Class 6

Class 6 have been learning about the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and exploring his bold, expressive style. Inspired by his work, we created our own pieces of artwork using oil pastels to produce vibrant, colourful backgrounds. We then used black pastels to draw self-portraits, creating contrasts like those in Basquiat’s art.

While we worked, we listened to music to help us feel and respond to the colours, in the same way Basquiat drew inspiration from music when creating his artwork. 🎨

As part of our topic comparing South Shields and Kenya, Class 6 created beautiful safari silhouette artwork inspired by the landscapes and wildlife of Kenya. The children explored images of the African savannah and learned about the plants and animals that are native to Africa; including acacia trees, African elephants, buffalo, Masai giraffes and black rhinos.

Class 6 have been learning about famous landmarks in and around their local area of South Shields – including Herd Groyne Lighthouse, The Conversation Piece, Souter Lighthouse and the Town Hall. The children enjoyed making 3D models of some of the landmarks using clay.

Last week the children celebrated World Mental Health week and discussed different ways we can keep our minds healthy. We know that having a ‘mental health toolbox’ can be very helpful because it gives us a range of strategies and activities we can use when we are feeling worried, upset, angry, or overwhelmed.

Just as a toolbox contains different tools for different jobs, a mental health toolbox contains different ways to help us manage our emotions and look after our wellbeing. These tools might include talking to a trusted adult, spending time with friends, exercising, healthy eating, drawing, listening to music, practising mindfulness, reading, or taking deep breaths.

Our classroom buddy, Jigsaw Jenny, showed us some of the items inside her mental health toolbox. The children then wrote some wonderful letters to Jenny’s friend, Jigsaw Jack, giving him advice and information on ways he can look after his own mental health.

Great job, Class 6! 🌟

We were pleased to welcome a special visitor called Rachel from Science Buddies, who spoke to the children about careers in engineering, with a particular focus on the development of wind turbines. She shared insights into how engineers design and build renewable energy solutions, helping the children understand the importance of sustainability and innovation.

The session also included a discussion about the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, one of the largest offshore wind projects in the world, which sparked interest and curiosity among the children. It was a valuable opportunity for the children to learn about future career paths and the role engineering plays in protecting our environment.

Today the children completed the first lesson of our 5 week Kidsafe programme and met KS the monkey! 🐵 The Kidsafe programme focuses on building children’s confidence and self esteem while also equipping them with effective skills to deal with unsafe situations and helping them to make healthy choices/decisions in their lives.

Our first topic focused on the ways we already keep ourselves safe, the meaning of trust and what to do if we ever feel worried or scared. We refer to these worried feelings as ‘yukky feelings’. The children know that if they experience these feelings, it is important to tell a trusted grown up who can help them.

The Easter bunny hid some chocolate eggs around our outdoor area. The children had so much fun finding them. They were delicious! 🪺🍫🐰

Class 6 have been writing some wonderful senses poems using a range of interesting features such as adjectives, nouns, verbs describe what they can see, hear, smell, taste and feel in Spring. The children even used alliteration – the repetition of initial consonant sounds – to emphasise specific words and create a sense of musicality and rhythm when performing their poems.

Excellent work, Class 6! 🌸🌻☀️🌈🌧️🐣

To celebrate British Science Week, Year 2 had a special visit from Science Buddies! The children dressed up as scientists and carried out lots of interesting experiments.

In their first experiment, the children used pipettes to mix vinegar and food colouring with bicarbonate of soda. This caused the powder to fizz up and create some lovely rainbow bubbles. 🫧

The children then mixed vinegar and food colouring with washing up liquid and adding bicarbonate of soda to create a chemical reaction. The children said it was like a volcano erupting. 🌋

The final observational experiment involved diffusion. The colouring from the skittles melted and diffused through the warm water to create a rainbow effect. 🌈