Whale of a Time

Tuesday - work in the morning, followed by after-school club at a nearby school and standing committee in the evening.

Dream Team photocall - dog, Stuart Little, Father Christmas, Andrex puppy

The club began with a team game, which entailed passing items up and down the line. As there were no balls or balloons available, our toy box was raided for suitable substitutes. Soft toys made an excellent alternative.  There were a couple of children missing so only 3 of the toys were required. Dog stayed on the substitute's bench. I handed out one item to each team.
"A rat!" responded one boy disparagingly, looking with longing at Father Christmas and cute Andrex puppy.
"That is not a rat!  That is Stuart Little!" I responded.
Instant transformation moment for our small blue-suited friend, as he is suddenly seen as being a worthy, if not desirable, participant. The wee mouse was obviously inspirational, as despite having an extra person, Stuart Little's team were triumphant. They worked effectively as a team, and were the only group who managed to stay calm and not throw the toys at the next person, in an attempt to accelerate progress. They won because they made the right decisions, not because they were fastest. It is good to gently challenge their expectations...

After a three week break, for half term and the Light Party last week, we were continuing the story of Jonah.  The title role was highly coveted.  Surprising, considering the character was scheduled to be swallowed and then spewed up by a large fish/whale, but unsurprising given that the 'fish/whale' was a grey tent, with fins and tail stuck on with blue tack. To get around this problem we decided that all the children would have the opportunity to experience 'being in the whale'.
Question - how many Year 3 and 4 children can you fit in a small tent?
Answer - quite a lot!
Result - rather too much hilarity to allow the children to completely contemplate trusting in God when are swallowed by a large fish/whale and a subsequent sojourn inside a smelly digestive system. We live and learn...

The craft activity was making booklets, origami style.  With no cutting or gluing and the covers made in advance, this sounded easy, but in practice proved to be rather more complicated than we anticipated, proving that we still have more to learn... What can be complicated about folding 3 bits of paper, adding a cover and decorating?  Surrounded by a sea of folded M and W shaped pieces of paper, and trying to get them all in the right order was rather more challenging than we anticipated. Back to a simpler craft next week we vowed, but I will have to stay schtum about that for another week, in case Stuart Little spills the beans!


Member of staff - Looks like you are going to have a great time with that tent, what's the story, Jonah?
Me - Yes, and we are going to have a whale of a time.