This is a template for a postcard with a choice of five different activities for using it. The aim is to start the new year with a creative activity which also makes the children think hard! There is also an additional activity sheet to support activities 4 and 5. Have fun with it! Great for you if you are just starting out in teaching or want to start the year off in a ‘different’ way.

A comprehensive set of teaching slides with voice over on powerpoint and related teaching resource masters for six cross curricular, creative, dinosaur themed activities for children aged 7 - 11. Designed to creatively develop skills in reading and research, art and design, maths and creative writing, each activity takes between 2 and 3 hours to complete. There are lots of resources available to develop a child’s maths and English skills but very little with a focus on develop creativity across the curriculum. As an experienced primary school teacher, the author knows the power and positive impact gained through harnessing a child’s innate creativity on both their their engagement and learning potential. All the activities have been tried and tested with primary school children across the country. Dinosaurs have long been a source of great inspiration and fascination to children so these activities encourage them to find out more and use what they have learned to create their very own, unique, but totally believable dinosaur. The material is presented on a powerpoint presentation to help children learn the skills needed, provides clear self assessment criteria to enable them to evaluate their work and identifying areas for celebration and further development. Each activity is designed to take between 2 and 3 hours and to be a fun, as well as an educational, learning experience.

A comprehensive set of teaching notes and related resource sheets for six cross curricular, creative, dinosaur themed activities for children aged 7 - 11. Designed to creatively develop skills in reading and research, art and design, maths and creative writing, each activity takes between 2 and 3 hours to complete. There are lots of resources available to develop a child’s maths and English skills but very little with a focus on develop creativity across the curriculum. As an experienced primary school teacher, the author knows the power and positive impact gained through harnessing a child’s innate creativity on both their their engagement and learning potential. All the activities have been tried and tested with primary school children across the country. Dinosaurs have long been a source of great inspiration and fascination to children so these activities encourage them to find out more and use what they have learned to create their very own, unique, but totally believable dinosaur. The material is presented on a downloadable PDF document to help children learn the skills needed, provides clear self assessment criteria to enable them to evaluate their work and identifying areas for celebration and further development. Each activity is designed to take between 2 and 3 hours and to be a fun, as well as an educational, learning experience.

This is a single page worksheet to be used with key stage 2 to celebrate each individual as a unique creation. Could be used at the beginning of term to introduce each child to a new class or at the start of a unit of work on relationships education. It was originally designed for a year 6 class to rebuild confidence after the SATs experience!

Wednesday Work was an initiative I introduced with my Year 5/6 Class following a seminar at the Global Leadership Summit led by Patrick Lencioni. He taught a session based on businesses who had increased productivity by allowing their employees 20% of their working week to follow their own lines of enquiry and plan their own time. These goals had to be in line with the companies aims but gave employees ownership of their time and their direction. This had a significant impact on both employee retention, and productivity. In school, we identified 2 hours a week with Years 5 and 6 and within the theme of that half term’s work, gave the children the opportunity to decide what they would like to learn, do or make. The rules were as follows: A full plan had to be submitted showing aims, outline plans, resources, predicted timescales and intended outcomes. This had to be discussed with a member of staff and resources had to have been either collected in school or brought in from home before work could begin. Each child was accountable for working to a high standard and for their progress in each lesson. Once completed, the results had to be shared with the rest of the class. The outcomes were amazing! Children who usually couldn’t wait for break time were asking to stay in to complete their work! The children displayed a variety of skills and talents and their general confidence grew as a result. Children who struggled with academic learning became experts in their own strength zones and were looked up to by the other children. The highlight of these sessions was a termly open afternoon where the children displayed their work and we invited parents into school for the children to present their work. These afternoons were great confidence builders and really showcased the children’s talents. Give it a try – you won’t regret it!