Year 1 & 2 STEM Challenge: How do birds make nests?
Year 1 and 2 turned into Ornithologists to hunt for natural nest materials, then switched to Structural Engineers to build nests that met our three "Bird-Approved" criteria: strong, waterproof and comfy! The nests were put to the test with a fan that represented the wind birds might face in their natural habitat and everyone's nest survived!
Reception- Technology-Follow The Mouse
In the bustling environment of the Reception classroom, the children took their first exciting steps into the digital world by mastering the IT mouse. With small hands poised carefully over the device, they practiced the fundamental skill of clicking the buttons to navigate the mouse along a winding track. This activity served as a fantastic practical application of positional language, as the children eagerly called out "left" and "right" to guide their movements and keep their mouse on the path. Developing this fine motor control is a huge milestone; it requires the coordination to input information into the mouse and how many steps it would make. Taking turns in this simple game with friends to show awareness of digital literacy.
Reception- Worship- Easter Story
The children in Reception were absolutely captivated this week as Jack the Puppet joined the circle to share the vibrant story of Palm Sunday. With Jack’s help, the children "travelled" to Jerusalem, imagining the dusty streets filled with waving palm branches and joyful shouts of "Hosanna!" as Jesus arrived on a humble donkey. Through Jack’s gentle storytelling, the children learned that Jesus didn't come as a powerful king to be served, but as a friend who showed extraordinary kindness to everyone he met. Jack explained how Jesus encouraged his disciples to follow his lead—teaching them that a small act of love, like sharing or helping a friend, is the most important job of all. It was wonderful to see the children's faces light up as they realised they could be "kindness champions" just like the disciples.
Nursery/Pre-School-Continuous Provision-Independent Learning
There has been lots of exciting independent learning happening in our Nursery/Pre-school this week! Our story of the week is Jasper’s Beanstalk. The children have enjoyed becoming 'little gardeners' and exploring different ways of planting flowers, creating beanstalks at the play dough table, and using their maths skills to measure beanstalks of different sizes.
Year 3 - STEM Challenge
Taking Flight in Year 3! Our Year 3 engineers reached new heights this week during an action-packed STEM Challenge! The mission was simple but the science was complex: design and build paper aeroplanes and helicopters, then refine them to see which could travel the furthest distance. The Engineering Process: Initial Prototypes: Students experimented with different wing shapes and body lengths. Testing & Measuring: We took to the "runway" to record our flight distances. The "Tweak" Phase: This was where the real magic happened! Children adjusted their designs—adding paperclips for weight, changing fold angles, or shortening blades—to improve stability and lift.
Year 3 - D.T. - Using A Microbit
Bright Sparks in Year 3! Our Year 3 designers have been busy leveling up their tech skills this week! In preparation for creating their very own safety devices, the children dived into the world of coding. We used BBC micro:bits to explore how light can be used to keep us safe in the darkWhat we achieved: Logical Thinking: We mapped out our code to ensure our devices respond correctly. Programming: The pupils used Block Editor to program the micro:bit’s LED matrix to flash bright warning patterns. Problem Solving: There was plenty of "debugging" as we checked our code to make sure those lights shone bright!
Year 4 English - Creating Dialogue
Year 4 have enjoyed exploring the different characters of 'Gulliver's Travels' from our English Unit. They have created some fantastic pieces of dialogue between the characters, using expressive language and punctuation features. It was great fun acting our work out, with different partners, in our different roles.
Nursery/Pre-School - R.E - Kind Hands And Caring Hearts
This week, the children in Nursery and Preschool have been exploring the Easter story. We focused on the scene before the Last Supper, where Jesus washed his disciples' feet. To help the children understand this story, we watched a short cartoon video that showed how Jesus cared for his friends. Inspired by the video, the children had the opportunity to act out this act of service themselves. After taking off their shoes and socks, they used wet wipes to carefully clean their own feet, just as they had seen in the story. Following the activity, we sat together to talk about the meaning behind this story. We discussed how even though Jesus was a very special man, he still chose to help people and treat others with kindness. We linked this back to our own classroom values, reminding the children that at nursery, we always use our kind hands and kind words. We spoke about our mantra, sharing is caring, and how we look after all of our friends to make sure everyone is happy and included in our play.
Nursery / Pre-School - Maths - Hungry Hippos
This week, Nursery and Preschool engaged in an exciting, large-scale game of "Hungry Hippos" to support their mathematical development. The activity was adapted to meet different learning focuses, allowing all children to explore concepts of quantity and comparison through active play. Exploring Full and Empty For some children, the focus was on the concepts of "full" and "empty." As they moved around the classroom to collect the scattered balls, they closely observed how their baskets changed. They practiced identifying when their basket was "empty" at the start and the satisfying moment it became "full" once all the balls were gathered. Comparison and Equal Quantities Other children used the game to develop their understanding of comparison. Working in teams, they aimed to collect the "same" number of balls in each basket. This required great focus and teamwork as they counted their hauls and compared them to the other team's basket to see if the quantities were "equal" or "different." Matching and Sorting To add an extra challenge, some children focused on the properties of the balls as well as the quantity. They worked to ensure that both baskets were "identical" by matching the colors of the balls they collected. This encouraged high-level observation and sorting skills, as they had to find the exact color matches to make their sets the same. This energetic activity successfully combined physical movement with key mathematical language, helping the children visualize and describe the groups they were creating.
Year 1 History Comparing Toys from the Past
Toy Detectives in Year 1! Our historians at Darwen St James’ have been travel-travelling back in time! Using our Kapow History curriculum, the children explored how toys have changed over the generations. What we did: Compared "Past" and "Present" toys using our interactive board. Investigated materials like wood and metal vs. modern plastic. Discussed what has changed (batteries and screens!) and what stayed the same (the fun of a good train set!). It was brilliant to see such great note-taking and historical thinking from our youngest researchers. Great job, Year 1! #DarwenStJames #Year1History #KapowHistory #LearningThroughPlay #ToyHistory
Nursery / Pre-School - Science - Where Did Dinosaurs Live?
In celebration of National Science Week, the children in Nursery and Pre-School have been investigating the lives of dinosaurs. The lesson was sparked by the children's curiosity as they began questioning where dinosaurs lived and what their environments were like. To help answer these questions, the children accessed the playdough table to create their own dinosaur models. Using image references and Widgits, they worked to identify specific physical characteristics that provided clues about a dinosaur's lifestyle. They looked for features like long necks for reaching high trees, sharp teeth for eating meat, or wings for flying. The children used a variety of resources on the table to mimic these characteristics in their own creations. This hands-on exploration allowed them to move from simple questioning to making scientific connections between an animal's body and its habitat or diet. It was a fantastic way to encourage critical thinking and observation skills while celebrating the wonder of the natural world.
Year 5 Dance: West End In Schools Workshop
Our Year 5 pupils had an incredible time bringing the story of Chinese New Year to life this week! We were thrilled to welcome West End in Schools for an energetic dance workshop. The children didn't just learn the choreography; they fully embraced their roles, leaping and grooving as they transformed into the different animals from the traditional tale. From mastering tricky dance steps to exploring cultural history through movement, the energy in the hall was electric! A huge thank you to West End in Schools for such an inspiring and fun-filled session.
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