Today was the Bognor 10km run. And it was a scorcher! Too hot for a good run, but a beautiful day for a stroll by the beach. If I hadn't had shin splints, and felt sick, and been very tired, and got a quicker time, I'd have enjoyed it more. It feels good (perversely) that my legs and feet ache after the run, but I can think of things I'd rather have been doing. Today's question: how did you spend this morning?
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Apparently there is some football being played today. Somewhere. In fact, there may be more than a few games on. I'm not watching it. In fact, the only reason I'm aware of it is that I'm at Peppa Pig World (other pig worlds are available) and it's quite quiet. A few queues, but given the sunny weather and how busy it can be, it was a stroke of genius to come today. You can spot the football fans though. The scowls are the clue. My question: if you knew it woul be quieter than usual, where would you go? A final attempt to publish this blog - why are things never better after an "upgrade"? Yesterday, when I wrote this originally, I had been struggling with the dilemma of whether to send in the top squad for our next swimming gala (early June) in an effort to retain the trophy and our standing or...? ...or to let some of the other children of the school get the chance to compete, hear the roar of the crowds, experience the fear of letting people down (which is only in their heads!) for the chance of the thril of victory. I am fiercely competitive. Ask the children I teach and Thing 1 & Thing 2 at home! I find the idea of not sending the top squad quite difficult. And yet... And yet... Friday's question was: why not I hate to blog this, but trying to do this on an iPhone was easier - and possible! - before yesterday's "bug fixes". Today's question: will THIS upload? Next week sees the beginning of the long anticipated Y5 camp. Two nights sleeping on the school field in tents and doing "Space" inspired activities. We are visiting two planetariums and praying to all kinds of gods (having studied the Aztecs, Romans and Greeks since starting in Y3, they're willing to call on anyone for help!) that we have dry weather. Finally. So last weekend we got the tents out. We examined them for holes (some), made repairs (not too bad) an realised that, after they broke camp last year, we are missing 3 "A pieces" and nearly 60 pegs. This is why we got them and checked them. I picked up some tent pegs today and we are waiting for the last bits. Days to go, so no worries. I am a tad concerned at what I still need to do, but as I say, we have days to go. At least we have enough tent pegs! (I may get the kids to sign them out and back in!) Today's question: can anyone send me a link to some good campfire songs please? Yes. You read that correctly. What do you get when you combine cricket and rounders? Crounders, obviously! The game was born many years ago out of frustration. Whilst teaching "striking and fielding" and looking at cricket (which was very popular with our then Headteacher), if we had a good pair in bat then half the class would idly watch the world pass by whilst we tried to dispatch them. There are, of course, many "cricket-based" games you can do. Pair. Limit the number of bowls per pair. One out, both out. But Crounders (always with a capital C my children inform me) was created when I stuck a pair of plastic wickets in the rounders batting square, swapped a rounders bat for a cricket bat and shared my improvised rules: 1) you don't talk about Crounders; 2) you don't talk about Crounders; 3) you can have upto 3 "good" bowls before you have to run; 4) if you hit the ball behind or fail to hit the ball and choose to run, you can only go to first base; 5) you have to get all the way round in one go to get a "Crounder"; 6) like rounders, you can stop at a base if you can't make it all the way round; 7) you can be bowled out (the ball hits the stumps or you hit the stumps with the bat); 8) you can be caught out; 9) you can be got out by the opposing team hitting the base you are running to with the ball (or be holding the ball and touch the base with their foot); 10) you can be run out if the next person in bat passes you going round the bases; 11) if you make it round safely you line up again for another go; 12) if you're out, you're out; 13) game continues until all out. Then fielders and batting team swap and game resumes. I'm sure there may be more to it - and it's more easy and fun to play than this reads, I'm sure! My question: what strange and wonderful hybrid have YOU created? One of the many joys of being a primary school teacher is that you have to be able to turn your hand to anything. Like teaching art. Our current topic is "Space... and beyond!" and I happened upon some work by the talented Peter Thorpe. He is definitely work a look. He creates an abstract background and then a stunning rocket in the foreground. Oh, the delight on the faces of my reluctant artists at being outside, hurling paint at their blank pages to create a "starscape" inspired back drop. Rockets to be added next time (when the paint has dried and I've stopped shaking!). Oh, the looks on the faces of the parents whose children had once again forgotten their art aprons. Oops. Today's question: when were you last inspired by an artist you'd never seen before? Wet play times. There are many things that are worse, but not when you're on duty - or when you are trying to teach them afterwards and they are as unsettled as caged tigers. Children want to be outside, running around, letting off steam. (Alright - not all children - but plenty.) And we need them to go outside and run around and let off steam! The way the weather is looking we have more of these to look forward to. Help?! My question: what can you suggest the children do during "wet play times" to keep them quiet and entertained? I have a friend who runs, but is scared of running! I know - it's as odd as it sounds. This friend has signed up to do an organised run over a distance that is outside of their comfort zone and is trying to talk herself out of doing it. True, she's not as young as she once was (but who of us is?). True, running when you're "not a runner" is not all tht easy (but to be fair it IS left foot, right foot, repeat). But there is something wonderfully uplifting about running. It is you and you alone that gets you to the end. The crowds might roar you on, but ultimately it's all on you. Finish, and you get a great sense of personal pride. You don't finish, and the only person it affects is you! Really. It's different if you have collected a load of sponsorship - but that's a whole different blog for another time. Just get out there and run. And run. And run. I am not a runner. I'm not built for it and I find it a struggle. It is an effort to find any time to get out and run and yet I keep signing up for these ridiculous challenges. But each time I finish one I think about the next one! My question: how far can you go? One of the staples from our school is "Grounds Day". This is when we invite pupils, parents, grandparents and friends to come along to the school on a Saturday morning to help us (the staff) weed flower beds, plant flowers and seeds, sand down benches (covered in scratches of the children's names. Their actual names. Have they not realised that we know they've done it when they USE THEIR NAMES? I weep for the future some days) and do anything that needs doing to make the school look pretty. They work hard (for donuts!) and the result is we have a very tidy, award-winning school. The judges are due any day! We have tested tents for camp (less than 2 weeks off - will the rain ever stop?), weeded the Cuban garden (!) and the WWII garden (where the children have been digging for victory after making do and mending) and we are hoping to win more awards and to lure the right candidate into applying to be our next Headteacher. Today's question: what have you ever done for a donut? (I never ever said that all of my final questions would be deep and thought provoking!) |