Year 5 have learnt how to use the score and slip technique to join clay pieces together securely.

They designed, created and evaluated their own Mayan-style alux figurines.

We were so lucky with the weather today. The children observed nature incredibly well and some used natural objects (or even paint) to create their own artworks.

Today the children developed their sketching skills with a range of techniques, from cross hatching to stippling. In time, they will use these skills to design and create their own alux out of clay. The intriguing aluxes were small gnome-like deities who would protect farmers’ fields.

We were very lucky to have Maya specialists, Sue and Kat, in school today with a wide range of activities to cement our knowledge of this amazing civilisation.

The children learnt more about weaving, Mayan writing and mathematical symbols, artefacts, codices, clothing and so much more. They also went on a VR tour of Mayan sites.

The children had a fantastic time learning about tie-dye which is a form of resistance dyeing, similar to the batik that we produced earlier this year. Rather than using wax to protect the fabric from the dye, this time the children used elastic bands. The results were really groovy!

As part of our PE curriculum, Year 5 have been learning all about how to stay safe around water. Today, we created board games which highlighted the dangers of canals.

This morning, we have been creating tessellating patterns inspired by Escher, a Dutch artist who loved mixing Maths and Art.