At James Oglethorpe pupils take part in an exciting and memorable activity called a ‘Memory Maker’ at the beginning of every term. Creating core memories and experiences for our children is key in a child’s development.
We found that following periods of home learning during the pandemic then there was an increase in children becoming anxious when returning to school. The aim of these activities are to welcome the children and ignite the love of learning after a holiday break just by doing something a little different. We do this by creating practical and stimulating activities linked to our 3 values of Aspiration, Integrity and Identity.
We collated ideas for these activities with parents, staff and children and plan them under these categories:
- Self help – To be able to tie their laces by the end of the year
- Relationships – To get to know someone in the other year group class
- Communication – Write letters to children in other countries / Visiting elderly people in care homes
- Charity- Giving opportunities
- Entrepreneurs – Planning and setting up a business
- Experiences- Visit an art gallery, travel on the underground etc
- Back to nature – Investigating what lives under a stone/ Making bird feeders
The children collate their memories in their Memory Maker Passport which follow them through the school and enjoy spending time reflecting and looking back over their experiences.
Year Group Memory Maker Maps
Reception MEMORY MAKERS MAP
Autumn
Self Help
Party day!
Decorate a biscuit
Change into party clothes
Spring
Relationships
Pirates!
Work with Year 4 to go on a treasure hunt
Self-help
Making pizzas
Learning to use cooking utensils safely.
Summer
Experience Nature
Trip to Barleylands
Visitor
Emergency services
Year 1 MEMORY MAKERS MAP
Autumn
Nature
Planting seeds and bulbs in the Year 1 outdoor area.
Self help
Fastening top button
(part of an olympic day).
Spring
Relationships builders and
Nature
Buddy with a Year 5 child who will make a personalised book for them.
Making a big bug hotel/ individual bug hotels.
Communication
Making a building in a team using junk modeling
Summer
Self help
Riding a bike without stabilisers.
Experiences
Taking a trip to Marsh Farm.
Year 2 MEMORY MAKERS MAP
AUTUMN
Experience
Working as a team to build a den.
Communication
Create a moving picture and present the story to the class.
SPRING
Self help
Making bread and smoothies.
Relationship builder
Teaching another child a new skill and demonstrating skill learnt to the class.
SUMMER
Self help/ Experience
Plan and design a piece of clothing for a toy. Follow steps to make and stitch the clothing.
Charity starts at homes
Toy swap shop.
Children bring in a toy from home that with parents permission they can swap with another child, so that everyone is able to get a new toy.
Year 3 MEMORY MAKERS MAP
AUTUMN
Relationships
Playground games
Communication
Board game making
SPRING
Charity
Dogs trust visit and fundraising/ making cakes and biscuits
https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/
Communication
Writing and taking Letter to Oaks Residential home
Cass
SUMMER
Experience
Greek Food making/tasting
Experience
First Aid training
https://northessex.minifirstaid.co.uk/classes/private/145
Year 4 MEMORY MAKERS MAP
AUTUMN
Communication/ Nature
Team building games
Plant seeds in the flower beds outside classes
Relationship builder
Sharing personalised stories with Reception
SPRING
Relationship builder
Pirate treasure hunt with Reception
Entrepreneurs/
Charity
Charity cookie bake sale
SUMMER
Self-help.
British Heart Foundation – CPR training
Experience
Picnic – make smoothies and sandwiches.
Go to Thames Chase and have a picnic.
Year 5 MEMORY MAKERs MAP
AUTUMN
Communication
Write a letter to a child in another country.
Start new pen pals with school in Paris.
Nature
Children create a bird feeder from recycled materials to hang from the trees around our school.
SPRING
Relationships
Each child to buddy with a Year 1 child. Read a book and create a personalised book for them to keep
Entrepreneurs/
Charity
Children make and sell friendship bracelets/ bands and work out how much profit they raise for charity.
SUMMER
Visitor
Space – Geobus or space dome
Emergency services
come in to do a talk
Self help- mental wellbeing
52 lives virtual speaker about kindness
Kindness pictures, cards or pieces of art.
Self help
Find a local map and children to read and follow the map to get to the local park. (Thames Chase)
Year 6 MEMORY MAKERS MAP
AUTUMN
Communication
Egg parachute experiment
Self help
Create T shirt bags
SPRING
Nature
Create a leaf mobile
Self help
HWK activities helping others / class activity-helping around the school
Self Help
Survival techniques for in a forest
SUMMER
Self Help
Make a pizza
Nature
Hopefield Animal Sanctuary
