TEY_10_1_2020

SENSITIVE SUBJECTS When it comes to exploring sensitive topics with young children, a carefully chosen picture book can be invaluable. Skilful picture book makers have the capacity to present difficult subject matter with subtlety and a light touch; for example, the author/illustrator of Amazing cleverly communicates that the little boy’s wheelchair is both unimportant (it’s never mentioned in words) and central to his active life (it appears in every picture). Children can also make better sense of challenging ideas when they’re introduced within a meaningful context. The important message embedded within Somebody Swallowed Stanley has far greater impact on children because it is presented via a fun and interesting story. With so many thoughtful books to choose from, it’s never been easier to introduce tricky topics with care and sensitivity. Hilary White is a former nursery and primary teacher. As an author she has written a number of books and contributed to a range of magazines. EXPLORING BALLOONS Balloons are interesting items and fun to explore – as Kipper and the little boy in The Blue Balloon discover. Experiment yourself. What happens when you blow up a balloon and let it go, or draw on a deflated balloon with a marker pen and then blow it up, or if you’re brave enough to try squeezing and squashing a balloon, or if you put a water- filled balloon in the freezer? What do balloons filled with water and cornflour feel like? Try introducing different shaped balloons and modelling balloons. COLOURED BALLOONS Although the balloon in the story is a gleaming sky blue, balloons come in lots of other colours. Gather different coloured balloons and name the colours as you play with them. Ask the children to paint sheets of card in various colours, brush with PVA glue to make the paint glossy and cut the cards into balloon shapes. Use the balloons for matching and grouping activities to help children explore colours. Older children can experiment with mixing primary colours to make new colours and adding white/black to make colours paler/darker. BALLOON JOURNEYS The blue balloon in the story takes the little boy and his dog Kipper on an exciting journey into space. Where might the magical blue balloon take you? Working either individually or in very small groups, talk to the children about imaginary journeys. Record their narratives, and provide dressing-up clothes and props to reflect their ideas so they can act out and further develop their journeys. Take photographs, scribe the children’s words and turn them into a book of stories to share with the whole group. NO MORE PLASTIC BAGS! Using Somebody Swallowed Stanley as a starting point, compare plastic and cotton shopping bags and help children to understand that plastic bags are bad for sea creatures when they end up in the ocean. Talk about the advantages of cotton bags over plastic bags (they are much more sturdy, and if cotton fabric is thrown away it doesn’t harm wildlife in the same way). Provide plain cotton bags, non- toxic fabric paint and printing resources, and let children decorate their own bags. Use the children’s creations throughout the setting to demonstrate the versatility of fabric bags. PLASTIC ART In the story, a little boy eventually turns Stanley the plastic bag into a fun and decorative kite. Reusing and upcycling our rubbish is just one way of managing waste in an environmentally responsible way. Plastic comes in many different shapes, sizes and colours and it’s great for creating art. Give children a selection of waste plastic such as yoghurt tubs, lids, plastic bags, water and milk bottles, herb canisters, straws and net fruit bags. Offer card and various sticking and joining resources, and let them create waste plastic collage and models. EXPLORING SEA-LIFE Somebody Swallowed Stanley makes a useful starting point for finding out about different sea creatures. Look at and talk about the jellyfish, whale, seagulls, fish and turtles that live in or near the ocean in the story. Provide sea-life reference books and discover more about these creatures. Ask the children to help you paint a big ocean background. Cut half potatoes into simple jellyfish shapes, like those in the story, and print lots of jellyfish in different colours. Add cut-out pictures of sea creatures along with name labels. TIP: Along with characters and endings, the setting plays an important part in a story. Focus on the illustrations in a picture book to help children identify where the narrative events are taking place. Somebody Swallowed Stanley  The Blue Balloon Sarah Roberts, Scholastic Children’s Books ISBN: 978-1-407195-10-0 Mick Inkpen, Hodder Children’s Books ISBN: 978-1-444-92256-1 Teachearlyyears.com 17