Nursery - Music - Loud And Quiet Sounds
The nursery class engaged in a lively exploration of loud and quiet sounds, focusing on how their actions could influence the volume produced by the drum. The children eagerly took turns experimenting with different approaches to playing the instrument. We observed a range of techniques, from gentle taps with soft hands or fingertips resulting in quiet sounds, to more energetic banging with open palms or fists creating much louder noises. It was interesting to witness the children's growing understanding of cause and effect – how the force and method of their interaction with the drum directly impacted the auditory outcome. Some children intuitively adjusted their movements, seemingly delighted by their ability to control the volume. This hands-on exploration fostered not only an awareness of sound intensity but also encouraged experimentation, active listening, and a playful approach to understanding basic physical principles.
Safety on the Road
Staying safe on our roads isn’t just a skill — it’s a lifelong habit. It is crucial to learn key strategies for helping children navigate streets safely and confidently, from practising journeys together to teaching them how to choose the safest crossing points. We’ve collaborated with THINK! to offer real-world advice on issues like the dangers of parked vehicles, reversing cars and mobile phone distractions — it’s an invaluable tool for parents and educators who want to help young people travel independently without compromising their safety.
Nursery - Literacy - Fine Motor Skills
This week's fine motor activity presented a delightful challenge for the nursery class as they engaged in the task of accurately poking straws through various sized holes in colanders. It was fascinating to observe the diverse strategies the children employed to navigate this activity. Some children adopted a focused, deliberate approach, carefully aligning the straw with the hole before gently pushing it through. Others demonstrated more exploratory movements, experimenting with different angles and levels of pressure until they found success. We noted instances of impressive problem-solving as children encountered smaller holes, with some adjusting their grip on the straw to gain more control, while others persevered with gentle but persistent poking. The children demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt their approaches, showcasing their developing hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and problem-solving skills as they successfully completed the task. There was a clear sense of satisfaction and accomplishment evident as straws began to fill the colanders
Nursery - Computing - Creating Spinning Snail Shells
The nursery class enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to further develop their digital literacy skills by navigating the draw function on Purple Mash. With focused concentration, the two-year-olds explored the tools and experimented with creating lines and shapes. A clear objective was the creation of a spiraling snail shell, and it was fascinating to observe the diverse approaches children took to achieve this. Some children made deliberate, circular motions, carefully building their spirals from a central point outwards. Others experimented with more free-flowing lines, gradually curving them to suggest the spiral form. Throughout the activity, children demonstrated increasing confidence in using the digital drawing tools, readily clicking and dragging to bring their artistic visions to life. There was a palpable sense of pride and accomplishment as they showcased their finished snail shells, highlighting their growing digital proficiency and creative expression.
Nursery - Science - Chicks! Enrichment Lesson
This week we have had some very tiny visitors in nursery, 4 chicks! During the visit from the chicks the children showed significant interest in the new arrivals. They spent a considerable amount of time observing the chicks in their enclosure, pointing and using a variety of nouns to describe their actions, "eating " while watching a chick peck at food, "drinking" as one dipped its beak into the water, and "running" as they moved quickly around their space. When given the opportunity to gently hold a chick, the children approached with caution but followed instructions to use "kind hands and quiet voices. They stroked the chick's head gently with one finger, maintaining a quiet voice as prompted. This demonstrates developing self-regulation in managing their own behaviour and understanding the need to be gentle with living things. We discussed the life cycle of the chicks, the children recalled that the chicks came out of an egg and we spoke about what the chicks would look like when they grow. The children found the chicken out of a group of farm animals and linked this with the growth that we would see!
Online Safety - Making Friends Online
As technology becomes increasingly embedded in young people’s lives, it’s common for them to form friendships entirely online. These connections can provide companionship and community — but they also bring potential dangers that parents and educators need to be aware of. From online grooming and privacy breaches to exposure to upsetting content, meeting people on the internet isn’t without risk. This guide explains the possible hazards of online friendships and gives parents and educators essential advice on helping children build safe, positive relationships online.
Nursery - Earth Day
Today is Earth Day! To commemorate this day our activity was based on how we look after our world! During this activity, the children demonstrated a clear understanding of where rubbish belongs. When rubbish was scattered in our clean classroom the children pointed and expressed that it needed to go in the bin! Their immediate reaction and verbalisation show strong expressive language skills. The children then worked together to collect and dispose of all the rubbish that had been planted in the classroom, using brilliant observation skills to find every piece of rubbish. At the craft table, the children selected pieces of blue and green tissue paper and attempted to stick them onto the paper using PVA glue. They initially struggled with spreading the glue but persevered, using their index finger to dab and spread it, showing developing fine motor skills. The children made links with the blue area being water and some children made links with animals that they might see living in the water. At the malleable table, the children manipulated the blue and green playdough, using a pinching action to pull off small pieces and moulding them together. When asked what they were making, they replied, "Earth!" Their manipulation of the playdough using pinching, rolling, and splatting showcases developing gross and fine motor skills.
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Nursery - Art And Design - Decorating 3D Easter Eggs
Look at all these amazing eggs, Nursery! The children have all done such a fantastic job decorating them. We used so many beautiful colours, shiny sequins, and pretty flowers to make each egg so special and unique. Just like real eggs are full of new life, your decorated eggs are bursting with colour and creativity! Well done, everyone, for being such wonderful artists today!
Online Safety - Search Engines
Search engines are a routine part of everyday life, giving instant access to billions of web pages; however, this also increases the risk of children encountering harmful, untrustworthy, or illegal content. We’ve created this free guide – also available in podcast format – offering parents and educators quickfire information about the risks of search engines and practical steps that can be taken to safeguard children online.
Nursery - R.E - Purim Celebrations
What a wonderful time we've had learning about the special celebration of Purim today! We heard how the Jewish people were saved, and that made everyone feel so happy! Just like when we talked about the things that make us happy – and so many of the children love to dance! The children used gross motor movements to stretch and dance with colourful scarves, swirling and twirling, bringing all that happy colour into our room, just like the joy of Purim! You all danced with such happy hearts today. Well done, everyone
Nursery - R.E - Exploring Colours In Relation To Holi Celebrations
What a colourful and exciting time we've had today, just like the wonderful Holi festival that Hindu people celebrate! We popped water balloons and made so many bright colours appear. The children were fantastic at naming all the colours – red, blue, yellow, green, purple and orange! And it was amazing to watch how the colours mixed together to make new ones. Just like Holi is a celebration of joy and colour, we've filled our classroom with happiness and beautiful colours today. Well done, everyone, for being such brilliant colour explorers!
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Easyfundraising
We’ve registered Darwen St James CE Primary Academy with #easyfundraising, which means over 8,000 retailers will now donate to us for FREE every time you use #easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/support-a-good-cause/step-1/?char=379393&invite=6po80d&referral-campaign=c2s&utm_campaign=web-referral
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