Diwali Celebration
We had a wonderful workshop this morning to celebrate Diwali and reinforce the work we have already done in Hinduism. We listened to a story, danced and created lanterns.
106
Here at Smithdown we value and encourage creativity in a wide range of ways. Design and Technology is a foundation subject in the National Curriculum and is found in many forms: clothes, books, home wear, sportswear – products which have been designed to help people with their needs. Design and Technology is part of every child’s immediate life experience. The subject encourages children to become creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond by developing ideas, and eventually making a range of products. Through the study of design and technology, they combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as of the products functions. This allows them to reflect on, and evaluate, past and present design and technology. Design and technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators.
In Key Stage 1 the children will learn to design purposeful, functional and appealing products that are based on design criteria. They will make products by using a wide range of materials and develop the use of tools to cut, shape, join and finish. They will learn to evaluate products and suggest how it could be improved to be stronger, stiffer and more stable. They will learn to cook simple food with an emphasis on savoury dishes.
In Key Stage 2 the children will learn to design purposeful products that are aimed at particular individuals or groups. They will develop their ideas through detailed planning, evaluating product design, observational drawings and making prototypes. They will make products and learn how to use a wide variety of tools, equipment, materials and components. They will learn how to include mechanical, electrical and computer control into products. They will learn to design and cook food with an emphasis on savoury dishes.
Progression in D/T will be assessed through work completed in pupils sketch books, displays, written work and photographic evidence.
Please click here for our whole school overview for design and technology 2024-2025
National Curriculum for Design and Technology
We had a wonderful workshop this morning to celebrate Diwali and reinforce the work we have already done in Hinduism. We listened to a story, danced and created lanterns.
106
In D.T. we made picnic wraps to as part of the school’s 150 years celebration. We analysed different ingredients and then used our cutting, peeling and grating skills to make our wrap using our favourite.
68
A very busy day in Year 4 as we taste tested wrap ingredients, designed and created our own picnic wrap ready for our school’s 150th birthday party tomorrow.
66
Today, we learnt that biomes are places with similar climates, landscapes, animals and plants. These children created biomes representing deserts, rainforests and savannas.
364
In groups we created different biomes of our worlds. We thought about, climate zones, temperatures, vegetation and animals that would live in our different biomes.
366
We have loved making our trains last week in Year 5. We’ve built our chassis, adding electrics and tested our locomotives. We were even visited by a local engineer from Stadler Rail Company to help us with our electrics and testing.

Year 3 have been exploring artists who use natural materials. Anna Atkins created one of the first books with photographs in it without using a camera! We practised the same technique she did nearly 180 years ago. We used light sensitive paper and natural things we found to create our cyanotype photos.
404
A selection of our finished drawstring bags, all unique as all designed and made by US.
76
For science week, we researched Ruth Wakefield. We learnt all about the temperatures needed and the variables that she changed. We then had a lesson in cookie making with our wonderful cook Monica and decorated the cookies with her face.

What an amazing start to our art project. The children created their very own paper and then decorated it. Next in our sustainability art project is to up cycle clothing. We can’t wait for the outcomes.
490
Our designs for our 150 Year bunting are really coming along. We are going to stitch “TOGETHER WE GROW” along with some pictures that remind us of school.
528
We made art that we would find in Palaeolithic caves. We worked together and made our caves walls as realistic as we could.
101
We are having our first try at sewing using different stitches today. This is in preparation for designing and sewing our own bags.
85
We had an amazing afternoon in our lion dancing workshop. Happy Lunar New Year!

We all practised our binca running stitch so that we are ready to create our 150 year celebratory bunting.
500
We created some designs that we may use for our 150 year bunting. We will practise stitching so that we can attached our designs.
109
We have loved making our moon buggies today. Do you like them?
528
Year 2 have been busy sawing their doweling to make their wheels and axles for a new moon buggy!
507
In DT today we looked at a range of our own toys. We analysed how they moved and started to learn all about wheels and axles.
524
Today we looked at some moving vehicles in preparation for designing our own. We thought carefully about the object’s design features. We were very confident at identifying the object’s wheels and axle.
89
We had a lovely morning with our Hands assembly and our DT craft activities. Thank you to all our adults who turned up to support us.
529
This week in Mathematics, the children in class RJP have been focusing on sequencing. We explored the vocabulary, how ‘sequencing’ means to repeat a pattern. The children used paint to create an ‘ABBA’ pattern firstly, following the pattern, ‘red, green, red, green’. We then had lots of fun demonstrating the ‘ababab’ pattern using Christmas pictures, and designing a colourful paper-chain. To extend the learning, we explored different patterns, expanding on the number of picture cards, colours, and using shapes which have been learned previously. This helps the children problem solve sequencing in a fun way.
Why not keep up this learning at home, by asking the children to make repeated patterns using different objects.

We created moving mechanisms using pivots and levers in our DT lesson with different types of cards, we created holes to bring the mechanism together with a spilt pin and made it move.
528
11:00 11.11.2024
Huge respect in our class to recognise the soldiers that have fallen in the past. We did a minute silence in the morning and then created amazing poppy art work based on our art topic ‘painting with scissors’ in the afternoon.
528
Today we are designing our Diwali lanterns for next week. We have learnt the story of Rama and Sita and thought about why Diwali is celebrated in Hindu religion. We are trying to focus on using Rangoli patterns.
We used Henri Matisse as our inspiration for our art topic. We used his method of painting with scissors to make our collages.
440
Earlier in the year, year 5 took part in a project with Primary Engineer and built moving locomotives with an electrical circuit. Today we celebrated each child taking part, awarded awards for best group work and also two boys took home the ‘Best communicator’ award. Well done, year 5!
466
We had our second group to make our traditional Italian bolognese. They had a great time preparing the ingredient and seasoning it to perfection! Thanks to our amazing head chef once again – Monica.
152
We had an amazing afternoon erupting our volcanoes! We even had a very dangerous and violent composite volcano with thick magma which increased the pressure when erupting.
167
Happy Eid to all our families celebrating! We had a lovely day and week celebrating with all our children and adults.
471
Our first group created their very own authentic traditional bolognese sauce! We have linked our DT unit with our Geography topic of Italy. Super behaviour and sensible cooks.
151
We have created our volcanoes and painted them. They look amazing! We are going to erupt them this week and see what happens when an active volcano blows. Watch this space…
152
Year 3 used the pigment from different foods and natural resources to paint and mark make.

Super work creating our Bronze Age Bell Beaker pots. We created a similar shape and added patterns to them.

We had lots of fun using different joining techniques to build our own chairs. Take a look at some of our fantastic structures 



Maisie Mouse in our story is having a birthday! ? ? ?
211
We have been working hard on our rail engineering project. Over the past couple of weeks, we have created our own locomotives, complete with a frame, wheels, axels and an electrical circuit.
474
We made chairs as part of our DT topic on stable structures.
116
We worked so well in teams to start to build our chairs in DT

We’ve had a great afternoon making circuits with a light and a buzzer to help us when making our buzz wire game. We also got to have a go at a buzz wire game!
143
This afternoon we created Supertato’s house using icing sugar and gingerbread. We mixed the icing sugar and water to use as glue to stick the house together.
246
To continue learning about chefs, we’re going to become chefs and make our own soup! To prepare for this, we went to Tesco to buy the ingredients we need.
235
We loved making models of our homes! #smithdowneyfs #smithdowndt
234