This week we are sharing a story about a little girl who hurts her knee, but you’ll never guess how she does it! The story is called On the Way Home and it’s written by Jill Murphy.
We hope you enjoy listening to it or reading the book at home, if you have copy.
This story has a repeated refrain throughout. Did you join in with “And that’s how I got my bad knee”?
The little girl had a great imagination. Can you think of your own ‘tale’ to tell? Who else could Claire have bumped into and how could she have hurt her knee?
Here are some activities that you can try that are linked to the story.
Creative – Claire told her friends about many different people and creatures that she’d run into on the way home. Which was your favourite? (Wolf, aliens, crocodile, snake, dragon, gorilla, a giant, a ghost, a witch.) Have a go at drawing or painting a picture of them.
Paper plate snake – Draw a spiral onto a paper plate (or circle shape piece of paper/card) and cut around it. Some children may be able to have a go at this part too. Paint it with spots/stripes and add some eyes and a tongue. Tie a piece of string/wool to the middle of the spiral to hang up your snake. Enjoy watching it swirl around!
Phonics – As part of our phonics learning, we talk about the different sounds that we can hear, but also about the different sounds that we can make with our voices. Can you have a go at making some sound effects from the story? Here are a few ideas and you might also think of some of your own for the dragon, gorilla or giant. Would they be loud or quiet noises?
Wolf – Hooooowwwwwwl
Alien ship – Woooooooosh!
Ghost – Woooo Woooo
Snake – Sssssssssssss
Witch – Hehehehehehe
Going down the slide – Wheeeeeeeee
Getting hurt – Owwwww
Mathematics
– Look at a box of plasters- talk about the different shapes and sizes. Which is the largest? Smallest? Are there any square, circle or rectangular shaped plasters?
– Play a game of ‘snakes and ladders’ (or similar dice game) and encourage your child to work out the number that they rolled on the die by looking at the pattern of dots. They may need to count the dots initially, but the more you play, the quicker they will become at recognising the pattern. Being able to move forward a set number of spaces and remembering to stop, is also a great math’s skill to develop.
If you have access to a printer, there’s a printable game here or you could have a go at making your own by drawing a grid and adding the numbers, snakes and ladders. https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-n-668-snakes-and-ladders-1-20
– We love this song in Nursery. It’s all about cheeky monkeys who bump their heads! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePKBP9GEAEE
Role play – Pretend to be a doctor/nurse and take turns to be the patient, or use soft toys. You could get some old plasters or bandages if you have some, or improvise using some kitchen roll and sellotape! Some of you may have a children’s doctor’s kit that you could use too. Encourage your child to mark-make during play; they could write a prescription or answer a phone call and take some patient details.
Watch – Have you ever watched ‘Get Well Soon’ on CBeebies? There are several episodes available on the BBC iPlayer.
There’s also an episode, called ‘Pop on a plaster’ that is no longer available on iPlayer but can be viewed here. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2swykq
Health and self-care – There’s a lot of talk around good personal hygiene at the moment. Can your child wipe/blow their own nose? Have a go at this. Teach them to look in a mirror at first so that they can see their nose and to ‘pinch and pull’ using a tissue. Some children may find it tricky to blow down their nose into a tissue, but they can still wipe. Remember to talk about throwing your tissue in the bin afterwards and washing your hands well with soap and water for 20 seconds.
Hot and Cold game-
Many of us will have fond memories of playing this game when we were younger. It’s so simple and children always love to play along.
