We know that many of you have been thoroughly enjoying our weekly #Shinealight blog painstaking put together by our very own special adviser Mrs Hart.
As it is half term this week, we thought we would give both our teacher and followers a break and instead pull together a compilation of your favourite bits of her previous blogs – in the video attached and in a summary of the many websites she has recommended as learning resources, which we have pulled together below.
Mrs Hart’s Magnificent Seven
Websites, programmes and challenges recommended by Mrs Hart to keep us occupied and stimulated during isolation.
- TikTok This is a social media video sharing app. Many are using this to create short dances, lip sync, comedy clips or videos.
- BBC Bitesize is publishing daily online lessons for ALL ages, including Secondary aged children.
- artofbrilliance.co.uk – Andy Cope is the national Happiness Doctor! He will lift your day bringing sunshine and hope. Truly inspirational and motivating. Being a ‘moodhoover’ is not an option!
- Classroomsecrets.co.uk This is a Department for Education recommended website and has a home learning timetable for children in early years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. There are also interactive games and activities.
- whiterosemaths.com Check out daily Maths lessons building children’s confidence and competence in the subject.
- Freesciencelessons – This is a site where you can view Biology, Chemistry and Physics lessons. The short video clips support and build confidence in the Sciences.
- Markjermin.co.uk Visit this incredible Performing Arts school website and watch their latest heart-warming performance of ‘It Must Be Love’ thanking the NHS workers on the coronavirus frontline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9olBR8vLCg
Mrs Hart’s ‘High 5’ challenges in isolation
Inspired by National Stephen Lawrence Day #BecauseOfStephen. Here are some of the things Stephen is remembered for.
- #BecauseOfStephen ‘He was a great walker. And what a runner! Can you walk around your garden or house for the same time? Can you plan a 4.5-mile walk that you can do with a friend once we are out of lockdown?
- #BecauseOfStephen One of Stephen’s many skills was still life drawing and he was also good at maths. Write a letter or a poem all about how a special friend helps you titled ‘My friend, I miss you because…’
- #BecauseOfStephen Stephen and his friend Elvin painted faces of bands and famous people on t-shirts and had many requests for their fantastic works of art. Create a picture with a special sign or symbol that can be put onto a t-shirt for a special friend of yours.
- #BecauseOfStephen Stephen wanted to be an architect. Build a tower out of anything you can find in the house and see how tall you can make it. You can use cardboard boxes, lego, bottles, cups, be as creative as you like!
- #BecauseOfStephen Stephen liked helping people. In isolation make a ‘Stephen promise’ and offer to do some jobs around the house like cleaning, cooking or washing up! Your family will be your friends for life!
Mrs Hart’s Top 8 Garden Greats –for National Gardening Week
- darrellwakelam.co.uk – An awesome site! He makes the most extraordinary models from sticking together bits of paper and cardboard!
- www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children – Scent trails, building a wormery and even keeping a pet dandelion! Lots of fun and interesting learning.
- www.thespruce.com – Easy activities such as grow your own celery, pot your own garlic and grow ornamental sweet potatoes. There are plenty of mini projects that involve small containers and can be done indoors, well worth a look.
- woodlandtrust.org.uk – Messy mud kitchens to cook up a classic mud pie and happy nature faces! The ‘nature’ birthday cards are special and can be made and sent with love to people you miss. Children can make their own special garden fairy doors from lolly sticks and dot around the garden or house.
- kidsgardening.org – One of the most simple and creative activities that many children will enjoy on this website, soil art! All ages can produce works of wonder. So many simple activities with clear instructions for the whole family to enjoy.
- nationaltrust.org.uk – ‘50 Activities to do in your back garden’. Be a Queen and wear a ‘handmade’ wild crown or even a wild bracelet! Create ‘wild art’ displays with twigs and leaves. See if you can complete all 50 activities in isolation.
- wonderadventures.co.uk – Fun and free garden adventures including painting stones and ice cube fun!
- www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning – Pressed flower picture frames, butterfly crop protector, scarecrows and simple animal leaf pictures. Really easy to find the materials and have a go!
National Pet Month: 5 picks from Mrs Hart
1. 3D animals on Google!
Type the animal of your choice into google and click the ‘view in 3D’ button. You can see pandas, lions, tigers and even cheetahs!
2. Virtual Zoos
Chester Zoo are inviting you to the zoo for the day! Live streaming with their brilliant zookeepers is simply incredible! ‘
3. National Geographic for Kids
Take a trip to the icy Antarctic and learn all about Emperor Penguins. This site also gives top tips on conservation and lots of fascinating animals.
4. boredpanda.com/animals/
This popular website has a section dedicated to animals, which will make you smile! Discover pictures of the thirty happiest animals in the world and learn a little more about ‘Smiley’ the Golden Retriever dog, born without any eyes who becomes a therapy dog to help others.
5. CBBC Newsround –
Fancy a video call with a llama?! Or even a camel? Find out how one man made this possible. BBC’s Newsround helps you to discover the latest news on animals from around the world. Funny videos, photos, facts and quizzes on many different species of animals.
Mrs Hart’s Rainbow rays of sunshine!
Gratitude for rainbow heroes everywhere
- theimaginationtree.com – ‘40 Fantastic Rainbow activities for kids!’ Rainbow rice, rainbow gloop and even rainbow ice! From rainbow pasta necklaces to making a rainbow cake, this site really will keep the whole family colour happy for days!
- beautifulbairns.com – A tasty rainbow healthy fruit snack, rainbow rocks and pebbles to explore.
- learning-centre.homesciencetools.com – Rainbow Science projects creating real rainbows, prisms and discovering what makes a rainbow. Fascinating ‘moonbows’ and mirage facts to learn about.
- www.easypeasyandfun.com – Construction and rainbow paper craft, I particularly like the rainbow arch and button ideas!
Mrs Hart’s ‘Hooray for books hot picks!’
booktrust.org.uk The 100 best children’s books! Includes the ultimate booklist to read before you’re 14. There is also a list of the nation’s Top 10 books in rank order.
Worldbookday.com – Books can often provide a valuable vehicle for children to open up, discuss and share what is on their mind. It is important now more than ever to reassure and keep children calm about what they might be hearing and seeing. This site recommends some super books.
wizardingworld.com – A real treat for fans of Harry Potter! Stars including Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham, Eddie Redmayne and Stephen Fry are among those reading all seventeen chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone!
The British Library – We are fascinated with mini books! There is a beautiful story of the Bronte children who made miniature books for their toy soldiers to read. They carefully used embroidery thread to hand stitch brown paper, wallpaper and even leaves to make these adorable and creative tiny books nearly two hundred years ago.
Mrs Hart, Adviser to Child of Wales.
We can all make a difference!
‘If you judge a book by its cover, you might miss out on an amazing story!’
I have chosen one of my favourites from ‘Aesop’s Fables’ for today’s assembly, ‘The Lion and the Mouse’. We are never too small to help or make a difference.
Sometimes judging people by how they look can affect relationships and even lose us friendships. Think about the hours you may have spent looking at the latest fashions, trends and ‘must haves!’. During the last few weeks of our assemblies we have had time to look at what really matters. What really matters is what is on the inside. We can try hard to change how we look on the outside but really, we should concentrate on qualities like kindness and helping others.
Beauty comes from within. The ‘Lion and The Mouse’ teaches us that the best things really do come in the smallest packages. In troubled times it might be the friends who you least expect that show you the greatest kindness.
When I needed a neighbour were you there?
Mrs Hart’s ‘Hooray for books hot picks!’
booktrust.org.uk
The 100 best children’s books! Includes the ultimate booklist to read before you’re 14. There is also a list of the nation’s Top 10 books in rank order. The BookTrust is the UK’s largest reading charity reaching 3.9 million children each year with books and resources to develop and support a lifelong love of reading. Their ‘HomeTime’ hub lets the whole family enjoy storytime with a free online sharing of stories and themed quizzes. You can even join the ‘Pyjamarama festival’ in the comfort of your favourite pyjamas! This is a really great site!
Worldbookday.com
This week is ‘Mental Health Awareness’ week. Books can often provide a valuable vehicle for children to open up, discuss and share what is on their mind. It is important now more than ever to reassure and keep children calm about what they might be hearing and seeing. This site recommends some super books such as:
- ‘The Worrysaurus’ by Rachel Bright. This is a beautiful book to help with overanxious moments that children may have in everyday situations. It is beautifully told.
- ‘My Monster and Me’ by the brilliant Nadiya Hussain looks at how children who may experience panic attacks can try to escape their worries.
- ‘The Big Steps: I’m Not Sleepy’ in the Campbell Books series. Nighttime can be when a lot of people, young and old have some of their greatest worries. This is a great recommendation for both children and parents and offers tips, through story, for those who struggle with worrying at bedtime.
wizardingworld.com
A real treat for fans of Harry Potter! Stars including Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham, Eddie Redmayne and Stephen Fry are among those reading all seventeen chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone! A fantastic time to revisit or introduce the world of Potter and the topical themes of family, friendship and courage. You can download and watch the book being read or you can listen to the audio version on Spotify/Spotify Kids. Wizarding World is a fantastic website with a whole cauldron of bubbling and exciting activities for all ages to enjoy!
The British Library
We are fascinated with mini books! There is a beautiful story of the Bronte children who made miniature books for their toy soldiers to read. They carefully used embroidery thread to hand stitch brown paper, wallpaper and even leaves to make these adorable and creative tiny books nearly two hundred years ago.
This week the British library is calling on children to write their own ‘miniature books’ in lockdown. Children can share their homemade miniature books @BL_Learning using #DiscoveringChildrensBooks or email learning@bl.uk with their mini creations! This project is backed by authors and illustrators including Jacqueline Wilson and Axel Scheffler who have created their own miniature books. bbc.co.uk/newsround/52637122 have written a great step by step guide on making your own miniature book the size of a postage stamp!
Give it a go and your books could be displayed online in the ‘National Library of Miniature Books for the toy world’.
The British Library also offers services to help with specific resources and research giving specialist advice, the reference team provide an online ‘Quick Chat’ service for short research on areas such as ‘Rare books’, ‘Science’ ‘Music’ and ‘Humanities’.
‘The Nightingales’ Song.’
Liverpool Captain Jordan Henderson, Joe Root England Cricket skipper and West Ham star, Jack Wilshere are amongst a host of sports stars to support a new e-book to raise funds for ‘NHS Charities Together’. This is a beautifully illustrated book about a team of underdog birds turning their hand to football, cricket and rugby! This hopeful tale demonstrates to children that we really can get through anything if we work together as a team. The message is beautiful. The e-book can be purchased on Amazon £3.19 with all proceeds going to help the NHS.
We love the pictures of children reading that have been sent into Child of Wales! I am a great believer in the saying ‘a good reader makes a good writer’. The more children read, the more they are exposed to a rich and wide vocabulary. This assists in fictional writing such as stories and poems and non-fictional writing such as recipes and instructions.
I encourage you to read to your children. There is no age limit on when you should stop. A favourite, that all children who were taught by me in Year Six enjoyed is ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’ by Michelle Magorian.
This gripping and powerful story explores the life of an evacuee, William Beech in World War Two. There is an obvious thread of learning through History in this text. The life of an evacuee, air raid shelters and blackouts cannot be missed but there are deeper discussions and learning to be gained from this captivating story. Children can write diaries, compare life in the city to that of the country through descriptive settings and explore the unlikely friendship of both Mr Tom and William. ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is a definite fit for Mr Tom.
Mrs Hart’s Recipe for Friendship
Ingredients: People of all different shapes, sizes and colour!
Method: Mix in a good handful of love,
Stir in some patience,
Sieve in lots of laughter,
Sprinkle in some kindness,
Bake in a warm heart forever.
‘I may only be one person, but I can be one person who makes a difference!’
Child of Wales celebrates ‘Random Acts of Kindness in our ‘Hello Monday’ assembly today. These kind-hearted souls have actively gone out and made a difference to others in the world. You do not have to be a famous celebrity to make a difference. Often, those who do good things, do them quietly. Being kind makes a difference to others and kindness spreads.
Being kind can also bring lots of happiness back to you, like a boomerang! A dear friend of mine, Becki McArthur is someone who makes a difference to everyone she meets. She has all of the qualities we have talked about. Becki shows great kindness, tolerance, patience, calmness and loyalty.
These are just a few qualities that make her a good and deeply kind person to be around. It is through Becki we were fortunate enough to help and support ‘The FAST’ Charity in Brasov, Romania. Taking children from Years five and six, including my own two children, was a life changing experience for us all.
Here we discovered new friends who live a completely different life to ours. The Roma community in Secele live with much discrimination and poverty. Visiting schools and soup kitchens, offering kindness and support through this charity gave us hope. You can have nothing in life but if you have happiness, you have everything. From those trips to help our friends in the Roma community, we all learnt valuable life lessons.
‘Never judge someone by the way he looks or a book by the way it’s covered; for inside those tattered pages, there’s a lot to be discovered.’
Mrs Hart, Adviser to Child of Wales.
Gratitude for rainbow heroes everywhere
Today we are thankful to people who demonstrate real courage. In this unique period, the symbol of a rainbow brings us hope. We are thankful for the courage of our extraordinary nurses and doctors, alongside all people working in hospitals up and down the country.
Now, more than ever, we are grateful for our wonderful National Health Service, the NHS. The Nightingale hospitals make us want to find out more about the brave and courageous Florence Nightingale. She came from a wealthy family and it was deeply frowned upon when she announced she wanted to look after sick people. Florence knew it was her calling.
‘Don’t miss all the beautiful colours of the rainbow looking for that pot of gold.’
Sometimes, it takes real courage to go against what people tell you. In life, it is important to stand by what you believe in and follow your dreams, like Florence Nightingale did. Join us in today’s assembly and find out why she became known as ‘the lady with the lamp’.
She was a ray of hope for poorly people, just like the Nightingale hospitals are today. Out of darkness comes light. Florence wanted to serve others who were less fortunate than her and she gave up her own life to do just that.
This is a bold act. She had great courage, strength and determination. We give huge thanks to Florence Nightingale and the whole of the NHS. There are many Florence Nightingales up and down the country and today we say: ‘Thank you’.
Mrs Hart’s Rainbow rays of sunshine!
- theimaginationtree.com – ‘40 Fantastic Rainbow activities for kids!’ Rainbow rice, rainbow gloop and even rainbow ice! From rainbow pasta necklaces to making a rainbow cake, this site really will keep the whole family colour happy for days! Join their Facebook page for even more ideas.
- beautifulbairns.com – A tasty rainbow healthy fruit snack, rainbow rocks and pebbles to explore.
- learning-centre.homesciencetools.com – Rainbow Science projects creating real rainbows, prisms and discovering what makes a rainbow. Fascinating ‘moonbows’ and mirage facts to learn about. There are plenty of other super science experiments to check out on their home learning centre, including bubble making, flower dissection and a solar water purifying lesson!
- www.easypeasyandfun.com – Construction and rainbow paper craft, I particularly like the rainbow arch and button ideas!
‘Search for the hero inside yourself!’
On Friday 8th May, people celebrated VE Day, Victory in Europe! It is 75 years since the end of World War two. In these challenging and unusual times, we remember the many brave and courageous soldiers who fought to give us the freedom we enjoy today. It is important to continue to remember and say: ‘Thank you’. We give thanks to people like Captain Tom Moore and the great ‘Johnny’ Johnson. They risked their lives to serve others. In our assembly join us for a ‘VE’ day afternoon tea party celebration!
‘The greater your storm, the brighter your rainbow.’
One of my favourite films of all time is ‘The Wizard of Oz’. I look back and see that Dorothy was a courageous person. She knew exactly what she wanted to do and would not let anyone get in her way! Not even a nasty old witch! You have to believe in yourself, search for the hero inside. During our assembly we celebrate Dorothy and all that she stood for!
‘Every storm in your life is followed by a rainbow.’
You could try writing your own rainbow rap all about seven things you are looking forward to. Have a rainbow family supper including food from the seven colours of the rainbow or hold a garden rainbow parade with everyone dressing in rainbow colours! Anything to add colour into our lives!
Here at ‘Child of Wales’ we say a huge thank you to all our Sponsors who support us in our mission to recognise inspirational, brave and courageous young people who live amongst us.
We show gratitude to all of our past and present rainbow heroes. Remember to keep looking for the hero inside yourself.
‘Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true…’
E.Y Harburg
Mrs Hart, Adviser to Child of Wales.
Pepe Hart, an award-winning head teacher and our very own Advisor, is gaining a growing following since she started creating weekly video blogs designed to help parents and children grappling with home schooling during the Coronavirus lockdown.
Pepe, who lives in Bristol, was the head teacher of The Academy of Trinity Primary School in Radstock for 10 years. During that time, she achieved four outstanding OFSTEDs, won a ‘Diana, Anti-Bullying’ award in recognition of the school’s zero tolerance to bullying and Pepe personally won a Pride of Britain Award for her work at the school.
Now an Adviser to the Child of Wales Awards, Pepe is publishing a weekly video blog designed to motivate, inspire and educate parents and children looking to make good use of their time in lockdown.
Almost 1,000 people a week are now watching the high-energy vlog, which Pepe crams with enthusiasm and ideas for home schooling children.
Pepe said: “I loved my job and firmly believe that teaching is a privilege. I wanted to help and shape the lives of so many people who genuinely meant a lot to me. Now, given our current circumstances in lockdown, I also wanted to do my bit to help inspire children and parents struggling with the motivation and direction around home schooling.
“I am proud to be an Adviser to the Child of Wales awards and that has given me a natural incentive to help families through these tough times. I have a lot of fun doing these videos, which are high energy and hopefully can make a positive difference to people’s experience in these challenging times.”
Blanche Sainsbury, founder of the Child of Wales Awards, said: “We are so grateful to be working with Pepe on our awards as she is such an inspirational figure with an intuitive sense of how to inspire young people. The feedback from families watching her videos during lockdown has been wonderful.”
National Pet Month – Animal Magic!
‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’
Mahatma Gandhi
It’s been National Pet Month through April (it actually finishes on May 10). And in today’s ‘Hello Monday’ assembly we are looking at how much we can learn from animals.
We have been inundated with animal pictures from so many people across the country and have included them all. We love your animals; you are so lucky to have them. Thank you for sharing them with us. Animals can teach us so much about how we should behave as human beings.
Top 5 Picks of the week from Mrs Hart
1. 3D animals on Google!
Type the animal of your choice into google and click the ‘view in 3D’ button. You can see pandas, lions, tigers and even cheetahs! Bring these magnificent animals into your home. It really is simple. Open Google. Type in an animal e.g Penguin. Just beneath the Wikipedia result, you should see ‘Meet a life-sized animal up close’ box. Click ‘View in 3D’ and it will open up your camera with a picture of your chosen animal. Take a picture or film the animal in your house! ‘The Tiger who came to tea’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ with the wolf can be recreated in your very own films, stories and poems!
2. Virtual Zoos
Chester Zoo are inviting you to the zoo for the day! Live streaming with their brilliant zookeepers is simply incredible! ‘Awesome Aardvarks’, ‘Elephant pool party’ and ‘Lions Lunch’ are just a few examples I discovered on their YouTube channel. Sometimes when you go to the zoo you don’t always catch what the zookeepers are saying during their talks. Listen at your leisure to the zookeepers as they go about their daily business. There are animal fact file activities and animal masks to make. While you’re at it, why not hop like a kangaroo over to ‘San Diego Zoo live cams’ and then ‘Feeding time at Cincinnati Zoo’ on their Facebook page. They also take you on live ‘Home Safaris’ at 7pm (UK time) or watch footage posted on the Cincinnati Zoo website the next day.
3. National Geographic for Kids – Natgeokids.com
Take a trip to the icy Antarctic and learn all about Emperor Penguins. Did you know that without the warmth of the parents’ brood pouches, Emperor penguin chicks would die in just a few minutes in the freezing cold Antarctica? Find out why these birds are super divers! This site also gives top tips on conservation and lots of fascinating animals.
4. boredpanda.com/animals/
This popular website has a section dedicated to animals, which I loved simply because it made me smile! Discover pictures of the thirty happiest animals in the world and learn a little more about ‘Smiley’ the Golden Retriever dog, born without any eyes who becomes a therapy dog to help others. The dog who is always happy!
5. CBBC Newsround – bbc.co.uk/newsround
Fancy a video call with a llama?! Or even a camel? Find out how one man made this possible. BBC’s Newsround helps you to discover the latest news on animals from around the world. Funny videos, photos, facts and quizzes on many different species of animals.
Some of my favourites animal stories that I have read with children and created endless activities include:
- Badger’s parting gift. A story that teaches children about grief and losing a loved one. This is an incredible book about sharing memories of someone a child has sadly lost. Sensitively and beautifully written.
- War Horse. A story of courage, friendship and reuniting between Joey the courageous horse and Albert. How are you being strong in lockdown, isolated from your friends? What will you do when you all reunite?
- Charlotte’s Web. A fantastic tale of friendship and sacrifice. What have you had to sacrifice in lockdown that you appreciate now?
- Black Beauty. ‘Kindness to man and beast!’ Animal rights debates, reading comprehension activities and the beauty of horses. Write as though you are Black Beauty.
- The Fantastic Mr Fox! Limericks and alliteration. Discover animals and their senses. Create menus for all the animals and Mr Fox’s Fantastic Feast!
- Lion and the Mouse. Kindness is never wasted. Random acts of kindness in isolation. How are you making life easier for everyone in your family?
‘Animals are such agreeable friends -they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms’
George Eliot.
In isolation, we have more time to bond with our animals than we normally would. Animals, such as dogs, love us unconditionally. You don’t have to prove anything to them and you don’t have to prove yourself to gain their love and friendship; they love you for who you are. We should show them the same loyalty, care and kindness. They do not expect a lot back. Find friends in your life who love you unconditionally.
Mrs Hart, Adviser to Child of Wales.
Firstly, a very Happy Easter to all our children and their families! Easter is different this year as we are all staying safe in isolation. Whilst we cannot be with many people that we love, we can still celebrate.
We are all looking forward to the time when lockdown is over, which it will be. Then we can all celebrate and appreciate everything we have missed. Remember, everything passes.
As a family, you may have already established a routine, however, some of us may still be finding that tough. Remember your family is unique; however you choose to establish normality during this time has to work for you and your loved ones.
Mrs Hart’s Magnificent Seven
This week I am going to signpost you to websites/programmes or challenges that you may enjoy or find helpful.
- TikTok This is a social media video sharing app. Many are using this to create short dances, lip sync, comedy clips or videos. Once downloaded this is easy to use. I spotted a great #WalkItOut challenge posted by Maya Jama, the TV and radio presenter. In our ‘Hello Monday’ assembly this week we have a #SportingHeroJesus challenge that you could post on TikTok. Please share with us here.
- BBC Bitesize will be publishing daily online lessons for ALL ages, including Secondary aged children from Monday 20th April.
- artofbrilliance.co.uk Andy Cope is the national Happiness Doctor! He will lift your day bringing sunshine and hope. We invited Andy into school to work with children and staff. Truly inspirational and motivating. Being a ‘moodhoover’ is not an option!
- Classroomsecrets.co.uk This is a Department for Education recommended website and has a home learning timetable for children in early years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. There are also interactive games and activities, including Easter activities.
- whiterosemaths.com Check out daily Maths lessons building children’s confidence and competence in the subject. Again, as a teacher I highly recommend this resource and know that this subject can often be one that many find challenging. The resources are age related and well worth a look at.
- Freesciencelessons – YouTube This is a site where you can view Biology, Chemistry and Physics lessons. It even engages my seventeen-year-old son who is currently studying for his ‘A’ Levels. The short video clips support and build confidence in the Sciences.
- Markjermin.co.uk Visit this incredible Performing Arts school website and watch their latest heart-warming performance of ‘It Must Be Love’ thanking the NHS workers on the coronavirus frontline. The children from the Stage School also produced an energetic and lively performance of ‘We’re all in this together’. This will be a spot to watch as inspirational pieces bring the nation together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9olBR8vLCg
Thank you to all the children for sending in their wonderful work this week. These are featured at the end of this week’s ‘Hello Monday’ assembly.
I hope you are all keeping your spirits high singing our assembly ‘Isolation Rap’ and dancing to ‘Everybody’s doing the isolation!’ – locomotion style!
Now we are in isolation,
We can crack this as a nation,
Stay indoors it won’t be long,
Join with me and sing this song!
Remember there is always hope and out of darkness comes light
A very Happy Easter to everyone!
Mrs Hart, Adviser to The Child of Wales.
‘We’re all in this together’ has been a tune in my head as the nation is in Lockdown, except this is not a scene from High School Musical, this is for real. Many of us have found ourselves trying to be the next Mary Poppins or Kindergarten Cop, forced into ‘home schooling’ our own children. As a former Head Teacher, I am here to help and support you and your children through what will be challenging times.
Firstly, this is not forever, everything passes. This is something we have little control over and so we need, above all, to keep not only our children safe in mind, body and soul, but also ourselves!
No one expects you to be an expert; sometimes we are our own worst enemies in thinking everything has to be perfect. Home schooling is not about mirroring what was happening at school. Frankly this would be impossible. Try not to worry. See this as a positive time. A time to relax and discover things about your child you did not know! And the one thing we do know is, we have time. We do not need to worry about rushing and cramming everything in. How many times in life can we say that?
During this time, it can seem overwhelming as a parent or carer with the number of on-line learning packages flooding the internet. Your child’s school will also be sending work, activities and sign posting you to resources. You may wonder at times if you are doing enough or indeed too much.
I find children learn best when they are enjoying and having fun. Establishing a routine that will suit your family is best. Choose a mini project or topic that your child can research and spend lots of time on. This blog aims to support, guide and inspire.
As a Head Teacher I loved the ‘family time’ of whole school assemblies with all the children and staff. They were an important part to the routine of every child’s day. Assemblies were special. We all came together, sharing stories, ideas, or even our worries and how to overcome them.
Child of Wales would like to be here for all our children and families during this national period of lockdown. I will be hosting a weekly ‘Child of Wales Assembly’, alongside a blog with tips and ideas.
The theme of our first assembly will be
‘Jelly babies!’
I look forward to your child joining us. Parents are welcome to join in too!
I started with a song and so it would be appropriate to leave you with one…. Have a listen to ’Don’t worry be happy…’ By Bobby McFerrin
Mrs Hart, Adviser to The Child of Wales.
Pepe Hart, Adviser to The Child of Wales Awards, is the former head teacher of the Academy of Trinity Primary School in Radstock. She won a Pride of Britain Award for Teacher of the Year for her achievements at the school. Every Monday, she will offer the parents and children inspiration and motivation to help with home schooling through these challenging times.