1. Suggest a Spring Cleanup Day and ask where classroom, house, or room needs to be cleaned most. Write a list of these targeted areas, likely to be project areas, book or game shelves, sink areas, etc. Tell individual or groups of children that they are now responsible for keeping one of areas clean. In order to help remind them, they will have an art project and make Litter Critters!

2. On both sides of brown-paper lunch bags, have children draw crazy critters. They may color or paint features. If painted, let bag dry.

3. In meantime, rip newspapers into small pieces. Have children fill their dried bags until they are rounded and close open end with a rubber band or string.

The Ghosts of Tower of London

The most grisly execution and thus haunting is that of 70 year old Countess of Salisbury, last of Plantagenets. King Henry VIII had her executed for political reasons. The feisty Countess refused to put her head on block like a common traitor.

When her executioner came after her she ran, but was pursued by him, with his axe in hand hacking at her until he had hewn Countess to death.

Her ghost has been seen reliving this truly gruesome act. Also shadow of a great axe has been seen falling across scene of her murder.

At one time Tower of London was home to Royal Menagerie. Lions, leopards, bears, birds, monkeys and an elephant, that was a gift from King of France, were kept on exhibit. On stroke of midnight in January of 1815 a sentry saw a bear from this menagerie emerge from a doorway. He lunged at it with his bayonet, it passed right through apparition. The Sentry was later found unconscious, it is said he died of fright within two months of this encounter.

Something unseen and very frightening is in Salt Tower. This is one of most haunted areas of Tower of London complex. This is a very old section, dogs will not enter this ancient building, and ever since one of Yeoman Warders was nearly throttled by a force unseen, they will not go in area after nightfall.

In 1864, a soldier whose post was to guard Queen’s House at Tower of London, saw a apparition so real, that after ignoring soldiers three challenges, he charged with all his might at intruder with his bayonet, only to go straight through figure.

He was found unconscious at his post and was court-martialled for neglecting his duty. Luckily there were two witnesses who corroborated his story. The soldier was eventually acquitted.

Lady Jane Grey is another tragic story of a young life cut short at Tower, due to actions of others most despicable of who was her own father.

She was granddaughter of Mary (Henry VIII younger sister) and Louis XII of France. The Duke of Northumberland would lose everything if Henry VIII’s son was to die and Mary, who was Catholic, would become queen.