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School Days 📚 "The best days of our life?"

  • Writer: Simon O'Donovan
    Simon O'Donovan
  • Jan 8, 2023
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jan 21, 2023



School life is free of major responsibilities and is more about self-development, bonding with friends, and identifying your talents. It is said that good friends and healthy activities make school days the happiest days of our lives.


Ask members if they agree with that sentiment?

Do they have happy memories of school?

What is different between then and now in terms of schooling?


Think about ...


- Ink pen versus biro

- Learning how to write versus learning how to type

- Working it out versus calculators

- Chalk board versus powerpoint

- Walking to school versus the school run

- Playing outside versus sat in front of an x Box



As this is more of a discussion-based CST activities session, encourage members to reminiscence and story-tell as you work through these slides. For example, ask members how to play the games or describe how objects worked.


Take care though and know a little about your members' lives before proceeding. Some may have had less happy school days. They may have been bullied or abused or life at home may have been difficult.


PS If you are broadcasting, if you click on the first picture a slider show will open.

If you are doing handouts, for me taking screenshots works best.



Idioms


Let's start with some idioms. Ask members to complete these well known phrases together, by way of a shout out ...


Put your thinking cap ON

Draw a BLANK

Back to BASICS

Pass with flying COLOURS

As easy as ABC

CopyCAT

Eager BEAVER

Show of HANDS

Learn something off by HEART

Times TABLES

BookWORM

The school of hard KNOCKS

A for EFFORT

Play HOOKY

School of THOUGHT

Text BOOK

Can't teach an old dog new TRICKS

BrainSTORM

Fill in the BLANKS

Learn the ROPES

Teach someone a LESSON

A fast LEARNER

In one ear, out the OTHER

Make the GRADE

Eleven PLUS

Teacher's PET





In The Playground



Name these ten school ground games?

Can anyone think of any others (for an extra point)?





Remember warm milk at break time?

What alternative was sometimes provided?




School Items



Name these items?

Can anyone think of any others (for an extra point)?




What was your school 'Tuck Shop' like?

What were your 'go to' treats?

How much pocket money did you used to get?




Sports Day



Name the sport or the sporting equipment?

Can anyone think of any others (for an extra point)?




What was your favourite school dinner and pudding?

What was the one meal you hated?




In The Park



Name the playground ride?

Can anyone think of any others (for an extra point)?




What was your favourite comic? What was your favourite comic character?




Movies & TV



Complete the movie titles:


'Tom *****'* ****** ****' (1951)

'The Belles Of ** ********' (1954)

'To Sir **** ****' (1967) Song link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV1qmmMwc9M

'The Prime Of **** **** ******' (1969)

'K**' (1969)

'Goodbye ** *****' (1939)

'Billy ******' (2000)

'Harry ******' (2001)




Name the TV shows?


'G***** H***'

'B**** G****'

'The I*********'



Video Break



"Am I bovvered?" Lauren's French O'Level - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1zK8zRCPo

"Shut up!" Vicky's GCSE in History - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVwtJyTDMwc




Songs




Complete the song titles and name the artists or bands?


'Schools Out *** ******' - A.C. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Oo8QzDHimQ

'Another ***** ** *** ****' - P.F. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrxX9TBj2zY&t=116s

'I Don't **** *******' - B.R. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kobdb37Cwc


Can anyone think of any more?



Practical Activity


As this CST activities page is about a celebration of our younger selves, maybe wrap a tub of 'Celebrations' in layers of paper and play a game of 'Pass The Parcel'.









In The Playground


Jacks

Hide and seek

Conkers

Ring a ring of roses

Hula hoop

Blind man's bluff

Skipping

Leap frog

Marbles

Hop scotch



School Items


School bell

Pencil sharpener

Ink well

Chalk board

Daps or Pumps

Satchel

Cap

Shorts (whatever the weather!)

Exercise book

NHS glasses



Sports Day


Rounders

Wheelbarrow race

Sack race

Three legged race

Egg and spoon race

Apparatus

Gym bench

Horse

Gymnasics



In The Park


Roundabout

Swings & See saw

Rocking horse

Slide

Climbing frame

Witches hat



Movies & TV


'Tom Brown's School Days' (1951)

'The Belles Of St Trinians' (1954)

'To Sir With Love' (1967)

'The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie' (1969)

'Kes' (1969)

'Goodbye Mr Chips' (1939)

'Billy Elliot' (2000)

'Grease' (1978)


'Grange Hil'

'Byker Grove'

'The Inbetweeners'



Songs


'Wonderful World', Sam Cooke

'The Logical Song', Supertramp

'Schools Out For Summer', Alice Cooper

'Another Brick In The Wall', Pink Floyd

'I Don't Like Mondays', Boomotwn Rats






 
 
 

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About Me

 

Simon O’Donovan MBE is a retired Consultant Nurse who worked in NHS Wales for most of his adult life, supporting people with dementia, their care partners and support staff through managing, developing and improving services to benefit this group. 

 

The main aim of this website is to share experience and resources freely, so others can dip in and out and use some or all of the free and open access materials provided in their own CST practice. Thus facilitating and supporting the provision of uplifting and enjoyable sessions that optimise people with dementia's quality of life.

This site is not owned by or affiliated to any organisation. It is a personal unpaid commitment with no intention whatsoever of profit-making. However, costs for web package, domain page & YouTube & Spotify subscriptions can be supported via a www.ko-fi.com/simondementia donation. 

Please note that some images are copied from the public domain under the 'fair use copyright' principle, in that they will only be used for educational purposes with disability groups and not be used for profit.

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