Essex County Council is making maths less scary through a range of fun, free and educational events this Halloween.
Funded by the Essex Year of Numbers, a countywide campaign that aims to inspire a love of learning and help children and their families improve their confidence, a series of free spooktacular events are on offer throughout the half term holiday, up until 31 October 2023.
Highlights include a Monster Mysteries Trail, which is running in six country parks across Essex, including Cudmore Grove Country Park, Danbury Country Park and Weald Country Park. Families must spot the monsters and solve the ‘magic number’ to complete the spell and send the monsters home. Trail resources are available to download, print or pick up on-site and all visitors will have the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win an Explore Essex Pass (worth £85) and goody bag.
Elsewhere, Spooky Forest School Sessions are taking place at Danbury, Thorndon and Great Notley Country Parks. The sell-out event promises potion and broomstick making, ghoulishly tasty marshmallows baked on the campfire and a scary Scavenger Hunt. Each activity has numbers woven into the learning material to support the development of children’s mathematical skills.
Throughout autumn, local residents with young children can also borrow a Read and Count with Me Under a Tree book bag from their local library and explore the great outdoors together. Ideal for ages zero to five, and created to use in green spaces across the county, the bag contains picture books to encourage literacy, numeracy and a love of nature. Titles include ‘Mad About Minibeasts’ by Giles Andreae and a selection of other outdoor themed stories.
Supported with an investment of £1.5m, Essex Year of Numbers will provide engaging initiatives across the year-long campaign for children of all ages, a network of support for parents and carers and a comprehensive development programme for teachers across Essex.
The programme is being driven by the Council’s Essex Education Task Force to address both the short and long-term impact of Covid-19 on children and young people’s education and emotional wellbeing.
Councillor Tony Ball, Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability said:
“Numbers are an essential part of everyday life, for both children and adults. By creating a host of exciting and accessible resources and activities as part of our Essex Year of Numbers campaign, we want to help people embrace a lifelong love of learning.
“I would encourage families across Essex to head over to one of our outdoor events this Halloween, they provide the perfect opportunity for children to develop vital numerical skills in an accessible, relaxed and fun environment.”
