The children took part in a healthy eating Design and Technology activity where they made their own fruit kebabs using strawberries, red grapes, green grapes, bananas, and clementines.

The children showed good focus and concentration as they carefully prepared the fruit and threaded it onto their skewers. They learned about healthy foods and discussed why fruit is good for our bodies, linking to the message of eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

The children practised using a knife safely to chop soft fruit, developing their understanding of knife safety and how to handle tools carefully. They also strengthened their fine motor skills by picking up fruit pieces and pushing them onto the skewer.

After making their fruit kebabs, the children thoroughly enjoyed eating them. They used descriptive language to talk about the taste and texture of the fruit, saying it was juicy, fruity, and sweet. The children were proud of their finished kebabs and enjoyed trying a variety of fruits.

"My favourite fruit are strawberries" Faith A

"I love chopping bananas" Oliver

"My kebab is so juicy!" Harrison- Bleu

✂️ Year 6 Design & Technology: Creating Our Phone Case Prototypes 📱🧵

This week in Design and Technology, Year 6 built on the fantastic sewing skills they practised earlier in the week to begin creating their mobile phone case prototypes.

Using their new knowledge, the children carefully selected appropriate stitches to construct and decorate their designs. It was great to see pupils confidently applying techniques such as the running stitch, back stitch, over stitch and blanket stitch to suit different purposes, whether for joining fabric securely or adding a decorative edge.

Working with cloth, pupils measured, cut and assembled their pieces to create a functional prototype. They showed excellent attention to detail when aligning edges and keeping their stitching neat and even. Threading needles and tying secure knots became much quicker and easier compared to earlier lessons—clear evidence of the progress they have made!

Throughout the lesson, the class demonstrated brilliant problem-solving skills 🧠, adapting their designs where needed and thinking carefully about how to make their cases both practical and visually appealing 🎨.

It was wonderful to see so much perseverance 💪 and creativity ✨, with each prototype reflecting the individuality of its designer. These skills will be continued and refined as we move towards completing our final products.

Well done, Year 6—your hard work is really paying off! 👏📱

✂️ Year 6 Design & Technology: Mastering Our Sewing Skills! 🧵

This week in Design and Technology, Year 6 have been busy developing and refining their sewing techniques as part of our focus on mastering key practical skills.

We began by learning how to carefully thread a needle – not always as easy as it looks! Pupils showed great patience and determination as they practised this essential skill, supporting one another and celebrating their successes along the way.

Once we were ready, we moved on to practising a range of different stitches. Using binca fabric as a starting point, the children explored:

• Running stitch – creating simple, even lines
• Back stitch – producing strong, continuous seams
• Over stitch – joining edges neatly together
• Blanket stitch – adding both structure and decorative edging

Binca provided a helpful structure, making it easier for pupils to focus on the rhythm and accuracy of their stitches. As confidence grew, we progressed onto felt, which offered a new challenge due to its softer texture and closer weave.

The class demonstrated excellent perseverance throughout the lesson, carefully improving their technique and taking pride in neat, precise work. It was fantastic to see creativity starting to shine through as pupils experimented with different stitches and began thinking about how these skills could be applied to future projects.

Well done, Year 6 – a brilliant step towards becoming confident and capable designers! 👏

This week we have continued exploring the story Bog Baby, about two sisters who discover a mysterious little creature and learn an important lesson about love, care, and letting go. The story captured the children’s imaginations and led to some wonderful creative work.

We finished making our own clay Bog Babies. After carefully shaping them, we painted them blue, bringing each one to life with its own unique personality.

To complete the project, we designed and created habitats for our Bog Babies, thinking carefully about what they would need to feel safe and at home. This helped us to link our creativity with our understanding of real-life habitats and how to care for living things.

Finally, we took our Bog Babies home, allowing the children to share their creations and the story behind them with their families.

"I can't wait to play with my Bog Baby at home with my brother" Harrison- Bleu

"My habitat has got blue tissue paper for the water in the pond and green lilly pads made from leaves for it to sleep on" Leena

"He will love to suck his toes on the leaves in my habitat" Bonnie.

After reading the magical story The Bog Baby, we were inspired to create our own tiny creatures. The story, about two sisters who discover a mysterious Bog Baby and learn about love and letting go, sparked lots of imagination!

Using clay, we carefully built our own Bog Babies. We practised important sculpting techniques such as slip, score, and blend to securely attach the wings, legs, arms, and tails. This helped ensure that all the body parts were firmly joined and would not break off.

Next, we will be painting our Bog Babies and creating habitats for them to live in.

Watch this space to see our finished creations!

 

Year 3 have made an exciting start to their new art topic, Cloth, Thread and Paint, all in one creative day! We explored the work of artists like Alice Kettle and Hannah Rae, discussing how they combine fabric, thread and paint in imaginative ways. The children recorded their ideas and responses in their sketchbooks. We then focused on mark making, looking closely at how artists use different lines and patterns to create texture and movement. The children experimented with their own marks, building confidence and beginning to develop their own artistic style. It was fantastic to see so much creativity and enthusiasm! 🎨

🌍 Redwoods Class Blog – 3D Planet Sculptures 🚀

This week in Redwoods class, we had an exciting and creative time making 3D planet sculptures using paper mache 🎨🖐️. The classroom was buzzing with energy as we transformed simple materials into impressive models of planets from our solar system ✨🌌.

We had to show lots of resilience and patience 💪😊, especially when building up the layers of paper mache. It took time for each layer to dry properly before we could add the next one ⏳, but we didn’t give up. Our hard work really paid off in the end 🌟.

Once the sculptures were ready, we carefully painted them 🎨🖌️. We chose planets such as Neptune, Earth and Venus 🟦🌍🟡, making sure to use the correct colours and details. The finished results look fantastic and we are very proud of what we created 😄👏.

Well done, Redwoods class, for your brilliant teamwork, creativity and determination! ⭐👏

This week, children proudly completed their final textiles (DT) project – creating their very own handmade pencil cases. After weeks of learning and practising sewing skills, pupils carefully joined felt pieces together using either a running stitch or backstitch, showing growing confidence and accuracy with needle and thread.

Once the main structure was complete, children selected a fastening for their pencil case, choosing between a zip or popper, and worked carefully to attach it securely. They then referred back to their original designs to add decorative details, ensuring their pencil cases were not only practical but also attractive and personal.

The finished products were truly phenomenal. Each pencil case reflected thoughtful design choices, creativity and perseverance. The children should be extremely proud of their achievements, as they demonstrated excellent craftsmanship, problem‑solving skills and attention to detail throughout the project.

🚙✨ Year 2 Get Moving with Their Amazing Vehicle Designs! ✨🛠️

This week, Year 2 have been busy engineers in the making as they created their very own moving vehicles in Design Technology! 🧰🎨

The children began by exploring different types of wheels and axles, learning how real vehicles move and what helps them travel smoothly. 🛞🔍 They sketched ideas, planned their designs, and thought carefully about which materials would be strongest and most effective. 💡📐

Once their plans were ready, it was time to get building! 🛠️
With cardboard boxes, dowels, bottle tops, tape, and plenty of imagination, the classroom quickly transformed into a buzzing workshop. The children worked brilliantly — measuring, cutting, attaching wheels, and testing how well their vehicles rolled. 🚗💨

There were racing cars, buses, monster trucks, and even a few creative inventions we’ve never seen before! 🚕🚚🚜
The pride on their faces when their vehicles moved for the first time was priceless. 😄👏

A huge well done to all of Year 2 for their brilliant teamwork, resilience, and creativity throughout this project. 🌟
We are so proud of the skills they are developing as designers and makers! 🧩✨

Keep an eye out — you may see some of our future engineers on the roads one day! 🚗❤️

We’ve had an amazing few days exploring the world of hot cross buns, and what a delicious journey it’s been! To start the day, we looked at what a chef's job role is. Our taste-testing session was a big highlight—we sampled a whole variety of flavours, including apple and cinnamon, cherry bakewell, lemon and white chocolate, currants, and even salted caramel. Each bun had its own unique flavour and texture, and we used lots of powerful adjectives to describe them—soft, sticky, zesty, gooey, fluffy and more!

After becoming expert taste-testers, we moved on to planning our own baking. We carefully listed all the ingredients we would need and used our maths skills to measure everything precisely. From weighing flour to counting out chocolate chips, we worked like real bakers, following each step with care.

Finally, it was time to bake—and our teamwork paid off! Not only did we learn about flavours and textures, but we also practised reading, writing, measuring, and problem‑solving along the way.

A truly delicious learning experience!

Together Time was a wonderful chance for parents and children to learn side by side. As part of our DT Textiles topic, pupils revisited the sewing skills they learned last lesson, including the running stitch and back stitch. With support from their grown‑ups, the children used these techniques to join two pieces of fabric together, building confidence and accuracy as they stitched. The classroom was full of teamwork, creativity, and proud smiles as everyone shared in the joy of making something by hand. Thank you to all the families who joined us—your support makes these moments truly special.

This half term in Design Technology, as part of our Textiles topic, the children have been exploring a range of existing pencil cases. They investigated what each pencil case was made from, how the materials felt and why different fabrics might have been chosen. The class also examined how each product was constructed, looking closely at zips, seams and stitching. We compared pencil cases with just one compartment to others with several sections, discussing which designs we preferred and why. This hands‑on exploration has helped the children understand what makes a textile product both functional and appealing.