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.
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 Hockey with Progressive Sports
In our first hockey session this half term we had the pleasure of having specialist coaching from Progressive Sports. We started with the basics learning all about how to hold a hockey stick, basic rules and dribbling with a ball. Once we had mastered dribbling, we moved onto stopping the ball and avoiding each other by taking the ball in a different direction.
Year 3 - P.E- Hockey
To begin our invasion games unit focused on hockey, a specialist provided instruction on core skills, emphasising sending and receiving the ball. The children will build on this foundation by participating in small-sided games designed to develop and apply invasion game strategies.
WOW Badge Design Winners
A huge well done to our seven WOW badge design winners! We had so many entries for the badges which made it very difficult to pick a winner from each class. Thank you to every child who created their designs and submitted them to the competition. We picked the top three from the age group winners which have been sent off to the national competition which closes this week so fingers crossed .
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Inter - House Bench Ball in Year 4
This morning we took part in the inter- house bench ball which was led by our super sports leaders. The children were playing with their house team; River Darwen, India Mill, Whitehall Park and Darwen Tower. It was fantastic to see everyone joining in and being amazing St Barnabas encouragers. What a super way to end the half term and huge thanks to the sports leaders for organising this opportunity.
Inter- House Bench Ball
What a great Inter- House Bench Ball event we have had today. From Reception to Year 6 every child in school took part. The Sports Leaders led the event and managed each class really well . All of the children engaged with the year group sessions and were really enthusiastic, encouraging each other and working hard to develop their skills. Well done to everyone and a special thanks to The Sports Leaders. Another great event that involved every single child in school!
Mad Science Assembly- Whole School
Today, the children were treated to a spectacular science show by Scientific Sarah from Mad Science. Sarah, a trained professional in handling chemicals and fire, emphasized safety throughout the engaging and interactive presentation. Throughout the show, children were encouraged to make predictions about what might happen next, fostering their scientific thinking skills. The children couldn't stop laughing, and there were so many "wow" moments throughout the presentation. The show featured three exciting experiments. First, the children were highly amused by "Egg Bert," a boiled egg that initially resisted entering a glass cylinder. After removing the shell (humorously referred to as his "clothing"), Sarah demonstrated how air pressure, a principle discovered by Jacques Charles, could be used to force the egg into the cylinder. Heating the air inside allowed the egg to slip in, and then, following Charles' suggestion, Sarah introduced cold air to pop the egg back out, to the children's great interest. The second experiment showcased red cabbage juice, a versatile pH indicator discovered by Robert Boyle in 1664. With the help of James, one of the school's science ambassadors, Sarah peeled and blended the cabbage. She explained how adding acid or alkaline substances to the juice would dramatically change its color, creating another captivating visual demonstration. Cassidy also assisted with this experiment. Finally, Sarah performed a "fire hands" experiment. Referencing Doctor Walter Snell's work on storing gas in tanks, she again stressed the importance of safety. Sarah then created three fire bubbles on her hand, a truly mesmerizing finale. Flyers are going home today with details about a new Mad Science After School Club starting next half term, on Monday, February 24th. Importantly, the topics covered in this club are different from those offered last year, so even if your child has participated before, they are guaranteed to learn something new! Registration letters, also going home today, contain full course details and information on how parents can register their children online. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 17th. Interested parents can register online on a first-come, first-served basis at https://northengland.madscience.org. The entire show was a memorable and educational experience for the children, and we're excited to offer this after-school opportunity.
Children’s Mental Health Week and Dress to Express Worship
Today was our special ‘ Dress to Express’ Worship to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week. The theme of Dress to Express this year is ‘Know Yourself and Grow Yourself’. Children's emotional well-being is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health helps them develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults Our Heads and Deputies led the worship this week and started by telling everyone how they express themselves and they asked us all how we express ourself best. We heard that some children express themselves through playing football or other sports, dancing, listening to music and art etc. Mrs Ham showed us photos of how she likes to support her mental health through walking up huge fells with her dogs and her family. We then watched a clip from Inside Out the movie when Riley looked at various memories. We met sadness, joy, fear, disgust and anger. The children and Mrs Ham then acted out an emotion and the rest of the children had to guess what it was. We all feel different emotions but these affect our mental health. 5 Ways to Well-being are a great way to support our mental well-being such as: being physically active, connecting with others, learning new skills, giving to others and paying attention to the present moment (mindfulness). A question that the children presented asked ‘ How well do we really know ourselves?’ The children really enjoyed watching the clips and guessing the emotions that the characters were showing. The children shared when they too had experienced the emotions and how it made them feel. In another clip, we learnt about a boy named Malaki who felt like he was bad at everything he tried. Malaki was encouraged to ‘level up’ by his friends and people around him who cared for him. He was challenged to try a new skill which included skiing and ballet and tried his best with both. Although he wasn’t great at ballet he was awarded recognition for his determination and resilience. The children were asked what they had learnt from the video and the responses were: to keep going even if you aren’t the best, to not fall at the first hurdle and you can do anything that you set your mind to. We are all unique and special and God gave us many talents, some of yet we might not have discovered. We should let our light shine for all the world to see. We said our special Year of Prayer about our talents again and thanked God for the talents we have and the ones we are yet to discover. Our Heads and Deputies then finished with a special prayer for Children's Mental Health Week. To end our Worship we had the pleasure in listening to Renee, Molly, Alice and Lyla who read their acrostic poems ‘ Being Me’ and we sand 'Shine from the Inside Out' with our best singing voices and actions. What a wonderful way to start our day and a great end our Children's Mental Health Week, although we know that we need to focus on our mental health and wellbeing every day, not just this week.
Meet Our Science Ambassadors
We are thrilled to announce that we now have five Science Ambassadors at our school! This exciting role was open to KS2 students, who had to submit an application explaining why they wanted to apply and what made them a strong candidates. We received an incredible number of applications, making the selection process very challenging, but we have now chosen our final five. Our ambassadors are passionate about science, whether it's through experimenting, discovering how things work, or inspiring others to develop a love for the subject. As part of their role, they will support teachers during science lessons, assist their peers with investigations, help set up experiments, and promote a love of science throughout the school. They will also play a key part in science events and initiatives, encouraging curiosity and excitement for learning. We are so proud of them and look forward to Noah, Mathew, James, Cassidy and Naomi shining in their new role!
Year 4- Athletics in the Sun
In our PE lesson today we focused on Sportshall Athletics activities with a twist as we did it outside. We practised baton exchange in relays, soft javelin and ball push. The children loved working in teams and pushed themselves hard to achieve their very best. We finished off the session with a mixed relay and next lesson we aim to incorporate equipment from both the obstacle and over and under relays.
Break times in the sunshine
What a pleasure it has been to have the sun visiting us today. We are so lucky to have the surroundings that we do and the children really enjoyed their break time using the MUGA, outdoor gym, creative play and trim trails.