School’s ‘Feel Good Friday’ will honour Captain Tom’s efforts
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES TO GET PUPILS AWAY FROM THEIR SCREENS
BURTON schoolchildren are honouring Captain Sir Tom Moore as part of lessons beamed into their homes which are designed to get them to spend less time staring at computer screens.
Henhurst Ridge Primary Academy, in Henhurst Ridge, has launched “Feel Good Friday” to shake up its teaching timetable in a bid to give children, families and teachers a more enjoyable, fun day all while they are still learning.
And one of the activities planned is getting the children to walk 100 laps somewhere of their choice, so it could be up and down their garden, or even their kitchens or living rooms.
The school is open for the children of key workers, who will also take part in the sessions in the classroom.
Launched on the final day of Children’s Mental Health Week, Feel Good Friday is aimed at the whole school and includes lots of hands on activities and less screen time as youngsters learn at home during the Covid lockdown and schools are closed.
The intention is making the day more enjoyable for all, a spokesman for the school said.
School leaders have also signed up Burton Albion Community Trust, the charity arm of Burton Albion Football Club, to support their activities and lend their expertise.
Yesterday’s Feel Good Friday started with an assembly screened to youngsters watching online from home when all pupils are told about the activities lined up for them throughout the day.
Each class was also to come together for a live session, where they could show off work and their accomplishments to their classmates.
Charlotte Hopkins, headteacher at Henhurst Ridge Primary Academy, said: “We know that it’s tough right now. It’s five weeks into the school closure and it’s really hard for parents to keep the children motivated to attend the live lessons we’re offering and working from home themselves.
“That’s why we wanted to change things up a bit and give everyone something to look forward to with ‘Feel Good Friday.’
“The aim is to provide children with a range of different activities which will still help them learn while ensuring they spend less time on screens.
“We’ve worked hard to design loads of different activities around different themes to make sure our pupils get a fun end of the week without losing out on learning.
“The first Friday was a huge success and seeing all the children joining in the Wake Up Shake Up from home was just wonderful.
“They had big beaming smiles on their faces. Both the families and staff thoroughly enjoyed the day and we can’t wait until next Friday.”
The school launched the first Feel Good Friday last week with a guest appearance from Sir Steve Lancashire, chief executive of the REACH2 Academy Trust which the school is part of, at their virtual assembly.
They then featured a local parent, who also teaches science, who came up with ‘Kitchen Cupboard’ activities, which had been designed to use resources that parents are likely to have in. These included making straw rockets and land yachts out of card, tape, Lego and straws at home.
Yesterday’s theme was health and was to include an activity for the children to walk 100 laps of their choice in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore.
The aim was for the school to reach a combined total of 10,000 laps. The school has set up a Just Giving fund-raising page to raise money for the children’s mental health charity, Place2be.
Burton Albion Community Trust was also providing a dance session via Zoom as well as multi-sports sessions using rolled up socks as balls if the children did not have them at home.
There will also be healthy recipes sent home to parents for them to have a go at making with their children like fruit salads.
Captain Sir Tom Moore, who died last week at the age of 100, made the headlines last spring when he walked 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden in an effort to raise £1,000 for the NHS. His efforts grabbed the public’s attention and he ended up raising more than £33 million.
He was later knighted by the Queen for his extraordinary feat.