Author: Calder Lodge School

Fairsnape had a fantastic visit to the Pig and Whistle as part of our Scrumdiddlyumptious
topic. The children got hands-on experience making their own pizzas—rolling out the dough,
selecting fresh ingredients, and adding their favourite toppings. Once prepared, the pizzas
were baked in the oven, and they turned out delicious! Afterwards, everyone enjoyed making
their own ice cream, choosing from a variety of toppings and sauces. The children had a
wonderful time creating and cooking their own meal!

21st January 2025

Our river trip walk to Hoghton Bottoms was a great success. The Brilliant Bleasdale explored rivers and learnt about meandering rivers, how rocks are pushed down the river and their impact on the riverbed. They also identified both natural and human geography features along the river.  The children followed a stream to the River Darwen and saw how small streams lead to a larger river.  They could pick out man made and natural features of the river and it’s surroundings.

The pupils demonstrated excellent behaviour throughout the trip, showing enthusiasm and curiosity as they engaged with their surroundings. They used geographical terms confidently and accurately, showing a good understanding of the concepts discussed. This hands-on experience will be invaluable in future lessons, especially when using maps. Despite the slightly wet weather, the children thoroughly enjoyed the trip and participated eagerly, making it a memorable and productive learning experience.

Oakenclough Class enjoyed a trip to Beacon Fell where they collected natural materials for creating their bug hotel over the coming weeks. The children also spent their time recognising signs of the season, demonstrating their understanding and knowledge of physical features of the environment. They ended their day at the park; what a fun-filled day!

As part of our Scrumdiddlyumptious topic, we are learning about all things food! Fairsnape
visited Morrisons to investigate fruits and vegetables and found out where they are imported
from. The children learnt that many of the fruits and vegetables that they eat everyday are
imported from other countries and learnt the reasons for this. We also made a list of fruits
and vegetables to try and bought these whilst at the supermarket. In groups, we had a go at
scanning the items and using our money skills that we learned last term to pay for the items.
Followed by a trip to the park.Once back at school, the children enjoyed trying lots of
different fruits and vegetables that they have not tried before like passionfruit, dates and
spinach.

Today, Nicky Nook went to a garden centre to explore plants, which is part of our science topic this term.

We also used this opportunity to purchase our own plants for our science experiment later in the term. When at the garden centre we discussed what plants need to survive to help us keep our plants alive and healthy throughout the term. Children were able to identify that plants need: water, oxygen, light and soil and the roles that each of these play.

Each group chose a plant that they wanted to look after back at school. We then complete a nature scavenger hunt before finishing at the park.

During the scavenger hunt, children thought about why some of the items may not be visible and they decided that this was because of the time of year and some things, like flowers, will only start to grow in the spring.

Bleasdale class visited the Lancaster City Museum, and it was an amazing day full of Roman history! The highlight of the trip was Marcus’s incredible presentation about Roman life. He really brought the past to life for us.

Marcus showed us lots of Roman artefacts, including weapons, armor, and even a Roman walking pack. It was so cool to see how soldiers carried everything they needed for long journeys. He also showed us Roman games, which were surprisingly fun—who knew the Romans liked to play so much?One of the best parts was when Marcus demonstrated how Roman soldiers marched. He taught us the Latin words they used: sinistra for left, dextra for right, and commands for stop and start. We even got to try marching ourselves—it was harder than it looked but so much fun!

Bleasdale had a fantastic time at the Pig and Whistle learning to make pizza’s to help us with our instructional writing.

Each student got their own station with dough, flour, and all the ingredients needed to create their pizzas from scratch. They learned to knead and stretch the dough (which was quite a workout!), spread the tomato sauce, and then choose their own toppings. There were plenty of choices—pepperoni,  pineapple, cheese, ham, chicken  and more. We had some unique creations, from classic Margaritas to “everything-on-it” pizzas.

Once the pizzas were topped to perfection, they were whisked into the oven. The pupils got to see how quickly the pizzas cooked at high temperatures, which really impressed them. In just a few minutes, their masterpieces were ready.

Finally, the best part—eating! The students were so proud to try their own pizzas and even shared bites with each other. We had lots of “mmm!” and “this is the best pizza ever!” comments, and many asked if they could make pizza at home.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience that taught the students new skills and teamwork. We hope your child enjoyed it as much as we did and maybe can even show off their new pizza-making skills at home!I’m sure this experience will help them with a great instructional text.

All pupils have access to our woodland area with well equipped joinery workshop.

Pupils can get hands on; contructing thought out dens, learning wookshop safety and woodcraft skills.

Pupils take great pride in contructing bespoke pieces.

Fairsnape had a fantastic visit to Farmer Parrs for Cultural Capital this week as part of our Animal nutrition topic in Science.

The children were introduced to herbivores, omnivores and carnivores on the farm and discussed what their diet consisted of.

The children also learned about the differences between feeding animals in captivity compared to an animal diet in the wild. We got a chance to feed the animals and were introduced to some reptiles.

This trip gave us a great insight into animal diets and will help us to investigate animal nutrition further throughout the topic.

Bleasdale Class went on an awesome school trip to Beacon Fell, and it was all about stepping back in time to ancient Rome! The whole day was filled with fun, learning, and a lot of imagination.

As soon as we arrived, we got into character—some of us were senators, others were centurions, soldiers, and even slaves. We role-played what it would be like to set up a Roman camp, which was pretty cool. Everyone had their own tasks, and we worked together just like a real Roman group would have done.

For lunch, we even got to taste what Romans ate—Roman soup! It was a simple but delicious meal, which really made us feel like we were living in the past. Afterward, we scouted out an area where we imagined a Roman fort could be built. We discussed the best spot and why it would work for defence and supplies—kind of like mini-architects and military planners!

Overall, it was a great day, full of hands-on history, teamwork, and just having fun outside. We all left with a better understanding of Roman life and some great memories!