Did you know that Sparkyard has a wealth of learning resources for every day and any time of the year, in and out of the classroom? Whatever the occasion, there’s a song to be sung, a resource to discover and an idea to try! Check out the awesome Assembly Plans, the creative Curriculum Links, the fantastic skills-based Music Curriculum  and the new trusty Treat Box!

Sparkyard gives great scope for singing all over the school – so many songs to aid learning, for practising skills, to use during well-earned brain breaks and in assemblies. Choose fun songs that add a spring to your step and put a smile on your face, or more reflective songs that help focus the mind for the more thoughtful moments of the day. Don’t forget, Sparkyard songs can be sent home easily with Share Links, so the singing and learning can continue well after the school day ends!

What about those familiar times of the year that feature in your school calendar? Sparkyard offers its own Song Calendar, giving plenty of ideas for songs and resources – just what you need to help mark those special days and events and to give fresh learning opportunities. 

Sparkyard really is a wonderful aid for learning. Here are a few of the opportunities it brings:

1. Sparkyard Playlists

• Songs to Start the Day
• Attention Grabbers and Brain Breaks
• Songs to Calm the Mood
• Celebrating Achievement/Well Done!
• Collective Worship Must-haves
• Insects and Other Creepy Crawlies

2. Collections – a chance to create personalised collections by gathering your own choices of songs, guides, curriculum links (and much more), or choose from ready-made Sparkyard Collections that include songs, resources, guides and practical ideas for learning. Here are a few to get you started:

• SATs Week Wellbeing Collection – full of lively, positive and ‘feel-good’ tunes!
• Arts Award Collection – includes all you need to know about the What? and How? of achieving an award.
• My Outdoor Classroom will help boost mental and physical wellbeing in the great outdoors!
• Spring Collection – gives an assortment of relevant songs, assembly plans, playlists and other great resources.
• Shaping Your Class With Singing will help bring your classroom alive and develop a sense of community, with songs and practical ideas for creating a positive learning environment.

3. Sing In Every Subject
Yes, it’s true! There are songs for every area of the curriculum to make learning fun. Have you discovered these yet?

• Maths – KS2 Curriculum Crunchers – includes great songs for learning and revision, e.g. Count Like The Romans, Polygon Names and It’s A Factor! 
• English – KS2 Curriculum Crunchers – fun songs to help revise all those grammar features, e.g. Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS), Subordinate Clause, Possessive Pronouns and The Active And Passive Voice. 
• Splendid Science Songs – fun science songs for EYFS and KS1 – I Made My Teddy A Raincoat, I Want To Be Healthy, Poo Detectives and I’m A Little Seed.

4. Assemblies and Collective Worship
Whether they’re classroom or whole-school, adult-led assemblies give wonderful opportunities to encourage children’s personal development and to put the wow and wonder into your acts of collective worship. Discover the downloadable assembly plans that offer clear learning objectives, questions to ponder and helpful song suggestions, making them ready-to-go for any season of the school year. Here are a few for spring:

• Super Seeds – encourages us to look at the potential of seeds for new life.
• Extra Energy – helps us to celebrate the energy of springtime.
• Metamorphosis – looks at change and helps us to understand that there are things to be enjoyed at every stage of life.

If you fancy more of a performance-type occasion with a mini-musical class assembly, then check out the range of curriculum-based topics in the That’s What I Call A Class Assembly! series. Full of history and intrigue, there are discoveries to be made about The Vikings, The Great Fire of London, World War II and Neil Armstrong, to name just a few. Or meet characters like Major General Calculate and Captain Prism in the maths assembly or the Wordy Birdies in the literacy assembly. With songs, scripts and staging ideas to choreography and curriculum links, these fantastic mini-musicals take learning to a whole new level of fun and performance.

5. Guides

These can be found all over Sparkyard. Some are entitled A Guide To… while others take the form of Fun Facts or Top Tips. However they appear, they are full of interesting and useful information for use across the school. A quick input of ‘guide’ in the ‘search’ will bring up a list to choose from, for example:

• Tips and Tricks – How To Use Songs In The Run-Up To SATs Week
• The Power of Brain Breaks
• A Guide To Setting Up A Choir
• Arts Award and Sparkyard

6. The Sparkyard Music Curriculum