Mechanisms- Moving Monsters.

This half term has flown by with an action- packed term of learning! We have been looking at Mechanisms, in particular, pivots and levers. The children have investigated and explored everyday items that use a mechanism to operate. We have thought about the input and the output of a device and what happens in between! Through exploration, the children used levers and pivots to make linkages. Using this knowledge and through discussion, we came up with a design- criteria to plan and create a moving monster for a Year 1 child. The children were so proud with their end product!

Next half term we are moving on to Food Technology, where they will be looking at nutrition and a healthy balanced diet, focusing on the different food types. They will then go on to use their knowledge, to design and make a healthy wrap. Your class teacher will let you know in advance of any ingredients that you child will need to bring for their session.

Have a wonderful May half term,

God Bless

Mrs Mather

Sculpture and 3D- Mega Materials

Time flies when you’re having fun! This half term the children have looked at and turned their hand to using varying materials to produce a sculpture. There have been many challenges in this topic with adapting and manipulating such differing materials, but none the less, everyone had a good go! From sculpting a bar of soap, to creating a 2D wire sculpture, many skills were needed through this half term! 

Next half term, we are turning our attention to Food Technology, where we will look at nutrition and how to adapt a recipe for personal choice. Our first lesson was terribly hard as we tasted and evaluated existing biscuits on the market! We will also be looking at budgeting, marketing and packaging 

Have a lovely May half term, 

God Bless 

Mrs Mather 

Mechanisms- Pop Up Book

My goodness, what a short half term with all those Bank Holidays! It has indeed flown by! This half term we have revisited mechanisms and have learned how to create a pop up. Through discussion of a design- criteria and planning, the children have created a pop- up book that they can share with their Year 1 partner.  Many skills are revisited in this topic from accurate cutting skills, the thought process of how something will move and the technique of layering so that the moveable mechanisms are hidden. We will complete this topic the first week back. I will add photos of all their hard work after the break.

Gallery Block

These are example images. Double-click here to replace these images with your own content. Learn more

Next half term, we are moving io to Food Tech, where we will be looking at nutritional values and adapting a basic Bolognaise Sauce to enhance flavour and nutritional value. Your class teacher will let you know in advance what ingredient your child will need to bring in for their session.

Have a lovely May half term

God Bless

Mrs Mather

Electrical Systems- Steady Hand Game

How quick this half term has flown! In design technology this term, we have used our scientific knowledge of electrical systems to aid us with our topic. Through exploration of toys, we have thought about a product being fit for purpose, its function, aesthetics and target audience prior to the planning process. The children used their mathematical knowledge to produce a base made from nets. Then added their electrical system that included a buzzer. I am sure you can imagine the noise level within class as each child became successful in their task, producing a working toy!  

Next half term, we turn our attention to Food Tech, where they will plan a nutritious three course meal in groups. We have an added twist this year where they will be cooking it all in Forest School. Miss Lavelle and I are really excited to be doing this and cannot wait to see what they come up with! Your class teacher will let you know in advance what ingredients your child will need for their session. 

Have a lovely May half term break, 

God Bless 

Mrs Mather 

Pneumatic Systems- Pneumatic toy

This half term has been action packed with learning! The beauty of Design Technology is that it links to so many other subjects. Pneumatics certainly go hand in hand with science. We have explored and investigated what pneumatics are and how they worked. The children then used this knowledge through discussion, to come up with a design-criteria for a moving toy. Thinking about safety, aesthetics ang the pneumatics. They had such fun planning and creating their toys! 

Next half term, we are moving onto Food Technology, where we will be looking at nutrition and seasonal ingredients, then using that knowledge to design a healthy, seasonal tart. Your class teacher will let you know in advance what ingredients your child will need to bring for their session. 

Have a lovely May half term, 

God Bless 

Mrs Mather 

Mechanisms- Pull along Toy

This half term has been action packed with learning! We have been looking at mechanisms, in particular wheels and axels. The children have investigated what shape makes the ideal wheel and how they turn on an axel. They have practiced and fine tuned their skill of cutting a circle accurately and effectively using varying thicknesses of card. Through discussion, we came up with a design-criteria to make a pull along toy for a 1 year old child. This included safety aspects, aesthetics and the mechanism of the wheels and axels. The children have had such fun designing and making their toy, as you can see!

Next half term we are moving on to Food Technology, where we will be looking at nutrition and making smoothies. Your class teacher will let you know in advance, any ingredients that your child will be need to bring in for their session.

Have a wonderful May half term,

God Bless

Mrs Mather  

How blessed we have been with the weather!

How blessed we have been with the weather! The sun has shone, the temperature has risen, which has meant that the children have opted to spend as much time as possible outside. After a hard days’ work, there is nothing better than blue skies and fresh air.  Snack time has been enjoyed outside on the benches and a little treat on the hotter days with an ice pop to cool us down! Inside activities have included VE Day, St Georges Day and artworks for our summer display. Although a quick half term, the children have enjoyed relaxing and being together. Friendships are blossoming and new ones made on a daily basis.  

Thank you for your continuing support in our new venture- I cannot believe there is only one term left! It has been a joy and a pleasure to be able to support you with our wrap around care.

We will reopen on Monday 9th June at 7:45 am for breakfast club.

Have a lovely May half term break,

God Bless

The All Stars Team

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.