A warm welcome back to everyone after the Easter break. We hope you all had a restful Easter. We have certainly been busy these past few weeks and here are some of the highlights.
Chess
Chess seems to be a favourite in the Hub with some of our Hubsters finding joy and intellectual stimulation on the chessboard. Through the intricate dance of pawns, knights, and queens, they have engaged in battles that have sparked their strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. Our students are not only enjoying the spirited competition but are also developing life skills such as patience, anticipation and adaptability ♟️.
Knitting Club
The Knitting Club has joyfully resumed this half term, welcoming a fresh and exciting twist with Becca introducing the art of crochet to not only the Hubsters but our dedicated staff as well. This new venture has sparked an enthusiasm for crafting and learning, revealing hidden talents and nurturing a closer community spirit within our Hub. Becca’s expertise and passion have made each session a highlight of the week, proving that the thread of creativity is alive and well within us all.
Creative Corner
One of our Hubsters poured his creativity and excitement into designing a unique picture frame, painting it himself to capture the anticipation of his upcoming family holiday. The frame now beautifully houses a picture of his favourite ferry, The Pride of Rotterdam, symbolising not just the vessel but the cherished family adventure that lies ahead.
On a creative streak, our Hubster also continued to develop his learning through his passion of corgis. He put all his efforts into making them their very own dog bed complete with decorations, a cushion and a family portrait! He discussed colour mixing, worked out the sizes of fabric needed and came up with a plan of how to put it all together. What a success! 🐶🦴🐾
Thrive
In one of last week’s engaging Thrive sessions, our Hubsters dove into the world of the simple, yet insightful task of designing paper planes. The challenge was clear and exciting: to create a paper plane that could soar further than the rest. This activity wasn’t just about folding paper; it involved careful research and understanding of which designs would lead to the best flight performance. The key highlight was witnessing the diverse range of planes taking to the air and measuring their success. Hubsters blended fun with practical learning in a memorable hands-on session.
To develop cooperation and team work, Hubsters and staff played a game of up and over with a balloon during Thrive this week. The objective is for the group to pass back the balloon either over their head or under their legs, alternating methods with each person. When the last person in line gets the balloon, they run to the front of the line and start passing the balloon back again. Play continues until everyone reaches a finishing point. Hubsters and staff alike, had a lot of fun during this collaborative session.
National Art Week
During National Art Week, we had the incredible opportunity to welcome Safi’s mum into our Hub. She led a captivating watercolour workshop that introduced the Hubsters to the enchanting world of watercolours. Through her guidance, the Hubsters became skilled at various techniques, mastering the art of stretching and blending watercolours to create mesmerising pieces that uniquely captured their artistic expressions. This experience developed their artistic skills and Hubsters expressed their enjoyment and pride in the artwork they produced. The session proved to be an inspiring event, leaving a lasting impression on all who participated.
Plant Hospital
The Plant Hospital has been busy following the Easter break. Our Plant Doctor has been hard at work diagnosing sick plants and exploring how best to make them healthy again. This week he had a Rubber plant that had a disease caused from too much light and water. After some careful research, the plant has been moved to the shade and our Doctor made a fungicide treatment. This has been sprayed onto the plant and the disease infected leaves have been trimmed. How lucky are we to have such a caring Hubster to look after our plants.
Measuring Milkshake
One of our Hubsters embarked on a deliciously educational adventure, learning the art of making the perfect chocolate milkshake. The task at hand wasn’t just about creating a tasty treat; it was about mastering the accuracy of measuring. Discovering the importance of balance, he used 2 level teaspoons of milkshake powder with 200ml of cold semi-skimmed milk to create a smooth paste. Then, by gradually adding the remaining milk and thoroughly stirring, our Hubster experienced firsthand how precise measurements lead to the desired outcome. This exercise not only left him with a yummy chocolate milkshake but also with a deeper understanding of how accuracy in measurement is crucial for achieving just the right taste 😋.
Northern Echo
If you haven’t seen the article The Northern Echo did on us, check it out here!
Baking
The Hub has been smelling super delicious recently with two of our Hubsters busy baking. We were treated to delightful chocolate chip cookies and scrumptious millionaire shortbread… what a treat! 😋
Birthday Display
One of our Hubsters has helped to plan a Birthday display. He said rather than having birthday balloons, clouds are more calming and they’re different ☁️ He went around The Hub asking when everyone’s birthday is to write on individual clouds to go onto the display. We think this is a wonderful way to show everyone’s birthday so we can celebrate together 🥳✨
