Just Some of Book Week Fun Highlights

2018-03-12

‘Books are a uniquely portable magic.’ Stephen King

Our Book Week topic this year was ‘Read Around the World’ so the girls spent the week exploring a range of wonderful stories from faraway countries and cultures. We learnt that books are magical as they can transport us to new places, allow us to meet new characters and teach us amazing things about the world we live in – all without leaving our chair!

As ever, the week was jam-packed with events to inspire the girls. On Monday, the Lower School took part in a range of workshops run by Freshwater Theatre. Reception went on a ‘Carnival of Stories’ Story Hunt and the children were led around the hall to pick up clues from three different locations – England, Kenya and the Caribbean. They took part in activities based on the books ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘Handa’s Surprise’ and ‘Island Counting’ and they had great fun travelling the globe through the stories. Year 1 and 2 took part in an interactive group storytelling session based on ‘Stories from Asia’. Leaving the rain clouds of London behind, they were transported to the mystical Asian continent where they were inspired by two stories: ‘Arjuna and the Guru Acharya Drona’ and ‘How Prince Rama Rescued Princess Sita from the Evil Demon Ravana’. What an epic adventure!

On Tuesday we held a ‘Donate a Book’ day and the girls brought in their unwanted children’s books for a collection. Mr Milakovic’s company supports a local school in Ecuador as part of a community outreach programme, so the books will be sent to children there to enjoy. Thanks to your generous donations, we have over 500 books to send to a new home!

Later in the week, Upper School pupils were visited by West End in Schools, a drama and dance company led by real West End dancers and actors. This year, Years 3-6 all focused on the story of ‘The Butterfly Lion’ by Michael Morpurgo and they worked hard to tell the story through a series of dance moves, actions and freeze-frames. The workshop was a great opportunity for the girls to retell this emotive tale and the final performance was incredibly impressive to see.

On World Book Day itself we were joined by the fantastic storyteller, Chris Connaughton. The children were treated to a range of exciting stories including the Eastern fable ‘Zou Chou and the Three Beasts’ and ‘The Upper Berth’ by F Marion Crawford. Chris also presented a range of his own texts for the girls to discover, including his Beltheron Pathway series for Upper School. Chris is a firm favourite during Book Week and he certainly knows how to tell a superb story!

A highlight of every Book Week is Dress Up Day and this year was no exception. Never one to let a little snow get in the way, the girls and staff came dressed in an array of fantastic costumes to celebrate the final day of Book Week. A huge well done for an excellent effort – the school truly came to life with book characters of all kinds. We also managed to raise £288 for Book Aid International – a charity that sends the gift of books to children across Africa. Many thanks for your generous contributions.

What a fantastic week we had exploring the globe!

Mrs Cadenhead (Head of English)