chose the outline of the circle to draw over the top to create a flower style pattern. Using the compass was super tricky, but they soon grasped the hang of it and produced some lovely colourful and unique geometric patterns.
.jpeg)
Year 5 Transition
Today, it was year 5 transition. The children created a portrait of themselves and created personalised hoodies that represented their hobbies and interests. The children had an excellent day moving up to Year 5 and have shown maturity and an eagerness to learn.
Year 3 Move Up To Year 4
The Year 3 class had a fantastic day being Year 4s for transition day! They spent time getting to know each other with a game of human bingo, creating a unique piece of artwork, taking part in the Picture News Olympic Assembly and painting with cotton buds. They all settled really well in the classroom and demonstrated Barney’s 4 Be's perfectly.
Reception: Our New Classroom
The children in Reception have loved our new outdoor canopy that was built last week. This has extended our classroom to provide an outdoor area that the children can access in all weathers. Our indoor classroom has also had a refresh and the children have loved exploring all of the areas!
Reception- Handa’s Surprise
This week we have read the story ‘Handa’s Surprise’ in class. The children have really enjoyed the story so we decided to make an African village to recreate the story out of junk modelling. The children drew, cut out and painted their own animals from the story and then together we created the setting.
Year 3- Design Technology- Make a castle using 3D shapes – both nets and junk modelling.
This term in Design Technology, Year 3 have learned about various features and designs of castles, including moats, drawbridges, battlements, keeps, and turrets. They have practised drawing their castle designs using 2D shapes and labelling the 3D shapes that will create these features. The students have constructed nets using glue to make geometric shapes and have stacked these shapes along with recyclable materials to build the structures of their castles. Next, they will evaluate their products, reflect on their challenges, and consider what they might do differently next time to improve their designs.
Year 4 Art - Making our own stamps to create a pattern with paint.
As part of our artwork last week, we made stamps by cutting out various shapes from polystyrene tiles. We then glued a cork onto the back of the shapes to create a stamp. This week we have shared our stamps with a partner to create a repeating pattern with two different colours of paint. The end result is very effective and the children are really pleased with their final pieces.
The Little Craft Club
After school today, Becky, the owner of Fred and Pearl, ran ‘The Little Craft Club!’ at our school for the first time. It was a huge success and the children created some amazing crafts. The theme for this week was vehicles and the children made a boat, hot air balloon and car. They used a range of colours and materials and they all looked incredible. Well done to the EYFS and KS1 children that attended this week for being so creative in their designs.
Reception Art - Finger Painting
Reception have been exploring paint through finger painting to create ‘abstract’ or ‘figurative’ pieces of work. We talked about the texture and colours as they painted, and mixed colours together to create new ones. The children also enjoyed looking at professional pieces of Art work that have been created using fingers.
Year 5 - Art
This afternoon, Year 5 experimented creating mixed media portraits. The children explored a variety of designs and used colour and contrast to make their self portraits stand out. The children then created another design where they would rip and cut their portraits and placed them back on the page; creating a cracked effect.
Year 6 - Buzz Education
Year 6 had a session from Buzz Education. The children worked really hard creating digital media for their upcoming Jungle Book production. The children created some fantastic work inspired by real life media mixed with their own creative designs to inspire and appeal to their audiences.
Year 3- Design Technology- Identifying features of a Castle
This term in D.T., Year 3 will explore castles in detail and construct their castle structures using materials like cardboard boxes, coloured cards, string and tubes. In today's lesson, the children designed their castles on paper and labelled a castle's key features such as towers, turrets, battlements, moat, gatehouse and drawbridge, labelling them clearly.
Year 1 and 2 visit BeWILDerwood
Our Year 1 and 2 classes had a fantastic time at BeWILDerwood in Cheshire. They showed lots of courage when taking part in a variety of challenging activities such as den building, wobbly wires, slippery slopes, the mish mash maze, the broken bridge, storytelling and crafts. For all of the photos, please click here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/year-1-2-bewilderwood-trip-may-2024
Year 4 Designing and Making Viking Longships
What a great ending to our History unit on The Vikings. Today we created our very own Viking longships and the children were really enthusiastic and creative. It has been wonderful to see how much they have learned about this topic and how they have created lots of cross curricular pieces of work around it.
Year 3- Computing- Create a blog!
This morning, Year 3 bloggers worked in pairs to create blogs, vlogs, and podcasts. They explored these three forms of communication in-depth and created their logos. Their concentration and enthusiasm was amazing to see.
Year 1 Art
Today in their art lesson, Year 1 combined their knowledge of secondary colours and printing to make an overlapping printed pattern. To start their lesson, they mixed primary colours to make secondary colours. Following this, they printed repeating patterns in primary colours only using various shapes such as circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, hexagons and semi-circles. Finally, they overlapped their printed pattern with another primary colour to turn the colours in their patterns from primary colours to secondary colours e.g. overlapping red with blue to make purple and yellow with blue to make green. This overlapping didn’t create the secondary colour as well as we would have expected and we decided that next time we would mix the secondary colours with a paintbrush beforehand and then print using these secondary colours instead. Year 1 worked amazingly well and printed some wonderful repeating patterns.
Year 5 - Art
Year 5, created a poetic portrait in the style of Pablo Picasso. The children created a diamanté poem about their recent residential trip and traced their poem over the top of their one line portrait.
Year 1 Art- Printing
This afternoon in art, Year 1 created a print of their chosen building in Darwen. They worked carefully to print the outline of their building and the smaller details such as the windows and doors. Year 1 made sure that they used the right amount of paint, placed their blocks down gently when printing and chose to print with shapes that represented the windows and doors of their buildings as well as the patterns that they could see on their buildings. Well done Year 1.
Year 3 - Art - Botanical Drawing
For Art this week we looked at how scientists would draw detailed pictures of plants and flowers to help study them and document them. We had our own go at drawing some flowers and leaves using magnifying glasses to help us capture the fine details.
Year 1 Art- Printing
In their art lesson this week, Year 1 were asked to look back at the sketches (of a building) that they created last lesson to look for shapes and patterns within it. They then had to practise printing with these shapes in preparation for creating a whole print of their building next lesson. They used building blocks and duplo to print with. They chose their shapes carefully e.g. choosing semi-circle shapes if their building had arched windows, doors or domes and rectangular and square shapes for standard windows and doors and the outline of their building. They also carefully applied the paint to their duplo and blocks in order to print with them. Well done Year 1.
Year 3 - Art- Painting on the cave wall
Year 3 have thoroughly enjoyed Art this term. They have explored the techniques of Prehistoric Artist, experimenting with natural ingredients to create paints. For their final piece that they created this afternoon, it involved crafting a textured cave wall using lentils, couscous, coloured sand, and seeds using PVA glue. They then painted their animals from lesson 1 and 2 that they had sketched on to their cave wall.
Earth Day- EYFS and Key Stage 1 Lunchtime
The children enjoyed celebrating Earth day this lunchtime as a reminder to look after our planet by making their own Earth creation using collage materials.
Year 3 - Art- Prehistoric Palette- Create paints using all natural ingredients as prehistoric artists did.
In ancient times, people had to get creative with their art supplies since they didn't have paints like we do today. They used things from nature, like crushed berries, burnt wood, and plant extracts mixed with animal fats, to make colours. That's why they collected leaves and other natural materials—they were their art-making tools. Today, Year 3 artists explored this ancient technique. They went on a nature walk to gather leaves, mud, twigs, and flower petals for their artwork. Back in the classroom, they mixed flour and water to make their paint base. Adding spices like turmeric or paprika gave them colours such as yellow, red, brown, and purple. Back in class, they used their homemade paints in their sketchbooks. They made marks, noting down the process for each colour they created. Through simple shapes, intricate patterns, and symbols.
Reception Picture News
This week for our class worship/picture news, we looked at Banksy’s new Art work that is displayed in London. We talked about how his Art has changed the look of the tree into something special that everyone wants to see and take photos of. We talked about how we can be Artists, but making sure we showcase our Art in the right way - we can’t draw or paint on walls without permission!
Year 3- Prehistoric Art- Fun with charcoal
This afternoon in Art, the Year 3 artists have scaled up drawings from lesson one in charcoal to create tones and textures. They have successfully applied and blended charcoal to create form, and shape.
Year 3- Science- Making a dinosaur footprint fossil.
For our final science lesson on rocks and fossils, year 3 made their own fossils by mixing together 200g salt, 150g flour and 150g coffee grounds. Next, they imprinted by pressing dinosaur feet into the dough. The process helped them understand how fossils form overtime. Carmen also brought in some fossils from holiday to show the class.
Reception - Spring activities
Reception are learning all about the season of Spring this week. They have kicked off their first week back by completing lots of Spring challenges. They have made playdough flowers, followed instructions to draw a Spring rabbit, created a collage of a spring flower and used forks to print tulips in the paint area. What busy bees!
Year 1 Easter Cards
Year 1 made some Easter cards by printing either a bunny, Easter egg or chick to the front of them.
Year 1- Visit to the Rose Garden
This week, Year 1 visited the Rose Garden to explore the Easter artwork that our whole school have been busy creating. They spotted artwork that showed Palm leaves to represent Palm Sunday, artwork to represent Judas’ betrayal to Jesus and artwork to represent the last supper, the crucifixion and the resurrection.
Year 5 and 6 Rose Garden Visit
This morning, year 5 and 6 visited the Rose Garden to see the art work that each year group created to represent different elements of the Easter story. The standard of work was superb across the school. Mr Bloomfield then led a quiz based on the art work that was kindly created by Mrs Araujo.
Reception: Easter Artwork
Our Ducklings enjoyed viewing the artwork in the Rose Garden. They looked at the Easter story and tried to describe each picture.
Year 2 - Whitehall Park
This afternoon we visited the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park. As a school, we have turned the rose garden into an art exhibition full of the whole school’s Easter artwork. The children loved seeing all their art being displayed for the public to see. It is definitely worth a visit to the Rose Garden this Easter.
Year 3- Easter Artwork
This afternoon, Year 3 went for a little Easter walk to the rose garden at Whitehall Park. The children enjoyed guessing which part of the Easter story each class, from Reception to Year 6, represented through their artwork. Once there we all sang Easter songs together too. Our walk covered 2.5 miles, contributing to our Lent journey as well.
Easter Artwork Trail in the Rose Garden
The St Barnabas Easter trail is now ready for visitors! Our whole school family has worked hard to represent a different part of the Easter story through art and we have selected some for our community to enjoy when they visit the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. Our pictures have brought a lovely splash of colour to the garden to celebrate this joyous time in the Christian calendar. We hope that they will bring joy to all visitors.
Year 1 RE Artwork
This afternoon, Year 1 created their artwork for the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. Their artwork was based on the resurrection of Jesus. The hands on their artwork represent Jesus rising from the dead and the butterflies, flowers, dragonflies and bunny rabbits represent new life.
Year 6- Graffiti Tunnel
We have just had a great time creating some graffiti art in Leake Street tunnel and we got to join a free tour with an artistic called Mark who spends lots of time creating artwork in the tunnel. Earlier on this year we looked at graffiti art in our Art unit so it was great to be able to apply the skills we learnt. All of the photos can be found here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/london-graffiti-tunnel
Year 4 - RE: Easter Art
We have been busy in Year 4 creating artwork inspired by the betrayals found in the Easter Story. The children chose one of the betrayals we studied, designed three symbols to represent the key events and then used Brusho paints and water to create a mottled effect on the symbols. They then created a checked background on which to mount their symbols.
Year 2 - RE
In Year 2, we have produced artwork that will go on display in the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. Our class created the last supper scene using painting and stamping. The children took real pride in making sure their artwork was exactly how they wanted it to look. The final results are wonderful and we can’t wait to visit our artwork in Whitehall park next week!
Year 3- Easter Artwork- Express the symbolism of sadness and joy through art.
This afternoon, Year 3 explored 'The Easter Story' using a children's bible. After reading the story, they described the emotions expressed through the paintings related to the various parts of the story, such as the 'Entry into the City, the Crucifixion, The Women at the Empty Tomb and Good Friday. They found the paintings and some parts of the story bring happiness and some are quite upsetting. They then expressed the symbolisms and sadness and joy through art. Year 3 are super excited about displaying their artwork at the Rose Garden.
Well-being Club
This week the children worked together to make playdough. They decided to colour the playdough purple and used a variety of different coloured glitters. The children decided on an orange scent for their playdough. They enjoyed playing with it after and made tacos, wraps, houses, pizzas and lots of other creative objects!
Year 6 Art
In year 6, we have started to look at our new art unit and have linked it to our R.E. Artwork that will be displayed in the Whitehall Park Rose Garden. We started by analysing a piece of work created by the artist Lubaina Himid, entitled ‘Five’. In her artwork, she displays symbols and addresses issues close to her heart. We have used her work as inspiration for our own creation and have started to develop our own ideas to answer the question ‘Who was Jesus?’ in our own piece of artwork.
Reception: Easter Artwork
Today, during our Muddy Monday session, we collected lots of green natural objects to create palm leaves for our Easter art work. The children worked together as a team to create their art work. You will be able to view our artwork soon in the Rose Garden at Whitehall park.
Year 5 - Religious Art
Today, Year 5 created their religious art piece ready for a selection of them displayed in the Rose Garden in Whitehall park for Easter. The children were focusing on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. They created their colourful backgrounds and then used black card to create a silhouette depicting Jesus on the cross.
Year 2 - Art
In Art this week, we created more rubbings from interesting textures we could find around the classroom. These rubbings were cut or torn to create a collage. This process of using rubbings to form the basis of a piece of artwork is called frottage. The end results were amazing!
Year 2 - Art
In art this week, we were looking at rubbings. To get an interesting pattern, it was important to look for objects with interesting textures. We used various objects from around the classroom and found objects/surfaces from Whitehall Park during our Big Lent Walk.
Our School Art Gallery
Take a look at our amazing school Art Gallery! The children have worked really hard on their final pieces which are proudly showcased in our KS1 corridor and school hall. We can really see the progress children are making in Art across school and how hard they are working to master new and different skills.
Wellbeing Club
Mrs Wilkinson really enjoyed spending time with some children from Years 1 and 2 for the start of their wellbeing club. They discussed why it is important to look after ourselves and how we can be kind to ourselves. We then made friendship bracelets and looked at affirmations and coloured in some affirmation posters.
Year 4 Art - Creating Batik Fabric
We have finally finished the process of developing our Batik artwork. As part of our final stage, we washed the glue off in the trays to leave just the patterns that we created with the acrylic paints. The children and adults alike are amazed by the final result which is so impressive! We look forward to showcasing these in our Year 4 Gallery for everyone to see.
Reception: Imagine That Educational Visit
Wow, what a fantastic day our Ducklings had today. We visited Imagine That in Liverpool and had lots of fun! The children did lots of experiments with dry ice, made magical snow and made slime too. They used their imaginations in the roleplay area, painted a car, explored the creative area and made their own magnets. They were well behaved and represented the school beautifully!
Year 1 Art- Hundertwasser
Year 1 have been working extremely hard this week to produce a piece of artwork in the style of Hundertwasser. To produce this piece of artwork, they had to use and apply the skills that they’ve been learning in art over the last few weeks such as exploring with various lines (curved, wavy, horizontal, vertical, diagonal and swirls) and shapes (circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, semi-circles and pentagons). Their pieces of artwork are now on display ready to be viewed so please take a look. Well done Year 1!
Year 3- Art- Paper Weaving
For our final art lesson, Year 3 explored the work of Anni Albers' weaving techniques. Inspired by her amazing weaving the children picked coloured paper linking back to their mood boards to weave together with another one. Finally, they cut a cross shape and glued it onto their weaving.
Year 5 - Art
Year 5 have been completing their futuristic designs in preparation for their final pieces. The children used everyday objects to create a space themed print. Then the children created their space themed designs by drawing rockets, planets and other space themed objects.
Reception Art
Reception have been creating fish collages using scrunched up tissue paper. We have been practising our fine motor skills by manipulating the tissue paper into small balls for our fish. We have been thinking about which colours are best to make our fish more vibrant. We can't wait to see them on display in our KS1 corridor!
Year 5 - Art
Today, Year 5 began exploring their futuristic designs in preparation for their final pieces. The children explored a variety of techniques including light and dark shading to make their images appear 3D.
Reception: Colour Mixing
Our Ducklings have been learning to become more independent with our painting easel. They can now squirt the correct amount of paint into a palette and have explored mixing colours to create their pictures.
Year 5 - Art
Today, Year 5 have been experimenting with different media to create futurist art work. The children used: fine liners, chalk, oil pastel and drawing pencils to create different effects to their drawings. Using a view finder the children chose a specific area of a picture they would like to replicate and then used their different media to replicate it four times; assessing the various advantages and disadvantages of that particular tool.
Year 1- Geometric Art
This afternoon, Year 1 have been drawing around a variety of 2D shapes and overlapping them to create their own geometric piece of artwork. They had to experiment with a variety of shapes and media (felt tips, wax crayons, oil pastels and colouring pencils) in their piece of artwork. They also referred to the colour wheel and tried to use complementary colours e.g. green and pink and orange and blue next to each other to make their artwork pop.
Year 3- Art- Tie-Dye T-Shirt
Year 3 can take pride in their artistic achievements. Last week, they created mood boards that beautifully reflected their personalities. This week, they used those ideas to make cool tie-dye t-shirts. These colourful creations not only showcase their artistic flair but also serve as personalised expressions of their individuality. Amazing work from all. Well done!
Year 3- Art- Tie Dye T-shirt
Year 3 can take pride in their artistic achievements. Last week, they created mood boards that beautifully reflected their personalities. This week, they used those ideas to make cool tie-dye t-shirts. These colourful creations not only showcase their artistic flair but also serve as personalised expressions of their individuality. Amazing work from all. Well done!
Year 3- Art- Tie-dyeing T-shirt
In today's afternoon's art session, Year 3 engaged in tie-dyeing. After watching a short clip on how to tie-dye a t-shirt the children carefully scrunched, folded, or coiled up their T-shirts and secured them with elastic bands. They then picked their favourite colours and mixed them in separate bottles, linking to their mood boards from our last art session. After applying the dye, each child's T-shirt was placed in a plastic bag labelled with their name. It is recommended to let the dye permeate the cloth overnight if possible, as it takes several hours for the colours to develop fully. The children are eagerly looking forward to tomorrow when they can finally remove the rubber bands and discover the exciting results of the tie-dye on their T-shirts.
Year 4 Art - One picture, four views
As part of our topic on rainforests, we have been looking at the flora and fauna. In today’s session we chose an animal or insect and then used a view finder to select four different parts of the picture to draw. We explored different techniques to develop imagery and observed the artwork of Ruth Daniel’s and Senaka Senanayake.
Year 3- Art- Mood Board
Today in art, Year 3 created mood boards uniquely representing their personalities. They carefully selected various craft items that showcased who they were. The children drew pictures of things they enjoy, used words and colours that highlight their personality, chose personal images of places that are significant to them, cut out images that they found appealing and selected pieces of coloured fabric, pastels and crayons to express their feelings and mood.
Reception - Joining Materials
For our Art, Reception have been learning about the different ways we can join materials together in the creative area. The children have been really inventive in exploring different ways they can join paper and card together to showcase their own ideas.
Year 1 and 2 visit to Whitehall Park
Yesterday, Years 1 and 2 went to the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park to admire the Christmas artwork created by some of our children as part of the Home Bargains competition. We then had a play on the playground equipment as an end of term treat.
Reception: Christmas Artwork visit to the Rose Garden
Our Ducklings really enjoyed looking at all of the artwork at the rose garden in Whitehall Park. They looked in detail at the children’s drawings and have all said they’d love to show their families over the Christmas holidays. We also enjoyed singing some Christmas songs.
Year 3- Whitehall Park- Singing Christmas songs and admiring the Artwork
This morning, Year 3 have been out admiring the wonderful artwork created by some of the children from our school. During the visit, they sang Christmas songs, spreading festive cheer to the members of the gardening club. They were amazed by how well they sang their hearts out. They also had the opportunity to have a play in the park before heading back to school.
Year 3- Whitehall Park- Singing Christmas songs and admiring the Artwork
This morning, Year 3 have been out admiring the wonderful artwork created by some of the children from our school. During the visit, they sang Christmas songs, spreading festive cheer to the members of the gardening club. They were amazed by how well they sang their hearts out. They also had the opportunity to have a play in the park before heading back to school.
Whole School -Design Technology- Christmas Fayre
This term in Design and Technology (D.T.), children from every class have been busy creating special things with a purpose. They showed off their creations at our school's Christmas fayre. Reception made cute Christmas decorations, Year 1 made Christmas-themed characters that move from a book, Year 2 put together yummy fruit kebabs, Year 3 crafted pouches, Year 4 made stockings, Year 5 created comfy cushions, and Year 6 invented their own steady hand game. Everyone should be proud of what they made because when parents and visitors saw the products, they were amazed! Each class did a fantastic job turning their creativity into awesome projects.
Reception: Christmas tree decorations
Reception class have been busy creating their Christmas tree decorations ready for the Christmas Fayre on Wednesday. They will be available to buy at the fayre for £2 each. They look fantastic!
Picture News Festive Fun in Year 4
Today, we took part in The Picture News Festive Fun 2023. We successfully completed the reindeer challenge and designed our very own stockings for Peter Bear. The children especially loved taking part in the interactive quiz and joke telling in the group chat. What a super idea! @picturenews
Year 3- D.T- Christmas Pouch
This term for our design and technology unit, the year 3 Christmas Elves have been busy making Christmas themed pouches. Prior to making the pouch, the children have carefully planned their pouch and thought about their design in detail. They have learnt how to sew fabric together using a running stitch, designing the front of their pouch and decorated it by using fabric glue to stick on embellishments to give that wow factor. They have also made sure that the pouch is functional and aesthetic. They have also evaluated their finished products by answering a series of questions. We are super proud of the dedication and enthusiasm that the children have shown throughout the planning and making of these products. We can't wait to showcase our products at our school Christmas Fair.
Erin’s Place Christmas Decorations
Our Reception class won a competition from Erin’s Place in Darwen where they have had the opportunity to paint a Christmas ornament which will then be baked in a special oven. The children have tried hard with their fine motor skills to paint the fine details on the ornaments and we can’t wait to see the final result.
Roman Battle Formations in Year 4
In our history lesson this week we discussed why the Roman army was so successful. We looked at why they were so powerful and disciplined. We then looked at how they used manoeuvres and drills to create various formations so that they could protect themselves from every angle in battle. We finished with a real life drill to see if Mrs Gardner could get through the children’s wedge formation that they created with their own shields. Not one boulder (ping pong ball) got through so well done Year 4 - it was a huge success!
Christmas Card Competition
This morning in our Celebration Worship I shared the details of our Christmas Art Competition in Aid of Alder Hey Children’s hospital. The competition is for the children to design their own Christmas Card on a square piece of paper (please see the image above for more details and last year’s winners!) All entries will be submitted to the competition, and if selected, the winning entries will be sold as Christmas cards in Home Bargains stores across the UK, with all proceeds going to Alder Hey. School can also win a craft hamper and £100 voucher for resources too! We will also be selecting a handful of amazing entries to copy and display in the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park for our Christmas ADVENTure trail, so any Nativity related entries would be lovely to see. Please can we ask that all entries be handed to class teachers by no later than Wednesday 13th December. We are able to provide squared paper for entries if needed, please just ask your class teachers. If you have any further questions then please ask. We look forward to seeing some wonderful designs! Thank you, Mrs Govan
Reception: Creative crowns
This morning Reception class has been getting very creative and made their own celebration crowns. They are all unique, just like our Ducklings. Well done!
Year 5 - Installation Art
This week Year 5 have created their own piece of installation art work. They have been able to change the perception of a space by using everyday materials to create a message. The children have been exploring the impact of social media and plastic pollution within their creations and have created hidden messages to convey and tackle these pressing issues. The children could explain clearly the messages they were trying to convey and have created many exciting pieces of art.
Reception: Remembrance Day
Reception have been learning all about Remembrance Day. They created poppies in provision using playdough, creative materials, felt tips and paint.
Year 5 - Installation Art Creations
This week Year 5 have been creating their own installation art pieces using everyday objects that they can find around school. The children created many representations of children working in the classroom. They used all the objects very creativity and were able to shape their creations in ways that created emotions.
Year 1 Art- Arctic Landscape Collages
As part of their Art unit last half-term, Year 1 have been building up the skills of collage for several weeks. They have learnt about warm and cool colours, the composition of a landscape, how to use watercolours to create a background and how to use different materials to create the different textures of a landscape. Their final piece of artwork incorporates all of these skills and they have done a wonderful job. Well done Year 1.
Reception- Powder Paint Fireworks
Reception class had lots of fun learning all about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder plot. They then created their own firework patterns using powder paints. They tried hard to create lines, circles, spirals and stars.
Year 3- Art- Shading from light to dark
In the final art lesson in the unit on the formal elements of art, Year 3 further developed their skills by patiently practising smooth shading from light to dark. Before filling in the animal template, the budding artists carried out a warm-up activity. They practised shading boxes from dark to light using an HB pencil. They aimed to create smooth, neat, and even shading without any gaps.
Reception: Cutting Skills
Reception have been perfecting their cutting skills this afternoon. They learnt how to hold scissors correctly and how to position our arms to be able to cut paper accurately. Well done!
Year 2 - Art
This afternoon, we combined our knowledge of pattern making and handling clay to create our clay tiles. This required lots of steps and skills which we had practised last week. We had to; roll the clay out (this needed some strong arms), cut the tile to an accurate size, ensure our tiles had straight, sharp edges, etch our names onto the back and score lines onto the back. Once we had completed all of these steps, it was time to create our patterns. We used various objects to create shapes that repeated or alternated. Some children decided to to use their hands as tools by creating their own shapes with craft knives. It was fascinating to see how each child chose their own patterns and had such diverse ideas.
Year 6 Art
In Art, year 6 discovered that the ancient Maya are born with a spirit companion. These are accompanied with a symbol so year 6 produced a symbolic tile full of images that best represent them as a person.
Year 6 Art
This week, in art, year 6 looked at the technique ‘Chiaroscuro’. The word comes from the Italian meaning light and dark and is used to make something look more three-dimensional. The inspiration behind year 6’s art work was the word for their Mayan spirit companion. For example, the word ‘Imix’ translates to crocodile and means you are productIve, creative and hard-working.
Year 1 Art
This afternoon, Year 1 have been exploring different textures in art. They had to choose appropriate materials to represent the texture of different parts of their image such as rocks, a polar bear, mountains, the sea and the sky. The children really impressed us with their well thought out choices. They chose wool, felt, fluff and feathers for the polar bear and glittered paper, rocks, corrugated paper and varied wallpapers for the mountains. Some children chose corrugated paper, wallpaper or glittered paper to reflect a rough sea but others chose foam, tissue paper and plastic if they wanted a smoother sea. Well done Year 1.
Year 2 - Art
This afternoon we continued to develop our Art and Design skills. We revisited pattern making from last week and discussed how we can make our own patterns. This week we used clay to add texture to our patterns. To do this we drew patterns with our craft knives and looked at different techniques to create alternative textures and patterns. Next week, we will hone our skills and create our finished tiles. Using other tools to create more intricate patterns.
Art - Year 4 - Lenticular Prints
In our art lesson this week we have been studying the artist Luz Perez Ojeda. This has involved cutting up two images with an Amazon theme into strips and alternating them side by side in sequential order to create an optical illusion piece of art.
Year 5 - Installation Art
This week, year 5 have been creating their installation art work using a shoe box. They have created backdrops and have begun adding an abundance of materials to bring their creations to life.
Reception: Owl Babies
This week our Ducklings have been learning how to print and make creations using a variety of resources. We read the story of owl babies and then they created Sarah, Percy, Bill and Mummy owl. Super creations and paintings!
Year 1 meet Author and Illustrator Ursula Hurst
Year 1 had an amazing morning meeting author and illustrator Ursula Hurst at Darwen library. They enjoyed looking at lots of the books that Ursula has illustrated over the years such as Roo and Sarge to the rescue, The Angry Giant, Zed Ted, Bea and Monah Lot. Ursula also read us a story called Drawing Hope which she was both the author and illustrator of. It was about a young girl called Hope who loved drawing and painting and had a dream of turning the gloomy town in which she lived into a bright and colourful place and with the help of Mrs Green, she did just that. Year 1 loved seeing how the town and characters turned from grey with lots of worries to bright and worry free throughout the story. Thank you to Darwen Library for such a wonderful opportunity and to Ursula Hurst for inspiring our children.
Year 1- illustration Worksop with Ursula Hurst
After meeting Ursula Hurst and looking at many of her illustrations in various children’s books including her very own book, ‘Drawing Hope,’ Year 1 had a lesson in illustration. Ursula showed the children how to create different characters with expressions such as sad, shocked and happy and various hairstyles and clothing. Thank you to Darwen library for this wonderful opportunity.
Year 2 - Library visit
We had an amazing time during our visit to Darwen Library. We were lucky enough to spend time with Ursula Hurst as she delivered a workshop for us. Ursula is a fabulous illustrator known for her book illustrations and murals of which many can be found in local primary schools. The children loved listening to her stories and seeing how she made words come to life. Then the children had their chance to become illustrators as they learnt how to draw different characters with different emotions. Ursula showed us some simple tricks to really emphasise our characters expressions. It was a brilliant opportunity for the children which they engaged really well with and had a lovely afternoon!
Year 2 - Pattern Making
During our Art lesson this week, we looked at how to create patterns. We spotted any patterns around our classroom and predicted what comes next in other patterns. It was then the children’s turn to create their own patterns. We created symmetrical patterns and alternating patterns using different shapes and colours. Next week, we will continue learning about patterns and design new patterns on different mediums.
Year 4 Art - Willow plate painting
Our art focus for this week has been on willow plate painting which originates from China. We adapted the design to go with our topic of the Amazon and our class novel The Explorer. The children used different shades and added pictures of planes, trees, characters and animals. The end result was a collection of wonderful examples.
Year 5 - Installation Art
Year 5 have been exploring and researching installation art. They have explored a variety of pieces and looked in depth of the inner workings and meanings of installation art. This week the children have been planning their own installation art piece based on their favourite places in the world. They labelled their work with what materials they will use to create their installation art creation.
Year 1-Art
Year 1 have been identifying the key features of a cold landscape such as icebergs, glaciers, mountains, rocks, trees and animals such as penguins, polar bears, walruses, arctic hares, arctic foxes and snowy owls to use in their own landscape. Then they had to draw lines to represent the horizon and the sea and compose their cold scene using the shapes provided and their own imagination. We are looking forward to being able to collage them next lesson.
Year 6 Art
In year 6, we have started our art unit which is all based on making our voice heard. We started by evaluating pieces of art created by the Ancient Maya and created a research page which we filled with patterns that captured our imagination. Those of us who had finished our research pages then tried our hand at some experimental mark making with unconventional tools. This made the children appreciate the Mayan art even more.
Year 2 - Art
Our Art lesson saw the children build on their knowledge of tones and shades. The children took inspiration from Nancy McCroskey’s 1992 work ‘Suite in Black, White and Grey’. The children used their own imagination to design tiles using various lines and shapes. Using different shading techniques, they were able create texture and depth in their work. It was lovely to see the children become passionate about their work and proud of their end result.
Year 4 Art - Soap Sculptures
In our art session this week we have been making soap sculptures. First we watched a video on how to complete this step by step starting by drawing our animal designs on to paper. We then transferred this onto our bars of soap and began sculpting. We used lots of different tools to sculpt our animals and it was very tricky! As you can see from our designs, we created animals that we could find in the rainforest including butterflies and fish.
Reception Kandinsky Circles
Reception have been artists like Kandinsky. We have been practising our formation of circles and have created colourful art work for a joint piece.
Reception: Elmer
This week, our Ducklings have read the story of Elmer. We learnt how we are all special and unique. We then created our own Elmer’s using playdough, created unique marks on Elmer and used the colours to create our own elephants for Elmer day.
Year 3- Art- Working with wire
This afternoon, the children have been working with wire, bending and twisting it to create the form of a fish, using smaller pieces of wire to add features.
Year 1 Art- Warm and cool colours
Year 1 have been exploring warm and cool colours in their Art lesson this week. They needed to explore a range of pictures and decide whether they were of a warm or cool landscape. They also had to use a colour wheel to select warm and cool colours to use in their sketchbooks. Over the next few weeks, they will continue to build up skills and knowledge to create a cold landscape.
Year 4 Art - The role of a curator
In our art session we explored the role of a curator and the skills required to do this role. We then created our own gallery with various pieces of artwork and sketched this using different grades of pencils.
Our First Week in Year 1
We have had a busy first week in Year 1. The children have been busy sorting objects into groups in maths, writing sentences to describe the penguin in the story of Lost and Found in English, creating self portraits using lots of different paper techniques such as folding, bending and fringing in art and completing lots of independent challenges in the areas. Well done Year 1.
Reception: First day at school
We are so proud of our Ducklings on their first day at school. They have all been superstars. They have been making new friends, exploring our classroom and doing lots of super talking. What a super start to their school journey!
First day in Year 3
Year 3 were super excited about reuniting with their friends and talking about what they did over the summer. The children couldn't wait to go out for a break in the KS2 yard and have fun on the trim trail. They also visited the school library to select books for their personal reading enjoyment in the classroom. Alongside this, we created our own classroom rules, building upon the four golden rules Mrs. Ham highlighted during this morning's worship. In the afternoon, the children went on a shape hunt around the school, identifying, drawing and labelling the different shapes that make up the objects they find in everyday objects. For example, a door shaped like a rectangle, a classroom window shaped like a square and the netball goal ring shaped like a circle.
D.T Club- Lion King Props
The Year 4, 5, and 6 students have worked really hard to create props for our end-of-year performance, inspired by The Lion King. They used cardboard to make masks, giving them special designs and paying attention to the little details. They also used paper mache to make African fruits and Pumba's prop. African fruits have been tied to a stick, which they found in our forest school grounds. It adds a realistic touch to the show. They have made caps for Zazu using real feathers from birds. They also used garlands to create a grassy environment using green ribbons. Together, we have created an environment that encourages creativity, teamwork, and doing our best. The children's fulfilment in creating props with a real purpose is evident, and their hard work is truly commendable.
D.T Club- Lion King props
The Year 4, 5, and 6 students have worked really hard to create props for our end-of-year performance, inspired by The Lion King. They used cardboard to make masks, giving them special designs and paying attention to the little details. They also used paper mache to make African fruits and Pumba's prop. African fruits have been tied to a stick, which they found in our forest school grounds. It adds a realistic touch to the show. They have made caps for Zazu using real feathers from birds. They also used garlands to create a grassy environment using green ribbons. Together, we have created an environment that encourages creativity, teamwork, and doing our best. The children's fulfilment in creating props with a real purpose is evident, and their hard work is truly commendable.
Year 5- Collective Worship- A Work of Art
During today's class worship, the children explored a collection of art and shared their likes and dislikes. We talked about famous artists and then looked at Gustav Klimt's painting, "Lady with a Fan," which sold for a record-breaking 85.3 million, the most expensive artwork ever auctioned in Europe. We discussed what makes something a "work of art" and thought about the valuable things in their own lives, like family and pets. We also learned about Isaiah, who wrote a book in the Bible, and how he reminded us that we are all special and unique creations, like works of art, made by God's hand. We listened to a song called "He Made Me" and ended with a prayer to thank God for creating us.
Year 5 Engineers- D.T- Disassembling and Reassembling tools
WOW! In today's lesson, the Year 5 engineers were engaged in an exciting hands-on activity as they worked together in pairs to disassemble and reassemble turbine tools. Before moving on to the practical task, they watched an instructive video that served as their guide. As they carefully followed the step-by-step instructions, the children learned the intricacies of each tool and examined their purpose. After completing the activity, they compared the two devices and determined how one improved the other.
Year 5- D.T- How does a vacuum cleaner work?
The children in the class had a really interesting time trying out the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Animal™ vacuum cleaner. Before trying out the vacuum cleaner we watched a video that explained its design and specifications. It was really interesting to see how the vacuum was made and learn about its special features. It was fascinating to see that many of them had never used a vacuum cleaner before. The children took turns doing different things with the vacuum, like cleaning up different kinds of debris, going around obstacles, changing the height, and using it on different surfaces.
Year 5-6 Transition day
Year 5, soon to be Year 6, were an absolute delight to welcome into the year 6 classroom and they produced absolutely outstanding portraits displaying the red jumpers and hoodies that they will gain as a Year 6.
Year 2-3 Transition Day
Soon-to-be Year 3 has been amazing. The children made their own personality swirls by showing their unique qualities and the things they like. It was a fun way for them to express themselves and be creative. They also made bookmarks for themselves, which they can use when in September. They felt very grown up when they sat on the big chairs ready for the next stage of their education. They also had a chance to explore the KS2 yard, which they absolutely loved. Lastly, the children talked about what they are excited about for September. They can't wait to learn new things and have new experiences at school. They are really looking forward to it!
Year 2-3 Transition Day- Creating Personality Swirls
They had a fantastic time creating personality swirls! It was a wonderful opportunity for them to express themselves and showcase their unique qualities. During this activity, the children wrote down words that described themselves, such as their hobbies and interests. Some of the words they shared were reading, walking, listening to music, playing games, and enjoying delicious food. It was wonderful to see them express their individuality through these words. Additionally, the children had the chance to colour their swirls using their favourite colours.
Year 4 - Year 5 Transition
As part of our Year 5 transition the children created their own self portrait using a stencil from tracing their picture. They then coloured in their portraits with vibrant colours that represent them as a person.
Formal Elements of Art in Year 4
In our art session, we looked at different techniques using both chalk and charcoal. We completed different samples and then went on to develop and interpret words through our drawings. We interpreted words such as stretchy, windy and wild. Every single child interpreted this differently and then we peer evaluated each piece.
.png)
Year 5- D.T- Understand the different types of Engineers
This term in Design and Technology, Year 5 will focus on learning about Dyson and its innovations. We have received an engineering box from Dyson, The Engineering Box includes a Dyson V12 Detect Slim Animal™ Vacuum, Tangle-free Turbine Heads, and Anti-tangle screw heads. Over the next few weeks, Year 5 will take these apart, using the screwdrivers provided, to better understand how the technology works. Today, the class had the opportunity to explore various types of engineering careers and understand how these professionals contribute to technology development.
Year 2 - Facial Expressions
During this unit of art, Year 2 have been focusing on sketching facial expressions and how you can alter facial expressions by using very few lines. The children explored a variety of emotions and expressions linked to those emotions and then drew their favourite emotions within a setting.
Year 1 Art Clarice Cliff Plates
Year 1 created their own version of Clarice Cliff’s famous pottery plate design using primary and secondary colours. They mixed their own colours and then used black watery paint and a straw to blow the paint into the shape of a tree as a silhouette against the other coloured concentric circles on their paper plates.
Year 3 Prehistoric Art
Year 3 have been building on their mark making skills by creating their individual wall art. We added lentils and grains to cardboard to replicate a cave wall, they then had to dab paint onto the surface and outline their image. Once they had made their markings, they added colours to further develop their image.
Year 1 Colour Mixing
Year 1 have been using two primary colours and making different shades of a secondary colour through experimentation. They have really enjoy making different shades of orange and purple using different amounts of the primary colours.
Year 1 Art Colour Mixing
Year 1 have been learning about the primary colours and how to mix them to make secondary colours. We then mixed the three secondary colours to make the colour brown and painting trees using all of the colours.
Year 1 RE Baptism pictures
Year 1 have been drawing and painting their own version of a baptism or christening as part of our current RE topic. They have included a child being christened, the vicar, godparents, family and friends.
Year 3 Prehistoric Art: Mark Making
Year 3 have had a fantastic afternoon, using the natural materials collected on our walk earlier this week to experiment with mark making. This term, we have been focusing on prehistoric art and the class will be creating a cave wall painting! We thought about how during Prehistoric times, humans did not have paint and brushes like we do now, so instead would have used natural materials to create their artwork, like we have done today!
Year 3 Art: Collecting Natural Materials
On Tuesday afternoon, Year Three went on a walk to Whitehall Park, where we collected some natural materials to use in our next Art lesson. The children will be experimenting with using natural materials for mark making. We collected a variety of different materials, such as acorns, bark, sticks, leaves, conkers and moss!
Year 3: Coronation Art
To mark the King’s Coronation, Year 3 have created a collage of King Charles III. The class are going to take their artwork home with them, to keep as a way to remember this special historical event for many years to come!
Year 1 Lego printing
Year 1 have been exploring different ways of creating patterns and using different colours when printing. They have painted Lego blocks using poster paint and printed different patterns in different colours.
Year 1- Fruit and yogurt pots.
After food tasting and designing our yogurt pots today was the day we got to make them and eat them! We’ve had such an great time making them and a even better time eating them!
Reception- Easter Creations
Today the children enjoyed making some Easter chicks. They explored the different creative materials such as feathers, pipe cleaners and sequins. We discussed the different features we could include such as the eyes, beak and feathers.
Year 3- Easter Artwork
Year 3 have been on a beautiful walk to the Rose Garden in Whitehall park today. We walked sensibly, taking in the lovely views and stopping to be still, listening to the birds and water close by. Once we arrived we explored the Rose Garden using the paths, looking at each classes art work displays. We then completed a quiz where we answered questions by finding the relevant piece of artwork. We invite you all to visit the Rose Garden during the Easter period and enjoy all of the artwork on display.
Year 5 - Easter Artwork Walk
The whole school has created some fantastic artwork showing all the different parts of the Easter story. Today we went for a walk up to the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park to have a look at the pieces of work that have been chosen to be displayed. Whilst we were there we had a little sing song of some of the Easter Hymns we have been learning in our worships.
Year 4 - Easter Artwork Walk
Our Year 4 class, loved visiting the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park yesterday. And what lovely weather we’ve had for it. The children really enjoyed viewing the Easter art created in school, saying prayers and singing songs with the children from Reception class. They even came back to the classroom to write some Easter scavenger hunt clues for the other classes. We hope you and your families have a chance to visit too.
Easter Artwork in Whitehall Park
The children have all been learning about Easter in RE. As part of their learning, they have created some Easter artwork which is displayed in Whitehall park. It will be displayed over the holidays so it is a great opportunity for you to visit with your family.
Reception: Easter Art
Reception class enjoyed visiting the rose garden to see all of the Easter art work. They chose their favourites and explained why. We then sang some Easter songs with Year 4 and said some prayers. We even had some time to develop our gross motor skills on the playground.
Reception - Designing a Superhero Comic
Today Reception class received a very special letter from Captain America. He had left some of his superhero comics for us to look at. We then designed our own superhero and Supertato inspired comic strips. The children tried really hard to sequence a story and used speech bubbles too. Well done Reception class!
Reception - Art - Observational Drawing
In Art this week we looked at observational drawings. We studied the daffodils carefully and used artist pencils to sketch the flowers. The children included details such as leaves and buds and then used the pencils to lightly shade some areas. The children were very proud of their works of art!
Year 2 - Easter Symbols
During our Re lesson, we have been looking at a variety of symbols that are related to the Easter story and what they mean to Christians. We have designed our own stained glass windows with Easter symbols that will be displayed in Whitehall Park.
Year 1: Easter Story
Year 1 have been looking at correctly sequencing pictures from the Easter story. They have been remembering significant events including the resurrection and created some artworks to reflect this.
Year 2: Taking Rubbings
During our art lessons we have been experimenting with the formal elements of art. We looked at creating at through rubbings of many different materials. We went around out local area taking rubbings of: trees, benches, rocks and walls to create a variety of patterns.
Reception: Mother’s Day Celebration
It was wonderful to welcome our Mummies and Nannies into Reception today. The children painted pictures and explained why they loved their Mummies and sang some songs. Thank you for being such wonderful ladies, have a fabulous day on Sunday!
World Book Day Competition
During World Book Day, we held a whole school competition to create a book cover. All of the entries were excellent! Well done to: Cassidy in Year 1 Nevaeh in Year 2 Matthew in Year 4 Sienna in Year 5 Charlotte in Year 6 The children will all receive a £5 voucher to spend at our Scholastic book fair which will be at school between 15th-21st March. A huge well done to our winners and for everyone who took part. Just a reminder that our author Raysa Farah’s book is still available on parent pay to purchase. The last date to purchase the book will be next Friday.
Reception: Caring for our Environment
Today, we discussed what recycle, reuse and reduce meant. The children discussed what bins we find at school and what bins we have at home. We discussed why it is important to recycle. Did you know that some bottles can be recycled to make a part of a plane? The children were amazed! The children went outside to look at our recycle bins as they look very different to the ones we have at home. We also discussed how we can reduce waste and reuse. The children did some junk modelling to show how we can reuse boxes and different objects. We discussed how important it is to look after and care for our world.
Reception: Designing a fire engine
As part of our learning all about superheroes, we have been making fire engines in our malleable area. Before the children could make their fire engine, they were set a challenge of designing their fire engine and labelling it. They then followed their design to build their fire engine. Super work!
Betrayal, trust and forgiveness art - Year 4
In Year 4 RE today, we looked at artwork showing Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. We talked about how the artwork showed Judas betraying Jesus and why Jesus didn’t stop him. After discussing the artwork, we then took inspiration from it and created our own pictures of Judas’ betrayal.
Year 5- Design and Technology- Electrical System
This term in D.T. the Year 5 class has been applying knowledge of circuits to practical activities. The children worked in small groups to create a moving toy vehicle using a battery-powered electric car that is able to move forward and reverse as well as having lights that can be switched on and off, they have made an air conditioning unit, a windmill, floating boat, and a floating ball. The children took inspiration from a parent engineer, who left a set of materials for us to work with, including a battery, a DVD motor with a connector, and a propeller. The children were thrilled with the outcome.
.jpg)
Year 3 World Book Day: Design your own book cover competition
To celebrate World Book Day, the whole school have taken part in a 'Design your own book cover' competition. The book cover could be a favourite book, or a book that the children might want to write themselves one day! Year 3 loved creating their own entries and we have had such a variety of book covers, from 'Space Boy' to 'World War Ant'!
Year 5- World Book Day- Happy Reading
The Year 5 students have had an absolute blast celebrating 'World Book Day'. The children came dressed in their pyjamas which linked to the theme 'Bedtime Stories'. We carried out a series of fun activities to inspire everyone to pick up a book and read. We started the day with the whole school worship, we played guess the book and listened to Mrs. Ham read about her favourite author Charles Dickens. We also joined BBC live to listen to stories read by Michael Rosen and Kevin Tsang. We also had a visit from an author Raysa Farah who read her story, 'A cub without a mane'. The children had the opportunity to ask the author questions related to the book and her life. In the afternoon, we had a blind date with a book. The children were all given a book to unwrap and discuss the cover and blurb of the book with their partners. We then gathered what the children thought of the cover and blurb, some of the children said they would never pick the book based on the cover and blurb. However, after 10 minutes of reading the book the children wanted to know what happens next. The moral of the activity was to never judge a book by its cover. We also got creative and drew pictures of our favourite characters. Finally, we started to write a story together as a class which demonstrates the power and joy of reading.
Year 2 - Repeated Patterns
During our art lesson, year 2 children learnt and perfected their repeated pattern designs. The children explored a variety of patterns using paint and many everyday objects to create shapes. They practiced the printed shapes and then created repeated patterns based on the ones they think turned out the best.
Year 5- Art- Space Imagery
In Art, Year 5 have been thinking about what the future might look like. They created their own futuristic artworks and printed a background using marble ink to create a galaxy effect. They have taken inspiration from Teis Albers's piece 'Moonwalk' and Andy Warhols’ ‘Moonwalk’ artwork. They have used their art sketchbooks to record their observations and to review and revise their ideas. They have looked at illustrations from the ‘Space Race’ era: exploring how imagery was used and how it influenced art and design and evaluated images using knowledge of the formal elements. They have generated, developed, modelled, and communicated their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, and cross-sectional and exploded diagrams.
Year 5- D.T- Parent Engineer
WOW!!!! The Year 5 class were thrilled to learn all things engineering. The class of engineers were very lucky to meet a parent who works as an engineer. He answered questions which the children had prepared before his visit. The children were inspired by to his journey. They were fascinated to learn about his job, what his job involves and the places he has travelled to in order to become as successful as he has today. He highlighted the importance of designing something first, then producing it and watching it work. The children learnt about different types of engineering such as constructional engineer and electronic engineer. The children have now been left with a project to make a floating ball, windmill, air conditioning unit, sailing boat and a moving vehicle.
Year 1- R.E
In R.E we had a discussion about what makes Jesus special. We created some valentines hearts to give to someone who is special to us.
Year 4 Art - Analysing and Interpreting Abstract paintings
In our art lesson today, we have been looking at abstract art by Fiona Rae. We looked at how she organised her paints, what types of paint she used and how she develops her ideas. We also identified what formal elements of art that she incorporates in her paintings.
Year 3 Art: Tie Dye
This week, Year 3 have been busy getting creative with tie dye! This term, our focus in Art has been on Craft and we have been focusing on understanding the process a textile designer might take, in order to reach a final design. We created our own mood boards, which showcased our favourite colours, places and people. We then used our mood boards to inspire our chosen colours and designs for our tie dye t-shirts! The children completed each stage of the tie dye process and we will be evaluating our t-shirt designs and discussing what worked well and anything we would change for next time.
Year 3 Tie Dye: The Finished Product!
We are so pleased with our tie dye t-shirts! The children chose their colour theme, based on the moods boards we created in art and it has been great to see the class learn a new craft! As it is Children's mental health week, we have also really enjoyed getting creative and relaxing our minds, with Art!
Reception- Junk Modelling
The children have had a great time this week bringing their creativity to life in the creative area. They have made various models using junk modelling from cars and aeroplanes to hats and cupcakes. They have used amazing imagination and developed lots of fine motor and creativity skills along the way.
Year 4 Art - Children's Games by Pieter Bruegel - Part 1
In art we have been looking at lots of different artists and analysing their work. This week we have been looking at ‘Children’s Games’ by Pieter Bruegel which was painted in 1506 in Brabant, Belgium. We found that there are 83 different games being played in this picture and each paints a picture and tells a story. We then recreated the artists work in our very own pic collage.
Year 4 Art - Children's Games by Pieter Bruegel Part 2
In art we have been looking at lots of different artists and analysing their work. This week we have been looking at ‘Children’s Games’ by Pieter Bruegel which was painted in 1506 in Brabant, Belgium. We found that there are 83 different games being played in this picture and each paints a picture and tells a story. We then recreated the artists work in our very own pic collage.
Year 6 Art- Still-life sketching
In Art, year 6 have been creating their own still-life sketches of WW2 items. We decided on this as our focus because of our local history topic in which we will look in more detaIl at the role Darwen played in WW2.
Year 1- Art
In art we’ve been looking at drawing and colouring with different media. We’ve used 2D shapes to draw around before adding colour using paint, pastels, charcoal, pencils and felt tips to make our artwork look effective.
Year 3 Art
In preparation for our observational art lesson, year 3 were asked to bring in a soft toy which they were very excited to share with the class. During this lesson the class used their pencil skills to apply soft markings to their paper to create an image of their soft toy.
Reception - Chinese New Year
This week, we have been learning all about Chinese New Year. We have practised writing Chinese numbers, tasted different Chinese foods, learned all about the famous dragon parades and even made our own dragon! We have really enjoyed learning all about the traditions of Chinese New Year and comparing them to our own experiences and celebrations.
Reception - Chinese New Year
This week, we have been learning all about Chinese New Year. We have practised writing Chinese numbers, tasted different Chinese foods, learned all about the famous dragon parades and even made our own dragon! We have really enjoyed learning all about the traditions of Chinese New Year and comparing them to our own experiences and celebrations.
Year 5- Art- Packaging Collage
In our art lesson this afternoon, we have creatively arranged a collection of our favourite sweet wrappers to draw, firstly sketching a basic outline of each to get the layout and proportions right and then adding the detail of the lettering, shapes, and illustrations before colouring it in.
Year 1- Under the sea- Mark making
WOWZERS Year 1!! What a great afternoon we’ve had. This afternoon we having been looking at different kinds of mark making to make the perfect under the sea picture. We’ve used oil pastels, chalk, wax crayons and soft pastels to make the waves. We talked about using different shades of blues and greens to make our pictures look effective. We finished off by adding our own sea creatures.
Year 3 Art- tints and shades
Year 3 have had lots of fun in art this week, our challenge was to create a picture using the skill of shading. We did this using paints, mixing either white or black to change the shade of their original colour. Their art work is all unique and very effective. Well done Year 3!
Reception - Pointillism
In Art, Reception Class learned all about Pointillism. We looked at examples and practised the technique using cotton buds. We knew we had to hold the tool correctly and not put too much paint on it to achieve the effect. We used the technique to create starfish, octopus and fish for a display. We loved learning all about pointillism!
Reception: Painting
In continuous provision, the children have been completing a challenge to complete a water colour painting. They have drawn sea creatures and then painted their picture in blue to create a water effect. All of the children have worked really hard and have learnt how much water paint to use.
Year 5- Art- A walking Line
This afternoon in Art, we have been taking a line for a walk, work inspired by Paul Klee. To improve mastery of art, the children took a black and white photocopy of a textured material centred on an A4 page and using an art pencil, extended their drawing outwards.
Year 3 Christmas Artwork in the Rose Garden, Whitehall Park
Year 3 have produced some fantastic pieces of artwork, representing the shepherds visiting the stable and being in the presence of God. They have been displayed in the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park along with the Remembrance artwork. If you’re on a family walk in the area this Christmas holiday, please go along and appreciate the lovely artwork.
Christmas Service at St Barnabas Church, Lead by KS2
This morning, the whole school came together for our Christmas Service at St Barnabas Church, lead by KS2. Over this term, KS2 classes have been preparing short presentations for the service, about an element of Christmas that they have been focusing on in R.E. In Year 3, the class presented pieces of artwork, focusing on the shepherd's visiting Jesus in the stable and being in the presence of God. Year 4 looked at Christingle's and created a fantastic rap, about the meaning of the Christingle and Jesus being the light of the World. Year 5 spoke about how different countries celebrate Christmas around the World. Finally, Year 6 spoke about Advent and what it means to them. Some children also shared their hopes and dreams for the future. The WOW Group also helped to lead parts of the service and we sang a selection of Christmas Carols as a whole school. Overall, we really enjoyed learning about different elements of Christmas and KS2 presented their learning brilliantly!
Year 3 D.T: Making our Christmas Photo Frames
Year 3 used either wooden lollipop sticks or wooden dowels to create their photo frames. Some children painted their materials, before using a hot glue gun to create the frame. The children who chose to use the dowels, used a saw to cut the wood down to the correct size. We will be evaluating our finished products and thinking about what worked well and what we would change, if we were to design and make our photo frames again.
Reception Stickman
This week, the children have been looking at the stickman story. They have been superstars at creating stickman pictures including, drawing Stickman’s Lady Love and his family tree. They showed good understanding, as they were able to tell us their favourite parts of the story. Some children even had a go at writing Stickman’s name.
Year 3 RE Artwork
Year 3 have produced some fantastic pieces of artwork, representing the shepherds visiting the stable and being in the presence of God.
Year 3 R.E: How does it feel to be in the presence of God?
In R.E this term, the class have been exploring how the presence of God impacts people's lives. To begin with, we discussed the meaning of presence and how we know someone is present with us. Over the past few weeks, we have been looking at pieces of artwork that represent the shepherds visiting Jesus in The Nativity Story. Each child chose a piece of artwork that they were most inspired by and created their own piece, representing how God was present, during the birth of baby Jesus. The class will be presenting their artwork in church on Friday 16th December, during our whole school service at St Barnabas Church.
Reception: Birthday Celebration
Today, the children in Reception read Kipper’s birthday. We looked at what happens at a party and the importance of a birthday invitation. They found out why it is important to have the correct number of candles on a cake. The children are preparing for a toy party on Friday by creating necklaces, crowns and cakes.
Reception: All About Autumn
This week, the children are learning all about Autumn. They have been very busy in provision creating Autumn faces, hedgehogs and trees. They’ve also been counting different Autumn pictures and matching it to the correct numeral.
Golden Time - Year 5
During our 'golden time' this afternoon. The children have been involved in some fun and enjoyable activities. We had some children trying to complete a very challenging jigsaw which they managed to complete successfully, with great teamwork. Some of the children were competing against each other on TT Rockstars, drawing, teaching each other how to create a french plait and playing a game of cards. This is a wonderful way to reward them for their learning demonstrated throughout the week.
Remembrance Day Art in the Rose Garden, Whitehall Park
We have been overwhelmed with the entries for the Remembrance Art competition. We have displayed some in the hall and some in the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park. You are welcome to view the entries in the hall tomorrow morning in celebration worship and I’m sure the children would love to visit the park over the weekend. It has been extremely difficult to judge them as all of the entries are so unique and special. We will be revealing the winners next week when Mrs Govan and a member of FOSB are in school. I won’t be in school tomorrow as I’m attending a training course but Mr Prescott and Year 6 will be leading our celebration worship and will be holding a two minutes silence for Armistice Day.
Reception: Remembrance Art
The children in Reception have been practising their expressive arts and design skills. They have been joining materials to create poppies in the malleable area and have been selecting the correct colours to accurately paint poppies. The children were able to explain why we wear poppies.
Year 2 - Sketching and Shading
Year 2 creating different patterns, sketches and shading using a variety of different methods. They explored different patterns and combinations within their shading to create their own unique patterns.
Reception- All about Bonfire Night
Reception have been learning about Bonfire Night this week. Today, we looked at the importance of staying safe around bonfires and fireworks. For example, we discussed how only adults can set off fireworks, how we should stand well back and the importance of wearing gloves. We then went outside and used the powder paint to create our own colourful fireworks.
Year 6 Art
Last half term, year 6 carried out an art unit all about making their voice heard. The unit concluded with the children completing a piece of abstract art inspired by Picasso’s ‘Guernica’. The children used WW2 as their focus for the artwork as they will be looking more closely at Darwen’s role in the war later in the year. Next Friday is Remembrance Day, and year 6 will be explaining the symbolism involved in their piece.
Reception: Muddy Monday
Today, the children in Reception learnt how to cross the road. With their partner they stopped, looked and listened and shouted “Clear!” to Mrs Wilkinson when it was safe to cross. They all remained very alert and looked all around them. We then went to the park to collect some sticks in preparation for our bonfire pictures.
Art and Design Skills Year 4 Optical Illusions
As part our Art and Design skills unit we have been looking at optical illusions. We selected two images linked to our Amazon theme, cut them into slices and added them to a piece of A3 card that we had folded like a fan. We are really pleased with the end result!
Year 1- Mixing colours
In Art year 1 have been using primary colours to make different shades of a secondary colour.
FOSB Remembrance Day Art Competition
FOSB Remembrance Day Art Competition £1 entry on ParentPay 3 Hamper prizes to be won! Deadline: Friday 4th November Art work will be on Display in the School Hall on Friday 11th November during Celebration Worship and some pieces at Whitehall Park
Year 2 - Clarice Cliff Painting
Year 2 created their own Clarice cliff style plate. They painted circles using warm colours then contrasted using blue in the style of Clarice Cliff. They use straws and blew black paint to create a tree/branch effect which made the silhouette that Clarice Cliff is renowned for.
Willow Plate Painting Year 4 Art
We have been looking at Willow painting in our art session this week. We observed how to use tint to recreate a traditional design with undiluted ink and water wash to add lighter tones. The children selected three main parts from our class novel - The Explorer, sketched these out and then transferred the design to a paper plate. We are so happy with the end results.
Year 2 - Tile Painting
Year 2 painted clay tiles.
Year 2 - Creating a weave pattern.
Year 2 created their own weave patterns using different coloured card to create their own unique pattern. This weaving linked in well with their work on local history and the cotton industry.
Reception Exploring ICT
Reception have been exploring using Purple Mash to create a picture. This was their first time using ICT. Some of the children revisited previous knowledge of pen control, by creating patterns and circles.
Soap Sculptures- Year 4 Art
As part of our art this term, we have been looking at the work of an English sculpture specialist Barbara Hepworth. This week we focused on soap sculpting. We chose a rainforest animal, drew it out first then transferred this onto a bar of soap. Next we began to use sculpting tools to create our own design. The finished products looked fantastic!
Year 2 - Finished Clay Tiles
Year 2 - Finished Clay Tiles, decorated with patterns using everyday objects.
Year 2 - Sculpting Clay Tiles
Year 2 - Sculpting clay tiles using air dry clay. Children used everyday objects to print, sculpt and craft their tiles.
Reception - Everything Elmer!
This week in Reception we have been basing our work around the story of Elmer. The children have been busy making collages of the patchwork elephant, printing using sponges, playing Elmer dominoes in the Maths area and so much more. We talked about how Elmer is unique and not like the other elephants, just like God made us all special and unique to one another. What a super week!
Year 3- Applying geometrical shapes when drawing.
Year 3 have carefully sketched an image of a Diet Coke can, thinking about how hard to press on the page with their pencil, noticing shading and also applying geometrical shapes to their pictures. Great work Year 3!
Reception Kandinsky Circles
Today Reception looked at the work of Wassily Kandinsky. We talked about his job as an Artist and the tools he might need for his work. We looked at his famous painting of circles and talked about the colours he used and how we felt about the painting. Then we had a go at painting our own circles using bright colours in the painting area.
Year 3 Art- Formal Elements of Art
Year 3 have been enjoying Art this week, focusing on simple shapes and practicing their sketching skills.
Reception: Exploring outdoors
Reception have really enjoyed exploring their outdoor area. They have built houses using ‘cement’ in the sand, created potions in the water area, been busy roleplaying in the shop, painting, made mud pies, travelled around Darwen on the bikes and scooters and also enjoyed balancing on the equipment. They have been busy bees!
Every picture tells a story- Art- Year 5
This afternoon, the children learnt about the famous street artist Banksy. Banksy is known for his anti-authoritarian art, often done in public places such as the seaside, house walls, and buildings and every picture that he creates has a story to tell. In pairs and in small groups the children looked at the 'Clacton pigeon mural', bearing in mind the absence of 'British Values' in the mural. The famous picture has been considered inappropriate and offensive so the children altered the image to a scene that is more welcoming using dry media.
Reception’s Wonderful Paintings
Our new Ducklings have been painting some wonderful pictures for our classroom. They have been using their imagination and have painted their favourite things. They are learning how to use an easel and how to use the paint and tools effectively. Fantastic work!
Reception: Let’s get creative
Reception have really enjoyed learning how to use the creative area properly. They have been learning about the different materials and how to join them together with glue. They have then made their own creations. Well done!
Rainforest Habitat Diorama- D.T-Year 5
Today the children in Year 5 have been busy making their 3D structures of the Rainforest. They have first used water-based paint to paint the inside of the box to create a rainforest background. They also made some ferns, philodendrons, trees, butterflies and rainforest animals using plain paper or crepe paper whilst waiting for the paint to dry. Tightly twisted strips of green crepe paper to make jungle vines. To add that extra detail they used - small rocks, twigs, dried leaves, and other materials from nature to add texture to their diorama.
Year 4 Hokusai Inspired Art
In art, we have been looking at the Japanese artist Hokusai. We have been using various form of media to inspire own own pieces based on waves. The children have created some wonderful pieces of artwork using formal elements, moving towards the next stage- collage.
Year 2 D.T: Wacky Windmills!
During the summer term in D.T, Year 2 have been learning all about the purpose uses of windmills. We completed some market research to look at the different types of windmills and the materials that are used to make them. We then spent some time designing our own windmills and thinking about the materials that we could use the make them. This week, the class brought their designs to life and made their own windmill's using classroom materials and their own designs. We then evaluated our windmill's and thought about what we might do differently next time, to ensure our bases are strong and sturdy.
Year 6 Art
This week during art, year 6 looked at what needs to be considered before starting a piece of art. We compared 2 artists styles and thought about their view point. Our drawings started with a focus on the ‘natural forms’ included and created our image of London also considering the scale and content.
Reception’s Royal Art
Reception have been drawing amazing portraits of The Queen this week to celebrate the Jubilee. They drew the portraits in pencil first, then created a background using the colours of Great Britain using Brusho powder and water. We think they are a real royal treat!
Year 6 Art
Today Year 6 have been looking at the works of Wayne Thiebaud. They have recreated Artwork in his ‘birds eye view’ style and developed their pencil sketches using charcoal.
Gift for the Queen Competition Entries
We have had so many fantastic entries for the Jubilee gift competition with Darwen Rotary Club! Lots of children have made such thoughtful gifts for the Queen, so a big thank you to all those who entered. Unfortunately, we can only select 6 finalists to submit to Darwen Rotary Club for judging and we will be announcing these in Celebration Worship tomorrow with a small prize for each winner.
Year 1 Art- printing with with Lego Duplo
As part of their art unit, Year 1 have been inspired by Lowry. They first explored his artwork and some of the buildings in Darwen such as the library, India Mill, the laundrette as a part of terraced houses and Darwen Market Hall. Today, they used their drawings and turned them into prints using black paint and Duplo Lego.
Year 1- Lowry Inspired Artwork
This afternoon, Year 1 have been looking at artwork by LS Lowry. We noticed that his artwork was often based around a city landscape. We spotted buildings such as terraced houses, churches, shops and factories. We were then inspired by Lowry to draw some of these types of buildings that feature in Darwen such as India Mill, the row of terraced houses where the laundrette is positioned and Darwen Market Hall. First, we took our time to draw the outline of our building/s thinking about the size and shapes and then we took our time to add details to our buildings such as windows, roofs and doors. We can’t wait to use Duplo next week to make a print of our chosen building.
Reception stained glass window
This afternoon in RE we have been looking at features of a church as it is a very special place for Christians. One of the features is stained glass windows, so we had a go at making our own in the creative area.
Year 2 D.T: Wacky Windmills!
This week in D.T, Year 2 explored how to make strong bases. The class were given a selection of materials in groups and had a go at making a structure, using lolly sticks, glue and string. We thought about why it is important for buildings to have strong bases and in the coming weeks, we will be designing our own windmill's.
Year 3 Art - in the style of Georgia O’Keefe
Year 3 have been looking at paintings by Georgia O’Keefe. They have drawn flowers in her style.
Art inspired by Damien Hirst
We have created our art gallery today which features work inspired by Damien Hirst. We looked at various media and our final masterpieces were created by blow painting. They look amazing!
Reception Spring Activities
Reception are enjoying all of our Spring Activities in class. We have been completing beautiful observational drawings of Daffodils and have been exploring our mini beast small world area. We are learning about lots of the changes that take place in Spring such as leaves growing on trees and chicks hatching from their eggs.
Darwen Rotary Club - Create a gift for the Queen Competition
Good Morning, As you can see from the poster, we have a fantastic competition being run by Darwen Rotary Club, and we would love for the children in our school to take part. We are inviting the children to create a gift for the Queen to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, this is to be completed at home. The gift can be of any style they wish. We are looking for originality and inspiration from the children. Possible ideas are a poem, a song, a model, a piece of artwork - the list goes on! Please can all gifts be completed and brought into school ready for judging by Wednesday 11th May. We will judge the best 10 pieces for KS1 and the best 10 for KS2 and then arrange for a Rotarian to call into school and choose the final 3 winners for each category. There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places from each Key Stage. All the winning entries from each school will then go on display in Darwen Market Hall on the Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend, and on Saturday 4th June, 2 overall winners (1 for KS1 and 1 for KS2) will be selected from all the 1st place entries and the winners will win a tiled mural for their school! This is a very exciting opportunity and we would love for our children to get involved, if you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. We look forward to seeing some fantastic gifts for the Queen! Mrs Govan- Art and Design Leader
Easter Artwork in Whitehall Park
Come along to the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park to see the lovely Easter Artwork created by the children at St Barnabas. Wishing you all a lovely Easter.
Easter Craft- Year 5
The Easter Bunnies have been getting ready for Easter. They have been making Easter baskets and Easter wreaths.
Year 3 - Easter Artwork
Year 3 walked to the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park to look at the amazing Easter Artwork on display.
Reception Muddy Monday
The rain didn’t stop our Muddy Monday! This week the children went to Whitehall Park to visit the rose garden. The rose garden has a selection of Easter art work that our whole school have created. The children really enjoyed looking at the different pieces.
Easter Artwork in Year 4
The children have been working so hard on their Easter artwork over the past few weeks. We have looked at ‘Betrayal and Trust : Judas and Peter.
Art - Damien Hirst - Skulls
Our art session this week has been inspired by Damien Hirst. We have used lots of different media over the past few weeks but this week we focused on blow art with a straw. We can’t wait to see the finished pieces next week.
Year 2 Amazing Art!
Year 2 have been busy this week, creating their own piece of artwork, inspired by Andy Goldsworthy. The children chose a piece of art to focus on. They then sketched and painted their own pieces. Each piece is unique and the class are excited to showcase their art in the classroom!
Easter Artwork- Year 5
In our R.E lesson this week, the children have explored a wide variety of pieces of artwork depicting the Easter story including ‘The Crucifixion’ by John Reilly and ‘ The Resurrection’. Following on from that lesson, the children created abstract art celebrating the resurrection of Christ.
Reception Junk Modelling
The children have created an ambulance and fire engine. They collected recyclable materials and built their chosen vehicles. Super work!
Judas betraying Jesus
Year 6 have used their Art printing skills in RE today. Using a painting which depicts Judas giving Jesus a kiss on the cheek, revealing his identity, which lead to his arrest.
Year 2 Artwork inspired by Andy Goldsworthy
This term in Year 2, the class have been exploring the work of Andy Goldsworthy. We collected natural materials and created our own natural art.
Y4 Easter Art Sneak Peek
We’ve been busy in Year 4 preparing our Easter artwork for the Rose Garden this week. Look out for it in Whitehall Park soon. In the meantime, can you guess which parts from the Easter story we’ve been studying? Clue 1: the betrayal Clue 2: the kiss Clue 3: the cockerel
Year 3 Art - Trencadis collage
Year 3 Art - using Trencadis collage in the style of Gaudi.
Art - Tint and Shade with paint
In our art lesson today, we have looked at the use of tint and shade. The children tried really hard to create stage samples by adding white for a tint and black for shade. We will moving on to applying these techniques to skull designs.
Year 3 Art - Trencadis collage in the style of Gaudi.
Year 3 Art - We have begun our Trencadis collages in the style of Gaudi.
World Book Day
Developing setting descriptions using ‘Journey’ by Aaron Becker as a stimulus. Using printing skills to produce a collaborative piece of art work to illustrate our chosen setting.
Year 1- World Book Day
Year 1 enjoyed World Book day yesterday. As a whole school, we were focusing on the story ‘Journey by Aaron Becker.’ In the story the girl visited lots of settings such as a medieval city and the woods. Year 1 brainstormed ideas for their own settings. They came up with ideas such as a water park, a cave, a fairground, a toy museum, and a jungle. They even came up with ideas that meant that we would need to go back in time such as the Victorian times and the time when dinosaurs were alive. Eventually, we settled on a candy land. They then brainstormed ideas for getting to their destination. The girl in the video used a hot air balloon, boat and magic carpet. Year 1 came up with lots of ideas such as a witch’s broomstick, a zip line, a quad bike, a helicopter, a unicorn and a surfboard. We decided on a quad bike. Year 1 then did a piece of collaborative artwork to showcase their candy land setting and wrote some wonderful descriptive phrases to describe the setting using adjectives. Year 1 also took part in the whole school competition and decorated their own bunting with their favourite book. We had bunting decorated with The Gruffalo, Oi Frog, The Gingerbread Man, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Day the Crayon’s Quit, The Scarecrows’ Wedding, Funny Bones, The Runaway Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, Lost and Found, Stickman and Peace at Last. We can’t wait to have our bunting displayed in the library. We are hoping that it will encourage other children to choose our favourite book and take it home to read as their library book.
World Book Day Assembly
Miss Flynn, our Reading leader led a special World Book Day Assembly this morning. We watched a special voucher rap and learnt how we can get free books using our World Book Day voucher and Miss Flynn shared her top suggestions for each year group. We then looked at a wordless story called The Journey by the Aaron Becker. The little girl in the story had a magic red pencil that she used to draw different types of transport that took her on a magical journey. Miss Flynn challenged each class to create their own St Barnabas journey and to use their imaginations to create their own settings and form of transport. We can’t wait to see what they produce as we had some amazingly imaginative ideas during our assembly. Our library leaders told everyone about a favourite book bunting competition that every child will take part in today. We can't wait to see the entries and there will be a winner from each class announced on Monday in Worship. This afternoon class teachers will be swapping classes to read to a different year group. The children will enjoy fair trade hot chocolate and marshmallows whilst snuggling up in their pyjamas and listening to a story.
Year 2 World Book Day
We have had a fun filled day in Year 2, celebrating all things reading! We shared our favourite books, authors and characters with each other and designed our own book covers! We also completed a piece of artwork for our whole school reading display, focused around the beautiful wordless picture book ‘Journey’ by Aaron Becker.
Ks2 Art Club
Year 5 and 6 have been enjoying our Art club after school. This week we have been focusing on abstract Art and have been looking at the work of Kandinsky. The children have taken inspiration from his art work to have a go at creating their own abstract piece to showcase their emotions through line, shape and colour.
Year 5- World Book Day
We have had a great day today for World Book Day and everyone looked so brilliant in their pjs and oodies /snuggies. We have been creating our own setting and transport based on the book Journey by Aaron Becker and the art work has been absolutely fantastic! I have also sent home a £1 book voucher for each child. Happy World Book Day
Year 6- World Book Day
Year 6 had a brilliant day celebrating World Book Day, they started a creative writing piece, did some image printing, read stories and were even treated to a hot chocolate!
Reception World Book Day
Reception had a brilliant day dressed all cosy in their pyjamas for World Book Day.
Superheroes topic launched in Reception!
Today we have launched our brand new Superheroes topic in Reception. We read the story of Supertato. The evil pea has been causing lots of trouble for the teachers in Reception. The children have created their own Supertato characters and have been designing jails and capes to defeat the evil pea. The evil pea has been hiding all day in our classroom but our Superheroes have been brilliant at locating him! What a super start to the new half term!
Amazing Art
Reception, Year 1, Year 5 and Year 6’s amazing art work is up in our Art Gallery in the hall. They have been focusing on different artists and different art elements and skills over the half term and this is their end outcome. The work looks amazing and so individual and unique.
Marbling - Year 5
This term in Art, Year 5 have been applying a number of skills to create a piece of art work inspired by Andy Warhol. On Friday, the children tried marbling to create swirling paint effects and exciting patterns. They experimented different colour combinations to make their own unique galaxy and planets.
Reception Pointillism Art
Today Reception have been learning about the Art style Pointillism which began with the French Artist Georges Seurat. The children used cotton buds to make lots of small dots on sea creature templates.
Year 1 Art- Primary and Secondary Colours
Yesterday, Year 1 explored primary and secondary colours in their art lesson. First, they made the secondary colours by mixing small balls of plasticine in the primary colours. They then went on to making the secondary colours by mixing paint. Well done Year 1.
Year 5: Art
Year 5 have been researching Andy Warhol and have found some really useful information about him and his life.
Reception: the Rainbow fish
This week, Reception are learning all about the rainbow fish. They have been creating their own fish using different collage materials, discussing how the characters may feel in the story and they have been writing describing words about the rainbow fish. The children have also enjoyed creating their own watercolour pictures using wax crayons and water paint.
Year 1 Art
Year 1 have been exploring line in their art lesson today. They created vertical, horizontal, diagonal, wavy and spiral lines as well as some others. We are working towards producing a piece of artwork inspired by Hundertwasser.
Reception launches their under the sea topic
Reception are really enjoying the start of their brand new topic! They are starting to learn all about different animals that live in the sea and ocean.
Year 6’s Advent Adventure
Year 6 had a great time at the Rose Garden appreciating the advent artwork and singing Christmas songs.
Year 3’s Advent Adventure
Year 3 had a wonderful time on their advent adventure in Whitehall Park. They sang several Christmas songs too to get them in the festive mood!
Whitehall Park Visit - Reception
Reception have been out on a walk to the Rose Garden to see the Advent Art. We also had a sing song and a visit to the park!
Winter Art
We have been very busy creating more masterpieces in Year 4 today. The children used chalk to create these winter scenes and we are sure that you will agree that they are very impressive!
Reception: making Reindeer food
This week we have learnt all of the names of Santa’s reindeer. We have looked at what reindeer look like and what they eat. We have made some magical reindeer food to take home. The children followed the instructions carefully to make their reindeer food. They can’t wait to sprinkle it outside their houses on Christmas Eve night!
Rose Garden - Year 5
This afternoon, Year 5 went up to the Rose Garden in Whitehall park. We were overwhelmed with the beautiful artwork that was displayed by our children. Before we left the park, we sang some Christmas songs based around the artwork to get everyone in the festive spirit.
Barny’s Advent Art!
Thank you to all the children who took part in our Advent Art competition and well done to the Winners; Daisy, Harry, Eliza and Kaycie! Everyone’s Art work was fantastic, and because of this, all of the Art work has now been put up on Display at Whitehall Park in the Rose Garden, so please visit if you can! Well done everyone ⭐️
Advent Art Competition
After the success of last year's Advent Art competition, we have decided to run another one for this Christmas. This is a chance for the children to get creative at home and get into the festive spirit! We are asking the children to create a piece of Art work to show a part of the Christmas story, e.g. The 3 wise men, the star of Bethlehem, baby Jesus - There are lots of ideas online for inspiration. The Art work can be created using a variety of media such as painting, drawing, photographs, collage, etc but we ask that it is no larger than A3 in size and flat enough so that we can laminate them. 24 entries will be selected to go on display at Whitehall Park for an Advent Adventure trail and there are prizes to be won! The deadline for all entries is Monday 6th December, judging will take place shortly after this to select the final 24. Please give any entries to Class Teachers when they are complete.
Year 1- Making Tudor Houses
Year 1 were set the challenge of independently making a Tudor house in the creative area this week. They have used scissors, sellotape, staples, glue and masking tape independently to do this. Well done Year 1.
Year 2 Remembers
This afternoon on Remembrance Day, Year 2 paid their respects, by visiting the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park and viewing all of the beautiful remembrance art, created by each class in school. We also shared some special remembrance prayers with Year 4 and looked at some of the different war memorials in Darwen. The children were so respectful and we are so proud of their brilliant art work!
Remembrance Day Art
This afternoon we have created some wonderful pieces of artwork in Year 3. The children choose their favourite piece from two designs and then set to work on their own version. We used charcoal and pastels to add depth which is very effective.
Year 4 & Year 2 visit the Rose Garden
We loved our walk to the Rose Garden for Remembrance Day today. We chose our favourite poppy art, read poems and said prayers for those who have lost their lives due to war. A very peaceful, reflective afternoon.
Reception visit to the Rose Garden
Reception really enjoyed looking at all of the poppy art work to remember all of the soldiers. They will be having an activity day on Thursday to learn all about the meaning of the poppy.
Remembrance in the Rose Garden
Well done to all of our children for their wonderful Remembrance Day Artwork that has been displayed in the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park for you all to enjoy. Thank you Mrs Govan for organising this and to our teachers for their creative ideas. We will remember them.
Year 1- Poppy Collages
In their art lessons, Year 1 have been learning about the different textures of materials that can be used within collages and how these materials can be cut, torn and ripped to produce artwork. This week in continuous provision, they have independently applied these skills to create their own poppy collages ready for Remembrance Day next week.
Poppy Art- Year 5
Georgia O’ Keefe inspired Poppy Art. The children drew poppies and then experimented with adding colour using different media, (oil pastels, water colours and wax crayons). We began by discussing the historical context of poppies as a symbol of remembrance, the end of conflict in the First World War.
Awesome Artwork by Year 4
Today we finished our ‘Britto Inspired’ artwork and it’s amazing! The children have worked extremely hard on their pieces and each and everyone is a unique masterpiece. Please see our class gallery for further photos.
Creative Minds
This model of Darwen Tower was built in our peace garden, using wooden planks.
Reception: Exploring Autumn
This week, Reception have been finding out all about Autumn. They have learnt all about what happens in Autumn and have learnt some new vocabulary too: deciduous and evergreen. Super learning!
Art CPD at DACA
This evening we have taken part in some wonderful Art CPD at DACA. We have looked at mono printing , reverse mono printing, poly print and Lino print. What a fantastic opportunity for us as staff! We can’t wait to try it all out in our classrooms.
Year 2 3D Clay Modelling!
This term in Art, Year 2 have been learning about observational art. Last week, the class designed their own tower and on Friday, the class used their designs to create a 3D clay model tower!
Victorious Viking Art
We love art in Year 5. We particularly enjoy learning about the skills required to create some awesome work. Our Viking longships are looking amazing.
Fantastic fossils
Year 3 loved printing with the fossil shapes they made last week out of string.
Creating master pieces in the style of Romero Britto in Year 4
In Year 4, we have been studying the life and work of Romero Britto. We have been identifying the key elements of his artwork and analysing a variety of pieces. Today we selected pieces of his artwork that feature animals and used these to create our own examples using pencil and felt. We are really pleased with what we have achieved.
Aliens have landed in Reception!
An alien called Zap landed in Reception this week. The alien wrote a letter to the children and told them that he was lonely. We have thought about what makes a good friend and created our own alien friends. The children have made aliens using foam and have named and described them, they have painted aliens and created 2D shape aliens! Our Ducklings are really enjoying reading the story ‘Aliens love underpants’ too.
Our Amazing Art Gallery!
We have our amazing Art Gallery up in the school hall again! This time, each class has focused on their drawing skills to create their own self-portraits. The children have all worked really hard and have shown off their drawing techniques, such as shading to create different tones. Well done everyone!
Year 1 Art
Year 1 have been exploring warm and cool colours in Art.
Year 1's super self-portraits!
Look at Year 1's fabulous self- portraits. Well done Year 1, we are so proud of you as they look amazing!