We are in February Already
We hope January, and first month of the New Year at school, was full of fun and adventure, here at WCU we are already booking June-July activities and can’t wait to hear what you’ve all been up to in your schools.
February the 10TH IS Chinese New Year and the beginning of the New Lunar Year another great time of new starts and beginnings to enjoy together. This year is the year of the Dragon. According to Feng Shui expert and Geomancer Patrick Lim Fernandez, 2024 is the Year of the Wooden Dragon and it's all about growth. “Take advantage of this energy. Grow with the world rather than against it," Fernandez told members of the press at a recent event in New World Makati. It is an excellent year to make money from what you're good at. "Any way you can monetize what you know, this is a good year for that," he said, adding that ventures that have to do with nature (products of plants and trees) are lucky businesses for 2024 making forest school and Gardening great 2024 projects to undertake. The 2024 Chinese New Year festival in central London, organised by the London Chinatown Chinese Association (LCCA), takes place the day after Chinese New Year on 11 February so Sunday would be a great time to visit.
February is full of fun to get involved with, this week is children’s Mental Health Week which is something we really believe in at WCU. So, if you’d like some Mind Up sessions at your school, please get in touch and we will make that happen for you. This month is also the RAK kindness month so for example: Planting Seeds of Kindness for Random Acts of Kindness Day or Kindness Week would be a super spring and kindness project.
Making pizza for National Pizza Day would be a yummy activity and you could practice your imperative verbs and prepositional language, if you wrote your own recipe (Try no-cook pizza sauce so you can make it on your own!) Or how about making bubble gum for Bubble Gum Day? And remember Shrove Tuesday is the perfect excuse to enjoy some yummy pancakes.
After all that sugary eating, You could read The Tooth Book: A Guide to Healthy Teeth and Gums as February is Dental Health Month or just get out and about in the currently frosty parks and see the seasons begin to change from winter to spring.
Another great day this month is National Read Aloud Day, World Read Aloud Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday in February and takes place on February 7 this year. This is a day dedicated not just to reading, but to the art and practice of reading aloud. and we will be celebrating the day by launching a fab, free reading project with Cllr Gill Fitzhugh. If you would love a reading support group at your school, get your teachers to reach out to us and we will see what we can make happen. You can access additional activities and resources at https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday/
February the 18th is Engineers’ week and we are working with our friends at Topsy Turvy to get some STEM /STEAM activities set up for you in June to celebrate. ASCE partners with DiscoverE (formerly the National Engineers Week Foundation) to shine a spotlight on engineering. Engineers Week is a time to:
ASCE and MacGillivray Freeman Films – the team that brought Dream Big: Engineering Our World to giant screens around the world – have united to produce a new film inspired by ASCE’s Future World Vision initiative: Cities of the Future. https://www.asce.org/initiatives/cities-of-the-future
February 13th is World Radio Day and if you would like to experience a radio station our friends at the Avenues can help so let us know via your teachers and we will book you in.
Below is a full list of everything you can expect this February:
LGBT+ History Month February 1 - February 29
National Heart Month February 1 - February 29
Michael Morpurgo Month February 1 - February 29
Rugby Six Nations February 2 - March 16
Children's Mental Health Week February 5 - February 11
Safer Internet Day February 6
Charles Dickens' Birthday February 7
World Read Aloud Day February 7
Tết - Vietnamese New Year February 10
Chinese New Year February 10
Lunar New Year February 10
International Day of Women and Girls in Science February 11
Charles Darwin's Birthday February 12
Pancake Day / Shrove Tuesday February 13
World Radio Day February 13
Lent February 14 - March 28
Ash Wednesday February 14
Valentine's Day February 14
Random Acts of Kindness Day February 17
Engineers Week February 18 - February 24
International Mother Language Day February 21
World Thinking Day February 22
Anniversary of Hans Scholl's Death February 22
Lantern Festival February 24
Don’t forget to record and share back what you have done so we can all enjoy each other’s responses and knowledge, have a great February everyone!