The Golden Power
Fri, Apr 23rd 2010
Hi everyone!.... Well, spring has truly sprung into our arms at last. Hosts of golden daffodils everywhere, sparkling sunlight on our nearby canal, smiley faces walking by. Aren’t we lucky here – we live in such a peaceful beautiful country. You all probably know that my model is also known as ‘The Golden Model’ – the gold of emotional wealth. I advocate golden moments and golden rules backed up by the golden time system. My heart has gone all melting gold at the moment as I have just been looking at a new Facebook site where over 38,000 young people (pupil voice at its best?) are engaged in remembering ‘The Legendary Golden Time’. It’s an informal site – not for rents (parents to us oldies!!!)…. and there are some great comments “GT rocked….we want it back….I used to cry when I lost it for 2 minutes…. Great times, us all standing on chairs dancing to the badger- badger song…. Golden time was the only reason I went to sk….” Of course Golden Time isn’t all wonderful in schools, like circle time its often badly run (I call it ‘Rusty Time’!!) The truth is though that GT does have the power to be wonderful and the saddest thing is that many schools have lost the golden thread. Children have no idea that they engage in GT because they have kept all the golden values – kindness, gentleness, honesty, caring for the environment, listening and trying hard and that therefore the whole community is celebrating these children through golden time. In some remote Highland villages, they have the golden rules in the shops and the local police station and, at golden time, the whole village goes into the school and joins in. But, for many children in the UK its just a bit of run-down Friday afternoon time, with a few bits of computer paper and dried up felt-tips where ‘Miss’ sits in the corner marking.
The Golden Power of the Golden Rules needs reviving…. And, finally, this spring I have got just the right package of sparkling new books to offer you; The Golden Rules in Action Series. My daughter Meg and I are ‘Positive Press’ (along with Zara on the website and Danka who is in the accounts team). I can't believe after years of my teenage daughter telling me I was weird and metaphorically kicking all the golden rules to hell and back – that we are now harmoniously in tandem together. She is a wonderful community artist herself and will follow her own golden grail soon… but meanwhile… YIPPEE…I get to have my heart’s desires in print.
The Golden Rules in Action Series are little gems of small, easy to use A5 books, crammed with great ideas to help children really understand, rehearse and genuinely love the golden rules. “Off the walls and into their hearts” as one of my consultants used to say! Lots of games, extension activities and circle times to reflect on and experience the power of living the golden rules. The books are small, lovely, one for each golden rule and tried and tested. If you go onto our website, you will find them in the circle time shop. My new range are excellent extension books to support our much loved series of golden rules stories featuring the little animal characters of Miss Beanie’s class! We will soon be posting some free games from these books so watch this space!
My new range are excellent extension books to support our much loved series of golden rules stories featuring the little animal characters of Miss Beanie’s class!
If you liked my 5 skills games and activities books you’ll love these! I’ve followed exactly the same quick and easy format!
Never underestimate the power of games to help children learn values. I can still remember queuing up in a long line to get my go to jump into the 1,2,3 chanted by two tall girls holding a long rope! I learnt patience, turn taking, co-operation, listening, rhythm, good things take time, friends are essential, instructions must be followed and there would good or bad consequences depending on my efforts. Cor!, all that from lining up for “Cinderella, dressed in yeller, went upstairs to kiss a feller, how many fellers did she kiss?”
Hmmm – maybe other learning was going on – I don’t think I had better delve any deeper!!
Thank you Meg for helping me get these books out – good luck everyone in exploring them if you get a moment.
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