For many years, Clore Tikva children have enjoyed celebrating World Book Day. We have had many themes over the years including Pirates, Mary Poppins, Aladdin and even the appearance of a mystery door from Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately, due to lockdown we had to do things slightly differently this time. However, we were determined to embrace the change and make sure children still had a fantastic day celebrating such a pivotal thing that we enjoy at school. Children are encouraged to not only read regularly but grow to love books.
In order to encourage a relaxed atmosphere, children were invited to wear pyjamas on the day. We started with a special, socially distanced, remote assembly to launch the day. During this assembly, the children enjoyed Mrs Saville’s favourite story and couldn’t believe that Mrs Gorf, the teacher in the book turned all of the children into apples. It was so wonderful to see so many children on screen laughing at the idea! They then shared some pictures of the most amazing book character potatoes. We had a huge selection ranging from Mr Bump, Willy Wonka, The Grinch and even Harry Potter! They were very inventive. To finish children watched the Wold Book Day rap by MC Grammar, a very cool experience to match our cool characters.
The children explored the world of illustration designing book covers, wrote to their favourite authors, and were immersed in stories. Our Year 6 children met up virtually with our Year 1 children. They were able to talk about books and recommend them to each other. This is when children were inspired join up regularly, developing reading buddies.
Paige Harris a pupil at Clore Tikva School said “During World Book Day, we were given a number of activities to complete. I chose to recreate the front cover of my favourite book. The book I chose was originally called Daisy and the Trouble with School Trips. I decided to base it on my school and I wanted to include the Jewish ethos that our school has. Firstly, I changed Daisy’s name to Daisilla, I then used a Siddur instead of a work sheet. I added a computer and a Torah, changed her uniform to the Clore Tikva uniform and I exchanged the sandwich for a bagel. The portrait was then changed to a Rabbi. I really had fun creating this. Even during lockdown, we still managed to have so much on World Book Day. At the end of the day, we all enjoyed some hot chocolate and listened to our teachers reading their favourite stories to us. I am so looking forward to going to back to school next week to see all of my lovely teachers and friends”
It was a fun, relaxed day where the cares of the world and coronavirus gave way to the joy of books and reading, embraced by children, staff and some wonderful parent volunteers who read to some classes. It culminated in the warmth and cosiness of hot chocolate and a good book for all children (and adults) whether at home or in school. Another successful, remote event thanks to the cooperation of parents and the enthusiasm of children and staff!
