Disco moves and prickly pets

Picture this if you will. Sixty little learners, one hundred and twenty waving arms, the same amount of stomping feet, and YMCA by the Village People blaring out of the hall at nine o'clock in the morning!

It's not normal for the little learners of Sunnyside School, to begin their day by frantically jigging around to a 1970s American disco group. But needs must when there is a very important school musical event approaching, and it requires a whole lot of practice. 

Despite the fact that Whippy Cove is still experiencing a proper summer with proper summer temperatures, the Sunnysiders powered through the heat until something that resembled a dance routine finally began to emerge. However, at one point during rehearsals, a line of little learners appeared on a bench at the rear of the hall, demanding sick buckets and ice packs because they were "too poorly to carry on". As soon as rehearsals finished though, something magical happened, they all suddenly got better, and they were the first ones out the door when it was time to play in the sunshine.

When all the little learners returned to the classroom following their play outside, something happened that left Mrs Very Jolly and Mrs Crayon in tears. As always, they were tears of laughter!

A particular little learner wanted to address his classmates (whilst they were all sat on the carpet), to put out an urgent plea for help. The plea for help involved searching for the caterpillar, he'd brought into school that morning in a little white pot filled with a mound of fresh green leaves. He explained to his friends that his caterpillar was last seen on a scooter outside before he crashed it and fell off. When Mrs Very Jolly and Mrs Crayon had recovered from an uncontrollable fit of the giggles, Mrs Very Jolly asked if the caterpillar was wearing a cycle helmet or not. "Not!" Said the little learner. "And he wasn't wearing knee pads either!"  
"Does he have a name at all poppet?" Asked Mrs Crayon dabbing the tears in her eyes. "Yes!" Replied the little learner very definitely. "He's called Spike!" After some clarification, it turned out that the caterpillar wasn't actually riding the scooter by himself, rather he was in the white pot which was in the little learner's hand until he crashed the scooter, sending the pot skyward along with all the leaves and Spike himself. 

"If you call him," suggested one little learner from the carpet, "he'll recognise your voice and come to you." The group thought this was a marvelous idea, so when they all ventured outside again, the garden area was filled with little learners shouting for Spike at the top of their lungs. Incredibly and as if by magic, within seconds a Cabbage White Butterfly flew down into the garden and very briefly flew among the little learners before disappearing over the garden fence. Squeals, or rather screams of excitement and delight echoed around the garden and beyond, because as far as the little learners were concerned, Spike the caterpillar was now Spike the butterfly! 

What followed next is the kind of little learner initiated activity that always gets the team buzzing with excitement....... Independent writing. 

Whole groups of little learners suddenly took it upon themselves to write 'wanted posters' to alert everyone of Spike's disappearance. And, as soon as they'd finished their posters the little learners sourced blobs of Blu tack (the team are not sure from where exactly) and used them to attach their posters to the garden shed.  So, by the end of the afternoon, the garden shed was swamped with posters (all flapping in the breeze) calling for Spike's return. Sadly, he didn't reappear by home time, and to cap it all the little learner in question also mislaid the white pot that served as Spike's cosy home.  So unfortunately he went home potless, caterpillarless and butterflyless!  

However, the little learners of Sunnyside School have vowed to resume their search for Spike when they return to school tomorrow.

And to anybody living close to Sunnyside School who should happen upon Spike either flapping or scooting around the Whippy Cove area, could they please direct him back to Sunnyside School ASAP. The little learners won't actually have a moment free to search for him tomorrow as they'll be too busy practicing YMCA.........again and again probably!

The team will have ice packs and sick buckets at the ready!!!!!!!!!!