Family Matters February 2020 | Mid-Somerset edition

MID SOMERSET EDITION

ISSUE 69 • FEBRUARY 2020

TIPS FOR TANTRUMING TODDLERS!

SCHOOL NEWS

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WELCOME Hello and welcome to not only our first issue of the year, but also the first issue of a new decade!

We hope you’ve started this new year feeling refreshed after the holidays and settled smoothly into your usual routines and if not, hopefully this jam-packed issue will help ease you back in.

This issue we’ve got suggestions for a great Mother’s Day, ideas for treats on Pancake Day and ways you can help save the insects. That’s as well as all of your amazing achievements from last term! We always love seeing what you’ve been up to, so don’t forget to keep sending over your submissions for our WOW feature and keeping us in the loop when it comes to all your school news. If last year is anything to go by, you are all going to have an amazing 2020!

So, sit back, pop on the kettle and enjoy our first issue of the roaring twenties!

p5 world book day!

p9 WHAT TYPE OF PANCAKE WILL YOU BE COOKING THIS PANCAKE DAY?

p19 help save the insects!

p16 are you ready for

mothering sunday?

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February Half Term Fun at The Bishop’s Palace This February, The Bishop’s Palace will kick off its annual children’s activities programme with a funfilled February Half Term.

The activities in 2020 will continue with the popular family craft sessions called “Crafty Cats” taking place every Tuesday during school holidays in the medieval Undercroft.

Our popular ‘Nature Ninjas’ sessions, which take place in the Gardens, will be continue to be held on Thursdays, giving children the chance to get up close with a range of nature experiences such as pond dipping, minibeast hunting and seed sowing.

This February Half Term, the family activities will be based around a “Nature” theme, with a children’s nature-themed trail running throughout the holiday week, leading little ones on a journey around the Palace and Gardens.

On Tuesday 18th February, Crafty Cats will be doing Snowdrop Finger Painting, Snowman Biscuits, Paper Pancake-making and a Pancake Word Search! The session will run from 10:30am-3pm and families can drop in at any time.

The first ‘Nature Ninjas’ session, with be on a theme of “Nature’s Treasure” and will give children the chance to decorate wooden wreath, copying flowers and foliage from the garden. Come along on Thursday 20th February between 11am-3pm to try out the first session of the year.

Don’t forget we have the fabulous Dragon’s Lair where little ones can let off steam on the natural play equipment, whilst exploring the themes of the Palace.

The Bishop’s Table café also has a great range of children’s meals and snacks, along with plenty to keep the grown ups happy too.

Family activities are included in standard admission and under 5’s are always FREE.

Celebrate World Book Day on 5th March!

World Book Day turns 23 this year and is a huge celebration of reading that not only encourages reading but also gives kids (and adults!) the chance to dress up as their favourite characters!

Schools across the UK take part with activities and workshops as well as the chance to get your hands on tokens to pick up special editions of popular books.

Is your school getting involved with World Book Day? We’d love to hear all about it, don’t forget to tell your teachers to get in touch with us and let us know what you did for the big day – they can email us on info@familymatters-uk.co.uk!

To help you get excited for the big day, here are a few of our favourite books for you to check out together.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan Matilda – Roald Dahl Wonder – R J Palacio Goodnight Mr Tom – Michelle Magorian A Series of Unfortunate Events – Lemony Snicket Coraline – Neil Gaiman The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe – C S Lewis The Christmasaurus – Tom Fletcher Charlotte’s Web – E B White Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls – Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness Artemis Fowl – Eoin Colfer Harry Potter – J K Rowling The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Joan Aiken Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney Gangsta Granny – David Walliams

Have you read any of these or have any other suggestions?

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TOP TIPS FOR TODDLER We’ve all been there. We’re in public, having a lovely time and suddenly your child spots something colourful or sugary, they ask the dreaded question, you tell them no and then the screaming starts.

Maybe you’re in the supermarket, maybe you’re in a department store, maybe you’re just walking down the street.

Perhaps you’re trying to drop them off at school/nursery/their best friends house.

Wherever you are at that moment it is never easy. You feel like the entire world is staring at you and of course, your child is clearly distressed – so what do you do?

Some people laugh it off, others find it hard to keep their cool, some roll their eyes and through gritted teeth try to be the voice of reason, whatever your reaction, we sought out some top tips with dealing with tantrums to help you out.

Firstly, what is a tantrum and why do they happen?

Well, according to the experts, young children particularly throw tantrums purely because they haven’t learned other coping skills yet and it’s the only way they know to express themselves. It all stems from trying to communicate that they want something, whether that’s more food, to take their shoes off, a new toy…

All that red faced screaming just comes from wanting something, not having it and getting frustrated by not being able to express that in a way that gets them the thing. When older children throw a tantrum it’s usually more of a power struggle, they want something and they try to assert themselves. Only when their parents or supervisor say no they have an outburst as a way of getting you to comply. Basically, until they grow out of it, it’s something you’re going to have to deal with, so we took to the internet to find out what you guys think is the best way to deal with a tempermental child.

• PAY ATTENTION TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES of the tantrums, if they tend to happen because your child is hungry, make sure to keep snacks on your person at all times, if it’s because they get tired, make sure to prioritise having naps during the day. That way, when you spot that they’re getting grouchy you can prevent a tantrum before it really gets going.

• ENFORCE POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR. Make sure to praise them for even small good behaviours, they’ll learn that being calm and happy is more likely to gain your attention than screaming.

• IF YOUR CHILD IS HAVING A TANTRUM at home, ignore them unless they’re actually in danger of hurting themselves or others, by taking away your attention you won’t reinforce this kind of behaviour. If you can, walk out of the room and stand the other side of the door where you can keep a check on them without them seeing you. When they realise they can’t get you to do what they want when they scream, it’ll happen less and less often.

• THE LOUDER THEY YELL, the softer you should talk to them. Because kids are trying to engage with you when they’re having a tantrum they’ll try to make themselves as loud as possible, so the softer you speak to them they will lower their volume too. If you’re in public, take them aside and give them a space where they can quiet down, some kids throw tantrums because they feel a lack of control, so having a choice to go somewhere else will give them a chance to retake that control and calm down. Just make sure you don’t give in to the original demand once they’re calm and continue to only reward positive behaviour.

• CREATE A DIVERSION. If your child starts throwing a tantrum because they’ve seen something they want, be sure to have a toy or snack that you can whip out and offer them as a distraction, some parents swear by this method saying it can even help stop a melt down before it even really begins.

There was one thing that everyone had in common, don’t give in, no matter how tempting, sometimes kids just need to vent, but it is important to keep your cool, you can work on getting your own rage out later. For some kids, they snap out of a tantrum as quickly as they went into it, as they start to calm down don’t dwell on it, focussing on negative behaviour causes them to inadvertently reinforce them in their minds.

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Pancake Day – 25th February Shrove Tuesday, aka Pancake Day, is by far the most exciting day in the calendar apart from birthdays and Christmas, it’s a day where we get to eat pancakes and because anything goes, we can have sweet, savoury or a mixture of both!

Pancakes are really easy to make and you can flavour them however you want, they’re also very easy to adapt if you’re following a gluten free or dairy free diet.

Here’s some basic pancake recipes for you to get your started.

traditional pancakes

vegan pancakes

100g plain flour 2 large eggs 300ml milk

220g plain flour 680ml of plant based milk 5 tbsp of vegetable oil

dairy free pancakes

gluten free pancakes

100g plain flour 2 eggs 300ml of plant based milk

(There are a number of brands to choose from in supermarkets or visit your local health food store for more options)

Such as soy, almond or rice milk, or alternatively, buy a lacto free version of your usual milk from the supermarket.

125g gluten free plain flour

2 eggs 300ml milk Or altern ati use the d vely, airy free recipe an d substitu the eggs for a ripe te ban – simply mash it in ana to the mixture fo r the sam e effect.

Once you’ve mixed your ingredients into a batter, you simply need a tablespoon of oil or cooking spray to coat your frying pan and then cook them, either as crepes or as fluffy, thick American style pancakes which you can then cover in whatever toppings you like! Make them savoury, make them sweet, shape them into different characters – it’s completely up to you! ukfamilymatters |

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Win Prizes

Win 4 tickets to see BIG UP! At The Egg

Win Day Tickets to Cheddar Gorge & Caves this Easter!

We’re giving you the chance to win tickets for 2 adults and 2 children to Cheddar Gorge & Caves’ event: The Enchanted Cave, from 4th to 19th April. You can roam an underground and under cover, illuminated trail discovering mystical chambers where fairies glisten, flowers grow, crystals sparkle, and eggs glow. But there’s a problem, the mischievous troll has hidden the fairies’ precious eggs. Can you find the missing eggs and help the fairies before it’s too late?

Theatre-Rites and 20 Stories High present BIG UP! For children aged 4 plus and everybody who looks after them. What happens when a Beatboxer, a Singer and a Puppeteer arrive on stage but nothing is ready? No set, no instruments, no puppets. No rules.

Come and watch as they create a world full of joy and chaos, where objects come to life and everything is possible. BIG UP! celebrates the power of music, the power of play and the power of our imagination. A perfect show for little people who want to be Big, and Big people who... just might have forgotten how to play.

Win Longleat Day Tickets to meet their tiger family!

Win day tickets for 2 adults and 2 children and bring your family to Longleat to meet our tiger family.

Venture into the Park to discover animals from all over the world by road, rail, boat and foot including our tigers in the Safari Drivethrough. Immerse yourself in the animal kingdom with a visit to the UK’s original Safari Park. Gain hands-on experience feeding the lorikeets and sea lions with opportunities to handle tarantulas or snakes in the Animal Handling Hall. Delve into history as you enter Longleat House then discover the Adventure Castle, Hedge Maze, Longleat Railway and much more on your day out.

Find out more at longleat.co.uk.

Win a family ticket to Bath Racecourse’s Easter Eggtravaganza Tickets are for two adults and two children.

Bath Racecourse’s Easter Eggtravaganza is arriving on Thursday 9 April for an exciting Easter Holiday Raceday! There will be Easter packed fun for all the family, as well as 7 thrilling horse races throughout the afternoon! Why not join us for fun, food and racing before you begin to unwind for the Easter weekend!

TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE OF WINNING THESE FANTASTIC PRIZES, simply visit www.familymatters-uk.co.uk, click on the Competitions button and complete the form. It couldn’t be easier! Closing date for entries: March 3rd 2020

what’s on 15th - 16th February Snowdrop Weekends Snowdrop Walk to guide visitors around the Gardens and Palace.

There will also be a range of children’s crafting activities in the Undercroft, based on a snowdrop theme, and a children’s trail to lead them around the site. Included with admission - Palace Members FREE. Bishop's Palace, Wells.

15th - 23rd February Crafty Half Term Hop aboard the Hope Hub, and let your creativity run free on a variety of decorative items. Paint, glitter, pens, the choice is yours! Hope Nature Centre, Trowbridge.

15th - 23rd February February Half Term Trail Family activities will be based around a “Nature” theme, with a children’s themed trail running throughout the holiday week.

Little ones can take a journey following images of flowers in bud around the site, discovering different locations within the Gardens. Bishop's Palace, Wells.

15th - 23rd February Winter Warblers Celebrate and support birdlife at Stourhead. Get to know different species by trying our spotter challenges, testing out tunes and making a birdseed feast to hang in your garden. Stourhead House and Gardens, Stourhead.

17th - 21st February With daily entertainment, Puxton Park is the place to go this February!

Puxton Park, Hewish.

17th - 21st February Children's bird feed making Make your very own suet balls to take home. You will also get a bird feeder to hang your suet balls in your garden. All equipment in provided. Whitehall Garden Centre, Lacocok.

18th February Farmyard Fun Meet the animals from ‘Second Chance Petting Farm’ all of which have been rescued. They include a miniature pony, donkey, sheep and goats. Enjoy farm animal themed arts and crafts and a special themed trail around the museum. Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury.

18th - 21st February The Very Hungry Caterpillar The timeless classic has made its way off the page and onto the stage. The Bristol Old Vic, Bristol.

18th February Lily and the Albatross Lily & the Albatross is a story about a small family of three, the legend of Great Captain Markham and how they learn to fly in the face of a storm. A tale of wild weather, wild birds and wild ambitions for ages 5+. Merlin Theatre, Frome.

For further information about each event

19th February Family Charcoal Workshop Produce your own artwork inspired by the rural landscape with artist Alison Jacobs, who will be leading a fun and creative drawing workshop using charcoal. Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury.

19th February Hobby Horse Show Jumping Hobby Horse show jumping, create and make arts and crafts, cookie decorating, Valentine's trail and lots more. Farm open from 11am - 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday, free admission. A small charge will be made for activities.Go online and book your tickets now at https://tickets.worldhorsewelfare.org. Glenda Spooner Farm, Somerset.

20th February Traditional Weaving - Family Fun Join our Family Fun Day to see traditional Iron Age loom weaving and try your hand at stick weaving to create a bookmark or bracelet to take home. Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury.

28th February - 2nd March Frome’s Window Wanderland Frome Window Wanderland is a fun community event where anyone can make a display in their own window (or garden) and light it up for others to wander around and enjoy!

The event is completely free with no fees to participate. It is easy to sign up, just register and put your address on the online map on the Window Wanderland website: www.windowwanderland.com/event/frome-2020.

6th - 8th March The Three Musketeers Armed only with a baguette and his questionable steed, join hot-headed D'Artagnan as he travels to become a Musketeer.

Featuring hilarious heroics, raucous romances and some bonkers fun with BMX bikes, Le Navet Bete condense Dumnas' 700-page classic into two hours of non-stop comedy gold.

Bristol Old Vic, Bristol.

14th - 15th and 21st - 22nd March, Lambing at Lackham See the ewes with their newborn lambs, watch the dairy herd being milked, visit the cows, pigs, sheep and other animals. 10.00am - 5.00pm.

Last entry 4.00pm Visit shop.wiltshire.ac.uk to book your tickets NOW! Lacock, Wiltshire.

21st - 22nd March Mother's Day at Stourhead Treat Mum to a special lunch and relaxing stroll at Stourhead.

Paint a beautiful stone as a gift or souvenir to remember your special day together at these drop-in workshops. Stourhead House and Gardens, Stourhead.

22nd March One off Special Elizabethan welcome tour for Mothering Sunday Find about mothers and parenting in times gone by whilst enjoying a 45 minute tour of the grounds.

Montacute House, Montacute.

22nd March Mother's Day Express Join the Avon Valley Railway on this special day and treat your mother to a 3 course pines express. Our dining trains aim to recreate the glory days of the railway dining car. Avon Valley Railway, Bitton.

22nd March Mother's Day Lunch Treat mum to Sunday Lunch or our Afternoon Tea this Mother's Day, a delicious meal out for all the family! Hope Nature Centre, Trowbridge.

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Sugar Awareness Week might be over, but that doesn’t mean you can revert back to old habits.

If you’re concerned about the amount of sugar in your family’s diet, then here are a few ways to help you cut down and have a healthier 2020.

There are lots of different ways that sugar can be listed on food labels – labels these days have a colour coded system so it is easier to spot foods that are lower in sugar, salt and fat, but for those of you who want to be more aware of hidden sugars, here are a selection of the names to look out for.

According to the NHS, the UK eats far more than the recommended allowance of sugar. The stats show that each individual in the UK is eating on average 140 teaspoons of sugar a week. That’s ridiculous!

They say that sugar shouldn’t make up more than 5% of the energy you get from food every day, but as sugar hides in many different forms, it can be hard to keep track of how much is in our diets. Many ingredient lists have different names for sugars too, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible to cut down.

SUCROSE, GLUCOSE, FRUCTOSE, MALTOSE, MOLASSES, HYDROLYSED STARCH, CORN SYRUP, HONEY, INVERTED SUGAR, FRUIT PUREES AND JUICES.

BREAKFAST Many breakfast cereals are high in sugar, even those marketed towards families and especially those that claim to be healthy such as granola. There are a few that are naturally sugar free or low in sugar, such as plain porridge, plain wholewheat biscuits, like Weetabix, or plain shredded cereals, like Shreddies. By making changes to your breakfast you can cut up to 70g of sugar out of your diet a week!

We know that having plain porridge or plain

You’ll find that many of your favourite foods, even those marketed as being healthy will have at least one of those ingredients listed, so here are some suggestions of swaps you can make during the day to reduce the sugar intake of you and your family.

ing, but instead anything isn’t very appetis topping your try not y wh of adding sugar, en fruit? You breakfast with fresh or froz med milk or skim i could also swap to sem biscuits with eat wh and e even make porridg water. ily, wholemeal If you’re a toast kind of fam n white, tha ter bet or granary bread is er in hidden low and e fibr in they’re higher ead or sugar spr sugars – try using a low fat spread for ate col cho free/ low sugar jam or sugar ed add no use or eet something sw g for a pin top a beans or scrambled egg as non savoury option.

ER

LUNCH & DINN

different names sugar can hide under Like we said before, pect like ready things you wouldn’t ex and even pops up in ner options din y da ndiments. Every meals, soups and co r in a jar and ga su of g 13 have up to like pasta sauces can n have up to 23g! even tomato sauce ca o contain ches and salads als wi Pre-packaged sand ad – so you bre the in ssings and hidden sugars in dre by making your of your daily intake can eliminate some the go. on than buying lunch own lunches rather gar options su er low ndiments for You can also swap co time, create and if you have the or leave out entirely you know y m scratch. That wa your own sauces fro n and you can rtio po gar is in each exactly how much su t. w much is in your die easily cut down on ho

SNACKS This is where the ma jority of sugars can be found, of cours e we know that chocolates, sweets, biscuits and cakes are all high in sugar as are cereal bars and dried fruit. You do n’t have to give up on your favourite sn acks – but eating less of them will de finitely help. You can also swap to smaller packs and eating unsalted nuts, unsa lted rice cakes, oatcakes, plain popc orn or malt loaf.

DESSERTS If you’re the kind of family that has dessert after every meal, why not try lim iting it to only a few times a week? That way you can enjoy your favourites without having to cut out desserts completely. There are a few tasty alternatives which have less sugar, suc h as fruit cocktails, low fat yogurts or rice pud ding.

You can also make a game out of choosing desserts by creating a shortlis t while in the supermarket and then com paring the labels and getting the one that has the least amount of sugar.

That way you can also help get the rest of the family more clued up about what is in their food too.

DRINKS

nks has hidden sugar, dri It isn’t just food that diet the s, nk dri are fizzy do too. Obvious ones ntain co do r ga su ve ha not versions which may it juices Fru . hy still not healt sweeteners which are se the t bu r, ga su o high in and smoothies are als ins am vit e lik ts ien red nt ing are contain other importa aw be t bu n’t cut these out and minerals, so do n. tio m for hydra and don’t rely on the tions and if squash are great op e fre r ga su d Water an eetener sw a e drinker, try using you’re a tea or coffe t way. tha wn do t nules and cu rather than sugar gra l tea, rba he a e lik w, ne mething th You could also try so wi n ow sweet or make your which are naturally r. ge gin or of fresh lemon hot water and a slice

Are you trying to reduce your sugar intake? Do you have any suggestions for meals or snacks that are low in sugar but still high in taste? Get in touch with us on Twitter or Facebook, you can find us at @ukfamilymatters

Mother’s Day is coming!

We have a couple of weeks to prepare, but Mother’s Day will be here sooner than you think – this year, the big day is 22nd March and because we appreciate all the mums out there, we thought we’d give you a few suggestions of how to show how much you care.

When it comes to Mother’s Day, you don’t have to splash out, you might want to get the mums in your life an extravagant present to show your appreciation, but that isn’t always possible, so here are a few options that you can do to treat your mum without exceeding your budget.

Pamper her This can be as simple as making her lunch or giving her a nice foot rub! Alternatively, surprise her with a trip to your local spa.

Go for a family trip Again, this doesn’t have to cost the earth, go out for a walk somewhere picturesque, maybe a trip to the coast or her favourite place.

Invite some of her friends over for a mum party!

Give mum a chance to let her hair down by inviting over a couple of her friends and providing drinks and nibbles. This gives the mums a chance to catch up and also gives dad or other family members the chance to spend time with the kids!

Make a slide show or video Get together with your siblings (if you have any) and create a show that will make her laugh, cry, and want to hug the bunch of you.

Provide housecleaning Your mum spent enough time pushing a vacuum and mopping up your messes, so show her some love by cleaning her house.

Personalise Put together a collage of photos from the past or make a mug with her nearest and dearest on.

This Mother’s Day why not make sure that mum takes some time for herself and really show your appreciation of all the work that she does! And mums, don’t forget, whether you’re a step mum, a biological mum, adoptive mum, grandmother or auntie – you’re fabulous and you’re doing an amazing job – thank you!

Can you colour in Floss so she's ready for a

Mother's Day party?

Can you help save the insects?

A report published in November 2019 has shown that the insect population of Great Britain has drastically declined in recent years and that this is having a huge impact on other wildlife, including bats, fish and birds.

According to the report, it isn’t just bees that are in trouble, but a great many insects. It has been found that the main causes of this decline has included habitat loss and the use of pesticides. Because of this, the Wildlife Trust is campaigning for the government to issue a new Environment Bill to help reverse this decline.

What can we do to help the insects?

If you have a garden, there are lots of things you can do to help provide a safe habitat for insects. Firstly, don’t use any pesticides on your garden plants – this can be tough, especially for those of you who want to grow roses and other flowers, but by leaving them to grow naturally, you can attract a whole range of bugs, including ladybirds and lacewings which will get rid of the problem of aphids (they’re the ones that eat flowers!)

You could also make a compost heap – this is a good way of helping your garden grow but it will also provide a good home for insects! Similarly, you could build a log pile, if you bury the bottom part of the pile, you’ll find that plenty of insects come to live there.

Make a bug hotel – not only are these a great way to encourage insects to live in your garden but they’re fun for the whole family to build! You can either create your own or you can buy kits from garden centres which will offer step by step instructions. These are a great way for the kids to learn more about the natural world.

Have you got a bug hotel? Send us your suggestions for building the perfect bug hotel and together we can work towards helping save the insects! @ukfamilymatters ukfamilymatters |

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Finding the right nursery It’s that time of year again when nurseries start opening their books for the new intake, so we’ve put together a few tips to help you find the right nursery for you and your child.

Things you need to consider: Is the nursery on your commute?

Are the nurseries in your area able to cater for your child’s needs?

What kind of nursery do you want?

Something small? Something big?

Something with a focus on certain subjects? One that supports outdoor learning?

Do you have additional requirements?

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Once you’ve found something that fits with all the above you’re on the right track, but sadly it isn’t that simple. Nursery places are incredibly high in demand, so it is advised to have a shortlist to choose from, rather than just selecting the one that is the most convenient. That way if your first choice is over-subscribed, you still have a back-up.

Our top tips for finding the right nursery: Go to as many nursery open days as possible, it doesn’t matter how much research you do, you can never really tell if something is the right fit until you’ve visited and gotten a feel for the place.

When you’re there look out for the nursery’s registration certificate, this is a good indication of how the nursery works and what their ethos is.

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Speak to other parents on the internet and in the playground. These are great ways to gauge the thoughts of other parents when it comes to nurseries.

While you’re visiting, make sure to take note of the security – you want to be sure that your child is going to be safe, especially if they’re one for hiding and exploring!

Also make sure to speak to the staff about your routine and talk to them about your child – a good nursery will always be interested in your child’s personality and how they can help get them settled into a new environment. It’s also good to find out how they are able to support you with your lifestyle too.

While you’re at the nursery, take in the décor as well as the atmosphere – any nursery that presents artwork done by the children

and showcases their achievements is a good indication that your child’s creativity and confidence will be encouraged.

If your child has specific needs, it is even more important to find the right nursery which can accommodate them and make sure that they are safe and happy during their time there.

Make sure to visit and if possible, go along to observe sessions, so you can see if there are other children with similar needs and how they interact with the staff and other children. Make sure to take note of the facilities and find out what protocols are in place for allergy suffers or those with additional needs. Some nurseries allow you to bring your child along to open days with you, if possible, take them up on the offer – if you see your child enjoying themselves it’ll make the whole choice so much easier!

Do you have any other suggestions for parents looking at nurseries for the first time?

Share your advice on Twitter and Facebook, you’ll find us at @ukfamilymatters.

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LATEST SCHOOL NEWS

EVENTS

DIARY DATES

YOUR SUCCESSES

News and Reviews ALL THINGS GLASTONBURY During the last school term, the children at St John’s C of E VC Infant’s School have been learning about ‘All things Glastonbury’! Their curriculum has been all about where they live, including the world-famous festival which happens each year in this glorious part of our country.

In September, the Key Stage One children had a very important visit from Glastonbury founder, Michael Eavis, who was invited to come and answer questions about the festival by the children. The pupils all composed their questions in their literacy lesson, which gave them a real purpose for writing. They were amazed to discover that at the first festival a thousand people came and last year 200,000 people attended. They were also happy to find out that the cows are well looked after and go to their ‘Mootel’ whilst the festival is on.

In October, the children were invited to the Festival site to be given a guided tour on a coach, by Michael Eavis, to see the farm in winter time. They have been invited to return in June to see the site just before the Festival begins to see the contrast in the landscape and to research some ideas for their own school festival in the Summer Term.

The children have also experienced being ‘Tour Guides’ for their parents in Glastonbury Abbey and have used technology to create a Green Screen Article. This involved using photography, screen saving pictures from the internet, filming each other and collating the different facts to create their own news article. Children have worked in mixed ability groups and shown perseverance, self- control and indomitable spirit. They have really enjoyed watching themselves presenting on screen!

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ASHCOTT NATIVITY Children from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 at Ashcott Primary School put on an enchanting performance of ‘Toby’s Christmas Drum’. The performance was very well attended by members of the local community and there were definitely plenty of ‘aah’ moments for the audience to enjoy! Thank you to all of the staff for their hard work in putting on another fantastic Christmas performance.

EVERCREECH EXPLORERS As part of their topic, ‘We Are Explorers’, Mulberry and Oak Class children from Evercreech Primary School were visited by a real Arctic explorer.

Adrian Hall visited to run three workshops; ‘Awesome Arctic’, ‘Map Skills and MiniOrienteering’. Each class took part in a half day of workshops based in class surrounding the Arctic, and then a half day of workshops with Adrian Hall to inspire them in their topic.

PRIDDY AND ST LAWRENCE WELCOME BRISTOL WATER The team at Priddy and St Lawrence Primary School would like to say thank you to Bristol Water who sent representatives to visit Priddy School to talk about Water and Sustainability with the children. The day included two very informative workshops.

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OPAL COMES TO EVERCREECH

MUD KITCHEN COMES TO EVERCREECH

Evercreech Church of England Primary School have launched an exciting new project to make their play times even better in conjunction with OPAL – Outdoor Play and Learning. Donations of plastic milk crates, used tyres, watering cans and buckets to name but a few have been received from parents and members of the community. With the use of these items and the outdoor facilities, the children’s break and lunch times have changed immensely.

Both the children and staff can’t wait to see how this develops further as we move forward, the next part of this programme is to create a digging pit.

The children at Evercreech Church of England Primary School are making the most of their outdoor play and learning (OPAL) facilities. Their latest addition is a mud kitchen, this is now fully up and running.

A big thank you for all of the fantastic donations of mud kitchen utensils.

As you can see this outdoor learning facility is a big hit.

EVERCREECH’S NEW LOOSE PARTS SHED Evercreech Church of England Primary School would like to thank Wainwright's Quarry for delivering and donating all of the base materials for the hardstanding that will house the new Loose Parts Shed, this was incredibly generous and is very much appreciated. The new shed is part of the school’s OPAL (outdoor play and learning) involvement.

The school would also like to thank Mr Duck who kindly volunteered his time and equipment to work with Mr Church preparing the base ready for its delivery.

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NEW PLAY EQUIPMENT AT EVERCREECH

FESTIVITIES AT PRIDDY AND ST LAWRENCE

Pupils from Evercreech Church of England Primary School welcome their much anticipated outdoor play equipment. The new outdoor play facility is now in full use. As you can see it is being thoroughly enjoyed.

The Federation of Priddy and St Lawrence’s had a lovely week leading up to the Christmas holidays with festive plays and a carol service for all the children, parents and staff in Priddy Church.

LITTLE PIPS GO ON A BEAR HUNT Following the childrens' enjoyment of the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt', Little Pips pre school in Baltonsborough went on their very own bear hunt! Plenty of outdoor fun was had paddling through a stream, stomping across mud and running through long grass whilst negotiating stiles and gates! The adventure ended at the park where the children enjoyed a well earned drink and snack with the bear before heading back to pre school.

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WOW

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WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT Name: Amaya Achievement: Congratulations Amaya! Her wonderful Christmas card design was chosen from hundreds of entries to be the official card for the school in 2019.

Name: Harvey Age: 7 Achievement: Passed his Grading at Judo, well done Harvey!

Name: Raya Achievement: Well done to Raya who won a competition to design an angel for her school Christmas tree!

Name: Skye Age: 5 Achievement: Skye took part in her first gymnastics competition and won 3rd on vault, 3rd on floor, and 3rd overall giving her a bronze medal! We are very proud.

Name: Ariane Age: 8 Achievement: Swam 600m to get the respective STA distance badge, good work Ariane.

Name: Samuel Age: 10 Achievement: Swam 3km to get his 3,000m distance STA badge. Well done, Samuel.

Name: Chloe Age: 6 Achievements: Chloe achieved a Distinction in her Tap Preparatory Grade Exam with Susan Hill School of Dancing.

Well done Chloe!

Name: Beth Age: 8 Achievement: Goldfish 3 Swimming Award – good work!

Name: Felicity Age: 5 Achievement: Stanley 5 Swimming Award – well done!

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