Peterborough Reads has created 200 Roald Dahl packs so that children without reliable internet access can continue to develop their literacy skills during lockdown.
The packs are full of splendiferous activities including inventing a scrumdidlyumptious treat for Willy Wonka's factory, travelling the world in a giant peach, and capturing dreams for The BFG. We've also included a free Roald Dahl book in each pack along with tips to help families and carers get the most out of story time.
Recent research found that 60,000 children in the UK do not have any access to the internet at home, while millions of others do not have a device that can connect to the internet. Sutton Trust polling found that more than a third (34%) of parents with children aged 5-16 do not have their own computer, laptop, or tablet at home.
Peterborough Reads inspires families to read together and helps parent's support their child's literacy development. As a response to school closures, we launched a Facebook page so we can continue to reach families in the community. However, local schools requested further support for their pupils who do not have consistent access to the internet.
The Roald Dahl packs are hardcopies and include five writing challenges along with toptips to help complete them as well as some bonus activities for some extra fun. The activities are all based on different books and each one is linked to a room in the home to inspire children to think creatively about their surroundings. The activities are designed so that children can take part regardless of whether or not they have read each of the titles.
We partnered with City College Peterborough and the local council to help identify young people who will benefit from a pack and to help distribute them across the community. Some of the packs have already been given to children associated with Barnardo's Children's centre and the remaining packs will be distributed in the next few weeks.
The Roald Dahl activities can also be downloaded for free from our website.