Welcome to the 24th issue of Katie Jayne’s Junior Blog.
We have had some frosty photographs in from our readers, showing us some of the wonderfully magical scenes they came across over the weekend when the weather took a dip to minus 2. These photographs reminded me of Narnia from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. So much so, that this book will take a place in this week’s Katie Jayne’s Book Club. With it being Winnie the Pooh day on January 18th we definitely could not leave out House at Pooh Corner. This is part of the second edition of AA Milnes books about Winnie the Pooh and famous for the introduction of Tigger, one of the countries most loved characters.
There are so many interesting things taking place at the moment, so we decided to mention a few of them in today’s blog. We have World Religion Day, Sugar Awareness Week and Brew Monday.
We all love to be outdoors in the frosty and snowy weather but we mustn’t forget about our dogs… See our lovely picture of little puppy Pixel as he enjoys a run in the park. Who doesn’t love a cute puppy?
Don’t forget we are looking for a young writer to send us in an article for our blog. If you think that you have got what it takes, or you have a fab idea for an article get in touch. Just ask your parents to email Sam at info@katiejayne.co.uk.
Hoping you really enjoy the read and see you next time.
Sam
Sugar Awareness Week
I was interested in why it is so important to cut back on sugar and the best place to start with my research was the Action on Sugar website (www.actionsugar.org). Action on Sugar’s Awareness Week runs from the 18th – 24th Jan and the 10th -16th May 2021. The site looks at the food industry and government’s progress so far in the battle against sugar, and its place in the government’s Childhood Obesity Plan. Excessive sugar can have a harmful effect on health and it is crucial to start thinking about this at a young age to help to provide awareness.
The UK government recommends that we reduce our sugar intakes to around 7 teaspoons/cubes for an average adult. This is the equivalent of a small glass of fruit juice and a flavoured yoghurt per day. The recommendation for children is 6 sugar cubes for children aged 7-11 years and 5 sugar cubes for children aged 4-6 years. There’s no guideline limit for children under the age of 4, but it’s recommended they avoid sugar-sweetened drinks and food with sugar added to it.
Lowering sugar levels will help you to avoid tooth decay, avoid becoming overweight and avoid medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Within the guidelines given out regarding the intake of sugar it is also highlighted that children aged 5-18 and adults should increase their intake of fibre, so how about this week try to add a wholegrain breakfast cereal or some porridge, unsalted nuts. If your parents make a lovely chilli con carne they could add extra kidney beans too…
Celebrit-teas
Monday 18th, today, is Brew Monday where celebrit-teas join thousands of people coming together for a cuppa, a chat and to banish the winter blues. Brew Monday’s new report shows that young people aged 16 to 24 and younger, report feeling lonely more often than older age groups. This day is to inspire you to reach out to someone, let them know that you feel may be feeling lonely and together we can help tackle what can be a source of anguish and upset for those suffering. This excellent idea was brought about after the Samaritans carried out research with school age children. Watch their domino effect video here.
If you know anyone who is lonely and does not have anyone to talk to they can call the Samaritans on 116 123.
Katie Jayne’s Interesting Facts
Did you know that it is World Religion Day on Sunday 16th January? This day is special as it helps to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony. We thought you may like to find out more about it….Did you know there are more than 730 religions in the world? Yes you did read that correctly!
Here are just a few:
Aladuru
Asatru
Baha’I Faith
Bön
Buddhism
Cao Dai
Chinese Religion
Chopra Centre
Christianity
Confucianism
Eckankar
Epicureanism
Falun Gong
Greco-Roman Religion
Hare Krishna
Hinduism
Islam
Jainism
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Judaism
Mayan Religion
Mithraism
Neopaganism
Rastafari
Scientology
Shinto
Sikhism
Taoism
Zoroastrianism
Thought for the Week
Why not learn about a religion that you knew nothing about and then share what you have learnt with your family over dinner one evening. While we are on the topic of sugar, why not try to half your sugar consumption this week. Label a jar with the name of each member of your family and every time you would normally use sugar, don’t… instead add the sugar to the jar and at the end of the week see how much sugar you have managed to avoid!! Write in and let us know how you get on.
Don’t forget if you wish to sign up for our newsletter please just click this link and let us know.
Winnie the Pooh Day
One of the cutest creatures to star in his own books must be Winnie the Pooh and it is not surprising that he has his own holiday ‘Winnie the Pooh Day’. This day was created to honour the author A A Milne and it just so happens to fall on his birthday.
Every year, the occasion is marked with events such as teddy bears’ picnics, what fun. We know you will want to celebrate.
In 1926 Winnie the Pooh first appeared in his own book, he brought with him his gorgeous friends Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore and also Christopher Robin.
We could not bear you to miss this one!!!!!
Cook’s Corner
Storytime Homemade Hot Chocolate
This is a very special hot chocolate, this hot chocolate will be the accompaniment to your story telling. At the beginning of the week find out from each of your relatives what their favourite chocolate is. Ask your parents to put this chocolate bar on the shopping list so that you have it ready for the weekend.
Watch or read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and then create your own version of your trip into the unknown through the wardrobe. Then book in a time with your family one evening over the weekend to have a family story time, accompanied by, you guessed it, your homemade story time hot chocolate.
All you need is:
Ingredients: Your favourite bar of chocolate, 2 tbsps of cocoa powder, your favourite milk
Optional: Double cream, chopped up marshmallows,chopped up ginger biscuits, some of your favourite toppings
Method
Get a cup for each person. Measure milk into each cup, then pour this into a saucepan (ask for help if you need to). Place the saucepan on a heat and bring to the boil, do not let your milk over boil, keep watching your saucepan as they can suddenly bubble over. Place part or all of the chocolate bar into the saucepan and let this gently melt. (You will need different saucepans for different chocolate bars). Add between 1 and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into each cup depending on its size. Now add the melted chocolate milk into the cup and stir….Pour the whole thing back into the saucepan and gently stir and simmer for a minute or two until you are happy that you have no lumps. Carefully pour the homemade hot chocolate into the cup and top with whipped or double cream
Add your toppings, I love grated chocolate MMMMMMmmmmmmmm
Enjoy!
Outdoor Delights
What better activity to carry out this week than to follow in the foot steps of Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet by finding a local stream or river where you can play Pooh Sticks. Ask your parents how to play, they will definitely know the rules! Obviously because lockdown is a priority, only go to local rivers or streams. If you do not have a river or stream near to your home try one of Winnie the Pooh’s other antics…build a paper plane with other members of your family, then once you all have an aircraft to be proud of take them into your garden and use the wind to help your planes fly, furthest flight is the winner… although you may have to have a few go’s… or you could even have an outdoor teddy bear’s picnic but you must have honey on the menu.
Educational Activities
Some of you may find that you do not have time to read at the moment, so how about watching the Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe? At the end of the film, set yourself a writing task. Imagine you found a magical wardrobe at your Grandparents house, what would you find when you climbed inside? Tell us the story. Perhaps you could set up a story time with your family after dinner one weekend, once everyone is sitting comfortably, with their special homemade hot chocolate drinks (from Cook’s Corner), you could read your story out loud. Get imaginative, use different voices for different characters, perhaps even stopping to let other members of the family read too… have fun!
