So many great things to catch up on over the May Bank Holiday and throughout the rest of May, right up until the Whitsun school holiday. We have all of the details covered here for you. Get the whole family involved and choose some fun things that you can all take part in.
Our absolute favourite discovery this month is a place where ‘salt made from tears of laughter’, ‘cubed earwax’ and a jar of ‘swamp scrub’ are the norm. Find out more below.
Do you need help with story writing? We give you some great tips to embellish and enrich your stories bringing them to life…
Of course, we could not let this month’s blog go by without encouraging you to have a go at our educational activities. Good luck!
Hope you enjoy our blog for May and see you next time…
Katie and the Team
Monster Supplies, everyone needs them!
Wouldn’t it be cool to visit a shop where you could get everything you needed for your monster?
Tucked away in London is a shop where you can get Guts and Garlic Chutney or a jar of Pixie Dust…who doesn’t need a jar of Pixie Dust?
Hoxton Street Monster Supplies is a must for a visit over the May half term.
Don’t forget to pick up some Dragon Treats for your Dragon while you are there.
If you cannot fit in a visit to the store, you can have a look at their online store or perhaps even try to make your own Jam!
Kids Activities in May
Get into gunpowder in a totally immersive way at 8-12 Tower Hill Vaults, London, EC3N 4EE
Journey back in time and experience London as it was in 1605. You’re not just witnessing history, you are living it.
Using a combination of live theatre and the latest digital technology you are transported into the heart of a story in which you are the protagonist. You’re thrown into the world the plotters inhabited, immersed in an unforgettable, fully 360 environment. You will experience the deception first hand but when you are surrounded by ‘traitors’, who will you trust?
Kids Activities in May
Kidzania – Tickets for KidZania start from £24 for children aged between four and fourteen, and £16 for visitors aged fifteen and over. You can book tickets here.
Venue – Westfield London Shopping Centre, Ariel Way, London W12 7GA
The Olympic Park, has some fabulous walks, the famous ArcelorMittal Orbit slide and much more, well worth a visit and free to walk around.
The Science Museum, Natural History Museum, The British Museum, The Royal Academy of Art, The Tate Gallery are some of our favourites.
The London Parks always have so much to offer, we have listed some of our favourites. St James’ Park, Coram’s Fields, Diana Memorial Playground, Serpentine Lido, Holland Park, Thames Path, Go Ape, Archbishop’s Park and Hampstead Heath.
Eid Festival in London
Join the Eid Festival celebrations and learn more about Muslim culture in Trafalgar Square as Eid in the Square returns for 2022!
Feast on food from around the world, join in a range of family activities, and enjoy Muslim art, culture, history, live music and entertainment on the main stage.
Eid on the Square will start at 12pm and finish at 6pm and is free to attend.
Eid
The art of ‘storytelling’
When telling a story it is quite important to work out your structure. All stories have a beginning, middle and an end but they also need structure throughout the text. A few good ways to bring interest to a story is to choose a structure for your story. Below we have listed five different types of story structure that you could choose to help your storytelling. You could try writing a story using one of the following structures to see how this brings your story to life.
The Hero’s Journey (also called a monomyth):
This is a story structure that is found in many folk tales and writings. This type of structure is good for taking the audience on a journey, showing the benefit of taking risks and demonstrating how you learned some new found wisdom.
In a monomyth, the hero is called to leave their home and sets out on a journey that may be difficult. They move from somewhere familiar to an unknown place.
The Mountain
The mountain structure is a great way to map the tension and drama in a story. This helps you to plot when certain events occur in a story. The mountain does not necessarily have a happy ending. Firstly set the scene, and then build in a number of small challenges and rising action before a climactic conclusion.
The mountain structure can show how you overcame a series of challenges, can build tension slowly and deliver a satisfying conclusion to your tale.
Nested loops
Layering three or more storylines within each other is a great way to build a story. The most important story is the core of your message which sits right in the centre, and the secondary stories around the core story are used to elaborate or explain that central tale. The first story you begin is the last story you finish, the second story you start is second to last, etc.
Nested loops works a bit like a friend telling you about a wise person in their life, someone who taught them an important lesson. The first loops are your friend’s story, the second loops are the wise person’s story. At the centre is the important lesson. These system of loops can show the process of how you were inspired or perhaps came to a conclusion. It also shows how you explained a central concept.
In Media Res
Sounds complicated but it actually just means when you start your storytelling in the heat of the action, rather than starting at the beginning to explain how you got there. Dropping your readers/viewers at the most exhilarating part of the story where hopefully they will be hooked and stay interested throughout so that they can find out what happens. It is tricky not to give the whole story away immediately so ensure you have something unexpected later on in the tale.
Cook’s Corner
We wondered what you might want to do with your newly acquired ‘Brain Jam’ from the shop for monsters? How about a nice scone with clotted cream ?
Scone mix
Ingredients
40g spreadable butter
1½ level tablespoons golden caster sugar
110ml milk, plus a little more (if needed)
Begin by rubbing the butter into the sieved flour quickly, using your fingertips, then stir in the sugar followed by a pinch of salt.
Now using a knife (not a sharp knife but a rounded knife-ask your helper to do this for you), mix in the milk little by little, and when it’s all in, flour your hands and knead the mixture to a soft dough (you may find you need just a drop more milk if it feels at all dry). Place the dough on a floured pastry board and with a rolling pin (also floured) lightly roll it out to a thickness of about 3cm. (This thickness is vital. The reason scones don’t rise enough is because they are rolled too thin.)
Then take the pastry cutter and tap it sharply so that it goes straight through the dough – do not twist or the scones will turn out a strange shape! When you have cut as many as you can, knead the remaining dough together again and repeat. Then place the scones on the baking sheet, dust each one with flour and bake near the top of the oven for 12–15 minutes.
When they’re done they will have risen and turned a golden brown. Then transfer them to a wire rack and eat as soon as they are cool enough, spread with butter, add your Brain Jam or normal jam will do and clotted cream.
Educational Activities
Storytelling and Writing Practice – This month why don’t you create your own story? Tell it to your family and add some images of your own, by either hand drawing, creating something on your computer or perhaps making a collage.
Write a story using the following words and don’t forget to be imaginative and creative. The story can be as long or short as you choose. We would love to see your story, so why not email it to us at info@katiejayne.co.uk
Giggling Gertie
Delectation
Swamp
Fairy
Creeping
Horse and Cart
