St Ives Pupils Enjoy Flour Babies Project

Liza Askew / 13 October 2022 / Categories: In the press

Each pupil was given a bag of flour and asked to treat it as if it were a real baby.  Pupils were told they had sole responsibility for their babies 24 hours a day for a week and were encouraged to consider what they might need to care for their baby, such as feeding it, putting it to sleep and loving it.  Two of the pupils were even given twins to care for!

All of the pupils named and dressed their babies with some taking more care over this than others.  Some brought their babies into school in buggies and quickly learnt that while buggies are fantastic for some things, they are very cumbersome for others.  A few took their role as parents so seriously, they even set an alarm at night to wake their baby up for feeding!

In the first couple of days, the children enjoyed the change of school routine and enjoyed the fun of caring for something at school.  However, as the week drew on, the children started to really understand the responsibility of caring for another person, with many beginning to appreciate how much their parents have done and continue to do for them.  This realisation led to many discussions and questions over the roles of parents, the needs of a child, whether it be physical or emotional, and even the cost of raising a child. 

Kay Goldsworthy, Head Teacher of St Ives School, said “The flour baby project was fascinating to observe.  What started off as a bit of fun, as far as the children were concerned, soon turned into something much more profound.  As the week progressed, and the children gained a better insight into what parenting involves, their observations and questions became more and more mature.  We have all been delighted with the learning outcomes of this project and know they will stay with the children in the future.”