Hello and welcome to the 7th and final instalment of my blog.
Continuing from the previous blog’s, I will be bringing you some fantastic ideas and activities to keep boredom at bay though out the summer holidays.
Tour the Anne Frank House
Are you currently learning about World War 2? Would you like to learn more about Anne Frank? You can take a virtual tour of the secret annex which Anne and her family hid in for more than 2 years during World War 2 and where she wrote her diary. There are also online digital lessons to complete with an interactive quiz questions. https://annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/secret-annex/
Explore the World
Geoguessr is a web based geographic discovery game that uses google maps. The game starts with you being dropped somewhere in the world. Your challenge is to figure out where in the world you are.
Choose a continent and whether you would like a time limit or not.
You can play 1 free game of 5 rounds per day.
When you have been dropped in your location look for clues like road names, flags, road signs etc then when you have figured it out, plot your guess on the guess map.
Hint – you can move around and zoom into the guess map to plot your guess. Also when you guess on your second or third location, there will be an advert to sign up although if you wait 10 seconds, you will be taken back to your guess.
https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/world/play
Get cooking
For those of you about to embark on student life in the Student halls, how are your cooking skills? Now could be the perfect time to start practising to make cheap, easy and nutritious meals. Even if it is a pasta bake, meatloaf or cottage pie why not try it out, I am sure your family will be delighted to try your culinary delights.
Here is a fab recipe my sister gave me for meatloaf. It really is yummy and something which could last a couple of dinner times or you could slice up and freeze:
Meatloaf with pasta and tomato sauce
Ingredients:
For the meatloaf (makes a 1lb loaf tin):
450 g beef mince 4 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
100 g quality bacon 1 tbsp tomato puree
1 medium onion 1 tsp mustard powder
1 clove of garlic 125 g breadcrumbs
1 egg (optional, for binding) 1 teaspoon salt
Butter
For the tomato sauce:
1 tin of chopped tomatoes small cup of water
1 medium onion oregano (dried or dried mixed herbs)
1 clove of garlic Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar sugar
To serve, 150 g pasta, parmesan cheese, basil.
Method
- Heat oven to 200 ˚C (gas 6);
- 2. Mix the bacon, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, mustard powder and salt in a food processor;
- Take the processed ingredients and mix together with the mince and breadcrumbs.
- Take the 1lb loaf tin and line with tin foil and then grease with butter. Put the mixture in to the loaf tin and place in the oven (middle shelf) for approximately 1 hour 15 mins. Keep checking the mixture as cooking time may vary depending on the type of oven;
- To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan and sweat the onions until translucent;
- Add the garlic and the water around 125 ml and reduce down. Add the tomatoes and mixed herbs and leave on a lower heat until the whole mixture has reduced by half and is thicker and darker in colour. This might take 15-20 mins;
- Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly before tasting and seasoning with salt pepper, sugar and balsamic vinegar. You should do this to your own taste but usually 2 tablespoons of vinegar is required with one teaspoon of sugar. Return to the heat before serving;
- Boil some pasta and when cooked and drained mix some of the tomato sauce in. serve in a bowl with a slice of meatloaf on top, more tomato sauce, parmesan and basil. Enjoy.
Hint: I would leave the meatloaf to rest for 15 mins or so once it comes out of the oven, this will make it easier to slice up.
The Scottish Book Trust
The Scottish Book Trust have a few writing competitions on at the moment, ‘A’ the seas’ competition closes on Wednesday of next week 24th June, which still gives you a good amount of time. Write a poem, story, play or song (in the scots language) in under 200 words, a one page comic or a video of you telling a story in 3 minutes or less on the them. The theme of this year’s competition is Til a’ the seas gang dry. For more information click on the following links:
http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/writing-and-authors/scots-story-competition-2020
Or if you fancy entering the creative writing competition where you write a story which features fog (max 50 words), follow this link:
https://scottishbooktrust.com/fifty-words-competitions/write-a-story-featuring-fog
Earn yourself a Blue Peter Badge
When I was younger, I used to watch Blue Peter and be in awe or some of the drawings and crafts that people sent in. Little did I know that you could earn a Blue Peter Badge for doing it! Are you aged 15 or under? If you want to earn a Blue Peter Badge (there are 8 which you can apply for) then follow this link:
Badge owners can also gain free entry into over 200 Blue Peter attractions around the country such as theme parts, zoo’s and castles.
Vegetable Patch Update
In blog 1 I told you all about how I was starting a vegetable patch in my garden, well I thought I would share an update for you all. The first picture below is of my vegetable patch on 15th May and the second picture is from this morning. This plot has leeks, onions, cauliflower, parsnips, potatoes (the ones from my veg drawer), turnips, Brussel sprouts (yes, I love brussels) and peas.
Reading Challenge
Check out the library section of the website for information on how to join the reading challenge.
The team are currently on their way to Mandalay.
Book of the Week – Furious Thing by Jenny Downham
Bestselling author Jenny Downham (BEFORE I DIE) has created a timely masterpiece that captures the true feelings of a teenage girl in a difficult, troubling and all-too-common situation.
Book Reviews
Don’t forget, you can leave a review on any of the books you have read from the School Library Catalogue on Eclipse, just log onto your account or search and click on the book title and leave a review.
Well that’s it from me, I really hope that you enjoyed the last 7 blogs and that you found some activities that are of interest to you.
I hope that you have an amazing Summer Holiday and look forward to seeing you all next term.
Stay safe, stay home
Mrs Jones
Library Assistant
