Dear Teacher,

If you are attending a Christmas Penguin educational session at Colchester Zoo, we would like to offer you a follow up activity. We invite your pupils (after their visit) to write letters to Father Christmas and receive a custom response.

If you are interested in participating, please use one of the following worksheet letters (either the one with drawings or the one involving more writing, depending on the level of your pupils) and have each pupil complete a letter to Father Christmas.

Once your pupils finish their letters, please collect them together and send hard copies via post, or digital copies (scans, photographs, etc.).

Hard copies should be collected in one envelope and posted to:

Attn: Education Department

Colchester Zoo

Maldon Rd

Stanway

Colchester

Essex

CO3 0SL

(Posted letters will be left for a minimum of three days after being received before being opened. We apologise if there is a delay in reply due to this)

Digital copies should be in one attachment (all letters together in one document) and emailed to education@colchesterzoo.org.

Please make sure to include your class’ name and year number along with the letters as well as letting us know if you would like a hard copy or digital response. If hard copy, please provide a postal address. If digital, please provide an email address.

Once we’ve received your class’ letters, we will send you a personalised return letter from Father Christmas’ reindeer keepers (and Father Christmas himself!) providing more information about how the reindeer are preparing for their big day.

We look forward to reading your class’ letters.

Best regards,

Father Christmas’ Reindeer Keepersc/o The Colchester Zoo Education Team

Dear Reindeer Keepers,

From:__________________School name:____________

Looking after the reindeer must be hard work.I think the hardest part must be ___________________________________________________________________.What do you think?

Penguins would not be a good replacement for the flying reindeer, because ______________________________.

Date:___________

What makes a penguin special? What makes a reindeer special?

Dear Reindeer Keepers,

Yours faithfully,

I am writing to you to make sure you all know that penguins would not be a good replacement for flying reindeer.

I think penguins are _______________ because__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

However, penguins will not work because:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

I am glad you found the flying dust in the end.

I think the best part about being a reindeer keeper must be ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.What is your favourite part?

Maldon Rd, Stanway, Colchester, Essex CO3 0SL