Authors Natalie Reeves-Billing and Jude Lennon, the brains behind Split Perspectivz CIC’s Builder Book initiative, have delivered 10,000 free ‘Planet Packs’ to schools and community organisations across the Liverpool City Region in an initiative to support children’s literacy and wellbeing, and encourage young people to engage more in their learning.
The Planet Packs are designed to go beyond traditional reading kits, offering comprehensive educational tools that enhance reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in an engaging and playful way.
Having previously created packs in the past, centred around Child Mental Health, road safety, Eurovision and creativity, the latest iteration is focused on sustainability placing a focus on food, clothing, green energy and construction.
Young people are able to engage in various activities, puzzles and reading to learn more about these different topics, while promoting family involvement, encouraging parents and children to spend quality time together while developing their all important communication skills.
Through sponsorship and wider support, Natalie and Jude have set a target to reach 10,000 young people across the Liverpool City Region each year, but their vision is to be able to provide every young person in the region with a Builder Book Planet Pack, to bring fun back to learning and improve education outcomes in the city.
One organisation enhancing young people’s learning with the Builder Book Planet Pack is Everton in the Community. Everton in the Community, who deliver more than 60 projects and initiatives a year, each specifically designed and developed to combat societal challenges, is delivering multiple packs within its youth groups throughout the summer holidays, and is holding group sessions to engage with the digital treasure hunt smartphone app, and travel around the city.
Speaking about its involvement with Builder Book, Mick King, Senior Programme Manager for Education and Pathways, at Everton in the Community, said:
“There are many fantastic community organisations doing great work across the Liverpool City Region, and, here at Everton in the Community, we jump at any opportunity to collaborate with like-minded people and businesses.
“The Builder Book programme really aligns with our objectives to provide unique experiences and opportunities to children and young people; combining literacy and creativity for the education of sustainability was an attractive opportunity that we couldn’t pass up.
“The early concept designs were fantastic, you could really get a feel of how the programme would work, and we worked with nine of our partner schools very closely to understand the groups of young people who would benefit the most from engaging with the packs; knowing that the Planet Packs would compliment the work we have already done in those schools.
“The young people are most excited to see how they can engage with the packs through their smartphones, with the addition of the digital treasure hunt; bringing technology into learning is something Everton in the Community currently do across our education programmes, and it always generates excitement.
“Our city is so rich in heritage and culture, so providing families the opportunity to learn and explore this together will further enhance the positive experiences possible through Builder Book’s Planet Pack.”
At the very end of the Planet Pack, once young people have fully completed the activities and treasure hunt, they are invited to create their own innovative invention that could make the world a better place, with all entrants having the opportunity to be showcased at Shakespeare North Playhouse.
Speaking about this, Mick continued:
“We know how proud children can be when they see their work on school walls and displays, so to have their competition entries visible in such a prestigious location as the Shakespeare North Playhouse is a brilliant opportunity and experience.
We will be encouraging all children, across our partner schools and those within our summer holiday groups, to enter this fantastic competition.”
To find out more head to the website.
