Worship with Rev. Matt
Today’s worship with Rev. Matt began with The Story of the Great Parade. Rev. Matt invited children to take on different roles, bringing the story to life with waving leaves and flags as Year 6 paraded around the hall. The atmosphere was filled with excitement, just as it would have been on that first Palm Sunday, when crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. After the reenactment, Rev. Matt explained the significance of Palm Sunday, reminding the children that Christians around the world still celebrate it today. He encouraged them to think about the emotions of the crowd —joy, hope and anticipation—as they welcomed Jesus as their king. He then explored a key Bible verse: “He always had the nature of God, but took on the nature of a servant.” The children reflected on what this means and discussed how they could show humility and kindness in their own lives. Ideas included helping others without expecting rewards, showing respect to friends and family, and using their voices to support those in need. To close the worship, Rev. Matt led a moment of quiet reflection, asking the children to think about one small way they could follow Jesus’ example this week. It was a meaningful way to prepare for Easter and to consider the values of humility and service in everyday life.
Year 6 - R.E with Rev. Ben
Year 6 had their R.E lesson with Rev. Ben, this week. The children discussed how Christianity is rooted in Judaism and what the main similarities and differences were between the two religions. We had some very interesting class discussions and were very thankful to Rev. Ben for coming in to help us with our learning.
Reception- Year of Prayer- Paper planes
During the year of prayer we have been exploring different ways we can pray. Today we made paper aeroplanes. We went outside with them and each shouted a fear we have before flying the aeroplane to represent us asking god to help take our fears away.
Year 3- Class Worship-Why do we judge people based on their appearance?
During our class worship today, we watched this week's Picture News about a football team that launched a campaign to support young players with short hair. This came after a junior girls' team faced accusations of "cheating" when opposing teams and their supporters assumed they were fielding boys. To show their support, York Railway Institute AFC's women's recreational squad created a social media video where players wore T-shirts with the slogan: "Girls can have short hair – get over it." The junior players, aged 11 and 12, shared that these comments upset and frustrated them. Kate White, from the women's team, expressed how unfair the situation was, saying: "It's been horrible. It's the girls' basic personal choice it’s who they are. Some girls have short hair, and this singles them out when they don’t need that." As a class, we then watched a short clip of two girls playing football. However, because they had short hair, some people mistakenly questioned their gender. This led to a discussion about why we sometimes judge people based on their appearance whether it’s a person, a book by its cover, or a film by its trailer. Naomi shared her own experience from Year 2 when she was hesitant to talk to Albert at first. But once she got to know him, she realised they had a lot in common. Now that Albert is no longer here, she misses him. We then explored a Bible quote that reminds us, as people of God, to see beyond appearances and treat everyone with dignity, love, and kindness. We also reflected on Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful words: "I look to a day when people will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character." To conclude, we thanked God for loving and accepting us just as we are, and we prayed for the ability to see beyond appearances and recognise the true worth in every person.
Worship with Rev. Matt
Today, we had a worship session with Rev. Matt, where the children began with a team game of “the wave.” They had to follow the movement and actively participate, reinforcing the idea of unity, direction, and how we are all connected. Rev. Matt then showed a video clip of Jesus at the Last Supper, highlighting the true power of prayer. He explained that, just like in the wave game, we need guidance in our prayers—someone to lead and show us the way. He reminded the children that Jesus prays for us all, giving us strength and support even when we don’t realise it. Following this, the children reflected on their own prayers, thinking about what they could pray for and the impact those prayers could have. They considered how prayer could bring comfort, hope, and change in their own lives and the lives of others. This time of reflection allowed the children to quietly offer their thoughts and prayers, reinforcing the importance of faith and reflection in their daily lives.
Year 3- Year of Prayer
This week, Year 3 explored the theme of foam as part of our "Year of Prayer." Mixing fairy liquid and hot water, the children experimented with different whisking techniques to create bubbles in the water. This activity provided an opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift of strength that enables us to move and participate in various activities.
Reception-Foam Prayers
As part of our year of prayer we made foam using warm water and a squirt of washing up liquid. We made lots of bubbles using a whisk to make the bubbles turn to foam. We then said a thank you prayer to thank god for the energy which allows us to move and be active.
Year 1 RE- Leading by Jesus’ Example
This half-term in RE, we’ve been learning about Jesus and many of the miracles that he performed (The Stilling of the Storm, Feeding the Five Thousand, Turning Water into Wine at the Wedding in Cana and The Calling of the Disciples). These stories have helped us to understand Jesus’ strength and power and his ability to be there for others when they feel seemingly hopeless. Today, we explored how Christian’s today lead by the example of Jesus. We listened to some stories about about how Christian Aid work tirelessly to support those in desperate need. We saw Christian Aid helping those in third world countries to gain access to safe, clean drinking water, an education and starting up a business such as making and selling butter with the help of a cow. The children understood that although we can’t perform miracles, we can certainly bring about positive change. They described Christian Aid as being kind, loving, generous, caring and helpful and decided that we can also be all of these things too. We finished off with the story of ‘Handa’s Surprise’ as the children were fascinated that people in third world countries carry large quantities of water on their head as they may live miles away from a water pump so we thought that the children would be interested to find out that the same happens when they collect large quantities of food too.
Year 4 - RE: Buddhism and Prayer
In Year 4, we spent some time exploring a range of Buddhist artefacts that are typically used in prayer. We generated questions using the 5 Ws and watched a short documentary clip about a Buddhist temple in Dumfries, Scotland, and what prayer means to them. We thought about our wishes that we would like for the world and we wrote them on prayer flags to add to our spiritual garden.
.jpeg)
Year 4 - Year of Prayer: Foam Prayers
As we continue the Blackburn Diocese Year of Prayer, this week we took a moment to be thankful for our ability to move. We chose different whisking implements in order to create bubbles in our soap solution whilst showing gratitude for the fantastic things we can do by moving different body parts. We said thanks for our legs to play football, our mouths to speak and our arms to swim, to name just a few. We are really enjoying having the opportunity to explore different ways to pray and we’re already developing some favourites.
Year 3- Class Worship - Tourism - Should we be allowed to travel anywhere we like?
In class worship today, Year 3 explored the Christian value of respect, connecting it to the recent news about increased Everest climbing permit fees in Nepal. From September, peak season climbs will cost $15,000 (a 36% rise from $11,000), while off-season permits (Sept-Nov and Dec-Feb) will also increase by the same percentage, costing $7,500 and $3,750 respectively. These fees are a crucial source of income for Nepal, with climbing and trekking contributing over 4% to their economy. We discussed how our travel decisions impact the environment and the importance of responsible tourism that respects both the planet and its people, reflecting on what the Bible says about this. Children shared examples of local issues, like litter around Darwen Tower and how we should do our bit by not littering. We sang a hymn celebrating God's creation and asking for guidance in making thoughtful travel choices. A big thank you to Harry for leading our prayer, and to Lotti and Lyla for reading out facts about Everest climbers.
Year 1- Year of Prayer
This week, the theme for the ‘Year of Prayer’ was making foam. The children in Year 1 created foam using fairy liquid and hot water. They experimented whisking the solution to see what would happen. They discovered that the solution became more foamy and bubbly as they added more and more energy. Whilst doing this, we said thank you to God for energy that allows us to move and be active. Children thanked God for giving them the energy to dance, use a skipping rope, play football, do cartwheels and play with their friends. We also had some prayers to say thank you to God for giving us the energy to learn and think wisely. Well done Year 1!