The QUEEN’S GUARD (also called the King’s Guard when the reigning monarch is male) are the military regiments responsible for guarding the royal residences in the UNITED KINGDOM, including Buckingham Palace in London. The usual uniform of a Queen’s Guard is a red coat and tall bearskin hat.

The children worked very creatively on this project.  First they carefully painted their Union Jack background, ensuring it was symmetrical.  After that they used collage to make their Queen’s Guard before assemling it all together. I just love the expressions on their faces and how some of them have very impressive moustaches.

CINQUE TERRE, which translates into “five lands” is a group of five island villages, featuring vibrantly coloured homes in northwestern Italy. The landscape of the islands is steep and rugged with rocky cliffs. To be able to build homes on the cliffs along the coastline of the Ligurian Sea, it was necessary to build TERRACES. Terracing means cutting slopes into a series of receding, flat platforms to give a surface for buildings to be built upon. Without buildings on top, terracing resembles steps, with the widest terraced area near the bottom of the slope and the smallest terraced area at the top. SANTORINI is a popular island in Greece that was formed by volcanic eruptions. In Santorini, low cubical buildings made from local stone are built along the rocky cliffs. Many are either white or coloured with volcanic ash. The children loved creating their terraed house and as you can see the results are simply stunning….makes me wish I was going on holiday!

DOUBLE-DECKER buses are a popular mode of transportation all over the world. The second floor of seating means that more people can ride at once and get to where they need to go. Depending on the model of bus, usually around 90 passengers can fit on a double-decker bus. The most iconic double-decker buses are the bright red buses that take commuters and tourists all around LONDON.  Year 2 children created a skyscraper background before making their London Double Decker Buses.  Some of the buses even have passengers on them!

The children watched a film clip of Ferdinand the Bull and the created their own bulls and even named them.  Each bull has their own unique expression as it enjoys sitting in the sunshine surrounded by nature.

They are all so fabulous!

Which one is your favourite?….It’s hard to choose isn’t it?

TURF HOUSE OF ICELAND

Turf houses are a traditional style of home found in ICELAND. The turf house came about for two reasons: a harsh climate and the lack of available wood for building.  Iceland was lacking in large trees suitable for building when settlers arrived, so they had to get creative with building materials and conserve the timber that they did have. Instead of building the entire home out of wood like their Scandinavian neighbours, they instead made a foundation out of stone, built a wooden frame and then used the abundantly available turf to insulate the homes and even put it on top of the roof! The byproduct of turf homes were naturally insulated homes that offered protection from very cold winters, while also remaining cooler in warmer months.

The children learnt all about these amazing homes before creating their own, using mixed media including Sharpies, crayons and painted paper for the turf roof.  If you look closely you may get a sneak peak inside these Turf houses.

GARDEN GNOMES

GARDEN GNOMES are small figurines often used to decorate gardens. Some of the first gnome statues to be mass-produced came from GERMANY in the 1870s. In Germany, gnomes were originally tied to traditional stories and superstitions and were believed to help around the farm and the mines. They later became household decorations. Gnome statues range in size and style and have been made from materials like wood, stone and clay. They usually feature a traditional pointy red hat. The children listened so well and followed the instructions to create these delightful gnomes.  Each one has it’s own personality that you can see from their expression.  It would be impossible to choose a favourite.  Well done Reception children.

DALA HORSES

Dalecarilian horses, or DALA HORSES for short, are traditional carved Swedish wooden statues. They are named after the province they originated in, Dalecarlia, SWEDEN. Dala horses were originally carved as children’s toys, but have now come to be recognised as a symbol for Sweden. The most common form of the Dala Horse is a red body with white, green, yellow and blue saddle and harness.

The children created a ‘repeating pattern’ background and then decorated their own Dala horses and glued them onto the background.  They look totally fab!

The next stop on our art tour is EUROPE!

Every year group will be participating and you will be able to see incredible art from Russia, Sweden, Iceland, Holland, Germany and so much more….. we will even stop off in Great Britain!

Reception children enjoyed learning about daffodils.  They know that they are a symbol of Wales and they listened to the first verse of William Wordsworth’s famous poem about Daffodils.

DAFFODILS

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

The children then did their own observational drawing of a daffodil, using oil and chalk pastels. Every daffodil was so good that they were ALL displayed in the hall.

Very well done!

RECEPTION CHILDREN WERE THINKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE THEY LOVE AND THE REASONS THEY LOVE THEM AS THEY CREATED THESE STUNNING VALENTINE CARDS.  THEY USED MIXED MEDIA OF COLOURED PENCILS AND FELT TIPS…WILL YOU BE LUCKY AND GET A CARD ON THE 14TH FEBRUARY?

Our Reception children have been learning about Chinese New Year.  They then created these TIGERS to celebrate the Year of the TIGER. As you can see, each tiger has their own unique expression and I think the children did an amazing job.  Which one is your favourite?

YEAR 4 CREATED THEIR WINTER OLYMPIANS.  As you can see they rose to the challenge and created these amazing Olympic athletes doing a range of disciplines.  Very well done Year 4 – I’m so proud of you!

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE? Why is it your favourite?

120 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® TITLE FOR LARGEST POSTAGE STAMP DESIGN COMPETITION

Thank you so much to all the children for taking part in the Heroes Stamp Design Competition.

An incredible 606,049 entries were received from children across the UK, with an amazing 7,479 schools taking part. Although we didn’t make it to the final stages,  congratulations to all the children at ST PETER’S who entered, as their designs contributed towards a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the largest postage stamp design competition!

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “It is of great credit to the children of this country that in world record breaking numbers they picked up their paintbrushes, pens and paints and paid artistic tribute to the heroes of our coronavirus response. Their brilliant efforts represent the collective gratitude of the nation to everyone who went above and beyond during the pandemic. Congratulations to all those who have made it to the next round and thank you to everyone who has taken part.”

Simon Thompson, Royal Mail CEO, said: “We would like to thank all of the 606,049 children who submitted such brilliant designs to the competition. We have been humbled by the sheer volume of entries. And to have achieved a Guinness World Records title in the process shows how much the UK’s children value those heroes who have kept the nation moving during such a difficult period. To the 120 Regional Finalists – Well Done! We are really looking forward to seeing the winning eight designs!”

Well done St Peter’s children.