Five Ways to Explore Bowerbird Blues in the Classroom

Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker is a sweet picture book, telling the story of a bowerbird who collects many things, but is looking for something he feels is missing. This book is filled with many themes, perfect to explore further in the classroom. Here I share five different book related activities you can engage in with your students.

1.  Explore Collections

A big thing we see throughout Bowerbird Blues is collections. The bird we follow throughout the book, describes himself as a collector and in many of the illustrations we see the things that he collects. 

There are many ways we can explore collections in the classroom. We can talk about the different collections the students have themselves, we can discuss different things collected by the people important to our students and we can look at how collections can be organised and shared.

As a part of talking about collections, students can look at museums, the role they play in our society and how they organise and share their own collections. They can look at some different museum collections shared online, examine how different collection pieces connect with other collection pieces, and older students may like to examine the idea of what should and should not be collected in museums.

Students may like to make a list of the different things collected by the bowerbird in Bowerbird Blues. They can create a plan for a museum exhibit of these collectible items and reflect on how a museum might share information about this collection.

2. Investigate How Animals and Humans Coexist

In Bowerbird Blues we see the bird interact with a range of man-made objects . These are available to the bird because they have been left behind or littered by humans. While some of the objects we see in the book are useful to the bird, other objects are clearly rubbish in the natural environment or even dangerous to wild animals.

The way animals and humans coexist in the natural environment is a fascinating topic to explore for students of all ages. Younger students can look at how littered rubbish can be dangerous to a range of animals and how we can prevent this from happening. Students in the middle primary years might like to look at how native animals make use of objects or environments left behind by humans. Upper primary students may like to look at how citizen science brings humans and animals together for the benefit of the animals.

3. Experiment with Blue

The colour blue is a major feature of this picture book. From the very first page we see that blue is an important colour to the bowerbird and there are many uses of blue in both the text and the illustrations.There are a variety of ways you can explore blue and its importance in this book with your students.

Students might like to start by examining the illustrations throughout the picture book. They can look at how different shades of blue are used to create different feelings throughout the book. They can explore the complimenting colours used by the author-illustrator, and how these change as the story progresses. They can also look at the background colours and how these are used to draw attention to the main parts of the pictures.

As well as examining how the illustrations use blue, students can experiment with using blue themselves. A very simple way to do this is to ask students to draw a picture using one or more shades of blue. This can be expanded by using a variety of pens, crayons, pastels and other drawing tools. You can also look at using paint to explore the colour blue by providing students with blue paint along with either white and black paint or red and yellow paint. Ask them to create different shades of blue and then to use these to create art. 

Another way to create with the colour blue is to experiment with collage. Students can use plain blue paper or find blue in catalogues or magazines to bring together to make new pieces of art

4. Create a Bower

Towards the end of Bowerbird Blues, the bowerbird creates a special place - a bower - which helps him find what he is missing. This bower is made up of a range of natural materials and the collected items which he has found in different spaces. When you have finished reading the book you may like to look at images of bowers with your students to see if they can find similarities between the illustrations in the book and real life bowers.

A great technology activity is to challenge students to create their own bower. Students can start by examining images of powers and reflecting on how they might be made. They need to think  about what materials they might like to use - whether it’s found materials or craft materials - and what methods they would use to create a bower which stands independently. Students can create prototypes, plans and reflections as they engage with this activity.

For some ideas on how other people  have engaged with a similar challenge check this link - https://thentrythis.org/notes/2021/05/06/bower-experiment-results/

5. Engage in a School Ground Pick Up

Man made litter is evident in many of the illustrations of Bowerbird Blues and we can use this as a prompt to explore the litter which we see and the impact it has on different environments.

Students can go on to connect this to the environment around them by considering what kind of litter they might find in their own school grounds or local community parks. They may like to go on a tour of the school grounds to see what kind of litter they might find or where they might find it, before planning their own school ground pick up. 

You can challenge students to think about what safety measures they need to consider and what materials they would need for a successful cleanup of the school grounds. When they have completed their planning, they may like to invite other classes to join them in a school ground pick up.

Are you reading Bowerbird Blues with your class? You can find a full range of learning resources plus a fun activity pack at the Galarious Goods store or at TPT

Related posts to read:

• 4 Learning Activities for Give Me Some Space!

• 4 Learning Activities for Thelma the Unicorn

• 4 Literacy Activities for I Just Ate My Friend

• Exploring Australian Picture Books About Weather

Bowerbird Blues Book Studies at TPT

• Prep / Year 1 / Year 2

• Year 3 and Year 4

• Year 5 and Year 6

• Book Activities

Bowerbird Blues Resources at the Galarious Goods Shop

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Five Ways to Explore The Sleepy Sloth in the Classroom

The Sleepy Sloth by Rebecca Young is a funny and thoughtful look at a sloth called Spike who is determined to compete in The Great Race - even if there are many faster runners in the race. Here I share five ways you can explore this fabulous book in the classroom.

Five Ways to Explore the Sleepy Sloth in the classroom. A look at the book by Rebecca Young and different ways to use it in the classroom for literacy learning

Reflect on What It Means to Be Persistent

Throughout The Speedy Sloth, Spike is determined to race in and then complete the Great Race. She undertakes actions to prepare for the race and then persists even when it’s difficult.

Exploring what persistence looks like and how students can apply it in their own learning is an important part of developing a growth mindset. Students can explore what persistence looks like in The Speedy Sloth and discuss how they can show persistence in their own life. This can be extended by helping students set learning goals, helping them develop plans and actions to succeed in those goals and helping them brainstorm ways of acknowledging their successes - big or little.

Students can also explore how goals don’t look the same for different students - some students may have a goal to read a certain number of pages, others might focus on learning a range of learning facts, while others might be working hard to develop their handwriting skills. This is another thing which can be related back to the book, with Spike’s goals looking different from the other animals in the race.

Running Maths

The Great Race is a key element of The Speedy Sloth, and it’s a great topic for integrating maths. Students can explore measurement by measuring what a metre looks like - then 5, 10, 50 or 100 metres. They can extend this by thinking about how many steps they would take to run 100 metres. Older students can explore maps of a local area and use scale to plan a marathon or fun run course.

Students can look at time by timing themselves running a certain distance, exploring the time famous runners take to run different distances, calculate how long it would take them to run a marathon (older students could think about how they might slow down or speed up) or even create a time table for sports day races.

Students could also use races to develop their own maths problems and investigations - whether it’s calculating the total distance run at a sports carnival or how much money a fun run might raise.

Spike’s Next Challenge

Spike is revealed to be a very determined sloth in The Speedy Sloth - so what might her next challenge be?

This is a great writing challenge to put forward to your students - thinking about what Spike might challenge next. Students can collaborate to write a series of stories or shared stories. They could write a follow up picture book and examine the illustrations to create their own in the same style. Or they could try a new style of writing - a short story, a poem, a graphic novel or a script.

Explore Running

Spike is determined to be a good runner - even training at the gym for the Great Race. This is a great prompt for students to explore what running is and how you can get better at running.

Students can explore running by looking at videos or reading biographies of great runners. They can research different types of running races - including hurdles and steeple chase - and look at how other sports also use running - from the run up in a gymnastics vault, to running in a football game, to running while dribbling a ball in basketball. Older students can research how running works or what you need to do to become a better runner.

Students can plan their own running races - looking at where they can safely run within the school, different types of obstacles they could add to a running race or how they could turn a race into a relay race. They can examine training plans for runners and make their own training plans in the lead up to a sports carnival.

Move Like a Sloth

While Spike has great goals in mind for the Great Race, she is not the fastest of runners. Or movers. Exploring how sloths move is a great dance activity for the classroom.

Students can begin by looking at videos and reading descriptions of how sloths move. They can use these to explore how they can move slowly, looking at how they can manipulate different body parts in slow movement. Students can explore moving through different heights slowly, moving across a room slowly, or moving in small or bigger groups in slow motion.

You can also provide a range of different music to students and ask them to select which music would best suit their movement patterns. Students can experiment with different ways of recording their movements and develop longer dances with these movements.

Are you reading The Sleepy Sloth with your class? You can find a full range of learning resources at the Galarious Goods store or at TPT for Prep/Foundation, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6

Related posts to read:

• 4 Learning Activities for Give Me Some Space!

• 4 Learning Activities for Thelma the Unicorn

• 4 Literacy Activities for I Just Ate My Friend

• Exploring Australian Picture Books About Weather

The Speedy Sloth Book Studies at TPT

• Prep / Year 1 / Year 2

• Year 3 and Year 4

• Year 5 and Year 6

Speedy Sloth Resources at the Galarious Goods Shop

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5 Ways to Explore Jackie French’s Natural Disaster Books in the Classroom

When Jackie French’s Flood was first published, it was clear that this book, about the 2011 Queensland floods, would be an important addition to many classrooms. With the addition of Fire, Cyclone, Drought, Pandemic and Earthquake, we have a collection of books which explain and evoke particular disasters in Australia, as well as raising awareness of how these types of events can impact the population and the environment. Here are just some of the ways we can use this important series of picture books in the classroom.

Explore the Text

There’s not a huge amount of text in the Natural Disaster books, which means every word is chosen carefully. Jackie French has crafted books which sometimes read as poetry, often with thoughtful figurative language to explore.

One thing students can look for throughout the books is personification. When the river is nibbling or flames are laughing, the reader is being presented with a mental image which makes it easier to understand the impact of the disaster. Students can identify this personification throughout the texts, discuss why the author chose those particular words and practice writing their own texts with personification.

The way verbs are used throughout the books is another element students can explore. The verbs used are often descriptive or are combined to provide rhythm and a greater understanding of what is happening. As well as identifying how these verbs are used and what would happen if different words were substituted, students can also use these as mentor texts to improve their writing.

Making Connections

Living in Australia, it is not unusual to hear about floods and fires, cyclones and droughts - in fact as I write this, my city is still recovering from a massive recent flood event, the signs of rising waters still around us. These books are easy to connect to the things we see on the television or to other media and texts which deal with the extremes of Australia.

As you explore one or all of the books, you might like to keep a space for students to record connections they find. From videos which explain what a cyclone is, to classic Australian poetry (Said Hanrahan by John O’Brien or Dorothea Mackellar’s often quoted ‘droughts and flooding rains’) to news stories, there’s plenty of material which can expand the understanding of both the natural disasters and the books themselves. 

If you’re looking for more books about weather in Australia, don’t miss this blog post which includes a short list of excellent reads.

Look For the Helpers

One of the main themes in the Natural Disasters books is that there are always people there to help when disasters happen, from the fire fighters in Fire to the mud army in Flood to the children doing their part to share food in Pandemic. 

The idea of looking for helpers in bad times isn’t a new one, but it’s an important theme we can carry throughout the books. Students can make notes of the different types of helpers and the help they provide; look at the qualities of being a good helper and discuss the impact helpers have on our communities.

Research 

As these books are based around real events which have occurred in Australia, there’s a lot of scope for researching. Students can be broad with their research, looking at what cyclones or bushfires are and how they happen, or they can focus in on particular events, either those in the books or similar events which have happened.

Students can use the books to spark their research, looking at the vocabulary and events within the books as key search terms which can guide them. They can use their research to write information reports or make a slide show or even write their own informational picture books.

Explore the Artwork

The illustrations by Bruce Whatley are an essential part of these books. Sometimes they tell the story, sharing information we don’t find in the text. Other times they help to create the mood of the story, using a range of different art techniques evoking the disaster or the time in which the story is set.

In each book there’s an illustrator’s note which is fascinating to explore. Bruce Whatley talks about some of the restrictions on his work, either self imposed or through circumstances. He also talks about elements such as the use of colour, the materials used or the techniques employed - all of which the students can identify and discuss.

Students can also experiment with these techniques themselves, looking at how they can use different colours or materials to create their own artworks. They can also take this further by looking at how they might evoke a natural disaster through art work.

Find in-depth book studies for Jackie French’s natural disaster books here

Related posts to read:

• Exploring Australian Picture Books About Weather

• Taking a Deep Dive Into Picture Book Illustrations in the Classroom

• Four Ways to Explore Family Tree in the Classroom

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Four Ways to Explore Family Tree in the Classroom

Family Tree by Josh Pyke is a beautiful and lyrical look at growth, families and the role nature can play around our living environments. But how can we use it in our classrooms? Here’s four ways you can grow learning with this wonderful book with your students.

Take Family Tree Outside

Family Tree is a wonderful book to read aloud. One way to turn this into an experience is to take the book outside - especially to a place filled with trees. If you’ve got a tree-filled spot in your school or access to a local park, you can take your students there to experience the story.

Before or after reading the book, students can engage with the trees in a number of ways - from closing their eyes and reflecting on what they can hear when they sit under a tree to using observation to see what insects or birds are around the tree (or if you are particularly lucky, you may be able to find a koala). 

If you have the time and can plan it with your administration, students might like to participate in a tree planting activity. Alternatively, students could plant seeds or seedlings in small pots and take them home. 

Create Your Own Family Tree

We usually think of a family tree as a drawing or document which shows parents, grandparents and other family members. However, in the book, the family tree is shown as an actual tree, the family who live near it and the experiences and influences on the family. 

Students can create this broader type of family tree by creating a diagram or drawing which shows the people, places, events and things which are important to them and to their growth. They might like to highlight big world wide or nation wide events which are part of their lives; smaller events which impact them or their families, places which are important to them or milestones as they are growing up, as well as the people in their family or around their family who are important to them.

Take a Closer Look at Trees

The tree is a major part of Family Tree from the seed it grows from through to being a mature tree perfect for animals and birds and small children who can climb into the sky. Trees are fabulous to explore with students because there’s so many different elements you can take a closer look at. 

Students can investigate the different parts of a tree or the different types of trees which exist in their local environment. They can look at how trees grow and what makes the perfect environment for them. Students can investigate animals who use trees as their home or for food and look at what difficulties they face, or how trees benefit us. 

This is a great opportunity for older students to start with a big topic - trees - and to develop their own questioning skills around this topic. 

Examine Origin Stories

Family Tree shows us the origin story of the tree - as a seed growing into a small plant. Origin stories are common in fiction, telling us the backstory of how a character became the protagonist - or the antagonist. Understanding the origin story of a character, and the way it influences further growth of the character, allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the character and the story itself.

Students can examine and compare the origin story of the tree and the girl in Family Tree, but they can also compare these origin stories with origin stories in other books. They can brainstorm different origin stories they know from books, television or movies and find the similarities and differences between them. They can also pose questions about well known books - why did the Green Sheep need to sleep? Why is Pig the Pug the way he is? - and write their own origin stories.

Are you reading Family Tree with your class? You can find a full range of learning resources at the Galarious Goods store for Prep/Foundation, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6

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• 4 Literacy Activities for I Just Ate My Friend

• Exploring Australian Picture Books About Weather

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Three Themes to Explore in The Adventures of Beekle

The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat is a whimsical picture book about an imaginary creature who has to go looking for his friend. This is a sweet and lovely book to read aloud, while also offering opportunities to explore a range of themes in detail.

1. Friendship

Beekle is an imaginary friend who doesn’t have a real child friend. At the heart of his story is the quest to go out and find the friend who might be too busy to find him. 

In the book we see a lot of elements of friendship which we can explore further with our students. We see the difficulty of finding friends and the different steps we might have to take to make friends. We also see how friendship grows and how it can include other people.

Activities to Explore:

• Ask students to think about what friendship would look like if it was a creature. They can create drawings and write descriptions of this friendship creature

• Is Beekle a good friend? Ask students to write a persuasive text answering this question

• Ask students to reflect on how Beekle made friends with Alice and to brainstorm different ways they could make friends

2. Imagination

Beekle is from a land where imaginary friends are created and wait to be imagined by real children. He finds the real world to be a strange place, feeling more comfortable in places and situations which feed the imagination.

This element of imagination is fun for students to explore, especially when comparing The Adventures of Beekle with other books which contrast realistic and imaginary elements. Students can also reflect on the different ways imagination is portrayed in the book and the different ways they see or use imagination in their own lives.

Activities to Explore:

• Ask students to create an imaginary friend of their own. They can think about the different elements which might make up an imaginary friend and use descriptive language to write about them

• Ask students to plan and draw a piece of playground equipment which demonstrates imagination. As a group activity, students could work together to plan a whole imagination inspired playground

• Is imagination important? Students can work in pairs or small groups to explore why imagination is or isn’t important

3. Exploration

When Beekle decides he can’t wait any longer, he makes the extraordinary decision to set out on his own to find his friend. This involves sailing through many dangers to the real world, then exploring the unfamiliar places and behaviours which made up the real world.

There are many ways you can consider exploration in the classroom, from comparing Beekle’s experience with those of famous explorers, through to examining why some situations might have been confronting for Beekle in the book. Students can also simply reflect on what exploration is.

Activities to Explore:

• Ask students to draw a map showing Beekle’s exploration. Students may begin by investigating what elements a map has and ensuring that they add these to their work

• Students create a profile of an explorer. As part of this profile students can think about what qualities an explorer has

• Examine maps or get students to create a map of the local area around your school. Use these maps to write a ‘guide to exploring’ the local area. Think about what things people might see

Are you using The Adventures of Beekle in your classroom? Don’t miss this book companion which explores friendship, imaginary friends and more.

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Why You Should Share Kamala and Maya's Big Idea in Your Classroom

One of my favourite books of 2020 was Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea by Meena Harris and Ana Ramírez González. This lovely picture book tells a fictionalised story about Kamala Harris and her sister Maya and a project they undertook as children. And - as a story which focuses on civics and community - it’s perfect for the classroom. Here’s some reasons why you should share it in your classroom and some ways you might like to explore it with your students.

1. Being aware of issues in our community

It’s hard to make improvements in our community if we don’t know about or understand the issues. At the beginning of Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea, the two girls have a very big idea to create a playground outside. They’ve spotted something which can be improved and have ideas about how to improve it.

Students can have great ideas about their community and the things they’d like to see improved when we give them the opportunity to learn more about different issues and the space to suggest a future they’d like to see. Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea is a great prompting text for students to reflect on their own community and different things they notice or would like to improve.

Activity Idea: Ask students to reflect on what their ideal neighbourhood or school would be like. While some ideas are sure to be a little outlandish, students will also have thoughts on real improvements which can be made.

2. Working with others to solve problems

In the book, Kamala and Maya don’t achieve their goal on their own. They work with other kids in the building, get help from their parents and neighbours in the building to raise interest. They build things together, raise money together and even get donations of old things from local businesses.

Big problems and big goals can be hard to solve on our own, but when people work together those big things can be broken into smaller pieces. This is a great way for students to talk about organising groups of people, about how to make decisions in these groups and how to respect the ideas of others when planning something. 

Activity Idea: Work as a group to choose a charity to raise money for. Brainstorm ways to raise the money and think about how the group can work together to make a big job easier.

3. Being persistent and trying different ways to solve problems

Getting their playground isn’t easy and Kamala and Maya have to be persistent and deal with setbacks. They have to convince the landlord that the courtyard can be fixed up, then how to source materials for their playground. Then they need to change their focus on raising money to buy an old slide for the playground. They don’t give up, but they’re also happy to change how they approach things when they need to.

This is such a great message for students to hear and to reflect on. Oftentimes it feels easier to give up when things get really hard. But by thinking about whether you need to change how you’re doing something or by just doing something again, you get another step closer to achieving your goals.

Activity Idea: Ask your students to brainstorm phrases they can say to themselves when they need to be persistent. You can use these phrases as a display in the classroom, or students can create reminder cards with their favourites. 

4. Creating community spaces

Kamala and Maya’s goal in the book was to create a happy community space. This is a great opportunity for students to reflect on what makes a great community space and what community spaces exist in their community.

You might like to look beyond playgrounds as well and look at other community spaces which cater to different groups of people. You may include libraries, community centres, communal gardens, nature reserves and walks. Students can reflect on why community spaces are important to people and the benefits of them and what community spaces they would like to see.

Activity Idea: Go on a neighbourhood journey to some local community spaces. Students might like to take photos, draw maps and write notes about the different things they see in these spaces.

Want to take a closer look at Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea? Read more about the book companion here

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• Challenging Students to Find Connections Between Picture Books

• Asking Students to Create their Own Picture Book Questions

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4 Learning Activities for Thelma the Unicorn

Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron Blabey is definitely one of my favourite books. Afterall, how could you not be in love with the little horse who becomes an internationally famous unicorn? 

As well as being a fabulous read, Thelma the Unicorn is perfect to use in the classroom - filled with themes to explore and potential activities to share. Here’s four learning activities for Thelma the Unicorn which you can use in your classroom today.

1. Explore Disguises

Thelma uses a disguise to become a unicorn - tying a carrot to her nose before having a run in with some glitter and paint. This disguise is enough to convince everyone that she is an actual unicorn. When it gets too hard to be a unicorn and she needs to return to her old life, she washes away her disguise and no one recognises her at all.

Disguises are a great topic to explore in the classroom. Students can examine why you might need a disguise as part of a job or why people might like to get dressed up in a disguise. They can research different ways of disguising people - and some of the technology behind that. They can also engage in an activity to design - or create - their own disguise. 

Students can also connect disguises with the secret identities of superheroes and look at how they disguise themselves. Students might like to engage in an activity to create their own superhero - and their everyday secret identity. 

2. Investigate Unicorn Books

Thelma the Unicorn is a brilliant unicorn themed book, but it’s not the only one out there! There’s some great unicorn books available, from the wonderful Grumpycorn to the lovely Pearl the Unicorn series with many more in between.

Looking for unicorn books is a great library activity. Students can look at different methods of finding books on different themes - from just wandering around, to asking a librarian, to using a search if it’s available. 

When students have a collection of unicorn books, they can share and explore them. Students can look for similarities and differences with Thelma the Unicorn, nominate their favourite unicorn books and explain their choices, or you can set up an activity for students to create a poster or leaflet to tell other students in the school about great unicorn books.

Looking for something a little different? Don’t miss Sarah McIntyre’s tutorial on drawing Grumpycorn!

3. Examine Kindness and Bullying

Being kind is a key theme in Thelma the Unicorn - being kind to yourself, being kind to your friends - and the impact when people aren’t kind to each other. Taking a closer look at kindness - and bullying - is a great Thelma the Unicorn activity.

Students can discuss the bullying in Thelma the Unicorn and why they think Thelma experienced this bullying. This might lead to discussions about whether you can bully someone who is famous and what it means to be famous. Students can take this further by exploring what bullying looks like and what they can do if they or someone they know is bullied.

Students may also like to look at what Otis does and why he is a good friend to Thelma. They might like to list his qualities as a friend (and where you see them in the text) and think about how they can demonstrate these good qualities at school.

Want to explore the topic of kindness and bullying further with your Prep or Year 1 students? One of the activities in the Prep/Kindergarten and Year 1 book companion dives deeper into this.

4. Write a Fan Letter to Thelma

When Thelma is famous, she receives attention from all around the world. One way famous people get attention is through fan mail. This is a wonderful writing activity for students, even young students who are learning to read (they can combine writing and drawing in their letter).

Through writing a fan letter to Thelma, students can explore the techniques of letter writing as well as thinking about what they might say if they were a fan of Thelma. This might be something they do individually or you can work as a class to brainstorm ideas or even craft the letter together.

Would you like to write fan letters with your class? You can get free printable letter writing templates to support this activity in your classroom by signing up for the free resource library.

Have you taught Thelma the Unicorn in your classroom? Share your favourite activities or experience in the comments!

Related posts to read:

• 7 Reasons We Love the Pig the Pug Books

• 4 Literacy Activities for I Just Ate My Friend

• 3 Easy Ways to Explore Alpacas with Maracas

• 4 Literacy Activities for The Wrong Book by Nick Bland

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4 Learning Activities for Give Me Some Space!

2021’s National Simultaneous Storytime book is the lovely Give Me Some Space! by Philip Bunting. This is the story of Una, a space-obsessed girl who wants to escape the everydayness of her everyday life to explore the solar system. But what learning can we do with these books? Here’s five ideas for your classroom

1. Research Astronauts

Researching astronauts sounds like a rather humdrum activity, but this is a great way for students to develop an important skill - developing research questions. Astronauts tend to spark a lot of curiosity - how do you become an astronaut? What does it feel like to travel into space? And of course, everyone’s favourite - how do you go to the toilet in space?

Younger students can start by just brainstorming everything they’d like to know about space. With the guidance of the teacher, they may like to pick 2 or 3 of their questions and explore different places they could find answers, like interviews with astronauts, videos about astronauts and books about space exploration.

As students get older, they can begin to group their questions, looking for broader research topics. They might like to investigate life in space, astronauts in history or the jobs of astronauts. Students could work in teams to each research a question, then come together to share their findings.

For older students, you can work on developing more sophisticated research questions. How do you become an astronaut? might become “How has astronaut selection changed over history?” What does it feel like to travel into space might become “How do humans feel about earth when they see it from space?”

2. Explore food in unusual circumstances (and plan a space inspired menu)

Una’s picnic is an important part of Give Me Some Space! as she sits on the Kuiper Belt and eats her cheese sandwiches and astronaut ice cream. This also gives students the opportunity to ask an all important question - what do you eat in space?

For younger students this can be a really simple activity of looking at some of the food astronauts eat in space, exploring some of the problems of eating in space and designing their own ‘space menu’. 

Older primary students might also like to look at the history of food in space and how it changed as space exploration changed. They could also compare this to food in other unusual situations, such as food in Antarctica or food on long sea voyages. Additionally they might like to investigate some of the technology involved in preparing food for space and what tools would make eating in space easier. 

Looking for more information? Try

• https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/apollo-to-the-moon/online/astronaut-life/food-in-space.cfm

• https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Food_for_Space_Flight.html 

3. Create space inspired miniatures

In Give Me Some Space! Una uses materials from around her house to create her space exploration tools. But what about using regular items to create tiny things.

Students can use a range of everyday and craft materials to create miniature items or scenes inspired by the book. They might like to create a tiny rocket or astronaut, or imagine what the inside of a space habitat might look like.

Older students can explore ways they can use their miniatures to create stories. One way they can do this is by making their own stop motion animations - taking photos, moving items slightly and taking another photo. Then they put these photos together to make an animation. 

4. Explore a space inspired dance

Space is such a great topic to pair with dance, because of the number of elements which require movement.

Younger students can look at how a rocket takes off or how a moon buggy moves across the surface of the moon and try to recreate those moves with their bodies. For extra fun, they might like to explore all the different ways a space alien might move

Middle primary students might like to imagine what it feels like to move with no gravity or lower gravity and how they could show that in a regular gravity situation on earth. 

Older students might like to explore some space themed music, such as Gustav Holst’s  The Planets, David Bowie’s Space Oddity (especially the version by Chris Hadfield played in space!) or Josef Strauss’ Music of the Spheres and explore how they could move through along with these pieces of music. Students could work individually, in pairs or in groups to choreograph movement sequences which fit to these pieces of music.

Are you looking for more ways to explore Give Me Some Space? Don’t miss the Galarious Goods book studies - available for Prep/Kindergarten, Year 1 and 2; Year 3 and 4; and Year 5 and 6.

Related posts to read:

• 10 Great Books About Space Exploration for Your Classroom

• 12 Books to Read After Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas

• 3 Easy Ways to Explore Alpacas with Maracas

• 4 Literacy Activities for The Wrong Book by Nick Bland

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10 Great Books About Space Exploration for Your Classroom

I’ll admit it! In our family we are space fans. We watch documentaries and movies about space, we go to space exhibitions at the museum and we read space books. 

A lot of space books.

Here’s 10 of my favourite books about space for your classroom library.

1. Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker

With the success of the movie Hidden Figures, more people now know about the contribution of Katherine Johnson and her fellow ‘computers’ when it came to getting men to the moon - and home again. This lovely picture book memoir allows children to also learn about this history. It follows Katherine’s life from when she was a young, enthusiastic learner, through to some of the challenges she faced to get an appropriate education through to her achievements. 

2. One Giant Leap by Don Brown

This is another memoir, but instead of focusing on the hidden figures behind the space program, it looks at arguably the most famous public face - Neil Armstrong. In 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first person to step on the surface of the moon. In the book, the author chooses to focus on Neil’s childhood and his wish to fly and on the Apollo 11 mission and the moon landing. By choosing just 2 focal points, students are able to draw connections between the boy who worked hard to fly and the man who worked hard to walk on the moon. 

3. Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin

This beautifully illustrated picture book is written by the second man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin. It’s a longer book by the first two, but a fantastic overview of Buzz’s life from childhood until the moon landing and a wonderful insight into what an astronaut is actually thinking about and why they think they were able to succeed. 

4. Moonwalkers by Mark Greenwood

Like One Giant Leap and Reaching for the Moon, this is a story about the Apollo 11 mission and the first moon landing. However, instead of focusing on the astronauts, it focuses on the people watching the landing back on Earth. Billy lives near The Dish, and he wishes he can be an astronaut. The book shows us the elements of the mission through Billy’s craft projects, through the games he plays, through his dreams and through the viewing of the first steps on the family television. Terry Denton’s illustrations are particularly wonderful in this book - especially the spread showing the 20 steps to get the astronauts to the moon and back again.

5. To the Stars by Carmella Van Vleet and Dr Kathy Sullivan

Kathy Sullivan was the first woman to complete a space walk. Like other picture book memoirs about astronauts, this one explores some of the interests and characteristics she showed as a child and compares it with their achievements as adults. This one doesn’t follow a linear narrative, though, instead going back and forward to make direct connections. This interesting story telling style is well worth exploring with students.

6. The Astronaut with a Song for the Stars by Julia Finley Mosca

This memoir of Dr Ellen Ochoa is a bit different from the other memoirs - because it’s written in a delightful rhyming style. As well as examining Ellen’s childhood, this book looks at the influence of her family and their experiences. This book also connects nicely with Reaching for the Moon - emphasising the importance for both Buzz Aldrin and Ellen Ochoa of learning more to achieve. This book with additional information and a timeline included is a wonderful way to explore persistence.

You can find a book study for The Astronaut with a Song for the Stars - and a free resource! - at the Galarious Goods shop

7. The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield and Kate Fillion

Chris Hadfield became well known for his communication and songs from the International Space Station. However, this book focuses mostly on a child, Chris, who loves space and rockets, but is scared of the dark. When he watched the Apollo 11 moon landing he gains a different perspective on the dark and the wonders it holds.

8. On the Moon by Anna Milbourne

This is a special book to me, because we actually bought it at The Dish mentioned in Mark Greenwood’s Moonwalkers! This is a book aimed at younger readers showing a young girl who is interested in space and the moon. The book walks through what happened on a typical moon landing mission, from the launch to the landing and home again. This would be a great one to have in a lower grades class or for new readers.

9. Penguinaut by Marcie Colleen

It’s amazing how many picture books feature animals deciding to go to the moon! This lovely picture book is one of those, following the story of Orville the small penguin who has a lot of big friends with big adventures. So he devises a big adventure of his own - a trip to the moon - which he will complete on his own. There’s a lot to explore in this book and it’s a lovely companion to the non-fiction books.

10. Curiosity by Markus Motum

On the day my son was born, a little rover landed on Mars. That rover was Curiosity and this beautiful book is Curiosity’s story. It tells the reader why rovers were built, how they were built and how they were launched to Mars. It’s a beautiful non-fiction book which examines the history of the rovers while allowing room for further curiosity when it comes to space exploration.

Have you used any of these books in your classroom? Share your experiences in the comments.

Related posts to read:

• 12 Books to Read After Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas

• Exploring Australian Picture Books About Weather

• 7 Great Books to Integrate With Australian History and Social Studies

Looking for more?

• Follow the Galarious Goods TpT shop

• Follow Galarious Goods on Facebook

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4 Literacy Activities for I Just Ate My Friend

He was my best friend . . . and now he’s gone!

If you haven’t read I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon, I highly recommend getting your hand on a copy. This lovely picture book, which follows the monster’s search for a new friend - after they ate their old friend, is a brilliant book to read with early primary students, and a great one to take a closer look at in the classroom. 

Here’s a few ways you can explore this very funny picture book in your classroom.

1. Create Your Own Monster

The monsters in I Just Ate My Friend all look very different. Students can choose a monster and work in pairs or in small groups to describe these monsters. Alternately, students can explore creating their own monster.

One way to create a monster is to combine it with mathematics and use chance - and a dice - to create a monster. Each number of the dice can correspond with a particular monster feature and students can roll the dice, then draw the piece of monster they get. If students are in the pre-reading stage, this can be done in literacy rotation groups with a teacher or assistant or even as a whole class activity. Once students have drawn their monster, they can write descriptions for their new creation.

Want to create monsters with your class? You can get free printables to support this activity in your classroom by signing up for the free resource library.

2. Engage in Readers Theatre . . . And Create Their Own

Because the main character in I Just Ate My Friend meets a lot of other characters, it’s a great opportunity to introduce and explore reader’s theatre with your students. Students can discuss how they think different lines in the book should be read (exploring fluency and expression) and take turns being the main character and the monsters they meet. 

Once students are comfortable with the text, they might also like to think about how they could expand it. Students can brainstorm other monsters the main character might meet and act out what those monsters might say. They could challenge themselves to have enough monsters for the whole class to participate!

3. Exploring What a Friend Is

This is a great book for exploring the qualities of friends. Students can brainstorm words which describe friends and create images or descriptions of friendships.

Students can also explore what friendships look like in other media. They might like to talk about television shows or movies or other books which feature friendships and talk about the qualities of friends shown there.

Do you want to teach this activity with your students? You can find it as part of the I Just Ate My Friend book study

4. Exploring Surprising Endings

I Just Ate My Friend has a surprise ending which completely changes the book. This is a great opportunity for students to talk about surprise endings and why the author might have chosen to write it. They can also connect this book to other books with surprise endings and discuss what makes an ending surprising.

Once they’ve discussed surprise endings, students might like to try creating their own surprise endings. They can create stories in small groups or pairs, write them, record them or have them scribed and create their own books.

Have you read I Just Ate My Friend in Your Classroom? Share your experience in the comments.

Related posts to read:

• 3 Easy Ways to Explore Alpacas with Maracas

• 4 Literacy Activities for The Wrong Book by Nick Bland

• 5 Engaging Picture Books Featuring Australian Animals

Looking for more?

• Follow the Galarious Goods TpT shop

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