KEEPING YOU IN TOUCH - YOUR FREE MONTHLY NEWSPAPER DELIVERED DOOR-TO-DOOR FOR 33 YEARS Jenny learnsabout having Friends A SHORT STORY FOR YOUNG CHILDREN BY CHRIS BOWER©2020


It is playtime at school. Katy and her friend Poppy are in the playground having a game of hop scotch. They like this game because you have to be very careful how you throw the stone into the right square. You also have to hop. Other friends join in and they have great fun.


Then Katy sees a girl in her class, Jenny, crouched down in the corner of the playground with her iPhone. She looks very unhappy. Katy goes over to Jenny.


“What is the matter?” asks Katy, “Are you all right?”


“I’m OK,” says Jenny with a sigh. “It’s just that I have 45 friends on Twitter. If I have 45 friends, why do I feel so lonely?”


Katy thinks for a moment, then she says, “When was the last time you spoke to one of your friends, like we are talking now?”


“I don’t actually talk to them like we are talking now,” replies Jenny.


“But you cannot have real friends unless you do things together and really talk to them,” says Katy.


Just then, playtime is over, and they have to go back into school.


“Look, Jenny,” says Katy, “Poppy is coming to tea tomorrow. Would you like to come too?”


“Yes please,” says Jenny, with a big smile. So, Katy and Jenny make sure their Mummies are


© SUSAN FLEMING


happy and the next day, Poppy and Jenny go home with Katy for tea.


“Mummy says we have to leave our iPhones in this box until after tea,” says Katy.


They all explore Katy’s bedroom and play some lovely games together and forget all about iPhones. Katy’s Mummy gives them a scrumptious tea and all too soon it is time for Poppy and Jenny to go home.


“I wish you were my friends,” says Jenny. “We are!” say Katy and Polly at the same time. They all look at each other and laugh.


A VISIT TO COCKERMOUTH MOUNTAIN RESCUE


Staff recently took 18 very excited children from the Mary Platt Methodist Pre-School to visit the team headquarters of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue. The children first watched a short video, showing how the team respond when someone is in trouble on the Lake District fells and mountains, followed by an exploration of the Rescue Centre. One group of children had the opportunity to see and try the climbing wall at the Centre, while a second group of children went to see the rescue vehicles, sit in them and even test the sirens!


This excitement was followed with a demonstration of how the rescue team help injured walkers and climbers and how they are kept warm with a ‘parachute’ cover until they can be taken to hospital. All the children excitedly scrambled under the ‘parachute’ cover to test how warm it was.


The rescue team gave each child a free Cockermouth Mountain Rescue pack to take home which included a personalised notebook, pencil, pin, leaflet and some activities to do at home. The Pre-School also received a toy mountain rescue helicopter.


We’d like to thank the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue team, who so kindly gave their time to make this a very enjoyable and educational visit for the children.


Chris Orr INFO@COCKERMOUTHPOST.CO.UK ISSUE 439 | 27 FEBRUARY 2020 | 38


AND NOW FOR SOMETHING TO DO...


Finger Painting


For this, you will need different colour paints (like you used last month for the stencil prints) and paper.


Put your finger into the paint and then push it on to the paper. This is simple; but how clever can you be at making up pictures or patterns with fingerprints? You could print a circle of fingerprints, with a large thumb print in the middle. If you then drag a green line from the circle of fingerprints, you will have made what looks like a flower.


Another suggestion is to make one large fingerprint with a smaller one in front. If you then draw ears, legs and a tail you will have a dog (or is it a cat?).


Don’t make too much mess for Mummy to clear up – she might make you do it yourself!


Have fun!


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48