Salty Sam’s Adventures

We love our guest blogs at Sea-Changers and this month I am thrilled to welcome a post from Christina Sinclair. Christina has developed her own blog site which tells the story of Salty Sam. In 2008 Christina created e Salty Sam in her children’s book Salty Sam and the Windy Day. The book is the story about a lighthouse keeper.Sam has a huge enthusiasm for life.  He is an animal-lover who cares about the environment.  He plants trees and is careful to recycle. Christina's blog is a lovely read for all children and a great educational resource and we would love to spread the word about it to increase readership.  - A mist for all kids who love the sea and want to learn more about it in a fun and educational way. So over to Christina:

"When you are a teacher you get asked some pretty random questions, like: ‘Why are tropical seas so clear when ours aren’t?’, ‘Are there sharks in the English Channel?’, ‘What did Shakespeare use for ink?’

I had a collection of these questions in my head when I wrote my fun blog for children.  So in a sense a lot of the topics in the blog posts were selected by children themselves.  I like to call it the ‘Salty Sam Syllabus’; maybe an alternative to the National Curriculum, but hopefully no less educational.

Salty Sam the Lighthouse Man was born as a doodle on a telephone message pad and quickly grew into a fully-fledged character.  My first book Salty Sam and the Windy Day was published in 2008.  I have been writing stories and illustrating them since I was six.

The website that was developed to promote my book has recently been updated and very importantly a blog has been added. Salty Sam was ready for a new adventure.

The Salty Sam Fun Blog for Children is unique.  It is a fantasy blog written by a cartoon character…

In a place far away there is a lighthouse set in a sparkling, blue sea.

The lighthouse stands high and proud on some ragged rocks, warning ships of the dangers beneath.

Inside the lighthouse where it is warm and cosy lives the lighthouse keeper Salty Sam, cute, cuddly and loveable.  Sometimes the hospitable host, sometimes the intrepid hero he has a zest for life and learning. 

Living in the lighthouse never gets lonely for Sam, he has Barney the Parrot as his constant companion and his lighthouse home is surrounded by many different sea creatures.  Sam has a special ability to communicate with all animals.

When Sam’s lighthouse was connected to broadband, his thoughts turned to blogging as a way to while away his evenings and connect with the rest of the World.  In his blog posts he talks about his life out at sea and his family and friends who live in the small town of Rocky Bay on the mainland.

Rocky Bay is the nearest town to the lighthouse.  It is a West Country fishing town nestling into a hillside with a harbour and a dockside pub called the Rusty Anchor Inn.  All the usual tourist attractions can be found there for anyone wanting a terrific staycation: tearooms, a theme park, safari park and funfair, etc.  There is a busy lifeboat station, a coastguard helicopter pad and police station.  Farmer Jenkins’ farm is behind the town.

Life in Rocky Bay is wholesome and family orientated.  The community is kind and supportive.

Salty Sam has two nephews Bill and Bob who love going on adventures with their uncle and keep him on his toes with their childlike enthusiasm and energy.

I had a liking for nature even as a child and I know there are children now who have that same interest so on the blog there is a huge emphasis on understanding and caring for nature and the environment both on land and in the sea.  This is something that is important for children to learn about, but I believe I am doing it in a subtle, accessible and entertaining way; the blog is teaching without preaching.

The educational elements of the blog are blended into the stories told by Salty Sam as he writes his weekly journal to share with his fans who now come from very nearly one hundred countries around the World.

There is a plethora of topics covered and the blog posts build up into a compendium that looks a little like a ‘QI for children’; education in digestible portions, delivered in a fun way! 

There is a children’s joke told by Bill and Bob at the end of each post to always lighten the mood and a picture gallery to help children further understand what Sam talks about in his posts.  There are added sound effects on the side bar too.

The blog posts are released every Fun Friday just in time for the weekend.  Each week there are activities for children to do, sometimes handicrafts or cooking and sometimes nature observation projects.  Parents are encouraged to help and get involved.

The craft projects match the theme of each post and use skills that when learnt can last a lifetime.  There are projects for all levels of ability. 

Creating the blog has been an enormous amount of work but very enjoyable.  Everything has been carefully researched and meticulously planned.  The blog is almost all original content which I have created single-handedly.  The drawings and craft designs are all my own creation.  There are many more posts in the pipeline. 

Salty Sam’s Fun Blog for Children is to be found at: www.christina-sinclair.com

New posts are released every Fun Friday and everything is totally free.