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Our middle Radish recently entered a writing competition run by Young Writers. As a teacher I have come across these competitions before (and run them), so I am a big fan. What I love about them the most is that they encourage all children to have a go. The main premise is to create a ‘mini saga’ (no more then 50 words), based on a given theme.  This time around it was ‘Amazing Adventures’, which is pretty open to interpretation. The themes tend to be ‘boy’ friendly for want of a better phrase. I don’t mean that they are not suitable for girls, but they do tend to focus in more on the stereotypical ‘likes’ of boys, such as pirates! This is not a criticism, it’s just an observation. In my experience, boys can be a tricky lot when it comes to engaging with writing. But,  by choosing a genre that they are more likely to be drawn to and throwing in the fact that it’s only 50 words, you’re onto a winner. Of course there are boys out there who love reading and writing without all of the sneaky hocus pocus that teachers and parents conjure up, however, I am a firm believer that you should use whatever means necessary (ethical of course!) to encourage all children to embrace literature and literacy.

I digress (a common occurrence in my blogs). The winning pieces have been published in a paperback anthology which is available to all. I am proud to report that our Radish’s saga was chosen and here it is:

‘At last,’ Captain Seaweed cried, ‘the treasure is mine.’ Proudly, he held it in the air. Suddenly his boat began to sink. He jumped overboard and floated (treasure in hand) to safety. He sat down. He was alone. He sighed heavily and wondered if anyone would ever save him…

Apart from the chance to shamelessly crow about her achievement, I wanted to share this initiative with you because I am genuinely impressed with what Young Writers do. To encourage children to write can sometimes be a tricky business, but the format used seems to create a buzz of excitement. I do urge you to visit the website, which has sections for teachers, parents and children.  Go on, you could even buy one of their anthologies. You never know, perhaps you will stumble across the next Dahl or Rowling just waiting to be discovered.

The Jubilee is well and truly upon us and I think that even those amongst us who do not consider themselves royalists have fallen for the patriotism of it all.
And why not? Life is pretty tough for many at the moment. Maybe a little bit of community spirit is just what we need to pull us through! I for one am truly excited about celebrating the Jubilee. Not because I am a particularly huge fan of the monarchy (although I have nothing against them), but because it’s a very good excuse for an old fashioned street party. Sharing a cup of tea and a scone with a neighbour that you usually just give a cursory wave of acknowledgement to has to be a good thing.
I realise that this little ramble seems to be completely disconnected from all things bookish, but I can make a link, honest! The undeniable sense of community that is in the air at the moment is exactly what we want for Chicken & Frog. We have no idea when our dreams will come to fruition, as the property we were after has fallen through (boo), but we won’t give up. Everything happens for a reason, I really do believe that. Until then, we will continue to champion literacy and community.
Long live Chicken & Frog, oh and Queen Elizabeth too!

Today I shared ‘Each Peach Pear Plum’ with a small group of children; all eager to discover the treasures that lay ahead and more than capable of voicing their opinions in a focused manner.
As we read the gentle rhymes together, the children (a mixed ability group of 5-6 year olds) devoured the beauty of the illustrations, eagerly searching out the hidden characters. They loved it, as I had guessed. How can you not adore an Ahlberg creation?
What occurred to me was that this seemingly simple text is, in fact, a sophisticated read. Not in terms of the rhyme or vocabulary as such, but because of the meta- fiction within it. All children (in my opinion) can take something wonderful from this book, but in order to gain a full understanding of the little nuances, the reader needs a lot of prior knowledge.
Children need to be familiar with a range of fairy and traditional tales to get all of the visual jokes. I realised this morning that this knowledge is not a given for every child, as it is dependent on their experiences. I feel like part of my future task is to enrich children with a diet of the traditional tale, alongside the modern.
I wonder how many other modern classics on our shelves are semi-reliant on the traditional stories and nursery rhymes of time gone by? What be in your top 5?

This week year 6 children all around the country have been sitting their Key Stage 2 SATs, in Maths, Reading and Writing. As a teacher and parent I have mixed feelings about these tests. On the one hand, I approve of the standardising of tests, as it should mean our children are assessed fairly. On the other hand, the tests place a great deal of pressure on children and teachers, narrowing what could be (and often is) a creative, well-rounded curriculum down to ‘the three Rs‘. With the abolition of a science paper, the field has become even more narrow in recent years.

My biggest gripe is that the Maths paper is, in reality as much a comprehension paper as anything else. Although I agree that children need to be able to explain concepts and understand what is being asked of them, I do not see how the decoding of so much text can be a true test of their mathematical understanding. Yes, we can read the paper for children who struggle, but that doesn’t take away from the complexities of the language itself. Teachers spend a great deal of their time focussing on what the questions actually mean, but doesn’t that detract from the teaching of mathematical concepts? I don’t have a straightforward answer, I’m just putting it out there.

From my standpoint as a mum, our eldest has jumped through the hoops well and our middle one has just done the same this week. In fact middle chicklet has done so well that she is being ‘rewarded’ with the level 6 papers next week. Yes, I’m a proud chicken, but also very aware of how worried she is about it. Should a ten year old know what stress is? And how many of the markers would be capable of writing at such a level? I question the process, especially when you consider that the majority of children then sit a new round of tests when they enter secondary school. Wouldn’t they be better off having thorough teacher assessments, which are moderated? This may result in a more interesting, engaging curriculum which encourages our children to look forward to the next stage in their learning.

Anyway, that’s it. Mild rant over. If I had the definitive answer I’d be very happy, but I’m not sure that I do…

The late, great Bill Hicks (an American stand-up), once delivered a perfect piece which included the line ‘Whatcha reading for?’, he went on to highlight the fact that he was not asked ‘What are you reading?’ Needless to say, I found this hilarious and it has stuck with me ever since.

When we’re children we are taught the mechanics of reading. It’s a life skill which we need, not only to jump through the various educational hoops which are placed in our path, but also a necessary skill. I know that there are many who get by without being able to read, but the reality is, it’s a lot easier out there if you can. Our daily lives are full of text, which we need to decipher, from instructions to filling in dreaded forms.

What I would like to do is to explore why people read, aside from necessity. Some read a book to ‘escape’ from the real world, others to develop themselves and seek new knowledge and others just read for pleasure. Pure and simple. Reading relaxes us, it may challenge our thinking (which is a good thing) and it expands our world.

So, I’m asking you, ‘Whatcha reading for?’

I have just discovered a cool little website called www.alfiedog.com and like it so much that I want to share it with you. In simple terms it’s an online publisher of books and short stories.

A whole host of authors, some previously published, others not, submit their stories to the site for people to peruse and ultimately buy. The stories can be bought individually in an electronic format, or you can purchase a real book (you know, the papery type) which in some cases is signed by the author.

What I love about the site is its simplicity (possibly due to my own simplicity). It’s easy to navigate, with a vast range of genres to choose from, from children’s fiction to crime to fantasy…There are also blurbs about each of the featured authors. As a naturally curious (not nosy!) person, this adds something to the site, as you feel a connection with the writers.

If you are interested in submitting something, the process seems straightforward enough, You email your document to editorial@alfiedog.com , sit back and wait for their decision. Four pieces can be submitted at a time, each from 500-15,000 words in length. There is a ‘non-exclusive licence basis’ which means that you are not tied to Alfie Dog only, allowing you to sell and publicise your wares wherever you want.

So, if you have a spare moment, why not take a look at www.alfiedog.com? You may uncover a relatively unknown treasure or take the plunge and publish something of your own.

Let me know what you think!

This afternoon Mr Frog and our middle chicklet went off to North West London to visit the ‘Harry Potter Studio Tour’. To say that she was excited would be such an understatement that I fear I may be sued for it. At one point I thought that I may have to physically peel her from the ceiling, she was so hyped up. It’s fair to say that Mr Frog was not far behind her and would no doubt have gone alone if need be. To be blunt, he bought the tickets as much for himself as for our lovely daughter. However, by doing so, he did win the ‘Father of the Year’ award!

Throughout the afternoon texts came pinging in: ‘She’s so hyper and we haven’t even got in yet :)’, followed by ‘H is drinking Butterbeer*. Her smile hasn’t vanished for a second since they opened the doors’ and so on. The photographic evidence backs this up, she looks slightly unhinged at times; that’s how wide the eyes and grin are! When they got home I asked what the highlights were and the rapid reply was ‘Everything’. This is a dream for the Harry Potter fan. The sets are so well crafted, the detailing in the props so expertly designed, that you can’t help but be impressed. Mr Frog purchased the digital guide, but because there’s so much to see he said ‘we couldn’t tear our eyes away long enough to listen.’, so they didn’t use them. That’s not meant as a negative, rather a bow to the quality of the exhibition itself.

I don’t want to spoil the experience for anyone who is planning to go, so will not give anything else away. There are many surprises throughout the tour, enough to keep a Potter fan happy for a while at least. The website (http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/) is pretty cool in itself, so worth a look if you’re interested. I will finish with a classic JK quote ‘No story lives unless someone wants to listen’ and from where I’m sitting, plenty of people still want to listen to the magical tales of Harry Potter.

 

*’Very, very awesome! Seriously it is amazing.’

Although it’s been fifteen years since Harry Potter hit the shelves, it seems that there is no stopping the phenomenon.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Pottermore was finally launched following months of teasers and hype. The excitement was palpable, but sadly, for many it didn’t live up to expectations.
However, the madness continues this week, as the Harry Potter Studio Tour kicks into full force. Mr Frog will be taking a slightly hyper daughter with him this afternoon. The positive outcome is that the books are selling amazingly well and are certainly being re-read in our house.
So I say ‘Long live Harry, the boy who lived’, for his adventures have created a generation of readers and that can’t be bad.

That’s the question I was confronted with this morning when our almost 5 year old son read out loud to a room of people.
‘With a big stick’ I joked in reply. Seriously though, why do others assume that a parent can ‘make’ their child read? I can encourage, I can expose them to the wonderful world of books from the very start, I can’t actually work magic.
Often people say that it’s because I’m a teacher, which I find slightly irritating. I’m hoping it’s intended as some kind of compliment, but in reality my chosen profession has had little impact on my own children’s learning. In fact my eldest never listens to my advice in English even though I have an MA in the subject. That’s the joys of being the parent of a strong headed almost teen. You bring them up to be confident and independent and then realise how much easier your life may be if they were subservient and a bit daft! I digress.
I helped my children become confident, enthusiastic readers in the same way as my non-teacher parents did way back in the 70’s. I read to them a lot, the house is fit to bursting with a whole range of books, we go to the library, we treat books with respect. That’s what makes a good reader. Yes, our little fella is a bright boy (I can say that, it’s not shameless bragging, honest), but ultimately, he wanted to learn to read, just like our girls did. They all had the desire to explore stories, poetry… whatever sparked their imagination, without the constraints of mum and dad dictating when it was time to do so.
My advice, for what it’s worth, is simple. Fill your child’s experiences up with books and meaningful talk, read to them often and indulge their little obsessions. What I mean by that is, if they go through an Ancient Egyptian phase, buy or borrow books about it. If it holds an interest for them, they will endeavour to research and read for themselves.
Phonics and all that jazz are part of it, but they do not create readers for life, but that’s a whole other blog.

Sorry for the lack of communication this week, it’s not been a good one. We have had a bit of a battle on our hands to get the shop up and running and honestly, there have been moments where it looked like the battle was lost.  However, I am a very optimistic little chicken and insist on looking on the bright side. We have a plan, a cunning plan. I just hope it pans out.

Anyway, the main reason for my ramblings tonight is this. I have had an idea and want to see what other people think. We are going to offer tuition in the shop, but are aware that tuition fees are out of some parents’ reach. So, we would like to be able to offer free or minimal charge tuition to children who would benefit from it. In an ideal world we would do this out of the kindness of our hearts (we are lovely people), but as we have bills to pay and children who insist on eating every day, that’s not an option. So, how about approaching Brentwood Council to see if they would like to join forces and fund the initiative? If successful, we could roll it out to others in the community who may need help with ICT, literacy or numeracy skills, to get them back into work.

Chicken and Frog aims to be a hub for the local community and we feel passionately about education for all; this scheme could tick both boxes. What do you think?