TIME FOR REFLECTION: creative assemblies for children from four to nine years. By Katie Kitching and Annie Sevier. Belair Publications Pounds 9.99. Albert House, Apex Business Centre, Boscombe Road, Dunstable, LU5 4RL.
MORE CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLIES FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS. By Sharon Swain. SPCK Pounds 12.99. Holy Trinity Church, Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DU.
It is particularly difficult to write assemblies for the younger primary age group. They like to look at things and be introduced to some of the feelings that interesting objects and pictures can evoke.
Capturing this in a conventional assembly book is a real challenge, to which Katie Kitching and Annie Sevier have responded well.
There are some 70 assemblies, one to a page, each with straightforward title - “Babies”, “Baskets”, “Divali”, “Toys”, “Water”.
These are beguiling enough just as one word ideas, but they have been well developed by the authors with clear bullet points leading the way from one point to the next. Best of all, each page has a colour photograph of objects which can easily be made or collected to use in the assembly or as a display for afterwards.
Sharon Swain’s book is a more traditional set of Christian assemblies, a follow-up to an earlier collection, and especially useful to the assembly leader with little time for preparation. The 50 assemblies are thematically arranged. Stories are well chosen and there is plenty of material from the Bible. There are links to RE and other subjects and there is a good list of addresses of aid agencies.
Gerald Haigh is editor and main author of ‘Primary Assembly File’ from Primary File Publishing, 61 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8TL
