I am a retired teacher who wrote 7 photocopiable books for Teachers and one book for children Union Jack Colouring Book.
The 7books covered Geography, History (Medieval/ Tudor/ Stuart), Travel and Transport, Myself and Events (this included diaries), Race Against Time Stories (SATS based), Church Dates for Children plus Nature and Seasons (including Sport). These 7 books have been mainly broken into a number of segments.
Challenging the Physical Elements, my Geography book, is complete.
I am a retired teacher who wrote 7 photocopiable books for Teachers and one book for children Union Jack Colouring Book.
The 7books covered Geography, History (Medieval/ Tudor/ Stuart), Travel and Transport, Myself and Events (this included diaries), Race Against Time Stories (SATS based), Church Dates for Children plus Nature and Seasons (including Sport). These 7 books have been mainly broken into a number of segments.
Challenging the Physical Elements, my Geography book, is complete.
Saint Matthew or Levi was one of the twelve original disciples of Jesus. According to the Gospels Matthew was a 1st century Galilean. He is referred to as being a publican or tax collector in Capernaum before becoming one of the twelve apostles.
He would have witnessed first hand Jesus carrying out his miracles and speaking parables. He would have witnessed much of Jesus’ last three years of his ministry including the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension.
His ministry after Christ’s resurrection is vague. Christian fathers such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria claim that Matthew preached th gospel to the Jewish community in Judea before going to other countries.
The Catholic and Orthodox Churches each hold the tradition that he died a marytr.
Did Matthew write the Saint Matthew’s gospel ?
The author is not named within the text.
Papias of Hierapolis (c60-163 AD) is cited by church historian Eusebius (260-340 AD as saying *Matthew collected the oracles, in the Hebrew language and each interpreted them as best he could.
Sources used wlkipedia and The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander.
Joseph Prince is a televangelist, senior pastor and one of the founders (1983) of New Creation Church based in Singapore, plus being an author.
Joseph is the son of a Sikh priest and Chinese mother. He was born on the 15th May 1953.His birth name was Xenonamandar Jegahusiee Singh. He adopted the name of Joseph Prince while serving as an IT consultant just before he was appointed senior pastor in 1990.
He spent his primary school years in Perak, Malaysia. He studied at Commonwealth Secondary School and completed his ‘A’ levels at Our lady of Lourdes, a private school.
Joseph prior to 1997 had preached at churches across the world - Europe, Canada and USA and Australia.
In 1997, while on holiday in the Swiss Alps with his wife, Wendy, God spoke to him. He was told he had not been preaching grace. God gave him a mandate to preach grace- pure and unadulterated
*If you don’t preach pure, unadulterated grace, people’s lives will never be gloriously blessed and gloriously transformed.
Desiring to see his congregation liberated, empowered and blessed by the Lord, Joseph fully embraced the mandate and has not looked back.
The Singapore church numbers in 1997 were 2,000. Today there are 30,000 members.
Since 1997 he has spoken in Israel, Norway, Germany, Holland, the UK. the USA, Canada, Australia and Asia. Impacting on both believers and church leaders with practical and revelatory preaching that unveils to the person the grace of Jesus Christ
In 2014 Grace Revolution Church was birthed in Dallas. Texas. There is now a vibrant community of grace believers living there.
In 2017 the Joseph Prince Ministry launched Decibel - an online channel and digital magazine with bite sized videos, articles and other inspiring contents to reach young people with the Gospel. May it loudly ring.
Over the last 13 years (2007-20) he has written Christian books.
( See publications)
Reading the paragraph - Compensation - it seems he is well paid… His church - New Creation Church regard his net worth as ‘personal in nature’.
Grace is so important . It is an anagram of Great Riches at Christ’s Expense.
The world is so much richer for Joseph Prince following God’s mandate to preach pure, unadulterated grace.
Sources used
Joseph prince Ministries
Wikipedia
captain Thomas Coram (c.1668-1751 was a philanthropist who created the London Foundling Hospital in Lamb’s Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, to look after abandoned children. It is said to be the world’s first incorporated charity.
Thomas Coram, while living in Rotherhithe , regularly travelled into London. He was frequently shocked by the sight of infants exposed in the streets, often in a dying .
He agitated for the foundation of a foundling hospital. This institution was to be a children’s home for children and orphans who could not be properly cared for.
He laboured for 17 years.
He induced many ladies of rank to sign a memorial.
King George 11, in 1739, finally signed a charter for the Foundling Hospital and considerable sums were subscribed.
20th November 1739 saw the first meeting of the guardians at Somerset House.
Later a vote of thanks was given to Coram who requested thanks should also be given to the interested ladies.
William Hogarth, a personal friend of Thomas, showed great interest in the undertaking. In May 1740 he presented his portrait of Coram to the hospital. He introduced a portrait of Coram into an engraved power of attorney for receiving subscriptions. He presented a picture of Moses with Pharaoh’s daughter. Finally he gave 157 tickets in the lottery for the ‘March to Finchley’ -one of the 157 tickets won the prize.
Some houses were taken and the first children were admitted in 1741. A piece of land was bought for £7,000 in Bloomsbury. Lord Salisbury, the owner insisted that the whole of his ground as far as Gray’s inn lane should be taken. He also subscribed £500.
Coram continued to invest in the hospital. Up until 1742 he continued to be elected to the General Committee. But at the May Day meeting in 1742 he did not receive enough votes. As a result he no longer had any say in the management of the hospital.
Why? No clear reason is obvious but he is said to have spread defamatory rumours about 2 of the governors or he expressed criticism towards how the hospital was run.
16th September 1742 the foundation stone for the hospital was laid.
October 1745 the west wing was finished. Children moved into the new building.
Hogarth was among the first governors of the Foundling hospital.
Handle gave performances at the hospital in 1749 and 1750. ( See ‘Legacy’)
.
Today the Foundling Hospital continues as the children’s charity Coram, with a mission to improve the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people.
( See ‘Coram’ for more info)
In 2000Coram Boy - a children’s book about the hospital, by Jamila Gavin was published. Now a play.
William Coram died on 29th March 1751, aged 81. He was buried in the chapel of the Foundling Hospital. A statue and inscription was erected in front of the building 100 years later. In 1935 the building was demolished. Today his exhumed remains are in the chapel of Ashlyns School.
The British nationality Act of 1948 gave citizens of the UK and Colonies status and the right of settlement in the UK.
This resulted that between 1948=1970 nearly half a million people moved form the Caribbean to Britain which faced sever labour shortages after WW11.
These immigrants were later referred to as the Windrush generation.
because many of them had come to the UK on the ship called HMT Empire Windrush.
The only official records of many ‘windrush’ immigrants when they had originally come to the UK were the landing cards which were collected when they disembarked from ships in UK ports. Over subsequent decades these cards were routinely used by British immigration officials to verify dates of arrival for borderline immigration cases.
Any one from the Commonwealth, who arrived before 1973 was granted an automatic right to remain, unless they left for more than 2 years. For the next 40 years anyone in that category were never given or asked to provide documentary evidence of their right to remain.
In 2009 landing cards were earmarked, by the Labour government , for destruction, as part of a broader clean up of paper records. It was implemented in 2010 by the incoming coalition government.
Whistleblowers and retired immigration officers warned managers there would be a problem- these cards were the only record of their arrival.
Theresa May was Home Secretary when the hostile environment policy was introduced in October 2012. The idea was to reduce UK immigration figures promised in the 2010 Conservative Manifesto. (See hostile environment policy)
In 2018 we had the Windrush scandal. People were wrongly detained, denied legal rights,lost jobs or homes, passports confiscated, denied medical care, threatened with deportation. At least 83 cases cases were wrongly deported -many of those affected had been born British subjects and had arrive in the UK before 1973. These were part of the 'Windrush generation.
Since then a hardship scheme has been set up by the Home Office Those classified as illegal immigrants were to be compensated scheme. Very little of the £200 -£570 million set aside has been paid up -just £46,795 ( See Hardship scheme)
On 19th March 2020 the Windrush Lessons Learned Review concluded that the Home Office showed an inexcusable ’ ignorance and thoughtlessnes’ and what had happened had been ’ foreseeable and avoidable’. (See W L L Review)
November 2020 the Equality and Human Rights Commission said the Home Office had broken the law by failing to obey public-sector equality duties by not considering how the policies affected black members of the Windrush generation.
Dexter Bristol and Paulette Wilson are 2 examples of how the ‘Windrush generation’ were seriously let down.
Alfred the Great was the king of th e West Saxons from 871-886 and king of the Anglo-Saxons c.886-899.
He is venerated as a saint by some Christian traditions. The Anglican community venerate him as a Christian hero with a feast day or commemoration on 26th October. He is often depicted in stained glass windows in C of E parish churches.
Alfred was the youngest son of King AEthelwulf. Three of his brothers AEthelbald. AEtheberht and AEthelred, reigned in turn before him.
After ascending the throne he spent several years fighting Viking invasions. In 878/9 he had a decisive victory at the Battle of Edington. (He did not win all the battles) With the Vikings he created Danelaw in the North of England. He saw the Viking leader. Guthrum converted to Christianity. He became the dominant ruler in England
Alfred had a great love of the church. As a child he had made the difficult journey to Rome to be blessed by the Pope.
As king he now turned to rebuilding of civilisation and religion among his people.
The Danes had destroyed nearly all th churches and schools in the land. He restored communications with Rome and invited scholars and monks from the Europe and Ireland to come and help in the revival of learning in England. He encouraged the building of churches, monasteries and schools.
Alfred studied and translated into Anglo-Saxon the Psalms. He also translated from Latin into Old English certain works that were regarded at the time as providing models of ideal Christian kingship and ‘most necessary for all men to know.’
From his followers he won the title ‘Protector of the Poor’.
Bishop Asser of Wales was set the task of writing the king’s biography - he emphasised Alfred’s positive aspects. He presented Alfred as the embodiment of the ideal, but practical, Christian ruler.
By the time of the Reformation Alfred was seen as a pious Christian who promoted the use of English rather then the Latin
He was given the epithet as ‘the Great’ by writers in the 16th century not by his contemporaries.
He reigned for 30 years. He died aged just 50.King Alfred was never canonised (although HenryV1 asked Pope EugeneIV in 1441 to canonise him).
History Today published an article The Most Perfect Man in History- I have enclosed most of the article.
I desire to live worthily as long as I lived, and to leave after my life, to the men who should come after me, the memory of me in good works
Alfred’s translation of passage from* Consolation of Philosophy* by Boethius
Source used
Wikipedia
Epiphany means ‘revelation’, ‘manifestation’ or ‘showing forth’ - it was the revealing of Jesus to those who were not Jewish - the magi, 3 kings, or 3 wise men were Gentiles. January 6th is the feast day
January 6th originally was used to celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. When Jesus received the Holy Ghost it was manifested to the people.
The 3 kings are part of the Nativity plays, along with the shepherds, which are part of the birth story of Jesus. Tradition suggests that they arrived days following Halley’s Comet, maybe weeks after, the birth of the baby Jesus.
Tradition has named them as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar and they brought gifts of gold (kingship), frankincense (godship0 and myrrh (for burial0.
In orthodox churches Epiphany is also known as The Feast of the Holy Theophany and is important as Christmas. Special cakes are eaten in Spain, France and Mexico.
This is also the time that some children from Spain and Italy receive their Christmas presents from the 3 Magic Kings. (Read Epiphany, the Feast of The Three Kings)
( Winter swimming is even mentioned!!)
January 6th is also Twelfth Night when the Christmas decorations normally are taken down.
Sources used
Wikipedia
Church Dates for Children by Tony Batchelor
The Feast of Corpus Christi is a special celebration of the Eucharist - the Lord’s Supper- remembering the Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
It is liturgically celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or*** where the Solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ is not a holy day of obligation, it is assigned to the Sunday after the Most Holy Trinity as its proper day.***
At the end of the Holy Mass there is a procession of the Blessed Sacrament generally displayed in a monstrance -an open or transparent receptacle in which the consecrated Host is displayed for veneration.
Corpus Christi wreaths, which are made of flowers, are hung on the doors and windows of the faithful in addition to being erected in gardens and fields.
The procession is followed by the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
In Rome the Eucharistic procession is presided over by the Pope.
In Arundel, England, they have a central aisle of flower heads laid down in a colourful pattern.
The institution of Corpus Christi as a feast in the Christian Calender resulted from approximately 40 years of work on the part of Juliana of Liege, a 13th century Norbertine canoness.
Source
Wikipedia
I have together a selection of Vocabularies and Poetry Aids about Summer plus Clip Art A5 pictures for the ‘best’ copy.
I have looked at the beach, caves, cliff hanging, the sea the weather - including rain summer sports and sports day, and looking forward to going on holiday. There are also two word searches.
David Woodroffe, an established Illustrator, did all the art work for me.
Saint Hugh of Lincoln was born in Avalon in France - that’s why he also known as Hugh of Avalon.
His mother died when he was only 8. His father, Guillaume, a soldier, decided to retire and together they went to the monastery of Villard-Benoit, near Grenoble Aged 15 Saint Hugh became a religious novice. Aged 19 he was ordained a deacon.
On his father’s death in about 1165 he joined the monks at the Carthusian motherhouse of La Grande Chartreuse near Grenoble. He was ordained a priest and later became procurator of the housse ( c.1170).
In 1179/80 he came to England where he was appointed by Henry11 to be the first prior of the Carthusian house of Witham in Essex. He became bishop of Lincoln in 1186. He was consecrated at Westminster. As both prior and bishop he defended the church’s liberties and gained respect from the monarchy.
In 1185 Lincoln cathedral had been was badly damaged because of an earthquake. Saint Hugh set about rebuilding and greatly enlarging it in the new Gothic style.
He was now one of the premier bishops in the UK and acted as a diplomat… Following visit to La Grande Chartreusein in 1200, to promote peace between King John of England and King Philip Augustus of France, he fell ill.
He died in London and was buried in Lincoln Cathedral on November 24th , 1200. Two kings, 17 bishops, nobles and crowds of the common people came to the funeral of this much loved man.
Saint Hugh is often shown with a swan by his side. This is because at his palace at Stow Park he had a pet wild swan. It would follow him everywhere, looking for food in his clothes, ’ walking ’ upstairs in the house and even guarding him while he slept.
At the time of the Reformation he was the best known saint after Thomas Becket.
Sources used
wikipedia
Britannica Online Encyclopedia
The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander
I have put together 10 New Testament profiles which I hope should prove of use. I have included all/many of the biblical references for all of them.
Mary and Joseph the parents of Jesus, and Zechariah and John the Baptist are related. Zechariah's wife, Elizabeth, is a cousin of Mary and John the Baptist is their son. I have included a statement explaining what happened normally to illegitimate babies in Israel 2000 years ago.
Andrew, Simon Peter and Matthew are three of the disciples of Jesus.
Mary Magdalene, according to the gospels, only had seven demons removed by Jesus. There is actually nothing to say what she did before she became a follower of Jesus.
Lazarus was raised from the dead and Stephen was the first Christian martyr.
One way to introduce a geography idea is to create a before/during/after
picture. My pupils used to create a small example and then turn it into a large picture for display.
I have attempted to show how a character ages- set up in three sets of three- child/young adult/mature adult The first sheet is an example answer, sheet 2 deals with physical appearance - body/ face/movement/posture, sheet 3 is the 'dressed ’ version of the character.
I have added the forgetful character, fantasy human plus two outlines for creating a Fantasy Story
I have put together some sheets about St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
There is a cover followed by two information sheets and two large font sheets detailing basic data. There are two ‘gap’ pieces of work (differentiated), a crossword which requires a picture answer, a word search, sheets about words found in Patrick, pictorial information how St. Patrick’s flag became part of the Union Jack, plus ideas for a diary and a ‘blank’ for the ‘best’ copy diary.
David Woodroffe, a professional illustrator, created the art work I have used.
I have put together a number of Poetry and Vocabulary Aids about the winter season.
The Poetry aids are set up in alphabetical order vertically and horizontally.
There are also some clip art pictures, drawn by David Woodroffe, an established illustrator.
Chief Kofoworola Abeni Pratt Hon. FRCN was a Nigerian born nurse and was the first black nurse to work in Britain’s National health Service. She went on to become vice-president of the International Council of Nurses and the first black Chief Nursing Officer of Nigeria, working in the Federal Ministry of Health.
Kofoworola was educated at Lagos CMS Girls’ Grammar school. She wanted to become a nurse but her father discouraged her so she trained as a teacher. For 4 years she taught at CMS girls’ school.
She married Nigerian pharmacist Dr. Olu Prat and they came to the UK in 1946. She studied nursing at the Nightingale School at St. Thomas’ Hospital. She passed her preliminary exams in 1948, her finals in 1949 and qualified as a State registered nurse in 1950. She was the first black nurse to work for the NHS.
After 4 years she returned to Nigeria. She applied for the post of ward sister but at the time only British expatriates allowed to hold role. 1955-7- admin .sister.
1955-63 deputy matron
In 1960 Nigeria became independent. Kofoworola 's star began to shine!
She led in the Nigerianisation of nursing in her country.
She was appointed Matron of the University Hospital in Ibadan 1964/5 - the first Nigerian to do so.
1965-72 chief nursing officer (federal)
1965 she was founder of a nursing school at the University of Ibadan
leader of the Professional Association of Trained Nurses in Nigeria
co-edited the journal Nigerian Nurse.
1971 she became President of National Council of Women’s Societies in Nigeria.
1973-5 commissioner for Health, Lagos State
1973 she was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
1975 she was awarded the chieftaincy title * Iya Ile Agbo of Isheri * f or services to the nation.
1979 Kofoworola was made an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Nursing.
1981 awarded an honorary degree from the University of Ife.
Twice in her life time we are aware she was discriminated against because of her colour. The first time was when she worked at St, Thomas’. The second , although fully qualified, in Ibadan from becoming a matron earlier in her career.
Kofoworola died on 18th June 1992
Kofoworola has not yet been honoured in Britain in association with Florence Nightingale. She is linked to Nightingale for inspiration, the Nightingale School where she trained , and the Nightingale Fund which gave her a scholarship. Nor must it be forgotten Kofoworola was the first black nurse to work for the NHS.
Sources used
Florence Nightingale Museum London
Mary Seacole Information
The Nightingale Society
wikipedia
Lent looks at the 40 days leading up to Easter.
We think of Jesus spending 40 days fasting in the wilderness before he began his earthly ministry.
The word ‘lent’ is the shortened form of the Old English word ‘lencten’ which means spring season. It starts on Ash Wednesday.
The day before Ash Wednesday is Shrove Tuesday which is celebrated as Pancake day or Mardi Gras. On this day, the day before fasting begins, the rich, fatty food are eaten up - the last day of ‘fat eating’ or ‘gorging’, in readiness to start fasting. Pancakes are tossed then eaten.
On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the palm crosses distributed the previous year at the Palm service, are burnt and the ashes places on people’s foreheads during the service.
Lent is a penitential season and many people fast - they cut out/cut down or abstain from eating. It could also include abstaining from drinking alcohol or smoking.
it could include praying more, reading more Bible studies instead of watching a favourite television programmes. (Read ‘Fasting and abstinence’)
I have included list of other 40 days mentioned in the Bible.
Source
Wikipedia
See also
Pancake day & Shrove Tuesday
Easter
Clare has close family links with horse racing and between 1988-1993 was a leading amateur flat jockey. In 1990 she was the Champion Lady Rider. She then moved onto commentating on horse racing.
She is an English broadcast journalist and author. Her memoir My Animals and Other Family, looking at her life growing up in racing yard won the 2012 National Book award for* Autobiography of the year.
She has reported on 7 Olympic Games and presented 5 Paralympic Games.
(Read her Broadcasting Career- 30 years covering sport and many other events)
She has written columns for* The Sporting Life, Racing Post, Sunday Telegraph, The Evening Standard,* and regularly writes in the Waitrose Weekend.
She is now focusing on women’s sport and had a great time doing women’s football show for C4, women’s super League matches for BT Sport, women’s tennis for the BBC and BT.
She is a patron for a number of charities (Read* Charitable activities*)
She believes strongly that improving coverage and investment in Paralympic and women’s sport will have far reaching benefits
In 2013 received OBE for services to broadcasting and journalism.
In 2020 appointed ,for 2 years, president of the Rugby Football League. In her tenure she hoped women’s game would turn professional.
In 2022 she received a CBE for services to sport and charity.
Clare is definitely one of the UK’s renown sports broadcasters.
Sources
Wikipedia
Women in Sport by Rachel Ignotofsky
*Passing the Torch Sportswomen who Inspire Mary Peters Trust
Pentecost is the birthday of Christianity! This is the day man is given the special present Jesus promised his friends the* Holy Spirit.*
Pentecost is when* tongues of fire* came down upon the disciples of Jesus.
*Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire and they came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled .them
The disciples now went onto the streets of Jerusalem. They were drunk with the spIrit not with wine. Peter stood up and gave his first sermon. Jesus Christ was risen he had defeated death. What he said could be understood by everyone in their own tongue, 3000 joined them that day. Men and women were ’ born again.’ The Holy Spirit gave birth Christianity that day.
It is a time to celebrate. We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. At Pentecost we celebrate the birth of Christianity
**
There is an information sheet on Pentecost and Whitsunday. This is when the disciples are given the gift of the Holy Spirit/Ghost.
I have included some colourful pictures - art work in the form of flames representing the tongues of fire -would be a craft idea for the children
I have created a sheet How many words can you find in _ _ _ _ _
so children can place words found in Pentecost of on the sheet. Their task is then to make up mini crosswords with clues.There are two sets of word lists - the original one I created and the much fuller one I found on Word maker.
Sources used
wikipedia
The Bible Acts chapter 2
Church Dates for Children * Tony Batchelor
Saint Thomas Aquinas was recognized as the greatest theologian of his age. He was one of the most influential medieval thinkers of Scholasticism and the father of the Thomistic school of theology.
Before he was born a holy hermit predicted to his mother that her son would enter the ‘Order of Friars Preachers’ and become a great learner and achieve unequaled sanctity.
Aged 5 he was sent to the Abbey of Monte Cassino. Aged 13 the political climate forced him to return to Naples. He stayed 5 years at the Benedictine house. In about 1239 he went to the local university. In 1243 he secretly joined an order of Dominican monks, receiving the habit a year later. When his parents found out they were so annoyed at his betrayal they held him captive -kidnapped him- for a year in the fortress of San Giovanni at Rocca Secca. On his release in 1245 he returned to the order and stayed with them until 1252. Ordained in 1250 he then earned his doctorate in Theology. he was an exemplary scholar.
On completing his education he devoted his time to travelling, writing, teaching, public speaking and preaching. Institutes yearned to benefit from the wisdom of ‘The Christian Apostle’.
For his ‘Theology and Philosophy’ please read relevant paragraphs. He wrote nearly 60 known works. Handwritten copies were distributed to libraries across Europe! (Read ‘Major Works’)
During the feast of Saint Nicholas in 1273 he had a mystical vision which made him think writing was unimportant. Father Reginald of Piperno urged him to write but he never wrote again.
In 1274 Thomas decided to walk to the Second Council in Lyon, France. He fell ill on the way and stayed at the Cistercirn monastery of Fossanova in Italy .He died at the monastery on March 7th 1274. If the Lord wishes to take me away, it is better that I be found in a religious house than in the dwelling of a layperson.
*Thomas provided the Roman church with reasoned statements of its interpretation of Christian faith. H. Dermot McDonald
Thomas was canonized by Pope John XX11 in1323.
Sources used
Life, Philosophy & Theology- Biography
Great Leaders of the Christian Faith Woodbridge
contirbution by H. Dermot McDonald