Prize Giving

20th July is the year 6 prize giving at Kieron's school. It's only held for the year 6 kids as a goodbye event before they all go to their various secondary schools. I donate a book every year now and the prize is for the most environmentally aware child and it was instigated last year in recognition of Kieron's love of nature.

Kieron's passion with nature began when he was a toddler as everything Callum did, Kieron had to do too. Callum was into dinosaurs and sharks so Kieron copied. However, Kieron's interest evolved to include any living creature, from alligators to ants, lions to ladybirds. I became used to drilling holes in jar lids and helping Kieron to collect leaves and grass to make a habitat for woodlice which then lived in his room for a little while. Butterflies were chased, rather unsuccessfully and ladybirds told to fly away home as their house was on on fire and their children alone.

Later on Kieron would take bugs to school in the sleeves of his school fleece and aged 9 he got into a fight when a slow worm he put in the shade was then put in blazing sunlight by another boy. 

Often in the evenings, we sit and watch TV programmes about the natural world, one of our favourites being about the breed of apes with sticky butts. Underwater programmes are recorded to be watched again and again and the Richard Attenborough dinosaur series were bought on DVD.

We giggle at scenes of mating animals and I try to explain why camera men don't try to stop predatory animals from killing cute, fluffy baby ones. Sounds of "aaahhh" reverberate as mother animals nurse their young and Kieron pretends to be a baby tiger/bear/chipmunk to get extra cuddles. Animal sounds and movements are copied and Kieron rubs his head on me and pats me with a paw.

Animal and nature books adorn the shelves in Kieron's room, with shark books in pride of place, so today I took a book on mammals to his school ready for this years awards. And I hated doing it.