Happy Easter!

Time certainly does fly when you are having fun! I cannot believe that All Stars is completing its second full term in operation! With an abundance of games, art and craft and a weekly sporting session, we have had a ball! The lighter morning and evenings have meant that we are able to have more outside time with den making, football and scootering and with the drier, warmer weather we have had the field as well. The children have loved having the additional space to run wild after a busy day of learning. We have had great fun making Mother’s Day, Spring and Easter crafts, including Easter crispy cakes! We would like to thank both you and your children for making both clubs a huge success and for your continued support in our new venture and we look forward to having your children after the holiday.

Have a Holy and Happy Easter, may the sun continue to shine!

God Bless

The All Stars Team

Artist Study and Steady Hand Game

This half term, the children completed their artist study topic. We have looked at a variety of artists, their style and their inspirations for their pieces. The children then went on to complete this unit by choosing an artist for inspiration to produce a piece of art. This could be a narrative piece, a message or a topic close to their heart and in any media they wished to use, be water colours, water based paint, oil pastels, or pencil work.  The results were amazing, and the varied styles and ideas were wonderful! Well done Year 6 for producing some great work! We then moved onto our electrical systems, where the children have looked at different toys and thinking about function, form and fit for purpose features. They have gone on to producing a steady hand game using their own design criteria and specifics. This topic will be completed after the holidays.

Clay House Tiles

This term, we have been learning to join clay to make some super clay sculptures. We started off by making their own penguin to co- inside with their class learning. We moved on to pinch pots, using the skills of slip and scoring to join clay and embellish their pots with decoration. Continuing on they then learned how to apply negative and positive decoration to a clay tile of their own design. Finally, the children used all their knowledge to plan and make a clay house tile. We have all very much enjoyed this topic and loved getting our hands mucky!

Bridges

This half term we have been putting an array of knowledge to the test in our Design and Technology topic. The children have shown such perseverance with building their bridges. We started off looking at the three main types; beam, arch and truss and discovering which type was the strongest. The children were then set the task of having a go at making a spaghetti truss bridge, this task is definitely for the faint hearted- it would test the patience of anyone! The children took it all in their stride and shown impeccable resilience when the spaghetti kept snapping! We then moved on to our woodworking skills, using our maths knowledge to measure and cut accurate lengths to construct their bridge. I am so proud of all the children for navigating this topic so wonderfully with their partners and their enthusiasm in helping others when they could. You have all been wonderful craftspeople Year 5 well done!

Torches

This half term we have been exploring electrical systems and how they have developed over time. The children were tasked with making a torch to fit a set design criterion. They could either; design and make a torch for a police officer or someone who enjoyed caving. They had to decide on the relevant style of torch, taking the specific criteria for each person into consideration. This could be either in the form of a hand held or a head torch. The children were very creative in completing their torch with an off/on switch and were all successful in making a fully functioning torch!  We have now started our next topic of Sculptures and 3D.

Sculpture and 3D - Paper Play

This term, the children have been looking at the different ways they could use paper. From 3D drawings through to sculptures. We have had so much fun manipulating paper into tower sculptures, the tree of life 3d art and a collaborative whole class spider sculpture! The children have shown so much resilience when the paper would not bend the way they wanted it to. This topic has been perfect for their fine motor skills and building up their finger muscles by rolling an array of different sized cylinders to produce their tower sculptures. Their imagination has run wild with this topic and they produced fabulous work!

Fabric of Nature

This half term, the children have been learning all about textiles. From traditional methods such as Batik and William Morris to learning the process of developing their own ideas for repeated patterns, inspired by the rainforest. With such wonderful vibrant colours and unique wildlife and plant life, the children have let their imaginations flow to produce samples of print ideas. We have so vey much enjoyed, creating mood boards and using the prominent colours to create detailed drawings to use in our pattern making. It has been wonderful to watch the children develop their skills and I cannot wait to continue their creative learning journey with them.

Painting and Mixed Media- Portraits

And so we come to the end of another half term. I cannot believe we are half way through the school year! This half term, our focus has been on painting and mixed media and how we can incorporate this into self portraits.. The children have had so much fun exploring what mixed media is and how it can be used to create a piece of art. Through combining painting skills with pastels, crayons, photographs, lots of imagination and acetate, they have certainly enjoyed having fun with their images! Texture has played a huge part in developing our skills, enabling the children to bring their artistry to life and create a wonderful self portrait. Next half term, we will be moving on to Structures and bridge building.

Painting and Mixed Media - Paint My World

And so we come to the end of another half term. I cannot believe we are half way through the school year! This half term, our focus has been on painting and mixed media and all the different ways we can produce a work of art. The children have had so much fun exploring what mixed media is and all the tools we can use. From mud painting to collage, responding to music, there has never been a dull moment in art! Through exploration and discussion, the children are developing their skills certainly enjoyed having fun with their all of their pictures! Next half term, we will be moving on to Sculptures and 3D.

Painting and Mixed Media- Light and Dark.

And so we come to the end of another half term. I cannot believe we are half way through the school year! This half term, our focus has been on painting and mixed media in the form of Light and Dark. The children have had so much fun exploring what mixed media is and how it could be used to create a 3D effect in their art work. Through their Knowledge of Primary and Secondary colours, the children have been able to use tinting and shading to develop their skills further. We have looked at proportion and why it is so important and how to create a composition to which is aesthetically pleasing to the audience. We finished off with a collaborated still life composition, working in small groups to compile, then painted individually, where the children made their own informed choices as to which media or mixed media they would like to use. Next half term, we will be moving on to electrical systems.

Painting and Mixed Media-Artist Study

And so we come to the end of another half term. I cannot believe we are half way through the school year! This half term, our focus has been on painting and mixed media and how artists use an array of media to produce a finished piece. We have been looking at various artists from David Hockney to John Singer Sargent, studying their inspiration behind their work - there is a story to tell behind every piece of art. To deepen understanding, we have been reasoning why certain colours were used to add effect, shared our opinions on how they make us feel and justifying our reasoning. The children have recreated art works in response to their studies. Group work has aided in collaborative compositions which were photographed and then gone on to form the basis of their own artwork. As we continue this unit after the half term, we will share opinions on how they make us feel and why. They will then draw on the artists for inspiration to plan and compose their own piece using media of their choice.

Once completed, we will then move on to Electrical Systems - Steady Hand Game.

Painting and Mixed Media- Colour Splash!

And so we come to the end of another half term. I cannot believe we are half way through the school year! This half term, our focus has been on painting and mixed media and how we can incorporate this into our work.. The children have had so much fun exploring what mixed media is and how it can be used to create a piece of art. We have focused on the three Primary Colours and how they can be used to create Secondary colours. We have experimented in so many different ways as to how this is possible! We have learned that adding more of one colour, will determine the shade of secondary colour. We have looked at works by Jasper Johns and Clarice Cliff to inspire us to recreate their methods used, enabling the children to bring their artistry to life and create a wonderful piece of art. Next half term, we will be moving on to Sculpture and 3D and Craft and Design.

Painting and Mixed Media- Life in Colour

And so we come to the end of another half term. I cannot believe we are half way through the school year! This half term, our focus has been on painting and mixed media and how we see life in colour. The children have had so much fun exploring what mixed media is and how it can be used to create a piece of art. Through combining painting skills with pastels, crayons and collage to create textured pieces with in their work. Texture has played a huge part in developing our skills, enabling the children to bring their artistry to life. We finished off with a collaborated collage, working in pairs. Next half term, we will be moving on to sculpture.

Free play gives children an outlet to express their emotions and feelings and helps them develop a sense of who they are. = Joan Santer and Carol Griffith =

I cannot believe that I am writin, not only my third All Stars Blog, but our half way point of the school year! I cannot thank you, the children and staff for all the support you have given us since September. The club, is growing and growing, as we welcome new members. We have had Mr Nay and Mr Murrey join us this term, to provide physical activities. Not to mention, our youngest members of the Our Lady family Nursery, it has been an absolute joy to have them with us. They have joined in so well with the other children and settled in so quickly, it is as if they have been with us since September!The children are such a delight and it is wonderful to have those moments at the end of the school day to relax, wind down and “just be”. Breakfast club, with those chilly,early mornings and the smell of warmed pancakes and toast and a calmness for the start of a new day. We quite often have staff bobbing in to say good morning to the children, whichn is so lovely- we really are one big family.

We have had an action packed half term, starting off with Burns Night- I have to say, I was surprised how many children enjoyed the Haggis! Next came Chineses New Year, where we decorated snakes, had a selection of foods for the children to try. We have developed our Under the Sea display which is looking fabulous! But more importantly, the children can just be, relax and have that all important down time before and after a hard days work.

Painting and Mixed Media- Prehistoric Art.

And so we come to the end of another half term. I cannot believe we are half way through the school year! This half term, our focus has been on painting and mixed media in the form of Prehistoric Art. The children have had so much fun exploring what mixed media is and how it could be used to replicate a cave painting. Through combining painting skills with pastels, charcoal and the creation of their own homemade paint using spices, flour/water base along with lentils, rice and couscous to create textured pieces of art. The use of natural resources, has helped the children no end to understand how and why Prehistoric man created paintings. We finished off with a collaborated handprint cave wall using negative and positive prints working in small groups. Next half term, we will be moving on to craft and design.

“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

“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 Textiles. The children have, followed a design criteria to plan, create and produce a soft, stuffed toy. Sewing is a very tricky skill and they have shown such resilience and determination to apply their new knowledge of blanket stitch to their work. The results were fantastic! We also had a snippet of time to have a go at some embroidery!

Next half term, we will be turning our attention to painting and mixed media and I cannot wait to see the wonderful work the children will produce! Please can you ensure your child has an art shirt in school, as we will be getting mucky!

Have a wonderful, magical, holy Christmas.

God Bless

Mrs Mather

“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 practicing our cutting skills with cooked spaghetti and shaped scissors! The children have been so enthusiastic to share their thoughts on processes, discuss why they have chosen certain resources and for what purpose. And to finish the half term, a sliding mechanism Nativity scene.

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

“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 Textiles. We have had such fun experimenting and exploring a range of techniques with a plethora of tools to create our Nativity hand puppets. From joining various materials using different techniques and resources , to practicing our cutting skills when working with fabric. The children have been so enthusiastic to share their thoughts on processes, discuss why they have chosen certain resources and for what purpose. And to finish the half term, we have learned to thread a needle and use running stitch to make a pouch.

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

“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 and manipulate boxes and cartons to produce a castle out of junk. From joining various materials using different techniques and resources and constructing 3D shapes to form a part of the building. We have learned that a structure needs to be; strong, stiff and stable ( the three S’s) to be a viable structure. They have learned about the various parts of a castle and for what purpose they served. The children have been so enthusiastic to share their thoughts on processes, discuss why the three S’s are so important in the construction of buildings.

Next half term, we turn our attention to painting and mixed media, I cannot wait to work alongside the children to see what wonderful work they produce1 please can you ensure, your child has an art shirt in school, as we will get a bit mucky!

Have a wonderful, magical, holy Christmas.

God Bless

Mrs Mather