As a reward for an excellent performance in the Summer Reading Challenge, three primary schools in West Yorkshire were granted a prize.
Unfortunately for them that prize was me…I mean, luckily for them that prize was me.
Just to make it even more fun, Leeds Libraries and I decided to cram all the school visits into just five hours. I do like a challenge.
So I packed up my presentation and loaded myself into my car and headed towards the first venue Lady Elizabeth Hastings’ CE VA Primary in Wetherby. My car didn’t like this and promptly decided to to display three warning lights – check coolant, check tyre pressure and low on windscreen washer. I ignored all three, because that’s living life on the edge.
The hundred or so children at Lady Elizabeth, smartly presented in their red jumpers, were in excellent form and quickly engaged in my unusual Llama United-related presentation and strange creative workshop. Highlights included a chimpanzee riding a banana and a penguin ice hockey player called Slick Rick.
Then it was swiftly on to All Saints Primary in the centre of Leeds, where I delivered my talk to a group of year five and sixes, who were very interested in KSI and fidget spinners. Happily one child admitted she was keen on becoming an author. Hope I didn’t put her off.
I was then ushered into a different classroom to talk to a group of year 3 and 4s. Another enthusiastic bunch, who dreamt up a team of tennis playing lions, that included the player Roarnaldo. Green jumpers here, if you are interested.
Finally after another breakneck dash across Leeds I arrived at Alwoodley Primary in the pouring rain. This is Leeds in October, what do you expect.
Here the school hall was filled with all of their Key Stage 2 classes, roughly 240 children dressed in purple jumpers. I’m still yet to visit a school with yellow or orange uniforms.
This was very noisy crowd, just what I like, and their ideas were also weird and wonderful. Alwoodley have a whole online page dedicated to the Summer Reading Challenge which includes a gallery of my talk, if you want to see a grown-man make a fool of himself.
A great day had by all. My thanks to all the schools for inviting me and along, the Leeds librarians who turned up to support.
If your primary school would like me to deliver my engaging and innovative talk to your key stage 2 classes then please get in touch with me via my contact page.