Day Eight
“Smells like fish!” is the oft-heard cry.
A large covering table was set up with bowls of latex glue and piles of wet-strength tissue paper. We kept lots of windows open and most people in the room were sporting the lantern fashion garment of choice – a customised black bin liner. Some of the team prefer working with the willow sticks and so kept on fettling. Others got sticky and helped children and families to get their lanterns covered.
I am currently somewhat hampered by a nasty cold and just before lunch was trying to teach two boys how to cover their lantern. They were like a couple of excited and wayward young puppies and my customary calm manner was being stretched as thin as the tissue paper. Corrie, hearing the tone of my voice change from across the room, said
“Breathe deeply, Mary. Count to ten.”
Gilly latched on to the issue and swapped tasks with me. I sat down and fettled a small lantern whilst she took over the supervision. Spot on, Corrie.
While Year 4 covered their lanterns in the hall, Year 1 were being ambitious, making and covering withy stars on sticks. Sure Start scattered an impressive collection of papercuts over their star. Ofsted came to school but disappointingly didn’t come to visit the lantern…
Ben, Luke and Keiron’s shield is now ready to trot, covered and emblazoned with the school motto “PERSEVERE” .
Two mams, Lisa and Maggie, are working on The Star of Children’s Wishes. Today, they worked with forty children making small stars which they will strew across the surface of the large one.
Kayleigh makes beautiful lanterns. Members of staff commission lanterns from her. So far, she has made three prams, two houses, two trains and a caravan. She refuses to let me use a photograph of her, so we are going to include a picture of her collected works, when they are all covered.
The Blog is popular amongst parents and staff- the link is being passed on. We talked today of including posts from parents, children and staff and of making it a feature of the workshops next year.
A family came after school to finish their large head of a baby lantern (a character from the TV animation Family Guy). We prepared the big year 6 lanterns for covering – putting candles in and strapping bamboos to the sides so they can be carried by four pupils. We call such lanterns ‘Stretcher cases’.That’s how we would like to have been transported home this evening. Tired but happy.