Good morning, Prep School,
It is Tuesday!
Not many of you know that before I became a teacher, I was an archaeologist (for 5 months in Greece) and before that I used to work in a residential youth retreat centre in Berkshire. A little but like Edgmond Hall but with very slight focus on Christianity and its associated values. When I was doing my youth work, we had a whole variety of people and groups coming to stay. We had families who would stay for a week, primary school groups, secondary school groups, friends who wanted to escape their normality for a few days who needed some thinking time. Among the people we saw on a regular basis, were group of children who came to stay with us because they were a little lost in life, they didn’t always feel loved by their families or just needed to have some space and some thinking time.
One of my favourite parts of my youth work was leading a session in the evening, which we called Night Reflection. Just before the children went to their rooms to go to bed for the night, we would all meet to round off the day and reflect on the things that had happened that day. We had a special reflection room which was filled with beanbags and cushions and many, many candles (this was before the days of strict health and safety laws!). We used to light the candles and just spend 5 minutes being mindful, being in the present and thinking of things we had done to help others. I used to share a short story with the groups. It is one of my favourite stories and I love the message that it is telling. I shall share it with you now.
One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.
Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Sir”.
The old man chuckled aloud, “Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?”
The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, “I made a difference to that one!”
Isn’t that such a beautiful story. Why do you think I used to share it? How does it make you feel? Has it made you think differently about anything?
So each day I promised I would be sending you a life skill task to complete and also a joke, poem, picture, fact or reflection. Here we go for Tuesday 16th June:
Life skill of the day: Can you add some water to your parent’s car window wipers?
Day of the year themes: ‘World Tapas Day’, ‘Fresh Veggies Day’, ‘Fudge Day’ and ‘Arborist Appreciation Day’
Thunk of the day: Remember, Thunks are unusual questions that are designed to make you think. There are no right or wrong answers -just your answer. The only rule is that you must be able to justify and explain your answer. You cannot just say the first thing that comes into your head. Really think about the question and discuss with your family!
Question: Does air weigh anything? If yes, do I weigh less when I breathe out?
TOPS activity of the week: This is the last week of the two-week task. . .
Can you think of the seven continents of the world and identify a major landmark from each e.g. Europe – Buckingham Palace. Can you then recreate these landmarks? You could bake them, make out of Lego, paint, dress up as them, make out of toilet rolls. . . use your imagination, there are many house point on offer for anyone that can achieve this!
It can be an individual or a family effort. I would love to see these photos once you have done and I will share on social media!
Quote of the Day: “As single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions and the roots spring up and make new trees.” Amelia Earhart
Joyous June calendar task: Ask a loved one about what they feel grateful for at the moment.
Sleeps til Santa: 191
Have a terrific Tuesday,
Mrs Bennett
