Year 3- Year of prayer-Praying for the World
Today, as part of our Year of Prayer, Year 3 prayed for the world. We talked about how travelling helps us learn more about different people, their cultures, languages, food, and how they live and pray. The children shared stories about their holidays and family members who live in other countries. We thought about how all these experiences help us live life to the full and understand how big and beautiful the world is. We thanked God for creating such a wonderful world and prayed for peace and love for everyone, everywhere.
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Year 3- Class Worship - Young Inventors
Today's Picture News class worship highlighted the inspiring ingenuity of three teenagers from India who developed a salt-powered fridge to aid hospitals in rural areas lacking electricity. Reflecting on this through the lens of "windows, doors, and mirrors" in spirituality, the teenagers' story served as a "window" into the needs of others and the power of innovation. We then considered the everyday items that ease our own lives, such as the convenience of a hairdryer, the ready access to running water, and the efficiency of an air fryer. This reflection acted as a "mirror," prompting us to appreciate the impact of even simple solutions on the quality of life. Inspired by the teenagers' creativity, which we saw as an open "door" of possibility, Year 3 resolved to embark on our invention journey, recognising our potential to make a positive difference in the world. This experience connected with the Christian value of hope and the biblical message of using our creativity to serve others. Isaac led a prayer thanking God for inspiring ideas and creative minds, emphasising the importance of using our abilities to make a positive impact, even through small acts of kindness and imagination.
Year 4 British History - Exploring the features of a Viking longboat
In our history lesson this week we have been exploring the features of a Viking longboat, describing how these features contributed to Viking success and identifying the most important parts of the boat. Whilst researching, we found that the Vikings built longboats to raid, battle, explore and transport goods. They were between 13 and 23 metres long and were long, narrow and light so they could move around quickly. The children worked hard to identity the key features by adding labels following watching a short clip.
Year 1 Geography- Map Work
Today in their geography lesson, Year 1 had to read a map to navigate their way around the school grounds to identify different human features such as the MUGA, peace garden, KS1 playground, carpark and trim trail. In doing so, they used positional language such as in front of, behind, between and next to and describe features of the school grounds that were close to their Year 1 classroom and slightly further away.
Reception: Muddy Monday
For their Muddy Monday session, Reception walked to Whitehall park and looked for signs of spring. The children saw squirrels and heard lots of birds tweeting away which was lovely to see and hear. They saw more leaves on trees and also saw berries and blossom. The children then got to spend some time in a different section of Whitehall park. We role-played a camp fire and built a den too.
Year 3- Geography- Living Life to the Full-Comparing Darwen and New York
As part of our Geography topic on the United States of America, Year 3 have been investigating their local area, taking note of the physical and human features in their surroundings. During our walk, we stopped to talk with Mrs Singleton’s brother-in-law, who shared some fascinating facts about Darwen’s famous India Mill and its history. As we continued, we spotted an old tramline, a reminder of the past when trams used to travel between Blackburn and Darwen. We also noticed a boat in someone's garden, which sparked lots of excitement and curiosity! The children made some brilliant observations, noting that the streets in Darwen look much narrower compared to the wide, bustling avenues of New York. They also commented that the houses here are much smaller, and overall, Darwen feels a lot quieter and less busy than the lively streets of New York. Year 3 were living life to its fullest on this walk, embracing every opportunity to explore, learn, and wonder about the world around them. These real-world experiences will help the children when discussing the similarities and differences between Darwen and New York in class. Well done, Year 3, fantastic geographers in the making!
Reception Bird Feeders
As part of our learning on Migration, we have been making bird feeders using multigrain cereal and pipe cleaners. We are hoping our bird feeders will attract birds who have flown back to our country after their migration and give them plenty of food to keep them full up as Spring continues. We will hang them on the trees around school and hope to see many more birds visiting us.
Reception - Bird Migration
As part of our topic on Spring this week, we have been learning about bird migration. We discussed how lots of birds migrate to warmer countries in the Winter, as it’s too cold for them to build nests and find fresh food. However, now that it is Spring and getting much warmer, the birds are returning from their migration and we are happy to welcome them back and see them in our local environment again. Today we created our own migrating birds and tomorrow we will create bird feeders to hang in our Reception yard to welcome the birds back.
Year 5 - Presentation of Learning
On Tuesday Year 5 hosted a special worship to share their Presentation of Learning all about Earth Day 2025. This year’s theme, ‘Our Power, Our Planet’, encouraged our children to reflect on how individuals and communities can work together to make a positive impact on the environment. Their worship was both informative and inspiring, reminding us all that we have the power to protect our planet and God's creations through the choices we make every day. The children led a whole-school diagnostic quiz to test everyone’s knowledge about Earth Day and share what they had learned throughout their presentation. We then said a special Earth Day prayer written by Pope Francis and took a few moments to think about him as he sadly passed away earlier in the week. We finished with singing 'I can make a difference in this world of ours'
Reception: Muddy Monday
The children explored Jack Keys for their Muddy Monday session. They enjoyed a walk, built sculptures, built a den, balanced on natural materials and collectively walked 58km to add to our CAFOD Big Lent Walk. Well done!
Reception: Muddy Monday
Today our Reception children explored a different area of Whitehall Park. The children created bug houses and dens together. They also found some sticks and pretended to create fires and also used them as drum sticks. Some of the children tried to climb trees and it was lovely to see how brave they were all being whilst developing their fundamental skills. In addition, the children collectively walked 75km to contribute to our Lent Challenge. Well done!
Year 5 - Structure of the Earth
Year 5 used boiled eggs to explore the structure of the Earth, using the shell, egg white and yolk to represent the crust, mantle and core. This hands-on activity helped them visualise the Earth’s layers and understand their composition in a fun and engaging way. As they carefully peeled the shell, they discussed how the Earth’s crust is thin and fragile, just like the eggshell. They then examined the egg white, comparing it to the mantle, which is semi-solid and moves slowly over time. Finally, the yolk represented the core, helping the children grasp the concept of the Earth’s hot, dense center. The activity sparked curiosity and led to great discussions about plate tectonics, volcanic activity and the role of the Earth’s layers in shaping our planet.