Kate Greenaway Nursery School, Islington, London
Friday, March 26, 2010
What was it? About 300 families joined in celebrations to mark the end of the children's literature festival at Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children's Centre and the nearby Lewis Carroll Library on Saturday 13 March.
Why? The culmination of the week-long festival also marked the 50th anniversary of the nursery school. The festival was inspired by the nursery's namesake, Kate Greenaway, a children's writer and illustrator who lived in Islington in the 19th century.
What happened? Smaller events and initiatives were run throughout the week. These involved children from the local secondary school writing their own stories and reading them to the nursery school children. The schools library service arranged for children's writer Cheryl Moskowitz and an illustrator to run a full-day workshop on writing stories and poems in each local primary school for children up to Year 1.
What else? There was a special session on how to make your own books and family workshops on making finger puppets. Other activities included singing, African storytelling and performance poetry. The festival introduced families to different types of literature and cultures. The fictional children's character Gruffalo also made a cameo appearance.
