Welcome to the blog where your pictures will appear when you email me them during Wednesday’s event. Ideas and guidance will be added over the next few days but to get you started, the challenge video that the children will watch and a teacher guidance tool are already posted. Click on the tab at the top of the page ‘Animex Academy 2022’ for access (best viewed on a decent sized screen, not a phone!). If you have any questions, just ask:

andrew@sparkteesvalley.com

And we are off! Already some information from Pennyman Year 2s who I already know are amazing Scratch Jnr Coders. They have come up with an idea based on ‘The Day the Crayons Went on Holiday’ and have sent some images of their planning:

I’m looking forward to seeing what they create based on that.

Also lovely to see Normanby Primary throwing all their classes into the event today at different times. They even invited some parents into Y4 and have sent some images of the initial planning:

St Benedicts always love to build wider opportunities and projects into their curriculum and they are currently planning their storylines. If I’m not mistaken, they are also creating themselves as sprites! I know they are having a few problems due to not having accounts, their work isn’t saving well….but they have learned lots this morning having never really used it before. From what I can see they are doing some amazing work.

Ok Pennyman, Y6 are getting involved too are they? Having worked with them I know that we have some really creative minds in that group. Planning underway:

Reid Street Year 4 have taken a really interesting approach to the task today. They are using the theme of ‘Empathy’ for their stories. I love that idea because animation is often used as a universal language that can connect with people across cultures and languages. Loving the images of the planning so far:

It looks like Y3 parents at Normanby also came in to support their children this morning – well probably to watch in amazement at what the children could create!

And Y2 at Pennyman have certainly been busy to get to this stage in Scratch Jnr:

The whole of Y5 and Y6 at Ingleby Mill are also taking part today and judging by how far they have got so far with planning, storyboards and initial coding, their work should be pretty awesome:

And our first look at some of the work actually created from St Benedicts who chose the story of King Midas today as their theme:

Looks to me like the children at Berwick Hills have also been really busy creating their stories into digital animations. Fantastic work!

More from Normanby showing how the children watched the task together then started to work in teams:

And Year 2 from the same school:

Who have also sent us their finished animations:

And Year 5!

“The children have been so engaged in the tasks today! It’s been great to see them trying out new coding and working out the coding they need to achieve the desired results. I have also seen some good collaboration where more confident children have supported others and explained what to do.” Y^ Teacher Berwick Hills.

Sounds like a real animation studio!

“This morning Year 5 at Reid Street enthusiastically learned more about animations.  They heard about all the fantastic enterprises linked to this in Teesside and watched your videos.  Afterwards they combined their ideas in small groups to plan a story outline, storyboard and the events in a specific scene, following your ideas about the alien landing.  Here, our theme was empathy towards others.  Characters and plot were created and all ideas were presented to their classes.  Next session will involve watching your presentation from this afternoon then using Scratch to produce a short animation to share.”

I hope you enjoy our work and smiling faces!” – Teacher, Mrs Rankin, Reid Street Darlington

That sounds fantastic and yes, I very much loved having a look at the work you have done. Please try and send us some of the finished work when you get it done, I’m really looking forward to it. Here are the pictures you sent:

And a multi scene video of a completed animation from a Year 3 pupil at St Benedicts in Redcar, brilliant work, really well planned and out and executed:

And some pictures of the Normanby Year 5s who spent some of the day working on the projects with their parents….who couldn’t believe the quality of the work:

And some more pictures of children planning from Normanby: