Muriwhenua, to give him his full first name, may have been born with a hole in his heart but he had a whole heart for Jesus. Muri’ s uncle was the Maori bishop of Aotearoa and his mother, Meriana, hoped he would become an Anglican clergyman. Muri, on the other hand, desired to be a leader of a dance band! Aged 16 he went to Auckland to finish his schooling. He stayed at the United Maori Mission where Charlie Bennett was the minister. Charlie impressed Muri with his sincerity and genuineness. He attended a YMCA meeting and was asked, ‘Why don’t you receive Christ?’ He replied, ‘All right , I’ll give it ago’. Slowly a change in heart and mind happened. He read biographies of famous preachers and evangelists. In January 1954 Jim Duffecy, an Open Air Campaigner (OAP), landed in Auckland. Muri inspired by Jim gained confidence to take his own aggressive and unorthodox style to his own people. An OAP branch was opened in New Zealand - Muri was one of its first evangelists. He went to the USA but his heart was giving him problems. On returning home he went to hospital - given a 50/50 chance of surviving an operation. No operation until 17 years later! Those 17 years were fruitful ones for evangelism. In 1963 he married Ena. She was a loyal support and strength until the end. In 1970 he went to the Solomon Islands - the Charisma of Revival. There there was a new breath of the Spirit. ( See notes) In 1972 there were the Jesus matches (See short note). Muri was a prophet of God,singularly devoid of airs and graces, and worldly ambition. He took the Gospel of Christ to the Maoris -his brothers and sisters. Sources used Ambassadors for Christ editor J. D. Woodbridge - contributor David Stewart World Press - Donald Daily Victoria University of Wellington Library

Just put this material together to help children write /discuss what happened in Thailand in the last fortnight. Lets hope the rescue is a complete success.

David Woodroffe, a professional illustrator, has created some very good clip art for my Easter resource. The Holy week sheet looks briefly at Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. I have created a page listing the personalities and the order of events from the Last Supper to Christ’s appearance, following his resurrection to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The Poetry Aid can be used to create a poem or even a hymn to celebrate Easter. The fourteen stages of the cross has been deal with clip art. The main personalities have been included in a word search. The Easter diary can be written up on the ‘blank’ sheet. Children are often asked to see how many words they can find in a topical word - eg. Easter. I have enclosed four sheets, a lesson outline, a pupil sheet and two answer sheets. (I have included Pancake Day because I did not want to set up a resource of just two pages. )

I have created four sheets about cricket. One is a phrase sheet to encourage children to write about their experiences about playing or watching cricket The second is a Poetry Aid sheet in case they would like to put their thoughts in poetry form. The third sheet is a cricket word search with answer sheet. There is a sheet of cricket equipment and field positions List of basic vocabulary There are 4 sheets showing a simple sentence with their meaning of many of the words used in cricket

A simple blank diagram for showing the Beaufort Scale plus names of winds and a poetry aid.

David Livingstone was a Christian missionary and pioneer who opened up Africa. His obsession was to open up Africa to Christian missions. He was almost constantly ill - he had malaria many times - but his force of will prevented him from succumbing to diseases or discomfort that carried off many of his companions. He was the first European to cross the width of South Africa. Many missionaries followed in his footsteps. I have created a time-line of his life and a word search (with answers). I have included two concise pages looking at his life and a picture depicting him being wounded by a lion whilst coming to the aid of some Africans. . There is also an informative map. The comment about him witnessing the massacre of 400 slaves has been deliberately kept separate.

This is the story of how Gladys Aylward, a missionary in China during the second World War, helped Chinese orphans safely across a mountain. When she returned to England she realised a film had been written showing her life and a book called The Small Woman had been published. On Google, and Youtube there is a great deal of information about how from her humble beginnings as a housemaid/domestic help became a successful missionary.

The story of Saint Cuthbert divides into two halves Lindisfarne The first part looks at his life and works In Lindisfarne, Northumbria. How he begins life in a monastery as a novice and eventually becomes a bishop. How also he took time out to becoming a hermit and live on Inner Farne for 10 years- the job being to fight the spiritual forces of evil in a life of solitude. The second half is Durham. After his death and the realisation that his body had not decomposed miracles started to happen and how his remains eventually end up in Durham Cathedral. I have created a type of time line of his life based on information from Lindisfarne. Followed by information about the moving of his remains to Durham and the two stories about how his remains ended up in Durham .

Here are four poetry aids created in connection with Transport plus four Clip art pictures for best copy.

The first Stuart sheet is a Maths sheet. I then look at November the 5th the Gunpowder Plot, and there is a list of Fireworks and a Poetry Aid. There is a sheet about the Pilgrim Fathers 1620 . I have given four pages to the 1642-9 English Civil War. The first sheet is Events and Dates, the second is the trial and execution of Charles I, the map on the third page shows the positions of the king/parliament. The fourth sheet is a very clear picture of a Roundhead and Cavalier There are information sheets about the Plague and the Fire of London. There are poetry aids on both of these plus a Poetry Aid for the Stuart monarchs. Illustrations are by DavidWoodroffe.

Here are a number of phrase/vocabulary sheets looking at different forms of Flight. I start with Montgolfiers and their balloons and writing about going up in a hot-are balloon . I move onto gliding, hang-gliding and skydiving. I move onto First Powered flights with the Wright brothers, I then move onto aeroplanes and the supersonic commercial Concorde - its brief history and the accident in Paris. There is a phrase/vocabulary page about helicopters, dog fight in the second world war and modern stealth fighters. I have included a Poetry Aid about Flight. There are four A 5 sheets for ‘best’ copy and a crossword/word search.

I start with St. Nicholas - history and legends, letter to Father Christmas ideas, clip art for best copy and word search and one page on Advent. Christmas has a list of nativity characters, poetry aid, three journeys, 'How many words can you find in Christmas' and Diary Aid. Epiphany has one page. There are several clip art pictures to use.

I was thinking of creating some junior material about Mary Seacole when I found National Geographic For Kids had already created this resource. See also notes on Kofoworota Abeni Pratt - first black Nigerian nurse in NHS

The race to get to be first to the North Pole and then the South Pole. The American Charles Francis Hall (1821-71) made 3 expeditions and sailed further north than anyone else - he was the first person to visit the north shore of Greenland. Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) was a Norwegian explorer, inventor, scientist, diplomat and humanitarian. In 1888 led the first crossing of the Greenland interior traversing the island on cross-country skis… They reached 86 degrees 14 in his Fram expedition (1893-6). The Fram was specially built using wood reinforced with metal. He sailed his ship into the pack ice and hoped the Arctic currents would ‘float’ him to the North Pole. It remained frozen for 2 years. With a companion he tried unsuccessfully to walk the rest of the way. ( read Death and legacy) Sir James Clark Ross (1800-1862) was a British Royal Navy Officer and polar explorer was known for his 6 polar explorations of the Arctic. 2 with his uncle Sir John Ross, 4 with Sir William Parry and his own of the Antarctic (1839-1843). On June 1st 1831 a small party located the North magnetic Pole. Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (1856-1920) made 3 expeditions to the Arctic 1898-1902, 1905-6 and 1908/9. During the last one he claimed he had reached the North Pole. He paid for his trips by writing about his adventures in books and magazines. Matthew Alexander Henson (1866-1955), an African American, accompanied Robert Perry on 7 voyages to the Arctic spread over 23 years- 18 on expeditions. In the 1908/9 expedition he claimed that on April 6th 1909 he was the first of party of 6 to reach the North Pole. (Wally Herbert in 1989 published research that suggested they could have fallen 48-97 kms short due to navigational errors.) Carsten Borechgrevink (1964-1934) was an Anglo-Norwegian polar explorer and pioneer of modern Antarctica travel. The race to be first to the South Pole between Captain Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912) and Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen 91864-1934) is in most history books. Amundsen was more organized and reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911 and went on in 12 May 1926 to be one of 16 men to reach the North Pole by the airship Norge ! Scott had already led 1 expedition to the Antarctic. Scott with his 5 friends arrived on 17 January 1912, less then 5 weeks later. They all died on the return journey. Scott kept a Diary. The diary revealed that on 17 March the sick Captain Oates walked out of the camp to die in the snow. Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874-1922)was an Anglo-Irish explorer who led 3 British expeditions to the Antarctica. The Imperial Trans-Antarctica Expedition (1914-17) to cross the Antarctica from sea to sea struck disaster when the Endurance became trapped by packed ice and crushed. Lifeboats were launched to reach Elephant Island and ultimately South Georgia Island - a voyage of 720 nautical miles - his most famous exploit. In 1921 he returned to Antarctica but died of a heart attack.

I have created a number(14) of brief History sheets looking at Medieval England. I have covered these topics:- Medieval Monarchs Battle of Hastings Crusades Page to a Knight Thomas Becket Magna Carta 100 year war Richard I I and Peasants Revolt War of the Roses 'family ’ tree War of the Roses Medieval kings -maths sheet Medieval border sheet Medieval vocabulary

John Wesley is the founder of Methodism - the Methodist church. Until the age of 35 John Wesley was a 'normal' Christian. He had grown up in a Christian family and had become a clergyman but something was missing. On May 24th 1738 he had his 'spiritual birthday'. Today we talk about being 'born again'. His outlook on life changed dramatically. His sermons were no longer ordinary, congregations found them disturbing and he, along with others, were banned from preaching in church. He became a field preacher and his statue outside the New Room sees him astride his horse. For nearly fifty years he was out in the open, in all weathers, preaching the Good News. He kept a Journal, preached many sermons, wrote many books and even a dictionary. He brought the message that 'love casts out fear' to his listeners. I have created time line and written about his life in brief using Wikipedia and a Ladybird book. The book is called John Wesley, Founder of Methodism ISBN 0946550654. It is published by Methodist Publishing House, 4 John Wesley Road, Peterborough price £2. It is a typical ladybird book - writing with a very full text and well illustrated - see examples included.

I have put together a mixture of material about the Tudors. There is a maths sheet about the Tudors. A gap sheet on Henry VII and Henry VIII and his wives Information and picture on the Mary Rose. Some of Elizabeth I’s sailors were regarded by the French as pirates so there is a phrase/ vocabulary sheet plus a Poetry Aid. There is information and a map explaining the Spanish Armada of 1588 . There are several sheets about haunted houses with two example sheets plus a Poetry aid on Fear. All illustrations/map are drawn by David Woodroffe.

I have included a definition/history of Mothering Sunday, a vocabulary and a Mothering Sunday card outline, a picture and recipe for Simnel cake which I found, plus a word search with answers. These sheets I hope will be useful.

Eight Poetry Aids have been put together - bottom of my garden, birds, farming, in the wood, trees and wild animals of the U.K. and the world. The excellent clip art pictures are by David Woodroffe, an established illustrator.

Eric Liddell (1902-1947), an outstanding Olympic athlete over 100/200/400m, is remembered for refusing to race on a Sunday at the 1924 Olympic Games because of his Christian beliefs. He was born in China to his Scottish missionary parents the Rev and Mrs James Dunlop Liddell. He was educated at Eltham College, Blackheath (1908-1920). Through time it has been forgotten that he was also a missionary in China for 18 years- his life was cut short by an inoperable brain tumour which he suffered while interned at the Chines Weishein camp.