Lord Deramore’s Science Week

Thank you to the staff and pupils of Lord Deramore’s Primary School in my own home village of Heslington for their hospitality last Friday. I spent the last day of their Science Week with them, and was very impressed by how much they knew about Charles Darwin and his discoveries.

I was also very impressed by the fabulous poems they wrote (and in some cases performed) during the course of the day about all sorts of minibeasts, including ants, bees, butterflies, dragonflies and beetles.

The whole school got in the poetry mood – including Teaching Assistant Jane King, who not only found my coat for me at the end of the day, but has also since written me a wonderful poem about it! Read on …

Anneliese has lost her coat!

Where it lurks, she’s no idea.
Gone forever is the fear!

Has it sprouted legs and walked?
To find it is her only thought.

Perhaps it flapped its arms and flew
-         is it hiding in the loo?

Maybe it has wrapped around
Someone else and ‘Gone to ground!’

Then she asked one in the know,
Who knew the very place to go.

“Look”, she pointed over there,
“It’s just been sitting on the chair!”

by Jane King
Many thanks, Jane!

Anneliese Emmans Dean - info@theBigBuzz.biz
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The new Poet Laureate – and me!

Congratulations to Carol Ann Duffy on being appointed the new – and first ever woman – Poet Laureate.

To mark the event, the BBC commissioned a selection of poets – including me – to write a poem offering the next Poet Laureate some advice. You can read our poems here.

I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Andrew Motion for the fabulous work he has done as Poet Laureate over the last 10 years. He has touched many many people with his poetry during that time. I was particularly touched by the poem he was commissioned to write recently for BBC Radio 4’s BH programme. Read the poem here I adore his image of crocuses as gas jets …

I look forward to savouring the poems Carol Ann Duffy writes as our next Laureate.

Teaching Pack published for ‘Compost! The (mini-)Musical’

To mark Compost Awareness Week next week, I am launching the long-awaited Teaching Pack for ‘Compost! The (mini-)Musical‘, my fun BigBuzz eco-musical, which can be easily learned and performed -  indoors or out – by children and adults alike.

Find out more

Listen to an excerpt

Order your copy

Read feedback

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Order your copy

Order your copy

Find out more about Compost! performances