In early May, our Librarian Mrs Ling and Head of English Miss Toplis combined forces to put on various activities to celebrate our first Aldwickbury Reading Week. We were thrilled with the enthusiasm shown by the boys and staff as they embraced all the activities sharing the enjoyment of reading together. From author visits, staff reading to the boys and a Year 2 trip to the Roald Dahl museum there was plenty going on.
Our two visiting authors, Jennifer Killick and Olaf Falafel, were inspirational and it was wonderful to see the boys with their noses in books, even taking them outside to break because they couldn’t wait to read them!
Jennifer spoke to all of Years 6 to 8 about her path to becoming a writer and the inspiration behind her series of comedy-horror books. She told the boys that when she was in Year 7 she dreamed of becoming an author but never believed it was possible. This led to her inspirational and valuable message to never give up on your dreams. Jennifer read out loud from her books and shared about how reading had got her through difficult times. After lunch, she hosted creative writing workshops for Year 7 where they made plans to write their own horror stories. The boys asked some great questions and were intrigued to find out which parts of the book her editor requested she remove because they were deemed too scary for children.
Author, illustrator and comedian Olaf Falafel came to visit and talk to all the boys from Reception to Year 5. From illustration workshops where he taught the boys how to draw cartoon characters to hilarious jokes and short videos, Olaf’s interactive sessions engaged, inspired and had the boys in fits of laughter. The Pre-Prep boys were excited to read their copies of Blobfish and the older boys couldn’t wait to receive their signed copies of Olaf’s Trixie Pickle Art Avenger book! The boys were very grateful for Olaf’s visit and got creative with their thank-you letters. Click here to see one of the thank you letters.
As well as author talks to all year groups, many members of our wider staff visited our classes to read some of their favourite books to the boys, with everything from The Highway Rat to Endurance, a book about Sir Earnest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition.It would be hard to say who enjoyed the experience more!
The week helped encourage the boys to pick up a book and highlighted the positive impact reading has on mental health and the unquestionable correlation between reading and their academic achievements. Of course, our focus on reading is not limited to one week. We constantly strive to support and encourage boys in reading for pleasure which has so many benefits for them both academically and emotionally.
A big thank you to Mrs Ling, Miss Toplis, and staff from Reception to Year 8 who helped support the activities.
