The primary school attended by 2 of my children (currently!) did a pretty amazing thing this week.
They asked us just before the Easter break for permission to take the children on a surprise trip, and asked for our trust to sign them without actually knowing where they were going.
The first day of each term is usually what they call a Wow day, a themed fun but educational day aimed at kick starting the new term with excitement and enthusiasm for learning. So the kids say "Wow it's school tomorrow, I can't wait!"instead of "Boohoo the hols are over and we have to go to school."
Yesterday was no exception and we arrived in the playground to see smiling staff wearing top hats. They told us the theme for the wow day was a clue for the trip today - some clever souls guessed straight away.
At the end of the day the children came hurtling out of the classrooms clutching their own home-made top hats and decorated sealed paper bags containing individual chocolate "bars" ( actually filled foil containers) which they had designed themselves -adding rice Krispies, raisins, honeycomb, fudge and a variety of other ingredients to their own taste. The wow day had been based on Roald Dahl's famous childrens classic, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Can you guess the trip destination yet?
When they opened the chocolate bar "wrappers", tucked inside they each found a golden ticket - hidden there by their teachers- inviting them to travel the next day to Cadbury World, a chocolate factory/tourist attraction near Birmingham!
Wow indeed!
Everywhere you looked children were ripping open their wrappers and waving their golden tickets in the air.
Except my DS, who hates chocolate.
It actually makes him gag. I have no idea of how or why he has this dislike of the most wonderful substance ever created. I have yet to meet any other children who just don't like it. Maybe it's because when I was pregnant with him I craved choc-topped Jaffa Cakes and ate my body weight and then some throughout the nine months. Maybe he OD'd in utero?
As he handed over his homemade chocolate bar for me to give his big brother (who has no problems eating mountains of the stuff) he looked a bit downcast until his Headteacher assured us that hisoddness dietary needs would be catered for and he would have chocolate-free treats specially picked for him then he cheered right up.
And in fact this morning was up at dawn super-excited to be off on the coach for what I'm sure will be a school trip to remember!
In case you are straining your eyes to read it, the message on the golden ticket reads: Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this golden ticket! Tremendous things are in store for you! Many wonderful surprises await you! For now we do invite you to come to the Cadbury factory and be our guest for one whole day- you and all others are lucky enough to find our golden tickets! There will be mystic and marvellous surpasses that will entrance, delight, intrigue, astonish and perplex you beyond measure. In your wildest dreams you could not imagine that such things could happen to you1 Just you wait and see! And now, here are your instructions; the day we have chosen for the visit is the seventeenth day in the month of April. On this day you must come to school at eight fifteen sharp in the mornings. Don't be late! (This ticket is produced with thanks to Roald Dahl)
They asked us just before the Easter break for permission to take the children on a surprise trip, and asked for our trust to sign them without actually knowing where they were going.
The first day of each term is usually what they call a Wow day, a themed fun but educational day aimed at kick starting the new term with excitement and enthusiasm for learning. So the kids say "Wow it's school tomorrow, I can't wait!"instead of "Boohoo the hols are over and we have to go to school."
Yesterday was no exception and we arrived in the playground to see smiling staff wearing top hats. They told us the theme for the wow day was a clue for the trip today - some clever souls guessed straight away.
At the end of the day the children came hurtling out of the classrooms clutching their own home-made top hats and decorated sealed paper bags containing individual chocolate "bars" ( actually filled foil containers) which they had designed themselves -adding rice Krispies, raisins, honeycomb, fudge and a variety of other ingredients to their own taste. The wow day had been based on Roald Dahl's famous childrens classic, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Can you guess the trip destination yet?
 |
| golden ticket! |
Wow indeed!
Everywhere you looked children were ripping open their wrappers and waving their golden tickets in the air.
Except my DS, who hates chocolate.
 |
| Happy DD, Not-too-sure DS and grumpy toddler who doesn't get to go! |
As he handed over his homemade chocolate bar for me to give his big brother (who has no problems eating mountains of the stuff) he looked a bit downcast until his Headteacher assured us that his
And in fact this morning was up at dawn super-excited to be off on the coach for what I'm sure will be a school trip to remember!
In case you are straining your eyes to read it, the message on the golden ticket reads: Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this golden ticket! Tremendous things are in store for you! Many wonderful surprises await you! For now we do invite you to come to the Cadbury factory and be our guest for one whole day- you and all others are lucky enough to find our golden tickets! There will be mystic and marvellous surpasses that will entrance, delight, intrigue, astonish and perplex you beyond measure. In your wildest dreams you could not imagine that such things could happen to you1 Just you wait and see! And now, here are your instructions; the day we have chosen for the visit is the seventeenth day in the month of April. On this day you must come to school at eight fifteen sharp in the mornings. Don't be late! (This ticket is produced with thanks to Roald Dahl)