Did you know?…..

• Snowflakes have 6 sides

• No two snowflakes are the same

• Snow is not white!, it’s translucent

Snow might be an inconvenience for some, but for our young people it’s a chance to be a kid again! To forget for a small amount of time about the challenges they face, the worries they have, having to grow up too quickly in this modern world and just have fun!

Wildlife photography captured this week. We are looking forward to seeing some spring shots over the coming weeks as the weather improves!

A fantastic time had at Tostock Farm near Bury St Edmunds this week.

With funny llamas, adorable baby Crias, Alpacas – famous for their super soft fleeces. Smaller animals to learn about from Pygmy goats, micro pigs and miniature ponies. There is an impressive mixture of featured friends too; Emus, Peacocks, Geese and Ducks! The animals here are looked after by staff, working with volunteers and local college students who study either Agriculture or Animal Care – https://tostockanimalparks.co.uk/

An awesome time was had a Moyses Hall Museum and their Conflict Exhibition.

The young people learned about Roman artefacts from across Europe, the medieval Battle of Fornham (1173) as the biggest battle ever seen in West Suffolk. They found out about the martial weaponry, defense and practice used.

What a great way to learn about history. Seeing, touching, playing & learning.

Wow we have been busy with English and Maths this week! Firstly, massive well done to one of our young people who sat for an hour and 45 mins concentrating on a past paper for AQA GCSE – just amazing work! This week our young people have looked at:

• Bridiging learning gaps
• Explaining mathematical vocabulary
• Zen coloring to help with timetables
• Corners of a triangle adding up to 180 on a straight line
• English writing instructions and focusing on chronological order, which steps to take first and the order in which to place the activity
• Learning about oxymoron’s and juxtaposition
• Learning prime numbers, factors and multiples of two
• Studying English literature, particularly poetry, Ozymandias by Percy Shelley from Power and Conflict anthology for GCSE
• Using mind maps for creative writing
• Psychology work on attachment

Pizzas and Chocolate Cake were some of the amazing things cooked by our young people this week.

Sporting wise we made the best of what we could in between the snow! With some golf, football , badminton and climbing. Even when the weather is poor its important to stay active. Its a great chance to test out other activities you have not tried before.

Some group reading and reading on their own in the library and at Pushforward. Hunting for punctuation and capital letters. These young people show great work on their own and as part of a group with their friends, being friendly and supportive.

Our new Ipswich Unit is getting nicely set up for music / podcasts etc. Here one of our young people is also checking sound levels for an upcoming gig!

Getting a job in the music industry can seem like an exciting and glamourous career path from the outside. Attending industry parties and events, working alongside global stars or even performing yourself, the music industry offers jobs that are full of amazing opportunities.

A child’s imagination and creativity are enriched through their awareness of art and other children around them. All of these creative experiences build powerful connections within the brain. Creativity fosters mental growth in children by providing opportunities for trying out new ideas, and new ways of thinking and problem-solving. And creativity can take so many shapes and forms, from painting with resin, shape building, drawing, building, making own toys.

Over in Newmarket 1 we had more welding practices and designing of the gate signs. Newmarket 2 had some plumbing jobs to fix! Are these young people learning? Yes! What a life skill to know how to do basic plumbing, whether that is for a career or just being able to help out family and friends in a water leakage crises! Welding is a fantastic career to get into and has so many different opportunities and paths to take.

Over in the hairdressing / barbering section our young people have been busy getting creative with the locks!

Hairdressing is routinely voted as one of the happiest jobs in the world, winning votes for job satisfaction, creativity and getting to use your skills every day. Pleasing clients and producing beautiful results can be great for your self-esteem, proving your talent to yourself every day!

We have been busy getting our new Newmarket 2 unit ready and of course our young people are helping us. One helped to paint and prepare this Health & Safety board for us.

We finish this week off with some sensory play using magnetics and playdough.

Sensory play is any activity that stimulates our senses – touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. It helps children interact with and make sense of the world that surrounds them. Sensory play is a lot of fun. It also offers many benefits for child development, including: Helping children understand how their actions affect what’s around them. Supporting brain development, enhancing memory, complex tasks and problem solving. https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/blog/what-is-sensory-play-and-why-is-it-important/.

Our Ethos

No one can begin to affect the world around them until they are CONFIDENT , COMFORTABLE, happy in their own skin and have found their SPARK! We take the time to understand and develop programmes from where the learner is in the world not where we think they should be.