I’ve spent the last two days in different schools to help kick off new topics. These are known as Hook Days, and you'll probably not be terribly surprised to learn that it's to hook the imaginations of the children and get them fired up and motivated for a subject.

At Abbotswood Juniors the topic was Location, Location, Location, and it was my job to help them to draw castles, from defensive towers through to drawbridges. Once they understood the parts involved we began substituting the elements for objects on a theme, starting with things you might have in a pencil case. The curtain wall became a ruler, the defensive towers were stubby pencils, and the drawbridge became a row of crayons. Suitably introduced, it was the children’s task to then pick an environment (desert, jungle, Arctic, etc) and create a castle from the objects they might find there. Lots of enthusiasm and great ideas.

At Southsea Infants the requirement was cartooning tips and tricks to help them create their own characters. Like all schools, the children have had little opportunity in the past two years to have visitors, so there was plenty of excitement from the beginning. It was great to see how focused everyone was, and the results were amazing. I’ve included some of their creations, here.

If you think I can help your school kick off a topic with a workshop then please do get in touch.