“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Michelangelo

I cannot believe we have arrived at the end of the second half term! What a wonderful term it has been, as we switched our attention to Design and technology and structures. We have had such fun experimenting and exploring a range of techniques with a plethora of tools to create a range of models. From joining various materials using different techniques and resources , to produce a windmill and a chair. We have learned that a structure needs to be; strong, stiff and stable ( the three S’s) to be a viable structure. They have discovered that cylinders are stronger, stiffer and are more stable than other 3D shapes. Have a look at our paper cylinder chair that we made in groups! The children have been so enthusiastic to share their thoughts on processes, discuss why the three S’s are so important in construction.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with your children and I cannot wait for the New Year, where we turn our focus to painting and mixed-media!

Have a wonderful, magical, Holy Christmas

God Bless

Mrs Mather

Tell a story!

This half term has been an utter delight working alongside Year 2. Through the exploration of marks, observations, texture and characterisation, the children have taken a journey to create their own story through art. Each week building on previous learning to create their own book.

“I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart.” – Vincent van Gogh

The artists in year 2 have explored and experimented different ways of drawing texture using different media one of these was charcoal, messy but amazing results, the children loved it. Then we looked at how our facial expression shows how we feel the most important parts are you’re eyebrows and your mouth, having that in consideration we created our own emojis and there were some extraordinary expressions! Following this we have created our own book and made up our own story and characters, this was so fun and the artists/illustrators have created some beautiful books.

"Creativity takes courage"- Henry Matisse

In year 2 this term we had food tech. Initially we looked at sugar hidden in drinks and foods and to always check our packages ingredients and try and spot those hidden sugars. We looked in particular at certain drinks that we are familiar with in pairs we worked out the sugar and as a class we used actual sugar to make it visual for us how much actual sugar was in the drinks we were shocked to find just how much sugar was in the orange juice, nearly 10gr of sugar!

We looked at the food wheel and how should our plate look like when we eat, fruit and vegetables being the biggest portion. With eating healthy in mind we all did a “blind” taster session and we soon found out our likes and dislikes, we this in mind children then designed their own healthy wrap. I think its safe to say that we all learnt a lot and had loads of fun designing, preparing and of course eating!

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” – Leonardo da Vinci

In year 2 this term was busy but very creative. The artists experimented mark making using charcoal, the children experimented how different ways of holding the charcoal can create different marks, charcoal is so messy but so much fun! We tried to create a texture from different objects in the classroom using a variety of mediums, the children were encouraged to touch and discuss what they could feel and how they would recreate that texture in their sketchbooks. Following this the artists brought their favourite toy and had a go at observational drawing, drawing only what they could see and trying to recreate the texture on paper, these were amazing! On our last week we looked at illustrations and how illustrators show their characters feelings. We looked at which parts of our face show our emotions. Eyebrows, eyes and mouth help us to understand how a character in a book or film is feeling, we had a go at creating our own feeling emoji, there were some very creative emojis!

"There is no must in art because art is free."- Wassily Kandinsky

This term the year 2 artists have been very busy.

We looked at Aboriginal art and its origin, year 2 created a map in their sketchbooks using aboriginal art’s technique. We also found out what a didgeridoo is and decorated our own.

Together we found out all about sustainable art and how important it is for our planet and environment, we decided to upcycle everyday packages that would eventually go in the bin to each create a piece for a Christmas village, it was amazing to see the children’s ideas on their sketchbooks and there were so many great ideas! Because we were all in the Christmas mood we started our Christmas cards, children were encouraged to create their own using any techniques/mediums that they would prefer.

Year 2 Artists also started their own nativity scene in clay.

Each artist was encouraged to think about Jesus birth and how they imagine the stable would look like. These nativity scenes are adorable and the artists worked really hard to put them together.