Wallbrook Primary Academy recently welcomed football coach and self-published children’s author Tom Oldaker for an interactive workshop based on his book ‘The Adventures of Alex the Pirate: Treasure Island’.
The air buzzed with excitement as children in years one to four gathered in the assembly hall, their imaginations ready to set sail. Brightly coloured cones were scattered like hidden treasure across the stage, waiting to be looted by the young adventurers, with Tom Oldaker at the helm as their captain.
Drawing from his extensive experiences both on and off the football pitch, Oldaker’s book follows the story of a young boy who pretends to be a pirate embarking on his exciting adventures. In the second half, readers are encouraged to recreate the story themselves through a series of structured sports games. While mainly centred around football, these activities can be adapted to other sports, making the book versatile and accessible for all readers and sporting interests.
The event highlighted the unique benefits of integrating imaginative play and storytelling to make physical education more enjoyable for children whilst promoting a general love of sports and fitness.
Pupils eagerly immersed themselves in the story, showcasing their football skills and teamwork to gather and protect their treasure from the evil pirates, even testing their penalty shootout abilities to sink the other pirate ship with their makeshift ‘cannonballs’.
Lorna McGregor, Principal at Wallbrook Primary Academy, said: “It was fantastic to see our pupils so excited and engaged in this workshop. We are very grateful to Tom Oldaker for his visit and hosting this fun, inspiring session, which has created many fond memories for our young learners”.
“This experience has made sports all the more enjoyable for our pupils, and we look forward to incorporating more similar activities and events in the future.”
