This week, we’ve been busy getting everything ready for our Jump Out Day next week. To tie in with our pirate inquiry, the children created brilliant pirate portraits using a range of art materials. In talking partners, we explored what makes a pirate look like a pirate. We looked closely at pictures of different pirates and chatted about the features we noticed - eye patches, hats, beards, earrings and all the details in between.

To create the backgrounds, the children cut and layered strips of coloured paper, thinking about the patterns, colours and textures pirates might wear. They then sketched their own pirate faces, using all the ideas we had discussed, before adding colour and detail using pastels. We can’t wait for families to see the finished portraits during Jump Out Day!

We also began writing fact files about the famous Welsh pirate, Barti Du. The children loved learning about his adventures and have already shown arrrgh-mazing pirate knowledge in their writing!

Our COOL challenges this week have focused on kindness and friendship. We talked about why kindness is so important and how even tiny actions can make a big difference to someone’s day. In literacy, the children created their own “jars of joy,” drawing and writing about the things that make them happy and the many ways others can help fill their jars too. They also wrote thoughtful compliment cards to their friends, celebrating acts of kindness and the lovely qualities they admire in one another.

In the small world area, inspired by Louis Armstrong’s 'What a Wonderful World', the children built their own “wonderful worlds,” imagining places filled with kindness, care and friendship. In the creative area, they painted portraits of a friend and added a kind message to go with it.

It’s been a heartwarming week full of creativity, imagination and kindness. Da iawn, Pili-Pala 🌈

To celebrate our Jump Out Day next Friday 28th November, can we please ask that children wear their pirate costumes to perform our special pirate sea shanty ⚓ 🏴‍☠️