An interactive story to illustrate water pollution and its impacts
I came across this fantastic idea while working as an environmental educator in Belize, (see references below). I went on to share it with educators and students I worked with in the Philippines and Fiji Islands as I love how it actively engages students in telling the story and provides a strong visual impression of the problem. I have since updated it with Causes and Consequences cards and photographs to make the instructions clearer.
clean water
polluted water
The story involves a fish travelling from its home through connected ecosystems and encountering different sources of water pollution in each. Substances like soil and soy sauce are added to the water to represent the pollutants and students consider the effect on the fish. At the end they discuss whether the fish will survive and whether it would be safe to eat it, making the link to how pollution also effects humans. A great follow up activity is asking the students to the to remove the pollutants from the water. Other ideas could be exploring how to prevent pollution at source or creating a story map.
If you would like a free download of the lesson plan including instructions, cards and editable scripts go to one of the Teachers Telling Tales online stores:
screenshots of some of the files included in the free pack
References
This activity is adapted from ‘Fishy Tales’ lesson in the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Systems (MBRS) Project guide for primary schools. They cite their source as: Utah Lesson Plans, adapted from Chilton-Stringham, P., Wolanin, J., (1995). Water, Stones, and Fossil Bones. “Fred the Fish.”
Vocabulary
To dive deeper into the vocabulary linked to water pollution, take a look at an example of a quiz on Quizlet
Elephant enjoying a mud bath after a dip in the river, Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo by Fiona Childs
Eight Ideas for World Elephant Day
Watch baby elephants being fed. Live footage will be beamed across the world from the Elephant Orphanage Project in Zambia by IFAW and partners Game Rangers International. Click the link to watch or set a reminder.
2. Take part in online activities Activities including colouring contests, crafts and quizzes are being organised by MEME (Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants).
3. Learn about elephants Research on https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/ There’s slideshows and information on Asian and African elephants in child-friendly formats.
4. Celebrate with Elmer Download the free Elmer activity pack. It was produced for Elmer Day (May 23rd), but if you missed it, World Elephant Day is the perfect time to use it! There’s colouring, collage, model making, puzzles, games and more. Children could use the templates to make their own Elmer or create their own pattern as in the story when the elephants decorated themselves for a parade. Collage using squares is great for younger children and patchwork works well for collaborative work. I once created a large wall hanging by sewing together patches knitted by my Year 6 students.
Elmer collage using colourful squares, glue with brushes and an outline. Good for early childhood or SEND settings.A Year 6 class (10-11 year olds) knitted squares for this large wallhanging of Elmer.
6. Learn about Mosha The first elephant to receive a prosthetic foot after being injured by a landmine at just 7 months old. Mosha inspired Elephant Parade, a fantastic project to raise funds for Friends of the Asian Elephant.
Artists from around the world create beautiful designs for elephant statues that are displayed in cities and auctioned to raise funds to help elephants. Smaller replicas are produced for sale. I was so moved when parents of a class I once taught bought me one as a thank you gift at the end of the year.
Replica of Spring Blossom created for Elephant Parade by Ciska van der Meer. What a beautiful gift!
7. Design an elephant for a parade. You can submit your sketches using a form here. You can also take part in the Artbox Contest by decorating an elephant model, your design could end up on a full sized elephant in an exhibition!
8. Support Elephant Conservation Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand was the first ‘Hand Off’ project in Asia, providing a sanctuary and retirement home to elephants that have been abused and injured through logging, circus and tourist camps. As the coronavirus pandemic has affected tourism they have taken on elephants from other places where the owners are no longer able to afford to keep them. I visited there last December when I took these photos. I recommend checking out their website and following on social media, they regularly post videos great for sharing with children. How about celebrating World Elephant Day by making a donation or sponsoring an elephant?
Heart-melting stories of two of the elephants at Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai
Photos of elephants I took at Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai, available in high resolution from Adobe Stock: elephant pairelephant portrait
This story is dedicated to all the children and their families who stayed at home to prevent the spread of corona virus. Featuring the fairy tale favourites, it opens the discussion about how to keep safe. Just like may children, the three little pigs have decorated their homes with rainbows, signs and put teddies in the window. But will they listen to their mum’s advice when someone comes knocking at the door? The story can be read on Issuu (see link in picture caption) and viewed or downloaded from this link:
Resources linked to the story including making signs about keeping safe and healthy, matching objects from the story, a colouring page and an A4 PDF of the story are free to download from the Teachers Telling Tales online stores: TES:
I hope you enjoy the story and find the resources useful. Please share any artwork inspired by the story and share review the resources. Thanks, Fiona.
Update November 2020
Update November 2020
I am currently having to self isolate due to a positive test of one of the children in the class I’m working with and I have been recording video read-alouds of stories. I have created one for The Stay at Home Pigs as sadly, it is still relevant, at least in the UK where I am based now. Feel free to download if it’s useful to you too, or to make your own using the screen share option on Zoom or similar.
Sea turtles are such fascinating creatures, it’s no wonder they have inspired so many engaging books for children both fiction (tales) and non fiction (truths).
Reading turtle tales or truths can spark wonder about the oceans in the minds of children. Because turtles are endangered, their plight can inspire youngsters into becoming ocean heroes.
Here are some recommended books on sea turtles. Unless stated, the books are available on Amazon and links take you there to find out more. Teachers Telling Tales are not affiliates and recommend supporting local, independent book stores where possible.
The tale of a baby turtle and his journey down the beach to the sea.
Part of the Nature Storybooks series, this picture book combines story with information to show how one tiny sea turtle grows before she heads back to the beach to become a mother herself.
The classic turtle picture book with over 2 million copies sold!Opening simply in the baby sea turtle’s voice: “I’m coming Mama, I’ll see you soon, I know just how, I’ll follow the moon.” Celebrating the love between mother and child and proceeds from sales support turtle conservation.
From the moment it hatches from its shell through its journey across an ocean filled with wonders and dangers to its return to the beach where it was born to lay its own eggs, a female sea turtle’s life is one of survival.
Non fiction
Did you know turtles spend their entire lives travelling the ocean to find food and a mate? And they have a great sense of direction, returning to lay their eggs on the exact beach where they were born. This level 2 reader is great for independent research and discovery.
With inspiring photographs, children are given a well-rounded understanding of turtles’ anatomy, feeding habits, and behaviour in this information text.
Ocean Heroes
Six of seven species of turtle are endangered. These books help children understand why and provide hope through inspiring action for conservation.
Little Turtle Turns the Tide is the first children’s book by novelist and screenwriter Lauren Davies. Carrying a strong and positive environmental message, the book tells the story of Little Turtle, who finds himself swimming in an ocean of plastic debris. So he sets off on a journey to make a difference, with the help of his friends and the children of the world. Beautifully illustrated by Nico Williams, Little Turtle Turns the Tide will appeal to young children who love the ocean, and inspire them to be heroes.
Children will enjoy this inspiring story. Viv has a new home and a new school by the sea. Follow her as she finds her way in a new place and helps bring together a whole community to save the sea turtles of the South Carolina coast. Acclaimed activist Philippe Cousteau and author Deborah Hopkinson team up to offer a story of the powerful difference young people can make in the world.
Nerin is a sea turtle who loves eating jellyfish. One day, she accidentally eats a plastic bag which puts her in a spot of bother. Luckily, Professor Penny, along with her canine friend, Wilson, is on hand to save the day! Professor Penny Stories are a series of children’s books written by staff and students of the University of Exeter’s College of Life and Environmental Sciences.
Myrtle’s Battle Against Climate Change (free download) Fuentes, M. (2010) Myrtle’s battle against climate change. Reef & Rainforest Research Centre Limited, Cairns, Australia (22pp.).
Myrtle’s Battle Against Climate Change is based on findings from PhD research. It explains what climate change is, how it affects turtles and what we can do in child-friendly text and pictures.
An empowering read for older readers about how one person can make a real difference. It’s time to save the turtles! Chellie loves the beautiful green turtles on her tropical island home, especially since their scientific name is so close to her own. Every year she would watch them swim in the sea and make their long journeys up the beach to lay their eggs. But one day, Chellie makes a grim and horrible discovery – the rubbish pollution is threatening her beloved turtles, so she is forced to act. Can she save them before it is too late?
Do you have any favourite turtle books not included here? Please add them in the comments.
For turtle related resources check out the Teachers Telling Tales shop on tes.com or the Teachers pay Teachers store.
Fairy tales are losing favour in many homes, yet they are still pervasive in popular culture and part of children’s education at school. When Disney+ launched in the US, ten million users signed up in the first twenty four hours, but old classics were issued with disclaimers about their content. So is it time to banish fairy tales to the past, or should they be embraced for the future?
A selection of stories out of favour with parents and their objections to them.
A survey of 2,000 adults in 2012 found that fairy tales are no longer read in many homes.
THE CASE AGAINST FAIRY TALES
So why are they
no longer on the bedtime menu?
For some parents, fairy tales are just too scary and the outcomes too unpleasant. For others they are too sanitised and unrealistic! They feel that darkness is the essence of fairy tales and dislike the way stories are diluted or sweetened. The third major objection is that the stories often represent and endorse outdated, even offensive values.
The Three Main Objection Categories
Objection 1 – Too Scary
Illustration Fiona Childs
These parents value bedtime reading as a special dedicated time to bond with their child. They believe it should be a cosy, comfortable time. Stories should gently stimulate the imagination and soothe the child into sweet dreams. They don’t want stories that could cause anxiety or prompt difficult conversations. Their worst case scenario would be a story leading to their child waking up crying or screaming with a nightmare or developing a long-term fear of wolves or witches.
Objection 2 – Too Sweet
Illustration Fiona Childs
Then there are the parents of the child with a bookcase, bedroom and wardrobe full of sparkly, pastel-hued ‘happily ever after’s. Although determined to bring up their child in a gender neutral way, envisioning climbing trees and scraped knees, they are overwhelmed by the tsunami of pervasive pink and ubiquitous unicorns. This parent sighs every time their little princess (or prince), demands the same sugary story. They dream of a little more adventure, darkness and danger in their storytelling.
Too Stereotyped
Illustration, Fiona Childs
For these parents, the problem is more serious than ‘pink is for girls’, the emphasis on being pretty and getting married (preferably to royalty). They are not just bored by the predictable outcomes, macho heroes and damsels in distress; they believe fairy tales are offensive and damaging. They cite misogyny in the way women and girls are portrayed. The stereotyping is not limited to gender, but includes a lack of all kinds of representation and diversity. Worse than being blandly monocultural, they can be downright racist.
THE CASE FOR FAIRY TALES
With such strong objections to fairy tales, it is perhaps surprising that they are loved by so many. Appearing in cinemas, on bookshelves, in classrooms and all manner of toys and household items marketed at both children and adults.
The Value of Fairy Tales – precious content
An internet search uncovers many articles and lists of why fairy tales have value, some claim they are not just good for children but an essential part of childhood. (See links at end of article).
Word Cloud compiled using six lists of the importance / value of fairy tales
Main Categories of Support for Fairy Tales
1. Shared Language, Common Understanding
Fairy tales are a shared access point to stories and learning. This is explained well by Ashlie Swicker in this article
“Fairy tales are the common denominator in modern American society. I see it in the urban elementary classroom where I work– some students come to first grade with a high exposure to literacy, while some have held only a few books before school starts. But all of my students know the basic plot of several fairy tales. Cartoons reenact them. Movies reimagine them. Without even dipping into the plethora of print retellings, a child can learn the comforting, time-treasured stories well and quickly. There is an access point for everyone. “
The importance of this familiarity is beautifully summarised by Neil Gaiman
“We encounter fairytales as kids, in retellings or panto. We breathe them. We know how they go. “
2. Imagination
Fairy tales are a portal to fantasy worlds with mystical creatures and enchanted lands. Where magic reigns and the impossible becomes possible. They are a window into places and times outside of our experience, often described in vivid and poetic ways to stimulate the reader’s imagination. Fairy tales can become a stepping stone to other genres of reading and a springboard to creative writing. Let’s hear from Neil Gaiman again, this time from his explanation of why fairy tales are badass
” I want people to imagine. I think that your imagination is the most important tool that you possess.”
3. Critical Thinking
Fairy tales are all about solving problems, usually in innovative ways with characters applying wit and intelligence to overcome powerful adversaries or difficult situations.
4. Morals and Life Lessons
Fairy tales feature heroes and villains, good and evil in simple black and white. Good deeds and kindness are rewarded and bad deeds have consequences in a way that is reassuring to young children. The depictions of right and wrong are clear and easy to understand. Personal qualities such as kindness, honesty and generosity are given value.
5. Literacy and Language
Through listening to fairy tales, children have an introduction to archetypal characters, story structure and plot components. Through repeated listening and familiarity they develop a deeper understanding of these conventions. In addition they learn interesting language features unique to the genre, such as the power of threes and repetition.
6. Self Belief
In fairy tales, ordinary characters achieve extraordinary things. Children are the heroes, they are self-reliant, independent and apply courage and conviction to overcome. Children identify with the characters in the stories, thus gaining positive role models.
Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell.
7. Managing Emotions
Fairy tales deal with strong emotional story lines including deep sadness, anger and fear. Experiencing these emotions through the characters, mediated by adults reading with them, allows children to safely explore and discuss these feelings.
FINDING THE BALANCE
The objections to fairy tales are valid and important to take into consideration, but at the same time, there is definitely value in including these stories in children’s experience. So how do we find the balance and get it just right?
Finding the Balance
Overcoming Objections
1. Too Scary
Of course we want to protect children, especially young ones from being frightened. As a Learning Through Literature blog post points out, “Some might worry that filling little minds with stories of evil witches and scary monsters will create nightmares, but the world is already full of big, scary things to a young child.” Talking about frightening things with a trusted adult can help a child to rationalise and manage their fears. In fairy tales the monsters or villains always get their comeuppance, usually at the hands of a heroic child. Fairy tales provide children with characters to identify with who triumph over scary situations.
Of course, every child is different and sensitivity to their individual needs is recommended. Some children may have a specific fear of say, wolves or witches, in which case special care should be taken when reading stories that feature them. That’s not to say avoid these completely, as children will come across them in other situations, but introduce them gently and be there to talk and reassure the child. Choose books carefully to find ones appropriate to the age or developmental stage of the child. Stories with humour or where the villain turns out to be a softie or a victim may help to overcome fears. Choosing an appropriate reading time is also important – not bedtime!
2. Too Sweet
By offering enticing new books, films or animations children may be tempted into more adventurous choices. Perhaps a more diverse or dark version of their favourite tale will broaden their range of interest, but often children can be fixed in their preferences to the point of obsession. Sorry, no magic wand waving suggestions to solve this one! So any advice to the long-suffering parent tired of the same old story? As a teacher for many years I have spent countless hours talking about the pictures and stories in the Oxford Reading Tree books. As a result, I found Mr P ICT’s commentary and parodies of some of the well known stories on YouTube hilarious. In the same way, after yet another princess retelling, you could check out a more realistic or humorous princess experience as an antidote to all the sweetness. Here are some suggestions, (not for viewing with a child).
The key to tackling stereotypes is to address them, especially as children get older. By discussing cliches and stereotypes we can address them instead of endorsing them. Donald Haase, author of Fairytales and Feminism, encourages parents to read these stories sceptically, “They can read or tell classical tales in ways that intentionally question or subvert the stereotypes,” the Wayne State University professor told The Independent. Some adults adjust the text as they read, omitting particular words or phrases or changing them to make the story more appropriate. This can work for all three objections with a little preparation!
A valuable strategy for overcoming all three objections is to balance reading older versions of traditional tales with more contemporary versions of the same stories. Once children are familiar with the original tales they can really enjoy the humour of the twisted or fractured tales that shatter stereotypes and bring the stories up to date. For children who enjoy making up their own stories, creating their own twisted tale is a fantastic activity to share.
DECONSTRUCTING DISNEY
When considering fairy tales, especially in relation to their popularity and stereotyping, it would be wrong not to include Disney. For many children now, their first experience of fairy tales is through Disney, the images when they imagine characters or scenes often stem from Disney films, books or merchandise.
Like fairy tales in general, Disney is accused of being unrealistic, but isn’t that the point?!
Yes, Disney films are unrealistic, they are fantasy. However, the concern is when there is stereotyping, the fact that children watch these films over and over means that they have a slow cumulative effect on perception and attitudes. The depiction of masculinity, femininity and extreme gender dimorphism can influence attitudes to body image and behaviour expectations, for example. If you would like to read more about this, check out this Pinterest link which shows examples of images with amusing captions such as “Help! My Eyeball is Bigger than my Wrist”! This is a serious issue though, as this screenshot of topics by Deconstructing Disney shows.
In Defence Of Disney
It is perhaps surprising that the earliest female role model created by Disney was a fun and feisty character, Alice. It has been claimed that Disney is underplaying its princesses and female leads by giving films gender neutral titles (like Frozen instead of Anna and the Snow Queen or Tangled instead of Rapunzel) and focusing on male characters in trailers in order to appeal to a wider audience. However, the recent live action films with female leads have been the most successful . Will princesses be phased out? It seems unlikely given their popularity.
Over time Disney princesses have grown into more developed and less traditional characters . A 1989 review of The Little Mermaid describes how “Ariel is a fully realized female character who thinks and acts independently, even rebelliously, instead of hanging around passively while the fates decide her destiny. Because she’s smart and thinks for herself, we have sympathy for her scheming.” This particular film is credited with saving Disney from financial ruin and has been described as more subversive than it at first appears. Disney have taken the step of casting Halle Berry in the upcoming live remake, a move rejoiced by many.
Disney Disclaimers
This year, the Disney+ service was launched with ten million users signing up in the US within 24 hours. So how do Disney deal with the issue of older material that contains offensive stereotyping? Well, the deeply racist Song of the South was made an exception and is not part of the package. Some other films such as The Lady and the Tramp have disclaimers, some (like Aladdin and Pocohontas) appear to have been deemed acceptable as they are. Critics point out that these disclaimers are extremely vague and compare them unfavourably to those issued by Warner Bros for some time now. While Disney add a simple sentence “It may contain outdated cultural depictions” to the end of film descriptions, Warner Bros not only use the word ‘prejudice’, but explain why they keep the scenes in the films. “The cartoons you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While the following does not represent the Warner Bros. view of today’s society, these cartoons are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.” Their box set of Tom and Jerry went further in including an introduction from Whoopi Goldberg
“The Tom and Jerry episodes included in this collection come to us from a time when racial and ethnic differences were caricatured in the name of entertainment. These prejudices were wrong then and they’re wrong today. “
Young children watching these films will not be able to read and understand these disclaimers, but at least it is an acknowledgement and a heads-up to adults who can then address the issues in the way the feel is appropriate with their children.
THE FUTURE FOR FAIRY TALES
Fairy tales are like time travellers with one foot in the past, one in the present and eyes fixed on the future. They provide fascinating insight into human nature and how we have evolved over time. If we were to erase old stories, we would be denying a stage in our development as humans working towards values of equity. Old traditions that cause harm should be stopped, but should not be forgotten. This is encapsulated perfectly in this description of The Fairy Tale Paradox
Children should be exposed to fairy tales precisely because they are contentious and multifaceted. As a result, they spark curiosity among children and can help facilitate the most wonderful conversations. By recounting fairy tales contextually to our children, we offer them the rudimentary knowledge of critically interpreting any form of communication they might be exposed to today or in the future. Be it in the form of news, books, or even social media.
Breaking down stereotypes. Twisted Tales and Fractured Fairy Tales challenge black and white thinking. Illustrations Fiona Childs.
The best medium for developing children’s critical thinking when it comes to fairy tales is through reading fractured or twisted tales. By turning the traditional tales on their head they illuminate the stereotypes in an engaging an often humorous way. These stories are enjoyable in their own right, but if readers are not familiar with the old tales they are rooted in they lose some of their power and punch. For this reason it’s important to have some exposure to the classics. As Elizabeth Danish says in this guidance
They are a form of escapism and they are a part of popular culture and literature. Shielding your children from fairy tales would be to shield them from a very rich and culturally significant form of storytelling and one that can bring them great enjoyment. Just make sure that you expose them to other ideas too, and that you read the stories yourself first and help to educate them on the messages therein.
What do you think?
Have you used fairy tales to challenge traditional thinking? Do you have a favourite fractured feminist tale? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments. Thank you!
Fairy Tale Themed Teaching Resources by Teachers Telling Tales
There are many fairy tale themed teaching resources in the Teachers Telling Tales shop, including a series “Once said in a Fairy Tale” with a focus on characters and speech and “Once upon a Crime” for older students with a critical thinking / citizenship focus. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/fionachilds
In the post ‘Fairy Tales on Trial’ we explored the objections against fairy tales and the benefits of reading them. The conclusion is that fairy tales have a place on our shelves, but are best balanced with contemporary twisted tales. In this way we develop children’s critical thinking, challenge stereotypes, and stimulate their imagination. We can enjoy classic story themes in new settings and from different perspectives, often with lots of humour.
There are countless fantastic books available in this genre, here are a few favourites to take a look at.
Clicking on the pictures will take you directly to Amazon where you can check out the books. Teachers Telling Tales are not affiliates and recommend supporting local, independent book stores where possible.
Chris Riddell creates beautiful, detailed illustrations and I recommend following him on Facebook if you like this style. Little Green Raincape is on her way to Rapunzel’s party, deep in the wild woods. The way is long and dark, but Green is a smart girl. Smart enough to turn down apples offered by kindly old ladies, smart enough to turn down travel advice from helpful wolves, and above all, smart enough to solve a wealth of classic fairy tale problems – not least mend a lovelorn beast’s broken heart.
Also illustrated by Chris Riddell and written by Neil Gaiman, a fantastic author and authority on fairy tales. You can watch them in conversation and read an excerpt from this new book on Good Reads. “You may think you know this story. There’s a young queen, about to be married. There are some good, brave, hardy dwarfs; a castle, shrouded in thorns; and a princess, cursed by a witch, so rumor has it, to sleep forever. But no one is waiting for a noble prince to appear on his trusty steed here. This fairy tale is spun with a thread of dark magic, which twists and turns and glints and shines. A queen might just prove herself a hero, if a princess needs rescuing. . . .”
For children who feel they are too old for fairy tales or the usual tales are just ‘too sweet’, Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes are sure to provide an antidote! Try not to giggle when reading about Little Red Riding Hood :
“The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers. She whips a pistol from her knickers. She aims it at the creature’s head, And bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.”
“Little fish, little fish, let me come in.” “Not by the skin of my finny fin fin!” “Then I’ll munch, and I’ll crunch, and I’ll smash your house in!”
“Once upon a bad hair day, A prince rode up Rapunzel’s way” As the prince rides past Rapunzel’s tower he hears the sound of a damsel in distress – Rapunzel’s beautiful hair has lost its shine! The prince, convinced she is in need of his help, sets out to save her in the traditional way but this is no ordinary princess! She throws down everything except her curly locks – including a surprise that makes all his dreams come true.
Have you ever heard the story of Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs? Yes, you heard right – DINOSAURS. Once upon a time, there were three hungry dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur and … a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. Of course. One day, purely on a whim, they decided to tidy up their house nice and neat, make their beds up all cosy and comfortable, prepare delicious hot chocolate pudding of varying temperatures, place their chairs just so, and go … SOMEWHERE ELSE. Let’s be clear, they were definitely NOT setting up a trap for some succulent, poorly supervised little girl called Goldilocks who may wander by … ahem.
This is the deep dark wood. Everyone knows it’s no place to go for a stroll. There are monsters and trolls and giants everywhere, not to mention the Big Bad Wolf! Wait a minute! What’s that sweet little girl doing in the deep dark wood? Doesn’t she know it’s DANGEROUS here? The Big Bad Wolf will gobble her up for his lunch! But this deep dark wood is full of twists and turns, and all is not quite what it seems. The Big Bad Wolf is about to get a big, bad surprise…
In this reverse story, one bear goes for a walk and finds himself lost in the city. So he lets himself into an unlocked apartment for a little nap.
“I’m far too young for marriage, but I’ll be your chief mechanic!”
Have you read any of these? What other books would you recommend?
I’ve been sick the last couple of days and it has got me thinking about how illness or injury can cause anxiety. Even as adults we worry that it might be something serious at the same time as worrying about troubling a doctor in case it isn’t serious! For young children the experience can be overwhelming. 3-5 year olds I have taught have become very upset when told they needed to see the nurse at school. To overcome their fear we invited the school nurse to visit the class to reassure them.
It was simple to set up, we collected some soft toys and created common scenarios such as a scraped knee, bumped head, nosebleed and stomach ache for her to treat. The children watched intently and came up with suggestions for treatment. They enjoyed seeing and touching the things the nurse brought such as a hot water bottle, ice pack and sticky plasters. Soon all the teddies were feeling much better!
We didn’t have any problems with taking children at the nurse after that, but if children are still anxious, they could visit the nurse with the soft toys and a note to see the nurse help them in the medical room.
Following on from the lesson, children enjoyed exploring being nurses and doctors in a role play area, continuing to look after the toys and each other. This helps them to become familiar with medical equipment so it’s no longer scary.
Children love to care for their teddies with bandages and sticky plasters.
Resources
Editable sick or hurt scenarios available for free download from the tes shop or TpT store.
To encourage mark making and early writing, Teachers Telling Tales produced writing frames for children to fill in during doctor role play. After listening to their patient they mark / fill in the details and their prescription on the form.
“Flyaway Katie is about the ability we all have to change our mood and make ourselves feel happier. All you need is a bit of creativity and a lick of Paint!”
Author and Illustrator, Polly Dunbar
To check out the book, or purchase a copy, click on the image above
This gem of a book with its gorgeous illustrations is a fantastic resource for exploring feelings and how to manage them. It links colour beautifully with emotions as Katie transforms from feeling grey and all alone to flittery, fluttery, flighty and fizzling when she puts on her favourite clothes and paints herself in bright colours.
Let the magic begin …
Ideas
Flyaway Follow – Along
Children love listening to the story while looking at the pictures. To really engage them, develop their listening skills and involve them with the storytelling try using story element cards. TTT has created cards with the colours, body parts and clothes from the story. Children can hold up their card when they hear it mentioned in the story. This is a great way to introduce unfamiliar vocabulary and the cards can be used as a classroom resource or part of a display afterwards. Colouring an outline of Katie after the story or during a reread reinforces the vocabulary. You can get this resource here https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/flyaway-katie-follow-along-12168466
Flyaway Feelings
Feelings can be overwhelming for young children. If you ask them to identify feelings they generally respond with happy and sad. This book can help them to identify and describe a wider range of emotions, for example, Katie is feeling bored and lonely at the start of the story. The way it visually links feelings to colours and through the fizzing patterns is also helpful. The story leads to discussion on how we can change our moods, supporting children with learning to manage their emotions. Through sharing the colours and clothes that make them happy in circle time activities children can learn that we like different things and get to know each other better. A great way to explore this further is to create a self portrait in the style of Flyaway Katie. Resources for these activities can be found here https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/flyaway-feelings-self-portraits-12168474
Flyaway Creations
The colourful bird picture inspires Katie to have her magical adventure to change her mood. It is also fantastic inspiration for children to create their own art work. They could decorate birds to recreate the picture using colouring pencils, markers, paint, or collage, (see the butterfly below for detailed pattern work idea). Polly Dunbar created a beautiful bird mural with students in Singapore. http://www.pollydunbar.com/flyaway-katie.html
The fizzling patterns from the story can be recreated using a variety of brushes and texture stampers, stencils and cut out shapes. While some children will enjoy creating detailed patterns on birds, others will love the more messy approach of going outside, putting on a rain poncho and splattering the colours! A pattern like this on a large sheet/roll of paper would make a great background to display self portraits or birds. Ideas and templates for these creations are available at https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/flyaway-creations-12168480 Or, save and get all three Flyaway resources as bundle: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/flyaway-bundle-12171903
Teachers Telling Tales resource samples
Links
Examples of resources for making fizzling patterns
You can create fizzling patterns with found objects around the home or class, but there can be great deals online. For example, at the the time of writing, the 42 piece set above is only £7.49.
“At night his bedroom shone like the Milky Way, the jars on his shelves dancing and spinning with trapped, silvery, exotic, beautiful, fancy words.” from Eren by Simon P. Clark. Illustration uses jars image by ThreeMilesPerHour from Pixabay
Sometimes the stories that resonate or stay with you somehow find you. This has often happened to me through book clubs, or friends passing on their favourite reads when I have been ambushed by stories I wouldn’t have chosen myself.
Yarns and tales and the telling, they’re all about unravelling the truths that life hides … It’s about you, and the story and where the two things meet.
from Eren by Simon P. Clark
Eren by Simon P. Clark was given to me by a friend and although aimed at young readers (age 10+), it captured my attention and kept me thinking about it long after the final page. Eren is about the origins and power of storytelling and it contains many wonderful quotes about stories, “Why do we tell stories? We tell stories because we know no other ways to fly.” It also features short tales. The one that I found myself rereading over and again was about a man who collected words, locking the ones he liked in special jars so that no-one could ever use them again. The tale never reaches its conclusion due to an interruption just as the word collector is on the cusp of attaining the ‘Greatest Word’ leaving the reader wondering what it could be.
It is a book that appeals to readers who like dark, eerie and mysterious stories. It’s great for a class book to be read daily, or to use the mini story and keep in the classroom library for individual reading.
Wonderful Words
‘Constellation’, ‘peahen’ and ‘gobbled’ are three of the words collected in the short tale; as a reader you can’t help but think what would your words be. What makes a word worthy? Is it the sound of the word or the meaning. Does it sum up a concept or evoke a strong feeling? These are really interesting ideas to explore with students. Here are some ideas for turning young writers into word collectors.
Ideas
Curate a collection of wonderful words.
A ‘jar’ for each student to put their words in. This is a good use for those plastic food and drink containers that collect in cupboards! Foil packaging (such as crisp packets) can be used to write words with a permanent marker, or use glitter glue for sparkle. Displayed in a dark corner with fairy lights this will look really special. Whenever a new word is found it can be added to the jar which then become a resource at creative writing time.
Sensory jar creations. Add oil, water, glitter, cubes or Lego with letters on to build the words inside the jar. See links below for some great ideas and instructions.
If your students (or you!) enjoyed reading Eren, you’ll be pleased to know there is a short story project online by Simon P.Clark in collaboration with photographer Brandon Rechten, ‘Twelve Stories. Twelve Photographs. One Question. Who – or what is Eren? http://www.erentales.com/
