Pupils celebrate World Book Day with a difference

WORLD Book Day became the latest event to take place under lockdown on Thursday (March 4) – but that didn’t stop pupils at Henry Hinde Infant and Junior Schools from marking the occasion.

Instead of going to school dressed in their pyjamas or as their favourite book character, children took part in a host of fun reading and writing activities in school and at home.

Throughout the week, staff at the Infant School chose a range of classic bedtime stories to read to pupils at home as part of a series of short videos, while each year group picked an author to learn about, explore their books and carry out a range of challenges linked to the stories.

And Year 2 pupils who were in school had the chance to set up their own reading dens, to share their favourite books with their friends.

Fleur Edwards, Principal at Henry Hinde Infant School, said: “Although our plans for World Book Day had to be a bit different this year, that didn’t stop us from holding lots of fun activities for all of our pupils to enjoy.

“Our children love reading and it was fantastic to see everyone celebrating the joy of books together with their family and friends.”

Meanwhile, staff at the Junior School decided to put a different spin on things and the idea of a ‘Car Park Library’ was born.

After making a call out to the community, the school was inundated with book donations to be quarantined onsite before being added to the Car Park Library collection.

Pupils, parents and other children in the community who passed the school site on their daily walk were invited to pick up a book to read at home.

Mark Baird, Year 6 Teacher and Reading Lead at Henry Hinde Junior School, said: “Our Car Park Library has been a huge success and the school has been overwhelmed by the many generous donations to such a good cause. We would like to thank everyone who contributed in any way.

“It is clear that the children at Henry Hinde Junior School have an innate love of all things reading. It was wonderful to see our pupils enjoying selecting and reading the books that had been donated.”