Cross Curricular Days
Each half-term, the normal school timetable is relaxed and pupils are engrossed in enrichment activities through our diverse Cross-Curricular Day programme. On these days, pupils are immersed in a wide-range of experiences that open their eyes to world culture, personal, social and moral issues and self-development, in order to support them in developing as individuals.
COP26 & Science Experiments 13/12/2021
In cross curricular the children science experiments. They learnt about Engineering and gave the children the task of building the tallest tower out of the materials on their table. They also made paper boats which would float successfully in the water. There was some excellent, successfully engineered products, well done everybody!
The children also had fun learning about the effects of climate change through a science experiment. They discussed different ways that they can help our planet!
For one of the experiments, the children drew their own creative pictures and watched how the colours disappeared in the water. The children enjoyed the ‘Make your drawing float experiment’. They used dry erase markers and drew some creative drawings. They then added water and watched their drawings float. An excellent effort from all the children Mashallah !
COP26. Children looked at climate change and it’s effect on the environment. They looked at the purpose of COP26 and how we can contribute to slowing down climate change. KS1 sorted out items into the recycling bin, compost bin and a clothing bank. KS2 designed and decorated a new recycling logo. ♻️ 🚮
Same But Different 19/10/2021
Cross curricular day celebrated being same but different. In Year 1 we discussed different races, and how they are all beautiful. Children were able to recognise each other’s differences and to be accepting, loving and caring regardless of them.
‘’Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one who is you-er than you’’ -Dr Seuss”
In Year 2, the children looked at different dishes from around the world. They talked about what the other cultures may identify as a special dish, where the different foods have originated from and what our famous dish is and the history behind it
We had an assortment of different foods for the children to look at. They discussed the food groups each item of food belongs to, its benefit and prepared their across the world food plate, trying out the foods available to them. They had fun tasting and saying their likes and dislikes from the food sampled.
Year 3 class identified and discussed different festivals celebrated around the World. We looked at Christmas, Eid, Diwali, Hanukkah, Vaisakhi, Burns Night, Chinese New Year and many more festivals. Pupils then created their own Rangoli Pattern using scratch art. They used a range of 2D shapes and lines of symmetry to create their creative and beautiful Art piece.
In Class 4, the children learned about the different religions of the world, the importance of respect and how to create unity.
For their activity, KS1 Wrote down all the words that people should think about when making the world a better place and added their own illustrations. They also wrote down and drew some of the different articles of faith.
KS2 – wrote down what they learnt about some other religions. How can we help to unite the world and make it a better place in thought bubbles.”
Year 5/6 pupils learnt about traditional clothing from all over the world. They talked about the religions around the UK, our nationality and how we are known to be British, what do we do, eat wear etc.
They also discussed what the other cultures may identify as a special clothing, where the different clothing’s that have originated from and what our clothing is and the history behind it.
Children designed their own kimono using pencil crayons and different designs around them. They looked at geometric patterns to add them in.
They also thoroughly enjoyed learning how to say ‘hello’ in different languages.”
Orienteering 29/06/2021
The theme for Cross curricular was ‘Orienteering’. Thanks to East Pennine Orienteering Club, a Permanent Orienteering Course has been developed in Crow Nest Park.
The Years 3-6 had to use their map reading skills to navigate around a course of markers or ‘controls’. Not all the control plaques were obvious, so they had to keep an eye out and find as many as possible
Every group was given a map with symbols. They had to determine which route to take to each symbol/control marked on the map. The controls were red and white plastic or metal markers with a letter and number on each of them. Once found, the children had to write the number on the table provided. The challenge was to visit the controls on the chosen course in the correct order, writing down the numbers. At the end of the course, the totals needed to be added up and compared with the other groups.
The children had a brilliant start to their morning and were very enthusiastic in their search for the controls. They even managed to find a few of the hidden ones. Great teamwork from all the groups.
What is a pandemic? 25/03/2021
In Nursery, the children looked at Sir Captain Tom Moore and the Global Pandemic.
They discussed Captain Tom Moore and how he raised money for the NHS by walking in his garden and completing 100 laps.
Children had a great time walking in the playground and counting one hundred steps!
reception class started with a discussion about the pandemic and how it has affected us. They talked about germs and the importance of hand washing. The children then decorated their face masks. They also looked at how the germs are so tiny and how we must be careful not to put things in our mouth that are not edible, like our fingers, toys, clothes etc. The children had fun drawing/painting germs after looking at photos. Some amazing work there!
The children also took part in an experiment to understand the importance of hand washing with hand wash/soap. They used black pepper as the germs and added them to water. The children then dipped their finger in the water and the germs remained where they were. They then dipped our finger in hand-wash and then re dipped it in the water. The children were amazed to see the ‘germs’ move away.
In Class 1, the children learnt the history of plagues and identified the symptoms of the great plague, exploring The Plague of ‘Amwas &The Black Death. They discussed how we should be thankful for our health and understand that the good and bad are both from Allah.
They observed their teacher carry out the doughnut-boil experiment
For their activity KS1 Children draw a boil exploding with labels and captions. Ks2 described in punctuated sentences what a bubo looks like.
Experiment- ‘Make your own exploding Bubo’
Cut a Small hole at the back of the doughnut and squirt custard in it with piping bag.
Pour black food colouring on top and heat for 20 seconds
Pop the bubo, you should see the custard (pus) jam (blood) and black food dye ooze together
A huge ThankYou to Dr Micheal, Kayleigh & Wajeeha from Leeds Hospital for the virtual assembly. Our children thoroughly enjoyed the role-play and found it very informative and fun. We greatly appreciate the time they took out from their busy schedule to talk to the children
Class 2 focused on ‘The community’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19)’
They looked at how have communities come together during the coronavirus, how Job losses caused by coronavirus mean many families are struggling to make ends meet and are relying on food banks as they cannot afford food. More people have been donating to food banks to make sure that people unable to afford meals are able to access the services they need during this period.
The NHS workers caring for patients are working longer hours so providing food to them is important.
Throughout the pandemic, supermarkets and local restaurants across the country started providing hot meals for NHS workers, too exhausted to cook after their long shifts.
Some communities have been working with voluntary and community groups and faith leaders to host online events to bring people from all races and religions together virtually during these difficult times.
For their activity, KS1 designed a FaceMask. Ks2 Designed a COVID-19 Survival Kit. The pandemic has been a difficult time for many individuals and has had a huge impact on their mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. The children design a survival kit that they would give to children of their own age to help them cope during this pandemic. Here are some things included:•Well-being journal•Exercise tracker•Emotion check-in chart
Government Response to Combat the Pandemic was the topic in Class 3. The class discussed each lockdown and how the rules differed and the vaccinations.
“Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives”
23rd March 2020: First national lockdown starts. Only essential travel allowed, Schools closed- remote learning, No household mixing, Playgrounds, libraries, non-essential shops and places of worship closed. Gatherings of more than two people in public were also banned, including social events, such as weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies. Eat out to help out! Job support scheme
5th November 2020: Second national lockdown
4th January 2021: Third national lockdown
The children took part in various activities, from Word search and creating a poster advertising the government’s response schemes, to creating a roleplay advertisement promoting one of the schemes.
Class 4 discussed the Covid – 19 Impact
- Physical Impact- Since the start of the pandemic gyms and leisure centres have been closed. Studies have shown that preventing people from taking part in organised exercise has resulted in cardiorespiratory fitness levels and weight gain – the two risk factors causing worse COVID-19 symptoms.
- Mental Health- Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions. Many people may be facing increased levels of alcohol and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety.
- Social Impact- National Lockdown rules implemented for everyone: Social distancing – maintain 2 metre distance, Wearing a face mask, Washing your hands constantly and sanitising, Not visiting other family members or relatives, School – Class bubbles, Remote learning. The children discussed how these social implications affected them and how the changes made them feel. Has it made everyone more thankful or grateful for everything? And more appreciative of the many things that were taken away from us?
- Emotional Impact- The children looked at the common feelings experienced during the pandemic: Loneliness, Anxiety, Depression, Panic, Fear, Thankful, Paranoia, Upset, Angry, Miserable, Grateful.
KS1 – On hearts, wrote messages for the elderly in Barnsfield (old people’s home) – ‘Thinking of you’ messages.
KS1 – Used the flower template to add emotions on each petal that they may have experienced during lockdown and explained why they may have felt this way?
KS2 – In groups wrote a poem on positivity and hope in these unprecedented times.
Here are some of the lovely quotes written by the children: “Just wanted to send some happy thoughts your way today.” “I hope you feel your inner strength building day by day.’’
“This is tough, but you’re tougher.”
In class 5 the children Learned about the Islamic perspective. How we can strengthen our faith and connection with Allah. Children discussed the concept of gratitude and being thankful for our blessing
ks1 Children designed a poster on what they have learnt and illustrated all the things they can do during the lockdown e.g. pray more Quran, wash hands more frequently etc.
ks2 Children wrote 5 things they have learnt in 2020 and illustrated their points
Class 6 focused on the NHS
• How the NHS responded to Covid-19 and the impact of covid19 on the NHS
• Challenges that the NHS faced
Thank you NHS:
Ks1 – Make a card to say thank you to the NHS. They drew pictures and use lots of bright colours.
Ks2- Wrote a thank you letter to the NHS for all their effort and hard work during this pandemic.
Save Our Planet 15/12/2020
In EY, the children are learned about the importance of helping the environment, by keeping it clean from pollution, recycling waste items and other ways such as reducing energy consumption etc. They have enjoyed sorting items into the correct boxes such as plastic, metal and cardboard/paper and also explored the water area which contained rubbish. The children used nets to clear it up and ‘make it safe for fish and other sea animals. The children had a great time creating trees using the recycling materials and placed them in our ‘Forest’ as they ‘planted trees’ to help save the planet!
In Classroom 1&2, the children looked at how much plastic we use in our everyday lives and how much we rely on it. They identified the advantages and disadvantage of plastic and learnt about where the plastic goes once they are done with it. After learning about the harmful effects plastic pollution is having on our environment, they pledged to look after our environment, the animals and contribute to saving the planet.
The children in Classroom 3 described how we can use water responsibly and the importance of conserving water. They practiced gratitude of all our blessings and resources by contemplating on ‘what if we didn’t have enough water?’ they discussed the rewards and benefits of supporting the less fortunate people around us by giving water in charity.
Pupils in Classroom 4 learnt about green transport as part of the save our planet topic. They learnt about various modes of transport and their impact on the environment. Pupils understood the different actions they themselves could take in order to help and make a difference. They also designed their own eco-friendly vehicle to reduce the negative impact on the environment.
During cross curricular day Year 5 pupils were amazed by the beauty of our planet and the importance of protecting it.
Saving our earth and its environment becomes highly important as it provides us food and water to sustain life. Our well-being solely depends on this planet, it gives food and water to all living things and it is our responsibility to take care of it.”
The pupils in year 6 learned about the damage we have caused to earth over time. we learnt about the changes we can make to try and fix our mistakes.
Staying Safe/Well Being 11/02/2020
The children learnt about mental health and wellbeing. They looked at how mindfulness is an important part of helping people maintain good mental health.
The children wrote their thoughts on a ‘Thought Cloud’ to let the thought drift away on a cloud.
They also explored gratitude by writing down what they are thankful for.
For Internet safety the children designed an internet safety poster by drawing pictures and including information regarding internet safety. They also had an informative discussion where they talked about the rules and importance of internet safety.
The children completed many activities. Some of these included:
- Drawing/writing happy memories, emotions they enjoy feeling and the important people in their life
- Listing/drawing what they are proud of, which emotions they would like to experience more, how to help yourself feel better.
To learn about growth mindset, emotions and helping others, the children listed/drew the important things in their life.
They also discussed how to stay safe, fire safety, water safety and identified the dangers of electricity.
Learning how different forms of bullying can affect emotional wellbeing and mental health , the children looked at how we interact with others, and how words and actions have consequences on others mental health. They also created a diary extract exploring the feelings of both the victim and the bully.
Lastly, they discussed the importance of healthy bodies, played different games and attempted new exercises to help with keeping bodies healthy.
Fairtrade 17/12/2019
Class 1- Pupils reflected on why we all need break-time, how it helps us and what we get out of it, and how it might affect us if we never got to have a break. They thought about what they can eat and drink during a break, and made some choices about this, building their knowledge of nutritional factors such as energy levels. They also learned that many of the farmers who grow the food that we eat at break-time live in poverty. By choosing to put Fairtrade in their break, they can help farmers earn enough to provide for their families.
The children designed and created a Fairtrade snack, played ‘Breaks and Ladders’ in groups, a game of chance where pupils learn more about farmers’ lives and how Fairtrade can help and sorted the snacks into a Venn diagram – healthy, Fairtrade or both. Paying particular attention if there are any that don’t fit
The children found out about the hard work involved in growing banana’s in Class 2. They reflected on the links they have with the farmers and producers who grow the food we eat and created a comic strip describing the journey of a Fairtrade banana
This cross curricular was based on the Covid pandemic.
In Class 1, the children learnt the history of plagues and identified the symptoms of the great plague, exploring The Plague of ‘Amwas &The Black Death. They discussed how we should be thankful for our health and understand that the good and bad are both from Allah.
They observed their teacher carry out the doughnut-boil experiment
For their activity KS1 Children draw a boil exploding with labels and captions. Ks2 described in punctuated sentences what a bubo looks like.
For the Experiment- Make your own exploding Bubo:
• Cut a Small hole at the back of the doughnut and squirt custard in it with piping bag.
• Pour black food colouring on top and heat for 20 seconds
• Pop the bubo, you should see the custard (pus) jam (blood) and black food dye ooze together
The children looked at what makes a healthy Fairtrade breakfast in Class 5. They Coloured in breakfast sheet/label and draw breakfast items on the plate
The children discussed What happens when we miss breakfast and how our breakfast comes from around the world and why they think our fruit and cereals might come from across the world – and who grows them.
in the Class 6 classroom children looked at how cocoa is grown and made into the chocolates we know and love. They learnt about how much effort is put into growing and harvesting the cocoa beans by the farmers and the way the cocoa beans are then dried out and weighed before being sold. The children came to realise how much work is put into these products and that the farmers are not always paid their fair share. They then understood why it is important to choose Fairtrade as Fairtrade promises to pay farmers enough to sustain their livelihoods.
Brexit 22/10/2019
Reception looked at where we live for cross curricular. They made their own versions of Stonehenge and talked about how such large stones might have been moved a long time ago. Using shapes that they cut out and split pins, the children made the London Eye. They also made their own maps of islands, adding features and labelling them. Making the Humber Bridge was fun too as well as making flags.
In Year 1, the children learnt about visas and the difference Brexit will make to visa. They then made their own visa cards.
Year 2 class taught about the history of Brexit and the main events leading to Brexit. They first talked about what the EU is and initially how it started with only 6 countries after World War 2. They enjoyed learning about how the EU then evolved into what it is today. The children discussed which countries are part of the EU and finally, why the United Kingdom decided to leave and what that means for us.
During cross curricular in year 3, pupils designed their beautiful new flags for the UK if we were to leave the EU. There were very creative designs and lots of fantastic work from the children.
In Year 4 class, the children in KS1 made colourful posters explaining their reasoning behind either exiting or remaining in the EU. The KS2 children were extremely passionate in their speeches. They used persuasive language features, listing many reasons for their manifesto’s, and demonstrated a great awareness of their audience.
Children were informed about the advantages and disadvantages of Brexit and leaving the EU in Class 5. They designed their own poster expressing their opinion on Brexit. They also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister to persuade him to listen to their concerns
Finally, it was election time in Class 6, there was a General Election British Food vs Indian Food. After a very tense election, the final result were announced, and the winners were INDIAN FOOD. A better taste for the future. Commiserations to British Food. It was a very good campaign. Well done everyone.
Hajj In A Day 18/07/2019
Paradise Children presented an outstanding Jalsa performance where the Paradise Hajj Group embarked on a unique journey with their captive audience; offering them a real-life Hajj experience. The children’s effort to bring the Hajj experience to fruition was demonstrated through nasheeds, Quran recitations, poems and role plays. The outstanding and inspirational performances encapsulated the spirit of Hajj and commemoration of the actions of Prophet Ibrahim (AS). It was a wonderful opportunity for children to perform the hajj rituals enabling them to gain a greater understanding of the fifth pillar of Islam. Well done to all the children for their exceptional performances which was thoroughly enjoyed by all!
British Food Festival 20/06/2019
For the ‘British Food Festival’ cross curricular, the children engaged in fun and interactive activities and sampled various delicious classic British food throughout the day. As we normally do on Cross curricular day, the children from all year groups were put in groups and throughout the day, went to each classroom to partake in the different activities that were prepared.
In Year 1 they learnt about strawberries and its importance in British desserts and why they play an important role. They looked through the history and facts about strawberries and imagined new desserts variations that could be made. They finished off by learning the history of Eton Mess as well as tasting this delicious dessert.
Who wouldn’t like classic fish, chips and mushy peas for lunch! In Year 2, the children not only had a go at sampling this favourite, but were fascinated with the history and traditions of British food, especially how fish and chips are placed and wrapped in Newspapers.
There’s no breakfast like a full English breakfast as the children saw in Year 3. With scrambled eggs, buttered toast, sausages and of course baked beans, the children were spoiled for choice as they tried and tested the variety of food. As well as this, they discussed what it consists of, which food group each food belongs to and why is it good for us.
After all the food, it was time for some nice afternoon tea in Year 4 with scones, jam, crumpets, biscuits and tea. The children engaged in various activities and were surprised to learn how this has been around for hundreds of years.
A good meal finishes with a tasty dessert. Just like the Jam Roly Poly and custard in Year 5. The children were clearly a fan of desserts as they identified and wrote an endless list of desserts known and tasted.
In Year 6, the children brought out their creative side as they created their own branding for various food products and made their very own party hats!!
STEM in Our Every Day Lives 09/04/2019
STEM Cross Curricular day provided a resourceful platform to stimulate and support children to become confident individuals and celebrate all sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and their importance and reliance in our everyday lives.
Throughout the day, children took part in various activities and challenges.
In Reception, the children discussed how STEM is implemented in our daily lives.
Their STEM challenges were based around the book SUPERTATO.
A. Make a bridge for Supertato to cross the river
B. Make traps for the Evil Pea
C. Help the Evil Pea stay afloat in the water using foil
D. Make magnifying glasses to search for the Evil Pea
As well as this, they also attempted to build a bridge for 20 teddies using only 4 cups and 4 sticks and enjoyed being engineers for the day and building different things out of LEGO.
Throughout the day children engaged in various exciting activities such as:
– Making Triangles: each person receives 9 toothpicks. The goal is to make as many triangles as possible with 9 toothpicks.
– Paper Water Bucket: make a cup out of a sheet of paper, no glue, no staple, nothing else – the goal is to hold as much water as possible for 10 seconds.
– Paper Tower Challenge: to build the tallest tower out of paper only
The children learnt about how STEM is used in baking. They learnt about the different mathematical skills involved when measuring ingredients, the technology used in the kitchen and also the science behind how cakes and bread rise. The children really enjoyed making their own cupcakes and eating them at the end of the day.
They looked at the structures of different bridges and the properties of each one to see what would make a strong bridge. They discussed which materials are strong enough to hold bridges up and which materials would not be useful
They were challenged to build a bridge 50cm wide to support the weight of a food tin. They had do this using only drinking straws, tape and string. First, they investigated different shapes to find out which ones would be better at absorbing load. They then designed and create their bridges before testing them out.
To understand the effects of waste and which materials are effective to people and the environment.
The children were given a selection of biscuits and had to decide which materials they would use to package them. with either plastic, glass and cardboard. They then had to pack them, decorate and price them.
Multi-Faith 12/02/2019
On Multi Faith Cross Curricular day, the key message of Respect and Tolerance was enhanced through looking at the six main religions.
Children made a ‘thank you’ card for their neighbours and learnt the role of neighbours in Islam, Christianity, Judaism and other religions.
They explored the different religions and what the places of worship are and took part in many activities:
–learnt the places of worship, symbol, special book and language for different religions
-Researched the internet, and prepared a poster showing the various activities that happen in different places of worship. E.g. youth clubs, study groups, community car
-Pupils made a role play up about visiting their neighbours who are from a different faith. They have been invited for dinner and the dress code is ‘religious clothing’. This enabled them to learn the similarities and differences in faiths
-To be tolerant, understanding and accepting of all faiths and to appreciate different traditions, customs, history, festivals and importance. The children took part in various activities and created/designed their own festival outfits, completed word searches and role-plays.
Languages Around the World 18/12/2018
This cross curricular was themed around promoting multilingualism and creating awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity. The whole school became alive with a celebration of our diverse and beautiful world of rich cultures, customs and languages spoken around the globe.
Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish, Urdu, Konglish were just some of the languages the children learnt. As well as learning and practising different words and phrases, the children enjoyed sampling the food associated with the languages.
Celebrating 70 Years of the NHS 17/10/2018
The children explored the beginnings of the NHS and how we can support it today.
They showed their appreciation by making cards/poems. They also got a chance to apply for NHS jobs most suited to their skill set. Dentistry, Doctors, Nurses, Optometrist were just few of many that were looked at.
First Aid plays a huge part and in order to develop basic skills to spot danger and help save lives, the children had the opportunity to practice the different aspects of first aid etc