Art – Sculpture – Andy Goldsworthy
We had a lovely afternoon exploring sculpture as part of our Art topic. The children have been learning about the work of artist Andy Goldsworthy, who creates sculptures using natural materials found in the environment.
This week, the children brought in a variety of natural objects, including twigs, stones, leaves and shells. Using these materials, they worked creatively to design and build their own environmental art sculptures inspired by Andy Goldsworthy’s style.
The children understood that their sculptures could not be kept, so we photographed them as a record of their work – just as Andy Goldsworthy does. He embraces the fact that nature, weather and wildlife can change or even remove his sculptures over time.
I’m sure you’ll agree that the children created some truly fantastic and imaginative sculptures. We were very proud of their creativity and enthusiasm!
Friday 22nd January
Music Workshop
We had a fantastic time on Wednesday morning when Gateshead Music Service visited our school to deliver an exciting music workshop. The children were introduced to African djembe drums and enjoyed learning a variety of traditional children’s songs from Africa.
One of the highlights was Che Che Kule, a lively song similar to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, which everyone loved. It was wonderful to see both children and staff joining in with the words and actions, with smiles all around!
Some children were even invited to come to the front and have a go at playing the djembe drums themselves, which was a very special experience. We also learned songs using call-and-response and singing in a round, helping everyone to listen carefully and work together.
It was a fun, energetic and memorable morning that everyone thoroughly enjoyed.
MFL – French – Les Fruits
This half term in French, we are learning all about les fruits. Last week, the children learned how to say the names of five different fruits, and this week we added five more to our vocabulary.
The children have really enjoyed practising their pronunciation and taking part in interactive games on the screen, which help to build confidence and support recall in a fun way.
Over the coming weeks, we will be learning how to use the plural forms of the fruits and how to form simple sentences such as “J’aime…” (I like…) and “Je n’aime pas…” (I do not like…).
Well done, Northern Europe — you were magnifique!
This week, our Computing focused on online safety and helping children understand how the internet can affect people’s feelings. As part of our computing curriculum, we begin every half term with an online safety lesson to reinforce the importance of using technology responsibly and respectfully. During this lesson, the children explored how messages, images and comments shared online can influence emotions, making people feel happy, included, worried or upset. They remembered that they should tell their parent or another trusted adult if they are upset or worried by anything they see or read online.
Through discussion and examples, the pupils learned that words typed online can have just as much impact as words spoken face to face. They learnt that permission needs to be sought from someone before sharing content that includes them. They talked about the importance of being kind, thoughtful and respectful when using the internet, and how to recognise when something online might not make them or others feel comfortable. This lesson helped children develop empathy and a better understanding of how their online behaviour can affect others.