Craft Club
For St. Patrick’s Day at Craft Club, we created rainbow scenes with pots of gold! The children painted a background, created their own pot of gold and then used strips of paper to create a rainbow. Some children even used heart shaped paper punches to create four leaf clovers. Next week at Craft Club: Easter crafts.
Year 6 - Orienteering
Our Year 6 class have been developing their orienteering and map reading skills this week. During the session, the children worked brilliantly to complete the course, using maps to navigate their way around a series of checkpoints. The children demonstrated excellent teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills; supporting one another, discussing the best routes to take and adapting when things did not go to plan. It was great to see their resilience and determination, particularly when faced with more challenging sections of the course. As the session progressed, many children began to think more strategically, choosing more efficient routes and improving their time. The children also reflected on their performance afterwards, considering what went well and what they would do differently next time.
.jpeg)
Reception: Muddy Monday
Our Reception explorers had a fantastic time during today’s session at Whitehall Park. It was a joy to see them immersing themselves in nature and building so much confidence in the great outdoors. Today, we took a moment to ask the children what they love most about their woodland adventures, and their answers perfectly captured the spirit of the morning. Chester told us that he loves climbing trees and collecting twigs to create fires, while Coban shared that he really enjoys the process of making fires too. In the heart of the trees, Bowen explained that he just enjoys playing in the woodland, while Max was busy building dens and Poppy told us she enjoys making bug houses for the little creatures. The session was also a wonderful chance for discovery; Erin mentioned how much she enjoys finding all the different leaves, and Alfie told us he loves to dig for treasure that nobody can find. Luna highlighted the social side of our trips, saying, "We love to talk about what we can see outside with our friends." Of course, it wouldn't be a true session without a bit of mess—Indie happily told us she simply enjoys getting muddy! It is wonderful to see our class growing so much through these outdoor experiences.
Year 1 PE: Rolling A Ball
In PE, Year 1 have been practising rolling a ball. We worked in groups of 3 and started by rolling a dodgeball to our partner, through another child’s legs. Then, the person in the middle had to jump over the moving ball. We also added a hoop so that the ball had to roll through the hoop. To make it more challenging, we swapped from a dodgeball to a tennis ball. This was tricker as they are a smaller and bouncy.
Year 1 Provision: Creating Castles
Last week, Year 1 loved creating castles using toilet rolls in provision. We saw them use lots of different skills and imagination, such as adding flags, turrets and backgrounds.
Year 3- Science- Weathering: How Rocks Break!
This week, the Year 3 scientists recapped on the previous lesson learning all about rocks. They started by talking with their peers about different rock groups: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The main part of the lesson was about weathering, which is how rocks get broken or worn away over time. They looked at physical weathering (like freezing water), chemical weathering (like acid rain), and biological weathering (like tree roots growing through cracks). There was lots of "talk time" for the children to use their oracy skills, especially when discussing which rocks make the strongest walls. By the end, they could explain how weathering changes rocks and pick the best ones for different jobs.
Year 5 - Science
We started our new topic of Forces by considering the relationship between gravity and mass. We defined mass as the ‘stuff’ that makes up objects and weight as the force pulled by gravity. We tested whether mass affected the speed that objects fall by replicating Galileo’s famous thought experiment of dropping objects from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We discovered that balls with different mass fell at the same rate.
Mothering Sunday Worship
We wanted to send a huge thank you to the children who joined us for our special Mothering Sunday worship today. They were a true credit to our community and represented St Barnabas beautifully. It was a joy to hear their voices fill the church as they performed: • Jesus Strong and Kind • The Butterfly Song • Give me oil in my lamp We are so grateful to you, our families, for bringing them along and allowing them to be such an integral part of our service. Their energy and participation made the morning truly special. Wishing a wonderful Mothering Sunday to all our Mums and Grandmas—we hope you have a relaxing day filled with love.
Year 6 - Building Bridges
Year 6 have begun their new Design and Technology unit on building bridges. The children started by exploring different types of bridges and discussing how their structures help them stay strong. The children looked at examples such as arched bridges and corrugated designs, learning how shapes and materials can make a structure more stable. After investigating these designs, the children created their own bridges using card. The children then tested their models to see how much weight each bridge could withstand, helping them understand which designs were the strongest and why.
Friday Celebration Worship
This week in our celebration worship we spent time thinking about the importance of sharing what we have with others. We talked about how sharing can be shown in many ways, such as sharing our time, our kindness, our ideas and the things we have. It was wonderful to see so many examples of children living out this message throughout the week. We also celebrated British Science Week and the fantastic learning that has been taking place across the school. The children have been asking brilliant questions, investigating new ideas and showing great curiosity about the world around them. Alongside this, our clubs have been running brilliantly and it has been lovely to see so many pupils taking part, developing new skills and enjoying activities with their friends. We also celebrated the children who have demonstrated our school values this week. In Reception the values award went to Beau, in Year 1 it was Fiia, in Year 2 it was Lenny, in Year 3 it was Eli, in Year 4 it was Iris, in Year 5 it was Neveah and in Year 6 it was Eden. Well done to all of you for showing our values so clearly in school. We then looked at the team values points for this week. In fourth place was Darwen Tower, in third place was Whitehall Park, in second place was India Mill and in first place was River Darwen. Well done to everyone for continuing to work hard and earn values points for your teams. We also celebrated a number of fantastic achievements outside of school. Zachary received a certificate in Kids with Bricks and was named builder of the week, which is a brilliant achievement. Willow was awarded star of the week in gymnastics and also received a swimming certificate for being able to close her eyes under water. Cassius was awarded a football trophy for excellent scoring and tackling during his matches. Thea and Evie were awarded their 100 Years of World Thinking Day badge. Ella achieved a contract at Crewe Alexandra football club for the next two years and has been playing for them already for over two years, which shows great commitment. Darcy received a badge for completing her Brownie promise. Daisy also brought in two medals from a gymnastics competition where she achieved second and third place. We are very proud of all the effort and dedication shown by these pupils. This week’s attendance awards went to Year 2 and Year 4, so a big well done to those classes for their excellent attendance. We also shared a few reminders about upcoming events. On Sunday there will be a Mother’s Day service at St Barnabas Church at 11.00am where some of our children will be singing for their Mums and Grandmas We are also looking forward to Let’s Go Sing at Blackburn Ice Arena. Reception will soon be hosting their stay and play session and the Scholastic Book Fair will be returning to school next week. On Friday we will be taking part in Rock Your Socks Day to raise awareness for Down Syndrome Awareness Day. Year 4 will soon be heading on their residential trip and Year 5 will be taking part in Bikeability. Friends of St Barnabas will also be hosting a Chocolate Easter Bingo which we are sure will be lots of fun. We finished our worship with thoughtful prayers led by Iris and Elijah, helping us reflect on the week and be thankful for all the opportunities we have to learn, grow and support one another and prayed for peace for those who are living amongst conflict. We also said a special prayer for our Mums and Grandmas for all of the amazing things they do for us and we hope they all have a wonderful Mother's Day on Sunday.
Year 1 British Science Week
For British Science Week, we focused on the word ‘curiosity’. We discussed how all scientists have to be curious to find anything out. Then, we looked at the curiosity quiz, which asked questions such as “Will plants grow faster if you speak kindly to them?”. Year 1 also came up with some big questions themselves. Our class question was “What happens to crayons when they get warm?”. Year 1 worked in groups of 4 to draw simple pictures and put crushed crayons on the. Using a hair dryer, we melted the crayons to see that they become like paint and can be spread.
Year 6 - World Trade
Today, Year 6 began exploring the concept of global trade and how the United Kingdom is connected to other countries through the exchange of goods. The children investigated a range of different countries and identified the products they export to the UK. Through this, they began to understand how natural resources, climate, and physical geography influence what different countries are able to produce. The children then located these countries and coloured their own world maps using a key to show each product and its country of origin. This helped them to visualise the global distribution of goods and the extensive trade networks that connect continents and oceans. The activity also supported their understanding of imports, exports and trade routes, highlighting the scale and interdependence of the global economy. Towards the end of the lesson, the children began to explore the advantages and disadvantages of international trade. They discussed how trade can support economic growth, provide access to resources that are not available locally and create employment opportunities. They also considered some of the challenges, including environmental impacts, transport distances and the reliance countries can have on goods produced elsewhere.