Reception: Elmer challenges
This week the children are reading Elmer. They are learning to retell the story and have completed some wonderful challenges. They have created their own elephants for an Elmer parade, learnt how to create different patterns in our mark making area, created patterned elephants using printing in the paint area and decorated Elmer crowns for our Elmer parade.
Year 2 Art- Clay Tiles
In today’s art lesson, Year 2 students created their own clay tiles. They began by rolling out their clay, turning it regularly to ensure a smooth, even thickness throughout. Once their slabs were ready, they carefully cut them into neat rectangular shapes. Before starting their practical work, the children were introduced to the artist Rachel Whiteread, who is known for casting everyday objects and empty spaces in materials such as plaster. They were fascinated and amazed by the idea of capturing negative space in this way, which sparked some thoughtful discussion and curiosity about how clay can be used creatively. The children then explored a range of decorative techniques. They particularly enjoyed working in relief, adding shapes to their tiles using the score and slip method. They also had fun making impressions in the clay using a variety of tools and objects, experimenting with textures and patterns. Year 2 are thoroughly enjoying their clay unit, and it’s wonderful to see their creativity and skills developing each week. We can’t wait to see the final pieces after all their hard work. Well done, Year 2!
Year 1 Art- Materials and their textures
Today in Art, we looked at different materials such as cardboard, bubble wrap, buttons, plastic etc and used some new vocabulary to describe their texture. We decided if the material was rough, smooth, bumpy, soft or hard. Then we matched our materials to their describing word independently. Well done Year 1!
Reception’s Marvellous Marks - Wax Rubbings
This week, Reception have been looking at different ways we can use tools to make marks. We have been ‘Artists’ using the chunky side of wax crayons to rub over the top of different textures such as shells and leaves to create effective patterns on paper. The finished results look fantastic!
Year 3- Art- Drawing Like the Egyptians
Today in art, Year 3 Artists travelled back in time to ancient Egypt. Before drawing their egyptian patterns and shapes, they prepared their sketchbooks by creating interesting surfaces to work on. Just like the ancient Egyptians who drew on papyrus, they transformed their white paper using chalk pastels last week to give it that special, papyrus-like texture. With the surfaces ready, they put pencil to paper today to draw beautiful Egyptian patterns, all while listening to some traditional Egyptian music in the background. The children's drawings have turned out absolutely amazing and they should be very proud of the surfaces and patterns they created.
Year 6 Darwen Art Project
This morning Year 6 took part in the Darwen Art Project, going on the "Shop Darwen Heritage Trail" and also working with local artist Lucie Cooke to create a set of vibrant seasonal window displays in Darwen town centre. This was an absolutely fantastic activity to take part in and the children created some truly stunning artwork! St. Barnabas was the only school to brave the rain and attend, so the artwork on display is purely that of our wonderful Year 6s. Make sure to take a look at the windows of No.14 Market Street next time you walk through town!
Year 6 Art
Year 6 have begun an exciting new unit in art, called "Making My Voice Heard." This week the children were tasked with replicating patterns and experimenting with different media, such as art pencils, oil pastels and coloured pencil crayons, on a mood board of ideas.
Year 5 - Installation Art
Year 5 began exploring installation art, using everyday classroom items in unusual ways to communicate a message. They also analysed the installation art of others and the feelings it provoked.
Year 6 - Darwen Art Project
Year 6 had the amazing opportunity to take part in the Darwen Art Project. As part of this, our class worked together to design and create a stunning autumn-themed window display, showcasing our creativity and teamwork. Afterwards, we took part in a fascinating heritage walk around Darwen, where we explored the town’s past, discovered important landmarks and learned more about the history that has shaped our community. It was a wonderful experience that allowed us to celebrate both art and local heritage.
Year 2 Art- Making Clay Pots
Today in their art lesson, Year 2 enjoyed making a clay pot and decorating it. In order to do this successfully, they learnt some new skills such as pinching, scoring, making and applying slip. The scoring and application of slip helped them with the process of decorating their pot. They turned out amazingly well especially for a first attempt- well done Year 2!
Soap Sculptures in Year 4
In art this week, we created soap sculptures with the theme of rainforest animals. We first drew a design for a three-dimensional piece and then we began to carve using a variety of tools to model and refine our sculptures. We discussed how to use the tools safely and that only carving small pieces at a time prevented the soap from cracking and breaking. Some of the children realised that to enhance their pieces they could dip their fingers into water and make the soap smoother. The finished articles were super impressive!
Craft Club Session 1
We had our first Craft Club session of the year today! The children from Year 1 to 6 designed and made felt banners. I was really impressed with their designs, but also how they took their time and persisted when they found it difficult. Well done everyone!