Visit to Claybrooke Primary School

I had to write a post about my visit to this wonderful and friendly village school.

It is a small primary school catering for just over100 children.

I had a real sense of how friendly it was the moment I approached. This is always a good sign and reflects not only the school, the staff, but the children as well.

I forgot that I had been asked to read to 40 children,(ages between 7-9). This is the most I have read to in the time I have been visiting schools. I like to get to know the children and try and remember their names, which also helps them to feel valued. Miss Scott (Rebecca) was the lead teacher and introduced me to the children. 

Considering there were 40 children, about half the school, it was surprisingly easy to engage with them. We had a discussion about literature, like what books are in trend and what they like to read. Most children put their hands up when I asked if they like to read from books. Not as many did when I asked about electronic means of reading which was great to see!

Rebecca informed me that I had plenty of time, up to two hours if needed which was great as having that bit more time means that I can get to know the class better and it gives the children time to get creative.

I read most of Hollie and Figgs Magical Adventures story and showed the illustrations on a screen, which really helps the whole process. Thank you, Ade Edmondson, for this tip :) Then following that asked the children if they would like to get creative and they all jumped at the chance.
  

I am always aware of the quieter children who may require a little more attention. Some children just get on, others struggle a little to think about what to do and may require some prompts. Some children drew, others involved themselves in the schools writing project I am doing, others did both. But they all did amazingly well. I would like to showcase all of their work but will share as much as I can. Remember to check out Hollie and Figgs Facebook page and Instagram page for more pictures. 

Also if any parents or teachers read this post. Remember that you can always send me a photo of your child`s cat, with or without the book and I will post it on the `Gallery of Cats,` for your child to see. If your child would like to be showcased on the `Gallery of Readers` then email me a photo to pop onto that gallery as well.

Thank you to Claybrooke Primary School for inviting me to your wonderful school. I will definitely visit again when the second book in the series is released, which should be later in the year.

If you would like to receive updates regarding the book series you can by emailing me your email address to hollieandfiggs@gmail.com or comment below with your email address.

The Gallery. 
(When I get hold of more of the children's work I will post them on this blog post)
It always warms my heart when I see the work that children do and how they take to our story and characters :) <3