Redbridge Primary - Everybody Writes

Science Morning...all about movement!

2010-05-25T21:05:00.003+01:00

Yesterday, the whole school had fun with science. The theme was movement and in KS1 and KS2 the children investigated different kinds of movement.

In KS2 the children investigated how liquids move, what happens when the air escapes form a balloon, volcano eruptions and the flight patterns of paper planes.

Everyone enjoyed being messy with Mrs Clarke!

In KS1 the children investigated floating and sinking, cylinder planes and boat races.

The planes didn't look like ordinary planes, but were great at flying!

Although the children made good predictions about what would sink or float, everyone was surprised by what the raisins did!

Try putting some raisins in a cup of lemonade and watch them go up and down and up and down!

Miss Proctor

Letter from the Queen!!!

2010-03-28T13:21:00.002+01:00

The Year 6 children have been writing letters... to James Blunt, Chelsea FC, Danni Minogue, Top Gear, Doctor Who, Diversity... the list goes on and on. They have been waiting for replies, and slowly letters have trickled into school.

The most exciting of which has been a letter from... the Queen! Bradley had written to the Queen, to inform her about our new school, and to let her know about the important features of the school...." we have underfloor heating in every classroom"! I'm sure that impressed her, because she probably hasn't got it at the palace!

He recieved a letter back, from her Lady-in-Waiting, which said the following...

Dear Bradley,
The Queen wishes me to write and thank you for your letter in which you tell her about your new school.
The Queen was pleased to know that you are so proud of your school, and thought it was kind of you to invite her to visit you there. Although Her Majesty is unable to accept, The Queen greatly appreciated your thoughtfulness.
As I feel sure you will understand, Her Majesty does not have time to reply personally to all the hundreds of people who write to her each day, but she was very glad to hear from you and to know that you are so happy at your school.
The Queen thanks you again for your letter and sends her good wishes to you and all your friends at Redbridge Primary School.

We are looking forward to more replies from some of the other people, and we hope that they will be just as exciting.
Miss Proctor

Sports Relief!

2010-03-19T18:08:00.008Z

There were some interesting clothes worn to school today, to raise money for Sports Relief. I think that everyones favourite costumes were the 118 guys!

We were all amazed by the variety of sporting costumes... from footballers, swimmers, tennis players, racing drivers, ballet dancers, cheerleaders .... the list is endless.

The winners from the KS2 skipping competition all showed off their prowess... but we found it hard to believe that Mr Benson had done 170 skips in a minute... we think it was more like 17! We liked Mrs Clarke's special jumping style!

The winners from the KS1 hula-hooping competition all showed how quickly they could spin their hoops... and everyone was very impressed by the size of my hoop!

It is much easier with a bigger hoop though, as Lisa found out!

Everyone had lots of fun and, more importantly, raised lots of money for Sports Relief. Thanks!

Miss Proctor

We are open!

2010-01-11T18:05:00.008Z

After weeks of work, we're open at last! Everyone was very excited today, adults and children alike! Although it was still slippery underfoot, I think that everyone was glad the school was (just about) ready to open.

The children had a good look around the school and into each others classrooms.

They were very impressed by the abundance of technology everywhere, and how bright and shiny everything is!
This is what some of the Year 2 children wrote...

"I think that the new school is outstanding. I really like the new, posh toilets. I am looking forward to going into the ICT suite. " Ellessia

"I think the new school is super duper. I really like the massive white board in the hall. I can't wait to watch a film on the big white board in the massive hall." Ryan

"I think that the new school is clean. I really like the warm carpet. I am looking forward to going in the hall for lunch. " Paige

All we need to do now is fill up all the display boards! There are quite a lot, but I'm sure we'll be doing lots of exciting work!
Miss Proctor

Inside the new school!

2009-12-16T18:17:00.013Z

Today the children stepped inside the new school for the first time...and were very excited!

It's supposed to be finished by Friday, but there still seemed quite a lot left to do! Several children offered to help with the painting!

We were very impressed by the height of the school hall, and the atrium area, and everyone was itching to get inside the classrooms.

We looked in the windows of the classrooms and Jane's office, as they were full of the things from our old school!

We looked at the playground area, and we can't wait for there to be some grass, so we can get out onto the field. At the moment there is rather a lot of mud everywhere!

Miss Proctor

The Little Chimney Sweep!

2009-12-10T18:47:00.004Z

Today the infants performed the first of their Christmas concerts to a very packed hall full of proud parents and friends. Everyone agreed that it was a great final concert in our old school hall.

Next year there will be much more space, but maybe a little less atmosphere. Dressed in their Victorian clothes, it did feel like we were back in the year 1859!

This is what the children wrote...

" My Nan came and she was really impressed. Red class were actors and my brother was Santa Claus and he made me laugh. He looked really good and was really funny. I had to sing by myself. The song was called, 'I wish I was a fairy on a Christmas tree', and it was a very gentle song." Kiesha, Y2

" My favourite song was 'Jolly old Father Christmas'. And at the end of the concert Miss Proctor took pictures of us and I enjoyed it very much." Ashanti, Y2

"I liked the Christmas cracker song, because after we sang it, Red class pulled their crackers. My Mum, Dad and sister enjoyed it. Jane said that it was the best concert at Redbridge Primary School." Leshanna, Y2

" My Mum and Dad loved it. My Mum nearly cried and my Dad kept looking at me because he loved it as well. Jane loved it and she clapped, and told everyone to do three cheers." Ellie, Y2

All of the Junior classes and Y2 contributed to a drawing of the school, as it would have looked in 1859. that we used as our scenery.

Miss Proctor

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Year 1 having fun on Victorian day!

2009-11-28T17:32:00.006Z

Red class certainly seemed to be having lots of fun on our special day.

They all had their photos taken outside the old school door.

They enjoyed being in the Victorian school room, although their teacher seemed a little scary.

Not everybody's hands were clean!

But their favourite activity was definitely 'drill' in the playground.

Miss Proctor

Going back in time on Victorian day!

2009-11-26T18:16:00.008Z

Wow! What amazing outfits were worn today by all the children... and some of the adults!

A big thank you to all the creative parents who produced some great outfits, and to everyone who has provided a 'memory'. We are still interested in hearing from anyone who has a memory of Redbridge Primary, as we are collecting these together in a book.

We all really enjoyed being Victorians for the day, and especially enjoyed the Victorian school experience!

We know that there would only have been about 30 children in the school 150 years ago, whereas it felt very full today with over 200 children and lots of adults.

The Echo came and took lots of pictures, so we're hoping that there will be a nice article in the paper recording one of the last events in our old site.

Now we're looking ahead to the Christmas concerts... and to lots and lots of packing!

Miss Proctor

Memories of Redbridge week

2009-11-23T19:01:00.004Z

We started the 'memories of Redbridge' week today. In assembly the children had to guess how many years different teachers had worked at the school... their guesses were not always flattering!

We had two special visitors, ex members of staff, that the children later interviewed. And the children enjoyed looking at the old photos of classes and teachers, finding older brothers and sisters, and in some cases parents.

The oldest photograph we have was a class in 1927, in which our old caretaker Tony's Uncle belonged. Many of the children seemed very shocked by the clothes the teachers used to wear, and some very interesting hair styles!

We're all looking forward to our Victorian school day on Thursday, and dressing up as Victorian school children and teachers.

Miss Proctor

Big visitors!

2009-11-11T20:11:00.010Z

The children couldn't believe their eyes this morning, as there were some BIG visitors in the school hall!

The Marine Conservation Society brought a large selection of sea creatures to school, and all classes found out about some of the amazing animals living in the sea.

Their favourite part was touching the creatures, and putting their head inside the basking shark's head seemed particularly popular! Don't worry, it only eats tiny fish!

Afterwards, the children had a go at drawing some of the creatures, and writing 'sea' sentences.

Our school hall seemed small when it was filled with whales, dolphins and sharks! Did you enjoy meeting these special visitors?

Miss Proctor

Memories of Redbridge Primary School

2009-11-08T12:47:00.002Z

Have you got any special memories of being at Redbridge? Very soon we will be moving to a new site, and so we are collecting 'memories of Redbridge' from pupils, ex-pupils, parents and staff. If you can contribute in any way, please add a comment to the blog, send a letter to school, or e-mail your memories to memories.of.redbridge@googlemail.com .

We look forward to hearing from you. A selection of memories and photos will be added to the blog shortly.

Miss Proctor

Rainbow writing continued!

2009-11-01T14:25:00.014Z

The youngest children in the school seemed to enjoy their first everybody writes day.

Their activities were much more about colour and shape, rather than writing, but they did help the teacher to write a rainbow poem... and they are definitely keen to become writers.

In Year 3 the activities all related to their rainforest topic, and they created poems about chameleons and explored how colours make you feel. They also created an optical illusion, using coloured dots, and hiding words in it.

The Year 6 pupils wrote 'colourful' poems about London, and their teacher was very pleased with their language choices...

A Picture of London by Kayleigh Stevens
I will paint a burgandy bus sitting in endless traffic,
Under a cobalt sky.
White capsules forming a circle.
I will paint the bronze Big Ben standing tall and proud.
Multi-coloured lights of Picadilly Circus shining through the night.
Every drop of azure rain falling on the silver Gherkin.

A display of work from all classes was put in the school hall to celebrate the day.

It looks like we will all be writing about our 'memories of Redbridge school' very soon. Details of this next event to follow shortly.

Miss Proctor

Rainbow Writing Day in RED class!

2009-10-23T09:05:00.011+01:00

We had such an exciting day in year 1!

We started the day by singing our own versions of colour songs...

What is red, what is red?

Can you tell, can you tell?

Apples and strawberries,

Our jumper as well,

Our jumper as well.

Then we used all the ideas from the songs to make some superb similies...
As green as a grass hill...

As pink as a fairy...

As yellow as a lemon...

As orange as fire...

As blue as the sea...

As red as my hairband...

We painted and collaged pictures of our similies.

Next we read lots of colour stories, including Winnie the Witch. We had to make a colour spell to help Winnie make Wilbur her cat colourful!

We also made rainbow actrostic poems and made colourful rainbow names.

We had a wonderful, colouful day!

Rainbow Writing Day!

2009-10-16T17:08:00.010+01:00

WOW! What a colourful day!

"Rainbow Writing Day is wicked. I like all the fun lessons we do. I think we should do it more often !" Year 6 Boy.

Rainbow Writing Day was a mix of poetry and colour. All classes from Yr R to Yr 6 took part, and the day was filled with lots of colourful writing activities, using play dough, paint, pipecleaners, coloured matchsticks, chalks, rainbow pencils, felt tips and lots of coloured paper.

The children were allowed to wear colourful clothing to school, as dressing up always helps to make the day feel special, and to create an air of excitement before we get started. one Y6 child said, "I think it was great that we dressed up in rainbow colours!"

We started the day with an assembly, in which a child from each class took part in a rainbow writing race.

At playtime the children wrote on the playground (and walls!), and in the writing area.

At lunchtime, the children chose their favourite colours and explained to the Yr 6 children running the activity why they liked that colour the best.

In Yr 2 we started the day with a simple handwriting activity, but used 'rainbow' pencils... and one child commented... "This is the best day ever!".

Then, we did a "What is red" type of activity, when the children worked as groups to write a poem, making the beginning and end of the poem out of playdough.

Then we made a word rainbow, writing the names of objects that are specific colours on sticky labels and adding them to border stripes. In the afternoon, we thought of new ways to describe colours e.g. dinosaur green, frog green etc. and then made ideas using play dough, pipecleaners, coloured matchsticks & foiled paper. Finally we visited Yr 1 to find out what they had been doing and then they visited us.

Throughout the school a whole range of activities took place from investigating more unusual colour words in Yr 6, and then making a colourful "Picture of London"poem, which linked to their work on "The London Eye Mystery, to making colour similies and acrostic poems in Yr 1 , chameleon shape poetry in Yr 3, and matching colours to emotions.

Although in some of the younger classes, the day was very much about the "fun" which writing can be, in the older classes, the children were aware of more than the "fun" element. "I like the way that the Rainbow Writing Day has combined fun and learning", said one Y6 girl, and another child said "I think that Rainbow Writing Day has helped us to use more interesting words and more grown up language in our work".

Everyone seemed exhausted but happy at the end of the day and as one child said "I think that the whole day has been great because all of the writing we've done is amazing".

Did you enjoy the day? Please leave a comment...
Miss Proctor

Excitement in the writing area!

2009-09-29T18:17:00.004+01:00

The new Reception class were very excited to get outside into the writing area, and although many of them were enjoying mark-making or writing their name, it was great to see their enthusiasm.

Some of the Year R children were using older brothers, sisters and cousins to write messages for them. One of them seemed to be dictating a love letter!

One little girl stayed in the writing area all playtime, and wasn't distracted by any of the chaos around her! Hopefully she'll continue to visit as she gets older.

The writing area is beginning to look a little tired after the summer, but we now need to start to think of the writing area at the new school! Any ideas are welcome.

Miss Proctor

Year 1 and 2 visit Testwood Lakes.

2009-07-15T18:21:00.009+01:00

On Monday, we had a very enjoyable day at Testwood Lakes in Totton. The day was crammed full of lots of activities, and it even managed to stay dry!

Following the trip, Year 2 children wrote about the day, and Year 1 wrote thank you cards.

Josh wrote...I really enjoyed everything, but the best bit was catching bugs and I caught a ladybird. We did pond dipping and I caught a water beetle.

Dylan wrote... I had fun at Testwood Lakes. All the activities were fun, but my favourite activity was pond dipping, because I nearly fell in the pond!

Lee wrote...I had a lovely day at Testwood Lakes. My favourite part was finding the little insects in the meadow. And I liked seeing the wormery and feeding the worms.

Laken, in Year 1 wrote... Dear Testwood Lakes, Thank you for a lovely day. I really liked catching bugs. Love from Laken.

Miss Proctor

Blue Class DT and writing

2009-07-10T12:09:00.011+01:00

We started the week looking at the toilets in our school and talking about what could be improved. We then designed a toilet cubicle for the new school.

There were some very interesting designs... underwater toilets, Hannah Montana toilets, Soccer toilets,World War 2 toilets etc.

The children then made a model of their toilet in a shoe box, adding all the appropriate details like TVs, footballs, mirrors... and soft toilet paper.

They then planned an advert for their toilet design and, working in groups, filmed it.

Finally, they made posters to advertise their design, and next week we will be writing a presentation, and choosing the best one to present to the 'dragons' in our Dragon's Den assembly.

Miss Proctor

Green Class DT

2009-07-08T08:01:00.002+01:00

Green Class has been really buzzing with amazing design ideas for school desks of the future! Children want to do away with boring traditional tables and bring in exciting new personalised workstations. Features should include individual laptops, retractable privacy-screens to eliminate distractions, storage space for personal belongings and equipment, water bottle carriers and much more. The class has created a fabulous product which should impress those dragons. With the right advertising campaign it will surely find a market. What do you think?

D.T. and Everybody Writes week

2009-07-07T19:13:00.002+01:00

We are all in the middle of our special D.T. and Everybody writes week. The theme is ...'The school of the future!' which links to the building of our new school. All the classes are focusing on a different idea...chairs, desks, school bags,musical instruments, toilets... and even the teacher of the future!

We are starting off designing, and making models, and moving on to making adverts, posters, and presenting the best ideas in assembly to the 'Dragon's Den'.

Examples of work, adverts and presentations will follow shortly. Today was pretty messy in most of the classrooms, and although we were all enjoying ourselves, I don't know whether our cleaners Della, Nikki and Nickki had quite as much fun!

Miss Proctor

WOW! Science Day

2009-06-24T19:28:00.009+01:00

We had a very exciting science day today. There was lots of 'WOWs' throughout the day. All the Infant classes were mixed up, and then experienced four different science investigations, all based around the theme of water. There was lots of learning, lots of fun, and lots of mess!

Following the science, some of the children wrote recounts, and some wrote poetry.

Ryan, in Year 1, wrote a very detailed recount of the day, using lots of science words....

First I raced liquids down the board then I learnt a new word called viscous. Second I went to Blue class and went outside to blow bubbles and I learned if you make a square shape (wand), it still makes a sphere shape. Third I went to the tardis and I learnt a new word called vibration. Forth I went to Purple class and I learnt that salt and water melted the ice cubes.'

Leah in Year 1 wrote...

First I went to Purple class and we had a big ice cube and a little man was stuck in the ice and we had to pour water on the ice cube. Second we sorted some liquids and I learnt a new word and it is viscous. Third I went to Mrs Taylor and I learnt about music and we had to make a guitar. We went to Miss Proctor and we did bubbles.

Bubble, Bubble by Haydn
Bubbles popping, bubbles flying,
Beautiful colours on the bubbles,
Tiny bubbles, massive bubbles,
Floating in the air.
Pink, blue, purple, green,
Bubbles dropping to the ground.
Children spinning, children twirling,
Enormous bubbles everywhere.

Bubble, Bubble by Kirstie
Green, blue, pink, yellow, orange,
Bubbles all over the playground.
Enormous bubbles floating in the sky,
Tiny bubbles dropping to the ground,
Lovely reflections in the bubbles.
Children twirling, children spinning,
Children running everywhere.

Did you enjoy our Science day? Let us know if you have any ideas for the next one.
Miss Proctor

Bricklaying on the building site!

2009-06-15T19:01:00.008+01:00

Year 2 visited the new school site today, and learnt how to build a brick wall! We had to dress up in a special jacket, hat, goggles and gloves... even the teachers! After the visit, we all wrote our thoughts on paper 'bricks', and made our own wall in the classroom.

"Today I went to visit the new school and it was brilliant!" Erin
I am looking forward to the new school being built. I think the new school will be amazing!" Bethany

"I can't wait until the new school is finished" Reece

"I think the new school will be excellent when it's built. I am looking forward to going back and doing some more bricklaying!" Owen

At the end of the visit, we watched the 'cherry-picker' raise some workmen into the air. We had to shout 'higher' and the louder we shouted the higher it went! Nearly as high as Redbridge Towers!

Miss Proctor

Sports Day and poetry!

2009-06-11T18:20:00.004+01:00

We're always trying to link writing to some of the fun events happeneing in the school. Today we all enjoyed our sporting activities, but in Year 2, also used it as an opportunity to write some poems, that captured some of the energy and excitement of the day.

Here are a couple of the poems we wrote...

A Fun Sport's Day by Sophie
Balancing on benches,
Turning hands,
Twisting hips,
Scoring goals,
Cheering loved ones,
Making a fabulous effort,
Thowing into the octopus,
Jumping over the ladder,
Getting to the finish!

Sport's Day Fun by Owen
Running races,
Shining faces,
Jumping off benches,
Scoring amazing goals,
Beating my friends,
Clapping families,
Smiling teachers,
Running down the track,
Tripping over,
Chucking bean-bags,
Spinning pois in the air,
Licking ice-lollies.

Sport's Day Poem by Luke
Running and racing,
Zooming and winning,
Clapping and cheering,
Scoring a goal!
Slipping and crying,
Sucking the lollies,
Cheering families!

Thanks very much to all the Year 5 children who helped run all the fun activities for the Infants! You were all fantastic and we appreciate all your patience!

Miss Proctor

Hello sunshine!

2009-06-09T18:47:00.011+01:00

We were all enjoying the sunshine, and having fun in the writing area, last week. The bench that we decorated last year, during our everybody writes week, has been very popular. Some children have been bringing their books into the area, because our outdoor reading area isn't quite as inviting. Perhaps a project for next year...?

Year 2 went outside for their sentence work several times last week, and were all writing sentences about dinosaurs! It's quite overgrown in the area at the moment, and it almost felt as if we had gone back in time! Luckily we didn't spot any dinosaurs, although we did see some birds...

The new school is also growing in the sunshine. Some children have been watching the activity on the site from their bedroom window! At this rate they might even finish by next summer!

The school council wrote the following report of their visit...

We went on another visist to the site to see the huge, massive crane. First of all we wnt through the wrong entrace and we noticed that two people had not worn sensible shoes!! The crane was really tall and could easily lift a car. We were told it could lift 100tons. We had to put our heads right back to see the top of the arm.
The man in charge, called Paul, said it was going to take 55 weeks, from the start to the finish, to build our new school. He showed us where the different parts of the school are going to be.Thye roof of the hall was very high, but there was no sewcond floor. The new school will be on one level...
We were all excited to see what was going on, and our very impatient for it to be finished.

Miss Proctor

A wheel of words!

2009-05-04T13:44:00.010+01:00

The Year 1 class have made a fantastic wheel of words to hang in the writing area. We all like the way they chose words linked to bikes and cycling to dangle from it. I wonder who will make the next unusal 'art and word' sculpture?

It was great to see a small group of boys using the area to solve puzzles in their comics! We'll have to think of more ways to encourage boys to use the area... not just for 'hide and seek'!

One member of staff had recently been to the cinema, and had collected a few of the free postcards they have there. They proved very popular, and the children were almost diving into the yellow box!

I don't know what was being written in this 'secret' notebook, but the other children seemed very interested... and they wouldn't let me have a look!

Miss Proctor

The new school is started...at last!

2009-05-01T17:58:00.007+01:00

The school council visited the site of the new school last Friday, and this is what they wrote…

We are excited because we went to visit the building site last Friday. We wanted to see what was happening there and we saw lots of great things. We made friends with the builders who stopped work to talk to us. “You are too early,” joked one of them, “ The school isn’t open yet!”

To keep us safe, we wore safety helmets and Mrs Clarke, Jane and Miss Proctor wore them as well. They looked funny but we were all SAFE. Although the site looked confusing, we think it will look brilliant when it is finished.

When we got there, we saw the foundations where the school is being built. We saw the basic shape of the office building and the classrooms. All of us saw diggers and big machinery. The ground was bumpy, rocky and tricky to walk on. Just as well we remembered to wear sensible shoes!

We are confident that the new school will be a successful build.The School Council would like to thank Mansell for being so helpful.

Written by Keisha, Abbie, Ellie, Bryoni, Chloe, James and Jordan

A glorious April day!

2009-04-21T19:31:00.012+01:00

The 'everybody writes' area was full of customers today, because there's nothing nicer than sitting in the sunshine and writing with friends.

All the teachers had given the area a 'makeover' after school on Monday, putting up lots of new children's work, and getting rid of anything faded and tatty. We hope to improve it further over the next term. If you have any good ideas, please let me know.

Lots of old diaries, notebooks, cards and notepaper had been added to the Yellow box, and the children were almost fighting over them. Some children just like to visit the area for a quiet lie down, after a busy morning!

The Year 2 children enjoyed their sentence work in the sunshine, writing their own sentences, starting with, 'When the sun shines I....'

As you can see, everyone thought of lots of interesting ways to finish them. Let's hope there's lots more opportunities to work outside this term!

Miss Proctor

Can't wait for summer!

2009-03-19T18:41:00.005Z

With it feeling like summer, the writing area has been well used over the past few days. It has been lovely to see so many of the younger children, especially Year R, in the area. Some children just seem to enjoy watching others write, where as others are very keen to have a go!

Although the postcards still seem to be the most popular, the blank till rolls are a close second. If you have any more ideas for writing materials to put in the area, let me know.

Miss Proctor

Writing jokes on Red Nose Day!

2009-03-13T18:26:00.002Z

We all enjoyed 'doing something funny for the money' on Red Nose Day. There were some very inventive costumes and it was amazing to see nearly all the school dressing up. There seemed to be an abundance of stripey socks and lots of pants worn over clothes, and even on heads!

The everybody writes area has taken a bit of a battering over the winter, and because of all the wild weather, it hasn't been used much. But today, we were able to write jokes on red noses, and string them up for everyone to read.

We hope to get the area up and running for after Easter, in the hope that winter will be over. All classes will be contributing some new work to brighten up the area! If you have any ideas for writing or art work that would make the area special, please let me know.

Miss Proctor

Dressing-up fun!

2009-01-23T17:48:00.006Z

Everybody enjoyed dressing up as book characters and authors on the final day of book week. There were some great costumes... caterpillars, the gruffalo, pirates, princesses, and even a library!

Of course, many of the adults seemed to enjoy it just as much as the children... perhaps even a little bit more!

In the classrooms, lots of finishing off was happening, and displays of work being created. Year 2 created their own Charlie and Lola pages, after thinking of a conversation between the characters.

They then assembled their 'collage', just like Lauren Child does. We were really pleased with the results.

Miss Proctor

Enjoying our reading!

2009-01-22T18:22:00.009Z

Year 3 have really enjoyed reading stories by the author Jeremy Strong, and have been laughing all week.

Year 4 really enjoyed the challenge of writing their own 100-word stories yesterday, and then reading them to each other.

Year 5 enjoyed finding out about Roald Dahl, but then worked in small groups finding out about other popular authors, and then presenting their findings to the class.

Year 2 loved listening to Lauren Child stories, read by a very enthusiastic Year 6. I think quite a few of the older children were enjoying the stories as well!

Book week is a great way of bring all the different age groups together, and for everyone to show their love of reading. Seeing the 'cool' Year 6 boys reading so passionately only helps to encourage the younger readers.

Miss Proctor

Curiously, everybody writes!

2009-01-21T18:27:00.009Z

All the children at Redbridge became authors today! In the assembly they were challenged to used their imaginations, and write a 100-word story, starting with the word 'curiously...' After hearing my short story, which was very kindly acted out by our caretaker, Della, they returned to their classes and listened to, and read, more 100-word stories written by children. The short film 'Dangle' (teachers TV) was also used to provide some inspiration.

The children then wrote their own stories, with the older children trying to include a twist at the end of it. They seemed to find writing a story that was exactly 100 words long, much easier than I did!

There was then lots of sharing of the stories, with some of Year 6 visiting Year 2 and reading their stories, and then listening to the younger children's stories in return.

The children in Year 5 spent time writing their stories out catrefully, just like the children who had written stories in the 'Curiously' book. We hope to make a book of some of the most interesting ones from every year group. We were surprised by the variety of ideas, and how enthusiastic the children were to participate in the activity.

The assembly at the end of the day was a chance to celebrate being authors. We hope to put a few of the short stories onto the blog for everyone to read.

Miss Proctor

Book week begins!

2009-01-20T18:46:00.006Z

Already two days into book week and lots has been happening. This years theme 'all about authors' has been proving very popular, and the children have reading lots of books and doing lots of research. The new books in the playtime book trolley have also caused a lot of excitement.

The older children have loved reading books by Roald Dahl and Paul Jennings. Year 4 have found the books by Mary Hoffman very interesting and also finding out about her. In Year 2 we have been really enjoying many of Lauren Child's books, especially the Charlie and Lola stories.

At the end of the afternoon today, many parents and grandparents, joined their children's class to share books with them and their friends. It was lovely to see how excited the children were to be able to read with their special adults.

We are all looking forward to being authors tomorrow, when we will be writing our short stories, starting with the word 'curiously...' I hope to be able to include a couple of them on the blog.

Miss Proctor

Writing poetry with Michael Rosen!

2009-01-18T13:19:00.003Z

On Friday, two lucky children from Redbridge were invited to Oaklands for the day, to write poetry with Michael Rosen. We had a great day, and it was amazing watching Michael perform, and then to write our own poetry with him. The children were videoed performing their poetry and hopefully, this will be included on a new poetry website for schools, Perform-a poem.

After meeting such a brilliant author, we are now all looking forward to our Book week which is next week, and is 'All about authors!' On Wednesday, we are having a special 'Everybody writes' day, when we will become authors for the day. Later in the week, we will be dressing up as authors, or book characters.

Miss Proctor

Keep Out!

2008-11-30T14:38:00.007Z

On Blue Friday, at the end of our anti-bullying weeks, we decided to write messages to the bullies who had ruined our writing area. The children were very keen to express their anger, and children from all classes wrote messages to the bullies at playtime.

Some were short and to the point, 'keep out' and 'go away' and others were a bit more personal. One Year 6 child wrote 'I am really upset by what you did. I used to take my buddy into the area, and she is only little and doesn't understand why anyone would do this!'

We all hope that the people who did this don't come back, and it was really great to read some of the comments left under the Daily Echo article on their website. When the Year 6 children read them they wanted to write their own letters to the Echo. Here is an example of one of them...

To the Editor

This is a letter to tell you how I feel about what happened to writing area.

My heart feels like a black hole sucking in every piece of good in the world. Redbridge is a very good school, I don’t understand why anyone would be so cold and heartless. I’ve heard and seen a few sick things in the world but this is a job for a devil. Me and my friends at Redbridge Primary School have never felt so sad. I hope they end up locked in a dark, cold cage. One day they will rot and if they return they will be in a lot of trouble.

They think there so hard picking on a school for kids but have we given up, no, and these people are going to get caught and locked up if I ever see these people again. They feel no guilt, the only achievement they’ve earned is getting themselves a ticket to jail. These people are nothing but weak, spineless fools. If they are so tough they wouldn’t come back at all, so all hope they will never they will not show they there faces here again.

Yours Sincerely

Jordan Aged 11

We have also had some very kind offers from parents to help mend the benches, and from a local company who read about what had happened and wanted to help. They have really helped to cheer us all up.

Miss Proctor

Spoiling our fun!

2008-11-25T07:27:00.007Z

On Monday Morning, the writing area was cetainly generating a lot of discussion, but unfortunately, for the wrong reasons. During the weekend, some destructive individuals had decided to destroy as much of the area as they could... smashing all our plant pots, breaking our benches and ripping the children's work off the tree and fences! It's nice to see how the community shows their appreciation for all our hard work!

One boy just asked me, "Why?" and it was very hard to answer him. Here are just a few comments the children made...
"Why would anyone do that?"
"Why did they want to spoil it?"
"It's really unfair!"
"What can we do now?"
"They should be ashamed!"
"They wouldn't like it if we went into their gardens and spoiled them!"
And one comment already thinking ahead to the future... "Are we going to do some more fund-raising now?"

We will, of course, do what we can to make the area special again, but it will take some time, and after seeing such willful destruction, it will never feel completely the same.

Miss Proctor

Update from 25th November.

The Southern Daily Echo also covered this story.

A 'magical' writing display!

2008-11-11T17:33:00.006Z

Following our 'magical' writing day, we have displayed a selection of work from Year R to Year 6 in our school hall. Everyone has had a chance to read some of the 'magical' writing the children, and adults, produced. We all agreed that it was an exciting day, where we all had fun with our writing.

We are all looking forward to our next 'special' writing day.... Any ideas?
Miss Proctor

Magical Writing Day!

2008-11-02T15:44:00.013Z

We all had a very 'magical' writing day on Friday 24th October. We decided to link our everybody writes day with something that all of the children enjoy... magic! To make it that extra bit special the children were asked to wear a 'magical' costume to school.

The day started with a special assembly, with some'real' magic, and then lots of different writing activities took place in all the classrooms from Year R to Year 6. In Year 2 the children were very keen to write their own magic spells!

Strange spells were written in some classrooms, monsters created in others, and everything from poetry, wands with magical powers and magic fingers, took place around the school.

At lunchtime, the children found some 'magical' resources in the everybody writes area, and it was great to see so many children choosing to write at lunchtime, as well as through the whole day. As one teacher said, "Some children didn't notice that they'd been doing writing activities all day!"

At the end of the day, some classes shared what they had done, and they were all desperate to read what they'd created.

One Year 6 boy told me that he..."Thought it was going to be a bit boring, because it was just writing, but it's been really exciting!" They certainly enjoyed writing their magical spell poems, and were proud to show them off.

We will be displaying a selection of the writing from all the classes, in our school hall, so that everyone can enjoy it. As one child said... "I want to do more. It doesn't feel like we've been writing all day!"

Miss Proctor

Still writing!

2008-10-21T19:19:00.004+01:00

The 'Everybody writes' area is still being used by lots of children. Two girls were so engrossed in what they were writing that they didn't even notice me ... I was about to remind them to sit on the bench, not the table... but it seemed a shame to disturb them!!

We are still using the area for sentence work, when the weather allows us to! I like the way the children concentrate on their writing, oblivious to everyone around them.And some of us just enjoy watching others write!

Everyone is getting very excited about our 'magical' writing day on Friday. Lots of teachers have been experimenting with lemon juice and invisible writing, and all the children are thinking about the magical costume they are going to wear. They are very interested to know what kind of 'magical' writing they will be doing. I think that Thursday evening will be a very busy one in school, as everyone gathers all the 'special' resources needed for the day!

Miss Proctor

Autumn sunshine!

2008-10-09T18:04:00.007+01:00

We are all making the most of the Autumn sunshine at the moment. Today, Year two were really feeling Autumnal during sentence time, writing sentences beginning 'In the Autumn...' whilst the tree gently shed its leaves over them.

Many of the sentences seemed to be about the key event of Autumn for them... Halloween. Which gives me an idea for our fast approaching Everybody writes day....

After attending a great writing course with Pie Corbett last week, the children have really enjoyed using all those pens and pads provided by the Holiday Inn. So not only some great ideas, but free resources too! Every time I put something different in the box, there is a surge of children into the area. (There's always a few trying to make paper aeroplanes though!)

Miss Proctor

Everybody's writing!

2008-10-01T19:50:00.006+01:00

Lots of children were enjoying the Autumn sunshine today. It's amazing the interest in the area every time I put something different into the writing box. Today it was postcards, but the heart shaped post-it notes have been the most popular. Perhaps that's why the area was being used for a slightly more romantic purpose the other day!! (By the children, not the staff!)

The chalk board still remains popular with children young and old, and so far, all of the plants have survived! The new benches from B&Q have also been very popular. I even saw one boy having a relaxing lie-down on one of them... perhaps worn out from too much writing!

Miss Proctor

Planting and building!

2008-09-29T19:19:00.007+01:00

We've nearly finished working on our Everybody writes area. On Friday, three lovely benches were delivered from B&Q, and Rachel has said that they will be sending us some more in the next few weeks! The writing area is becoming the most well-resourced part of the playground.

Today, Year 2 helped Tony (our ex-caretaker and ex-LSA) to plant all the fragrant plants that B&Q have given us. I know that Tony likes gardening, but I think he prefers it in the peace and quiet of his own home! We all enjoyed getting our hands dirty! And all of the plants survived!

Then we 'helped' Tony assemble the benches! There is going to be some jostling to sit on the 'special' benches tomorrow.

Miss Proctor

Outside lessons!

2008-09-22T19:13:00.005+01:00

Everyone in Year 2 enjoyed their sentence work today, because it was outside in the sunshine!

After writing sentences starting with, 'At the weekend...' they then shared their work with each other. Some of them had had a very busy weekend!

They definitely wanted to write more than usual, because writing outside "feels different!"

Miss Proctor

Writing in the sunshine!

2008-09-21T15:17:00.003+01:00

Now that the sun has started to shine, the children are really beginning to make use of the writing area.
Play leaders have been given the responsibility to look after the area, which has really helped, as the children sometimes forget to tidy up, and pencils and paper are left scattered around! Some children just seem to enjoy watching other children write!

We are still waiting expectantly for the delivery from B&Q, so hopefully it will be this week.

Miss Proctor

Pots and Plants!

2008-09-11T19:04:00.005+01:00

We had visitors from B&Q today, with the first part of their delivery, lots of pots and plants. At the moment the area is quite minimalist, and it will be great to add a little plant life back in it again.

My class were all very excited and wanted to touch and smell everything, and are looking forward to getting their hands dirty!

Hopefully, some benches from B&Q will be delivered next week, which will mean that whole classes will be able to work comfortably in the area. All we need now is for it to stop raining, so that everyone can enjoy the area before the winter!
Miss Proctor

Shocked children!

2008-09-04T18:55:00.005+01:00

After the news in assembly today, the children rushed into the writing area to see what damage had been done. They couldn't believe that anyone would want to spoil it! Many of them went to check that their hand was still on the tree, and were quite upset to find it missing!

Some children were still finding bits of ruined work on the ground, and were giving it to me to mend. All of them want to make the area 'special' again, to let the vandals know that they can't beat us!

Miss Proctor

The new term!

2008-09-01T17:55:00.002+01:00

It was a little bit disappointing to find out that the area had been used in the holiday, but not in the way we expected! Lots of the things that the children had made had been ripped down or broken. Luckily, we had put all the benches away, as an older bench in the playground had some rather unpleasant writing on it! That is definitely not the sort of writing we want! It is such a shame when all our efforts are spoiled by the thoughtless few. I know the children will be very disappointed when they come in on Thursday. We will, of course, think of things we can do to make the area special again.

Miss Proctor

Writing on clothes!!!

2008-07-24T19:31:00.006+01:00

The last day of term meant that everybody was writing... but on the Year 6 children's clothes!! It's amazing how many children want to write on a sweatshirt or a T-shirt... perhaps an idea for the next Everybody writes day?

It really was very busy all playtime and lunchtime!

At the end of the day, the writing area was used for a different purpose... to celebrate the end of another busy, eventful year. It was great to be sitting in the area that we all helped to create. Hopefully, we'll continue to develop the area next year, and use it for some outdoor writing lessons.

Thanks to all the children and adults that helped to make Everybody writes and art week really special! Don't forget to add any ideas for next year, to the blog.

Miss Proctor

Business is booming!

2008-07-22T19:31:00.008+01:00

Sunny days have meant that everybody is crowding into the Everbody writes area. There is, of course, lots of talking as well as writing, but it's really great to see the older children spending time with some of the younger ones.

When children see me with the camera now they ask me, " Are you going to put my photo on the blog?" Everbody wants their moment of fame!

I talked to Rachel from B&Q today, and she says that they've placed an order for some benches, which will arrive in September. So, that will be a great start to the new school year, and hopefully we'll have a late summer, and will be able to use the Everbody writes area throughout the Autumn term. It looks like we might be have longer than a year at our current site, so we will really be able to develop the writing area, in lots of different ways, next academic year! We have added some 'mirrors' to the area, as suggested by one of our parents, and we would welcome any other good ideas!

Miss Proctor

Before writing comes talking!

2008-07-15T20:33:00.004+01:00

The Everybody writes area is beginning to be used for lots of other things, not just writing at playtimes and lunchtimes. Today Blue class had their Fruit time in the area, and spent the time chatting as well as munching. And, as we all realise, unless the children can talk fluently, they will never be able to write well.

Other classes have already used it for storytime, and for quiet reading. I'm sure that we will be using it for so much more over the following year.

Miss Proctor

Writing before school!

2008-07-12T16:11:00.002+01:00

Early morning is proving a popular time to get a bit of peace and quiet in the Everybody writes area. Later on in the day, there is not much opportunity for quiet reflection! When the novelty of the area wears off, I'm sure it will be a calmer writing area!

Miss Proctor

Visitors to the Everybody writes area!

2008-07-10T17:15:00.005+01:00

Today, we were visited by Liz and Amanda from Asda. They brought with them a special eco puppet and an recycling game to play with the 'letter writers' from Yellow class. We were all really glad that we could say thank you to Asda, face to face, and I think they saw how much use the benches were getting, and how they have helped to transform the area.

Ellie-Mae gave them a special letter, to say 'thank you', and some lovely photos of the children using the benches. We are all very keen to develop our relationship with such a kind, local store, and hope to plan some visits next year. We will, of course, be linking these visits with writing!

Miss Proctor

A lot of rain!

2008-07-09T17:46:00.002+01:00

A very wet day today, so all the children were confined to their classrooms, and only the local wildlife visited our writing area! But, during wet playtime in the computer suite, two children asked if they could write their own comments on the blog. So the writing continues...

Miss Proctor

A little sunshine!

2008-07-08T18:01:00.003+01:00

The children just about managed to use the writing area today, in between all the showers!
Lots of children are bringing in notebooks, to write down their special thoughts. Some seem quite happy writing (and drawing!) on the whiteboards. At the moment, the blackboard seems to be very popular indeed!

The bench seems to be a favourite spot for friends!

Miss Proctor

Wow!

2008-07-08T15:12:00.002+01:00

As Redbridge's Art Co-ordinator, I have been amazed at the creativity displayed by both the children and the teachers this week. The quality of art produced has been fantastic and children have had the opportunity to explore so many artists and their styles of working.

The links that have been made with writing are very clever and really brings the two subjects together.

Well done everyone!

Miss Gulliver

The following week...

2008-07-07T18:00:00.004+01:00

It was a wild and windy day today, and the children were very disappointed that it was too wet to go in the writing area at playtime. Luckily, by lunchtime, everything had dried up and the writing area was full of customers!!

Although some children just visited briefly, others spent most of their lunchtime in the area. The blackboard proved very popular, although it seemed to be more of a 'whiteboard' by the end of lunchtime!

It has been great to see some of the parents, and children, leaving comments on the blog, and suggesting ideas. I really liked the idea of putting some hanging mirrors into the area, "to reflect everybody's hard work!" What a lovely suggestion, and one we will definitely be following up.

Let's just hope for some sunshine tomorrow!

Miss Proctor

The Finale!

2008-07-07T16:39:00.008+01:00

The final day for Red and Purple Class saw us in a hive of activity... again!

Today we made clay snakes for our jungle. We had pythons, vipers and rattle snakes! Next week we will paint them, but the clay needs to dry first!

The children also finished the tiger, with unique stripes! Each child had a black strip of paper and thought of 'tiger' words to write on them. Then these were glued onto the tiger.

The tiger was put in the new jungle role play area, where we can all go on safari!

We made a video diary, commenting on our favourite activities of the week.

We have had a great week!

Who'd have thought that writing could be so much fun!

Rhyming String Dangles

2008-07-07T16:24:00.005+01:00

On Thursday morning, Purple Class and their Year 5 buddies teamed up to make hanging mobiles for the tree in the 'Everybody Writes' area.

The challenge was to make as many rhyming words as possible! Some dangles were so long we had to send Lisa our LSA into the tree to find a higher branch!!!

The finished mobiles look fab and will be a useful aid to the children writing in the area.

Well done everyone!

Miss Gulliver and Mr Benson

Is it the end...or just the beginning?

2008-07-06T09:35:00.007+01:00

When we started the project, we always knew that we were slightly restricted by the fact that we only had one more year on our school site. Therefore, we couldn't justify spending very much money. The 'wild area' had not been used for a while, (apart from mini-beast hunts!), and so seemed an obvious choice to change in some way, cost permitting! After establishing that the site could be cleared using our £200 budget, we knew that the rest of the project would have to be done with minimal cost. We had to be creative!

Everyone was involved at the early stages. We knew that we wanted to link art and writing throughout the week, and our overall goal was to create a 'writing area' in the playground. Everyone spent time thinking of ideas and resources, and these were then shared, and a rough timetable for the week drawn up. The teachers then started to fit all their ideas within this, so there was a balance of art and writing activities.

The week itself seemed to fly by, although we were all pretty exhausted by the end of it. We all feel really pleased by the way it has turned out, and as well as a great writing area, there is also lots of art work and writing around the school. We are planning a whole school walk next week, visiting each classroom 'gallery'.

I know the children can't wait to spend time in the writing area, and hopefully, weather permitting, they'll be able to do so from Monday. We'll be continuing this blog, as I know that this is not the end, only the beginning!

Miss Proctor

The end of the week!

2008-07-05T07:56:00.006+01:00

Friday was a whirlwind of activity in all classes. Everyone was finishing off things for the outside area, and there was lots of serious stapling going on! One of my favourite touches, was the large flowers the caretaker and I attatched to the fence... made out of some old insulation material, and these large, red brillo pad type things, that used to be used on the old floor cleaner!! It's amazing how creative we've become with no money.

In Blue class we had a slightly quieter morning, writing poetry and drawing flowers, based on the work we did earlier in the week. In the afternoon we had time to reflect on how the week had gone. All the children seemed very positive, and as well as enjoying the art, had really enjoyed their writing this week. They liked the way that they could use different materials to write with, and that often the writing activities were quick and fun.

At lunchtime, the children were itching to get into the area, but they had to wait for the official opening, at assembly time in the afternoon. One of the dinnerladies said, " It looks fantastic in there. The children have worked so hard!"

During our special assembly the children were all asked whether they thought everyone had done a great job this week, and whether they would be using the area next week... the answer was a definite "yes". Everyone was thanked for their hard work, and then the children got their first proper look at the 'Everybody writes' area.

Miss Proctor

The Impact of Red and Blue

2008-07-04T16:31:00.004+01:00

What can you get from a blue dot and a red smudge or even a red dot and a blue smudge? Be creative and you never know! Check out how imaginative we are in Year 5. We painted our 'red and blue' onto paper, let it dry and then used a felt tip to finish off the picture. All inspired by Keith Haring.

To find out more about Keith Haring click on the link

The Impact of Colour

2008-07-04T15:59:00.002+01:00

Year 6 had a very unusual experience today. Instead of learning at their tables, they learnt beneath them! Enclosed by black sugar paper, the intrepid explorers crept excitedly into the dark cavern to experience being in the 'den'. It was incredibly cramped and the children soon felt hot. After a few moments, year 6 crawled back out into the open where they then wrote down their reactions to being in the den. One particular statement was I could feel the heat hit my face as soon as the door was closed.
Next, coloured film was positioned across a thin gap running along the top of tables. The children crawled through again. This time the effect of the coloured light had totally changed their views. The children began to write about the warmth of the sun, cosy colours and relaxing moods.
After a short chat, we realised the dramatic impact light and colour has on our moods.

What colour is the most relaxing room in your house? Which colour makes you feel happy?

Hola! Purple and Red Class go Mexican!

2008-07-03T20:21:00.002+01:00

On Thursday afternoon, Purple and Red Class boarded their Google Earth Jet plane and flew to Mexico. Once we had all safely landed and the seat belt lights had gone off, we headed to a series of Mexican activities including...

- making our own tasty sangria (non-alcoholic variety)
- singing, counting and talking in Spanish
- dancing the Mexican Hat dance with castanets and maracas
- collaging a Mexican chilli character wearing a sombrero
- using oil pastels to colour Mexican animals, such as armadillos

We finished the afternoon with a few tortilla chips and a song is Spanish.

Adios Amigos!

Purple Class Portraits

2008-07-03T19:58:00.003+01:00

On Wednesday, Purple Class became Year 1 for the day. Apart from getting to know their new classroom, the children had a go a sketching their own self portrait. They used professional 2B sketching pencils and kept looking in the mirrors to draw themselves just perfectly!

To help out their new teachers, the children wrote a speech bubble and stuck this on their portraits giving a little information about themselves. Miss Rimmer was very impressed with the writing!

Miss Gulliver, who also had a go at sketching her own self portrait, was astonished at the skill and high quality work produced by the 5 year olds! She also noted how the children have developed 'constructive criticism' whilst watching Miss Gulliver draw!!!

Purple and Red Class Day 2

2008-07-03T19:31:00.007+01:00

Here we go again!!! Following the success of Monday, Red and Purple Class teamed up to share lots more art and writing activities.

We...

- wrote our own class book about walking through the rainforest,

- danced to 'Walking through the Jungle'

- decorated our storytelling chairs with story words and phrases

- mixed up as many shades of green as we could, using only yellow, blue and white paint

- made our own bookmarks

- decorated large letters for the title of the painting

- and finally... if we couldn't meet a real tiger, then we had better make one!!

A very busy day, with sooooo many art and writing activities happening. The children have been incredibly creative both in their writing and in their art work. The grown-ups have also been very creative... did you know a tiger can be created with a selection of cardboard boxes????

Everybody's talking about it!

2008-07-03T19:11:00.007+01:00

There was a real buzz in the playground before school, and the children couldn't wait to explore the writing area. As one child said, "This is amazing! It's going to be brilliant writing in here!" The parents all looked quite keen as well, and I'm sure that they'll all be using it at the end of the day. It's great to see so many other people starting to add their comments to the blog. It really has become an 'everybody writes' week now!!

Lots of activities took place throughout the day, with many classes working with their buddies. At assembly time we all went out into the playground and wrote messages, poems, names, jokes and lots more! it's amazing how a piece of chalk encourages everybody to write. One child said, "I really enjoy writing and drawing with chalk. I think it made the playground much better and colourful."

We are nearly at the end of the week, but I know that it will be just the beginning of the use of the writing area. We hope to finish adding our art work and writing to the area tomorrow, and, weather permitting, to have an outdoor assembly at the end of the day, to officially open the area.

It's been great to see teachers in strange places this week, in their own little world, just quietly mixing paint!

Miss proctor

Purple Class and Red Class

2008-07-03T19:10:00.004+01:00

The week began with an imaginary visit to the rainforest!! Purple class delved into the painting 'Tiger in a Tropical Storm' by Henri Rousseau and imagined the sounds we could hear, the smell and heat and the animals we might encounter. We acted out our journey and showed our feelings when we came across the TIGER arrrrrgh!!

Each child was given their own colour copy of the painting and wrote lots of descriptive words about the painting around the edge to create a boarder. Finally, we thought about other animals we might find in the rainforest and drew and stuck them on to individualise the picture.

Keith Haring

2008-07-03T16:33:00.002+01:00

In Year 5 we have been looking at the work of Keith Haring. We have carried out lots of research about him and his work. His ideas are great because you can make a picture just by making lines! We really liked his subway art and we made up some of our own. Come and see it! When Keith Haring used to draw his pictures on the unused black advertising boards in the subway people used to say to him, "What is that picture about?" and he used to say, "I drew it. It's up to you to decide what it means."

Pablo Picasso

2008-07-03T16:17:00.005+01:00

For taster day Green Class, who will be Orange Class next year, did lots of writing in the morning and then looked at some portraits by Pablo Picasso in the afternoon. We discovered that he uses some great lines and colours in his work. We then drew our own pictures and coloured them in using oil pastels. It was great fun!

Mr Benson

Let me finish.

2008-07-03T15:34:00.003+01:00

Turquoise Class had fun today finding extra interesting sentence starters within well-known children's books. The children then cleverly completed the sentences in their own words and with their own ideas. They enjoyed using colourful backgrounds and groovy fonts which made their ideas even more effective. Come and have a read of these strange sentences next time you are in the Quiet Area.
Here are some of the sentences:
At school the next morning, I walked into the classroom and found Mrs Clarke dancing on the ceiling. As if I would?
At the bottom of the basement stairs stood a man with his face masked and a bag full of their family's belongings. CREEPY!

Deep in the rainforest

2008-07-03T15:22:00.004+01:00

Red Class (Year 1) met up with their Turquoise Class (Year 6) buddies to share some exciting work based on jungles. After looking at the imaginative work of Henri Rousseau, Red Class children thought of some amazing descriptive words that could be put into sentences. These sentences were carefully written onto thin strips with very grown-up permanent pens. Weaving the strips into the plastic mesh was very fiddly but, with patience, they ALL managed to do a great job. After that, each child selected their favourite word or phrase which was then copied onto a leaf, ready to tie onto the woven panel. We all think they look super! Look out for them in the 'Everybody Writes' area. They might be camouflaged.

It was lovely to see the children working so cooperatively with their buddies. Well done!
Mrs Clarke and Miss Rimmer

Everybody writes at Redbridge

2008-07-03T10:26:00.005+01:00

What an exciting week it has been - and it isn't over yet! Our 'wild area' has been changing into a wonderful outside 'writing area', the whole process being rather like the life cycle of the butterfly. Our 'butterfly' (the new, colouful writing area) has emerged and will hopefully encourage the children to take off and fly with their writing. The donations of benches and picnic tables from Asda, B & Q and Homebase have helped with the transformation, thanks to the great letters written asking for their help, by the children in Y3. Although the week is nearly over, I know this is really just the beginning, in terms of getting children to want to write.
Jane Shiers
Headteacher

Fun on Taster Day!

2008-07-02T19:42:00.004+01:00

Lots of great self-portraits were created on taster day, in a variety of different styles. Some teachers incorporated writing into the portraits, and others asked the children to write a 'blurb' to accompany their art work. The children were very interested in the artist's work they looked at, and worked very hard to create their own self portraits. I think both children and staff were quite tired by 3 o'clock!

At the end of the day, we were very excited to see a truck bearing huge picnic benches. Asda has very kindly provided us with three fantastic picnic benches for the writing area. As you can see in the photo, the area is really starting to be transformed. The children are going to be so excited tomorrow morning. I think that we'll be using it as an outside classroom, as well as at playtimes and lunchtimes.

Miss Proctor

The week so far...in year 3

2008-07-02T19:35:00.004+01:00

We've just finished the third day of our everybody writes week and so far, so good. Myself and the children have had great fun and created some really nice pieces of art. Our theme has been 'Ourselves' so we have related both our art and writing to this. We have made collages of pictures and words we like, created flowers using words to describe ourselves (to be put into an arrangement by our expert Mrs Graves) and we are in the middle of writing our own stories in books using famous art work as the front cover!

We are all enjoying the change to the normal timetable and the freedom to produce what we want to without too much guidance. There is a lot to prepare and sometimes a lot to clear up but it's definitely worth it!

Miss Butt

Green Class meets Van Gogh

2008-07-02T19:08:00.003+01:00

In Green Class we have had a brilliant start to the week. We could hardly believe our luck when we realised that the entire week was going to be devoted to Art and Literacy! Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' has really inspired us and we have created poems, stories, descriptions, word art and lots more. We have even tried creating our own Starry Night master pieces and experimented with painting in a Van Gogh style. Very tricky - but we've produced some wonderful results.

We thought carefully about our 5 special words for the 'Tree of Hands' and they look great up in the new writing area. We had lots of fun with Mrs Baker creating words from newspaper and magazine print. We're going to use them to decorate one of the writing tables - hope the spelling is O.K!

I wonder what's going to happen tomorrow!

Mrs Smith

Writing with paintbrushes!

2008-07-01T17:56:00.006+01:00

Lots of fun was had at assembly time today, when the whole school took paintbrushes and water into the playground, and wrote and drew. I think many children just enjoyed writing their name, but others spent time writing messages or drawing pictures.

Year 2 spent some time out in the'Everybody Writes' area, decorating it in the style of Monet. It's always fun getting a bit messy! We don't expect our art work to sell for millions though! At least the area is beginning to feel a bit brighter, and the 'tree of hands' has just been started. There seems to be frantic laminating and cutting going on at the end of the day.

Most classes were combining art and words in some way, and Year 2 carefully worked upon special flower pictures, with hidden messages. It's amazing how much the children enjoy handwriting, when allowed to use gel pens!

There seems to be a happy buzz in the school, and although the teachers all feel like we're trying to squeeze too much into the week, the children all seem to be enjoying themselves. A Year 4 boy came up to me in the playground and said... "I prefer literacy when it's more free. When you get to choose what you write." He had been enjoying writing poetry in response to some art work.

Tomorrow's going to be a bit different, because it's Taster day, and everyone is visiting their new classes. There is going to be a special portrait activity going on, which combines art and writing.

Miss Proctor

Impressionism and dots!

2008-07-01T12:25:00.002+01:00

Year 6 go dotty!! Great fun was had in Turquoise Class yesterday as we looked at a syle of art and attempted to replicate it. Seurat and other artists worked using coloured dots instead of brush strokes. We used cotton buds to make the dots and tried a landscape (after Monet) and a still life. Year 6 were brilliant and really rose to the challenge. They pretended Miss Haywood knew all about art and created some good stuff. Cotton buds were everywhere but it was worth it. Go and look at our pictures and have a go yourself!!

Miss Haywood.

The First Day!

2008-06-30T19:57:00.008+01:00

Everyone was in school early today, preparing for the day ahead. It seemed quite a long day, but I think that lots of art and writing took place throughout the school, and work on the outside writing area has begun. Most of us are making the most of the sunshine, and painting outside. As one Year 3 child said, "This is the best day ever!". We had a special outdoor assembly, in front of our newly cleared area, to ask the children to help us make the area a special place to write (and draw!). They were very keen to help.

Most classes started their week looking at a specific artist's work, and then using a range of talking and writing activities, before doing some art work. In Year 2, the children looked at some of Monet's flower paintings, before looking at flowers themselves, and then making quick sketches.

At lunchtime, the children were given the opportunity to write about their lunch on post-it notes, and these were stuck onto a giant plate, and a giant lunch box. The Year 6 children ran the activity, and scribed for children where necessary. They are planning a different writing activity each lunchtime, for those children that wish to participate.

By the end of the day all staff were looking a bit tired and paint spattered, but there was no time to stand around chatting, as everyone was already collecting the resources they needed for tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll all have another good day. It might be a little wet, as we're planning another outdoor assembly, with everyone writing on the playground with paintbrushes and water.

Miss Proctor

Everybody Writes and Art week... The day before

2008-06-29T14:35:00.004+01:00

We're just about ready to start. I keep waking up early, thinking about all the other things that need to be done!! I know that everyone will help to make sure that it is a successful week, and that by the end of it we will have a great 'writing area' in the playground. So many children bring little notebooks to school, and really enjoy writing, it would be really nice for them to have a lovely, relaxing area to sit in and write. I'm sure that we'll end up taking our classes, or small groups of children, into it during the school day. Rachel, from B&Q seemed very keen to help to develop the area, next year, into a more environmentally friendly space, where plants could be grown. I'm hoping that there will be comments from other staff, and pupils, throughout the week, and I'll be adding photos of the project very soon.

Miss Proctor

Ready for action!

2008-06-27T14:39:00.002+01:00

The 'wild' area is all ready!! Everything was finished today, and lots and lots of bark chippings have been used to create a useable surface. John has provided some great logs, to be used for seating under the tree. Jacqui has made sure we have an interesting range of art and writing resources available to us, and some teachers are clearing wall space in their classrooms, ready for the week's activities. Even Della, our caretaker, has been rummaging around in her storerooms, and has managed to find many interesting resources!! Let's just hope we haven't forgotten anything really important. But if we have, I'm sure that we'll manage to improvise in some way!

Almost ready !!

2008-06-26T21:09:00.003+01:00

Well, we're just about ready for our special week. The site has almost been cleared, and is supposed to be finished tomorrow. I asked my class what they thought we were going to do with the area.

Some children were hoping for a climbing frame, but quite a few talked about benches and a writing area, so I guess they must have been listening to some of the conversations going on around them over the past few weeks. Everyone's finished planning, and I think most people are ready for Monday's activities... and we'll just have to see how the week progresses. Still hoping for some sunshine, so that we can we paint outdoors.

More good news!

2008-06-24T18:35:00.002+01:00

More good news today, as Asda has responded to one of the Year 3's letters, and is going to provide us with two more benches! Hopefully they'll be delivering them next Thursday. The children are going to be so excited about their new playground area. The rest of the site is going to be cleared this Friday, so we're just about ready for next week. Everyone's trying to finalise their planning for the week, and we all know that we're trying to do too much, and that we'll have to adjust things as the week goes on... otherwise we'll need to carry on into the following week! Lots of people are coming in to lend a hand, including governors, old members of staff and parents, so it should be hectic, but fun. I just hope the weather is kind to us.

Planning for Everybody Writes and art week

2008-06-22T17:11:00.005+01:00

Everybody is working hard, thinking about special activities for the week.

The 'wild area' has been partially cleared, which caused a lot of interest.

Watching the strimming of the weeds, one Year R child said "This is better than watching the boxing!"

We are very grateful to B&Q and Homebase who are both going to donate benches!

Welcome to the Redbridge Primary School - Everybody Writes blog

2008-06-22T16:52:00.004+01:00

Hello,

Between 30th June and 4th July, Redbridge Primary School will be holding a special "Everybody Writes" and art week.

There will be a number of special activities during the week and we will be posting news and photos on this site as often as possible.

One of the main jobs is clearing the "wild area". The following photo shows what this is currently like.

Please log on and check our progress.

Miss Proctor.