AIREDALE AND POLLUTION PETE

On Tuesday I was at Airedale Junior school. I'll be back there again today. I've worked with Airedale children before, but not in the actual school. Last time I was down at the library with year 6 as we tried (unsuccessfully) to track down two superheros.

On Tuesday I was working in school itself for the first time, and boy, did I get lost! Those corridors are looooooooooong. I think I've just about worked my way around now though. We had a great day with Pollution Pete. What a miserable, planet destroying, river polluting chap he is! The children showed complete distaste for the miserable fiend, and acted the story extremely well and with great enthusiasm!

I'm hoping that Year 5 show as much enthusiasm today. Not that they're going to be meeting Pollution Pete. Nope. They're meeting Disgusting Dave. Ugh! I hope they cope with THAT particular dude ok.

OYSTER PARK JUNIOR SCHOOL

In October I visited Oyster Park Junior School for the first time. I was there for a week in total, broken up over two weeks. It's been busy busy busy since then, but not too busy for me to write about how it was there.

And it was great! The children were SOOOOOO enthusiastic, and from the first few seconds of my storytelling there I knew that they were going to be brill. They LOVED the tortoise story and loved being told a story. And they were so friendly - every lunchtime I had a clamour of pupils wanting me to sit with them, and every time I did, they were extremely good company. Best moment of the week in terms of lunchtime was the jokes that I was told. Best joke?

Why was Cinderella rubbish at football?
Because her coach was a pumpkin!

Oh, actually, there was another best moment at lunch. It was the moment I was asked to write a poem about sprouts. That gave rise to a new poem called 'I'm a Sprout Supporter' which I LOVE and which would never have written without having come to Oyster Park. So thanks guys!

I had a blast in the classrooms. Another first was being told that one of the teacher's names was 'Gorgeous'. Slightly dubious until I realised that ALL the kids were calling her the same. It didn't take long for me to join them in this (slightly unusual) term of address, and from then on the lesson went from strength to strength!

I also had a fab time in the nursery. The staff there really looked after me, and what a lot of fun I had with the children! Highlight of the nursery visit was rescuing an (imaginary) cat from a tree in the role play area. It was brill.

The Oyster Park staffroom was one of the bubbliest, most fun staffrooms I've been in. Despite the dubious plumming advice (you know who you are - and no, my toilet at home is NOT fixed), I really felt part of the laughter and enthusiasm that abounded in the staffroom.

Oyster Park was great. Hope I get to go back there.

WOMBWELL PARK STREET PRIMARY

Yesterday I drove out of Wombwell Park Street Primary School for the last time (hope it's not the last EVER time!), and my heart was happy and sad all at once. Happy because I have had such a brilliant week working here. The staff have been friendly and enthusiastic, and the children have been absolutely and completely brilliant! And sad because that's it. My week is over, and next week Wombwell Park will carry on without me as part of it. Good job I'm going back for the Christmas meal in December!

I have so many memories from one single week. The slow, sinking feeling on the first morning when most of Year 6 looked like they'd forgotten that it wasn't still half term and that they weren't still in bed; the realisation after the first morning with them that, actually, they were alive and that they seemed to have a lot of potential with regards to writing; trying to make six separate activities work at the same time in Reception with only 3 staff (me included); storytelling in the Nature Reserve in the best storytelling chair I've ever sat on (a wooden throne with 'Once Upon a Time...' carved in the wood); trying to keep a lid on the boisterous boys in Class 4; creating a script with year 6 in one morning and then hoping like mad that the'd pull it off the following morning (they did and well done to them); seeing Callum as a VERY believable tortoise create chaos in prison; watching Matthew steal the show as Tortoise; and so, so, so, much more. As I'm writing this I'm smiling, remembering how great last week was. It truly was one of the best week's I've had in schools. Hard at times (especially with complete lack of sleep throughout the week and the biggest cold I've had in my whole life), stressful on occasion (kneeling in the corridor working out the order of performance for the final assembly six minutes before the assembly was due to begin!), but, mostly, lots of fun and extremely rewarding for me.

Thanks to everyone at Wombwell. And especially to Michelle, who looked after me from the moment I arrived; and to Lillian, who may well not have seen the last of me! I've had a blast!

The Great Fire of London

Over the last few days I've been researching the Great Fire of London, ready to do some writing on the topic with Year 1s and 2s at Streethouse school in Pontefract. I've been to this school a number of times and I LOVE it. The children are extremely enthusiastic, and Mrs Barlow is very much on my wavelength.

I had loads of fun writing a story about the Great Fire - now I just need to learn it so that I can tell it to the children tomorrow!

Fact I didn't know: The Lord Mayor of London, on seeing the fire in its early stages, said simply that a lady could urinate on it and put it out. Bet he felt bad four days later, and 13200 destroyed houses later. Wonder what happened to him?

Super school!

On Monday I was invited to Wombwell Park Street Primary school in Barnsley to attend a planning morning in preparation for a week long writing project that I am leading there in November.

And what a school! I've never seen anything like it. Inside it was like my mum's classroom on a whole school scale. Huge displays of different moments in history, a wall of writing revealing the 'Writers of the Week', all manner of transport models made out of recyclable materials, murals, paintings, and much more besides.

By the time I discovered that the Year 6 pupils ALL have access to individual laptops ALL the time I knew that I was somewhere special.

I've got a REALLY good feeling about the week in November. The creativity within school oozes out from its every pore. I haven't even met the children yet (apart from the ones I met on the school website's very own introductory film!), but I know that they are going to bring SUCH a lot to the project.

This is a brill school. I just know it.

Alone on a Wide Wide Sea

I only hope that I have not just read the best ever Michael Morpurgo book. I've got loads left to go, but I just can't imagine how any of them could eclipse this. It's only taken me a couple of days to read, amidst planning for all my workhsops, looking after our three girls, and trying desperately to get to bed early (which didn't work AT ALL last night). I was up till nearly midnight to finish this book, and boy did it make me cry! There are not many books that are 'chest huggers' but this is one. And by that I mean when I've finished a 'chest hugger' book, I hug it to my chest and just sit in silence. As Paul Sweeney once said (Dunno who he actually was / is) 'you know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend'. I do feel that way. It is unbelievably well written and exciting, and in some ways reminded me of the narrative voice from Kensuke's Kingdom. I think this book may be for slightly older children, but still, it's brill.

The War of Jenkins' Ear

I recently received some vouchers for my birthday - best present I can ever get! And so I decided to go on a bit of a Michael Morpurgo Blitz. Starting with this book, I'm aiming to read about five of his over the next few weeks. And this was a good start. It is a highly unusual story, and when Christopher revealed his 'true' identity I thought 'Oh, Please!'. But I'm so glad I kept on reading as by the end of the book I was captivated.

I would agree with some of the reviews I've read that the story is at times slow moving, but the characters make up for this. A highly enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to more!

Holes

I read this straight after reading 'There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom'. I was hoping that it was going to be as good...and...it...wasn't quite. Probably because emotionally it didn't quite grab me in the same way.

Having said that, I really really enjoyed it. It is such a strange concept to have a load of young boys digging holes in the middle of the desert. Yet it works so well. The climax to the book is fantastic and had me desperate to know what would happen.

Louis Sachar is an author I'd not read before, but after these two books I'll be looking out for his others. Brill brill brill!

What a brilliant book - one of the best I've read for AGES. I read it after a recommendation from Mrs Stenton at Mapplewell Primary School. She read it to her class because she had a 'real life' Bradley Chalkers and wanted to help him see that there was a way to be better behaved! Following the rather tumultous life of Bradley, the story is so real to life it's hard to imagine that it isn't true. And the funny thing is that though Bradley is a little terror, you can't help but like him. His counsellor is wonderful and there are so many moments in the book where you want to cry (I did).

I went to bed late one night feeling exhausted and thinking I'd read a few pages - I finished the whole book in one go and was rather tired the next day! But it was worth it. There are so few books that grab me like this did. One of the scenes that stuck with me is the parents' reaction to the Counsellor (whose name temporarily escapes me). I wanted to shout at them 'Don't you GET it?!!!! She's helped one of your kids. She's helping LOADS of your kids.' It was frightening just how intimidated they were by her.

Brill brill brill and I can't recommend it highly enough.

It's been a while

I better mention the fact that it's been a while since I last posted on here (apart from the two posts I've just posted! And this one, which makes it three).

Since my last post (apart from the three I've just mentioned) we've had a new arrival! Mabel Grace Burdekin arrived at 407am (!!!!!) on 18th August (our 8th wedding Anniversary) weighing 8lb 13oz. So things have been pretty busy leading up to the birth and especially since! But hopefully I'm back on the 'blog horse' again, and will be posting more regularly.

Pyjamas in School?!

Yesterday I visited Mapplewell Primary School where I've worked a number of times before. Lovely big school in Barnsley, extremely friendly staff, and enthusiastic kids. After (almost) losing my voice by lunchtime, I recovered sufficiently to end the day with the 'Bedtime Stories' event - about 60 children and various parents dressing in pyjamas and coming into the hall to listen to and read stories. Tiring, but lots of fun.

My highlight of the day? Working with the Year 5s and 6s in the outdoor ampitheatre. Great venue and great weather (why wasn't summer like this?!).

You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum

I'm still not sure of my reaction to this book and I finished it a few days ago. ALL the reviews are about how funny and brilliant it is, but I've got a funny feeling that it didn't quite hit my funny bone like it hit everyone else's. I definitely enjoyed it, but not in the 'oh wow, this is the best book ever' type way that other people seem to have. And I definitely don't think it's as brill as Roald Dahl books. Am I showing my age? Aarrgghh! Hope not!

I loved the opening to the book, and actually having read the first two pages, thought that it was gonna be gob smackingly brilliant. Somehow, though, I felt some of the jokes were slightly too obvious with Andy Stanton saying 'look how clever I can be'.

Having said all that, this was pretty much my reaction to the first Lemony Snicket book, and I went on to absolutely LOVE the rest of that series. So I'll persevere. And if you're reading this and shouting 'No, Conrad, you don't know what you're talking about' then apologies!

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

I don't really understand some of the reviews of this book that I've just read on Amazon. They seem to talk about the literary short falls of the stories, the fact that there aren't enough stories, and the weakness of having Dumbledore supposedly writing his own comments about the stories.

But can't they see that this book is meant, quite simply, to be enjoyed? There are five great stories, and as I read each one, I got more and more excited wondering what Albus would have to say about it at the end. Just because Miss Rowling has written huge books before shouldn't mean that she always has to!

I am loving this book and only have one story to go. I found them light of touch (though not of heart...especially not the 'hairy heart') and extremely entertaining.

So there!

The Rookeries - Carleton

Yesterday was a first for me - I got to see brand new chicks that had hatched just the day before - of course, I should have been teaching creative writing, but this was a legitimate break. Afterwards I felt like we should be writing chicken poems, but we wrote about a Vicious Viking instead. Not much difference there, then...

The Rookeries is a lovely school and I'm going to be going back there next half of term. And thanks to Christine's suggestion, I've already been booked by Woolley Hall to do a seminar to NQT's in the Autumn term. So it was a truly productive day yesterday and a hugely enjoyable one too.

Calvin and Hobbes - The Complete Collection

Well, after an extended Christmas break from my blog I'm back! And I'm bringing with me my favourite Christmas present - the complete Calvin and Hobbes - all ten years of Bill Watterson's cartoons. As a child I read and reread these cartoons in the Daily Express newspaper; as an adult I'm reading and rereading them in this fabulous collection. It's big, it's heavy, and it's monstrously funny.

There are some cartoons that make me laugh and laugh and laugh. Last night saw me giggling into my pillow trying not to wake up Clare and the kids. The resulting snorts, however, had the opposite effect and resulted in a rather grumpy wife. Such is the price I'm willing to pay for a set of books that make me feel so happy.

Calvin and Hobbes are the best cartoon strip I've ever seen and, I'm sure, ever will see.