Brave Day's are very special at St Martin's.
If you are new to Brave Days, the idea is that the children (and staff!) do something brave during the day and push themselves to see what they are capable of. As a school we start with an inspiration, which might be an idea, a picture, a video clip etc, and then each class discusses possible activities that the children could choose to undertake. During the day the children work individually or in small groups on a task identified, chosen and planned by themselves. In the past this has included art work, cooking, embroidery, potion making, puppet shows, story writing or anything else the children can think of! It is an amazing opportunity for the children to use the school learning skills and develop their teamwork, perseverance, reflection, concentration, curiosity and resourcefulness – a real chance to be brave!
Be aware that part of Brave Day is the children working independently and having to resolve their own problems. Therefore as staff we often sit back on a Brave Day and let them struggle with things, before making suggestions or offering help - trust us this is very difficult, and means that the adults need to be brave too! However it does really help the children to develop as learners and feel a sense of achievement with their end results.
During the national lockdown, we organised a brave day for the children while they were learning from home. We have left it on our website, to give everyone an idea of what is involved in a Brave Day.
Inspiration
We have decided to use the weather as our inspiration for Brave Day!
Please start by discussing what the children already know about the weather. Maybe go outside and see what the weather is like at the moment. How many different types of weather can they name? What adjectives can they use to describe the different types of weather? What weather do they enjoy? Why? How does the weather make them feel? Encourage them to be curious about the weather.
Then look at the powerpoint below, showing different types of weather.
Finally you may want to watch some of the following YouTube films with your children. We would suggest picking one or two that appeal to your children rather than watching all of them.
Plan
You child now needs to decide what they would like to do. The older children are likely to have lots of ideas but the younger ones may need support to come up with something. If necessary, talk to them about different options and help them select something that they think they will enjoy but will also provide them with a challenge and an opportunity to learn.
Possible projects include:
Art work based on any type of weather
Creating a song based on any type of weather
Creating a dance based on any type of weather
Investigating and drawing shadows
Or anything else they can think of! It really can be anything!
We have attached our usual Brave Day planning sheet, slightly adapted for home learning. Feel free to use this, if it would be helpful.
Create
Your child now needs to try to follow their plan and complete their project. They will encounter problems. When they do, encourage them to identify what has gone wrong and to find solutions to the problem. You may want to remind them of their learning skills during the project and encourage them to identify the learning skills they are using. Remember the process is as important, if not more so, than the finished product!
Evaluate
Once your child has completed their project, encourage them to reflect on their Brave Day. What went well? What have they learned? What would they do differently next time?
Celebrate
Finally please share your child's achievements with us so that we can be proud of them too! You can post on the Facebook group or email the class email address to let us know what you have got up to!