Do you hate rainy days? Here is a fun art activity to enjoy after a rainy day read- but don't just stay indoors- get outside and splash about a bit too!
PUBLISHER:FARAR,STRAUS AND GIROUX ISBN: 978-0-374-31695
Puddle is the story of a little boy who hates rainy days because there just isn't anything to do! His mummy tries to cheer him up indoors with some drawing- which leads to some splashing about inside and out. The print changes colour in this text to show who is talking and the illustration has a lovely nostalgic feel- there's a cat and a dog too. No prizes for guessing which animal stays indoors.
On a rainy day, we went outdoors and observed some puddles in the playground. We watched the movement of the water as the raindrops fell, looking at the shapes and reflections. We took some photographs and headed indoors to paint a creative response.
I threw some newspaper over the tables (using these as table covers makes tidy time so quick and easy) and supplied construction paper and tempura paint. We drew around our legs with pencils while wearing our wellies, then we painted these drawings, creating fun patterns on the boots with bright colours. We cut around everything when the paint had dried, then composed a rainy day scene (pictured above) by gluing the parts onto some painted paper roll. We sprayed and splashed some PVA glue on top and added some silver glitter to convey movement.
Publisher: Puffin Books ISBN: 978-0140565812
Here's another fun craft to make with your little learners- a paper skeleton! This craft was inspired by reading the picture book Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
It's the original story from their classic picture book series. The story is about two silly skeletons (and their dog) who leave their dark, dark house and go on a scaring spree at night. But the skeletons encounter a difficulty - there's no-one awake to frighten!
To make your own movable paper skeleton character, first download and print our free template. Then carefully cut around the skeleton parts and, to make your skeleton durable for play, glue these parts onto black card.
Trim around your bones again and you're ready to do some connecting with split pins! Place a ball of play clay under the black guidelines and pierce the card through with a skewer - this will make joining the parts together so much easier for little ones!
If your children really like this skeleton story, you might also want to read The Ghost Train and Bumps in the Night by the same authors. (Allan Ahlberg and his wife Janet have had over 100 picture books published for children!)
Publisher: Red Fox ISBN: 978-0099438748
In everyday life, when you see or hear something interesting or entertaining, you usually share your story with others by retelling what happened in your own words.
The skill of retelling is important. When I listen to children retelling a familiar story, I'm hoping that they communicate to me what meaning they made of the original text, an understanding of structure and an ability to use appropriate language such as time connectives- first, then and finally. I find the best children's stories to use for straightforward retelling are those that are easily remembered, with lots of opportunities to make text-to-self connections, and a sense of strong structure.
Billy's Bucket by Kes Gray and Gary Parsons is a great story for retelling as young readers really seem to connect with the feelings and experiences of the main character. (The story opens on Billy's birthday as his parents ask him what he'd like for a gift.)
Throughout this modern cautionary tale, Billy warns his parents that they must never ever borrow his birthday bucket! Mum and Dad mock the wonderful (imaginary?) world Billy has discovered in his bucket and they don't take his warnings seriously... until Dad needs Billy's bucket for washing his car!
To help support story sequencing for Billy's Bucket, we've created this crafty story prop. Just print out the pdf template onto white card, colour and cut. We used embroidery thread to string together the underwater finds (help is needed to tie a little knot behind each, alternatively supply some tape) then we fed the pictures through the space when rereading or retelling the story!
Also, there's a little tag, just like Billy's, to personalise the craft! As an extension, children might like to create their own drawings, or use pictures from the internet to replace/add to the sequencing chain. Oh, and there's a stand so your bucket will remain upright! Hope you've fun with this one!
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 978-0141383514
This simple art activity was an opportunity to combine two painting techniques with bold, contrasting colours. But our fantastic children took it to a much higher level!
After sharing Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle, the children gathered images and watched videos of polar bear families on the Arctic ice. As expected, this eventually led to a discussion about the decline of the species due to global warming and habitat loss. What I didn't expect was the children's decision to respond to the decline of polar bears directly in their art. One child suggested that everyone should keep saying the word "threatened" in their heads while they painted. Powerful.
When we stood back and observed the children's completed work, it was obvious from the bears' facial expressions that their wonderful idea had been so effective!
Publisher: Harper ISBN: 978-0061732973
Austin Kleon is an inspiring contemporary poet. He uses newspaper articles from the New York Times as unique canvases for creating his verse. The first thing I wanted to do, after trying it out myself, was to see if the older children I teach would find this technique successful and worth exploring.
We began by visiting the official website Newspaperblackout.com, where the children could read examples by Austin and view poems shared by fans using his method. As we watched a short interview with the poet, I could see that the boys in particular were itching to give it a try. "This is cool, have we got newspapers?"
They were immediately hooked.
I think the most daunting thing for a child who wants to write creatively is a blank page. So white, so empty, so demanding. As a teacher, finding ways to make the planning process less of a struggle is wonderful and Kleon's technique scaffolds.
Using the newspaper, children with a limited vocabulary are exposed to words, in context, that they can use directly in their poem. I used a type of modelled writing to show the children how I used the method myself, carefully talking through the entire process. Then the children worked in pairs, or alone if they preferred, to create their own blackout poems.
We also did this a few weeks before the children were doing a unit on writing newspaper recounts, so this was a great opportunity to talk about headlines, sub-headings and columns etc. My socks were blown off when I read the results. Some children even used this as an opportunity to incorporate simile and metaphor - techniques we'd previously explored!!!
You'll need to provide a stack of newspaper articles- careful with content ;), black sharpie pens or permanent markers and scissors.
In the process of modelling....
and one child's blackout poem:
"Twins
get a new
mum
and dad
when
The boys, who
had a
terrible kid
situation
ran from
their parents
to
Nottinghamshire
Here you can see how one child has used the end 's' sound, the word a, and the next capital letter 'T' to create "sat" - this one poem is so intense.
I just wish I'd taken more photographs of these... make sure you do!! I'm sure Austin would love to have more contributions to his site!