Gather lots of leaves and try to arrange them to make a picture. Look at the work of Andy Goldsworthy to find more examples of how nature can be used to make art. Use these as inspiration to make your own. We shared the room on the broom activitiesnot so long ago, and we do hope you had a chance to print them out. There are also these printable sharing a shell activities we know your little ones will love in addition to the ones we are sharing today. To maximize the learning fun, why not prepare these Gruffalo food ideas, you’ll find quite a few delicious ideas.

Some ways that you could adapt this What The Ladybird Heard craft are to make it as one paper plate without the movable wings, drawing on the spots and face rather than painting them (I like chalk pens for any drawing in white), doing a drawing of what the ladybird heard rather than writing about it or just leaving the secret bit out from under their wings completely – the ladybird still looks super cute just as a craft! Like this idea? Think about the different sounds that animals make. How do we write these (e.g. miaow, purr)? Can you think of any other examples of onomatopoeia? Are there any other examples in the story? All the Gruffalo fans have many more things to be super excited about as Discover Children’s story centre has an Axel SchefflerandJulia Donaldsonexhibition that brings12 of their enchanting picture books bursting to life (Gruffalo included). Can you sort the animals in the story using Venn or Carroll diagrams? Which ones have two legs? Which have four legs? Which ones have a beak or a nose? How many other ways could you sort them? At the end of this post I’ll be giving you some ideas on how you could modify this craft for different ages but I’m going to start by giving you the instructions for making this What The Ladybird Heard craft as a bit of a literacy activity too.Look at the vocabulary used to describe how the thieves are planning to steal the cow. What other direction words can you think of? I’ve found that when I paint paper plates I tend to get much better coverage when I paint with my fingers rather than a paintbrush though as a parent I totally understand if you don’t pass that tip on! Can you make up a song which includes lots of examples of animal sounds? Get some ideas by watching this performance of a song by the author and her husband: Identify the rhyming words used throughout the book. Can you make your own rhyming dictionary, adding other rhyming words for the ones found? So many lovely little ladybirds on this printable sheet. They all look alike don’t they. But do they really? Let’s take a closer look and find that one special one. It sure isn’t an easy task, trust us it took us a while. Did you spot it yet?

If the pin won’t go through easily you could make the hole first with scissors and then push the split pin through. It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania. Look at the illustrations of the farm in the book. Look at the different textures used on the tree / grass / buildings. Can you try to recreate these textures using different art materials? Think of some speech bubbles to show what the ladybird might be thinking at each point in the story.Having a child in year two and another in nursery I know that while they both love this book what they are able to achieve are quite different – after all my four year old hasn’t learnt to write yet! Can’t you just see the excitement on your little ones faces when they enter this magical world? Certainly an experience that is not to be missed as this will be something they will remember for years to come. We have another wonderful set to share with you today, this time we are sharingPrintable What the Ladybird Heard activities.

With a whole host of noisy zoo-animal characters to meet and even a cameo from the Queen, What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday, from stellar picture book partnership Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, is a sure-fire hit. Enjoy all the stories from Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks: Sharing a Shell, The Princess and the Wizard, The Rhyming Rabbit, The Singing Mermaid, Sugarlump and the Unicorn, Princess Mirror-Belle and the Dragon Pox, What the Ladybird Heard, What the Ladybird Heard Next and What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday. Next up connect the two wings using a split pin. Hold the two wings together first to make sure they connect properly and then push the split pin through at the top – I pushed mine into a lump of playdough to make it easier and safer.

Look at the adjectives that are used to describe each animal. How many other adjectives can you think of to describe them? Use the animal posters (see Resources below) and write adjectives on them. Try to find where different farms are in your local area. What crops do they grow? What animals do they look after?

At DISCOVER CHILDREN’S STORY CENTRE magic really does happen, as their new Axel Schefflerand Julia Donaldsonexhibition brings 12of their most enchanting picture books to life. A World inside a Book – The Gruffalo, Dragons and other Creaturesopens to the public on Saturday 21 October 2017 – September 2018. Think about what stealing means and why it is wrong. How would you feel if someone stole from you? What happens to people who steal things from others? Create a simple model of the farm and use some programmable robots (e.g. roamer, remote control vehicles) to move around it. Could you decorate the roamer so that it looks like the ladybird? The thieves ‘crept’ into the farm. Think of synonyms which describe how people can move. Can you demonstrate each one (e.g. sprint, crawled, paced). Look at the pictures of the farm at the start and end of the book. Can you describe how they are different?If you want more activities for your little ones visit World Inside a Book Discover Children’s Story Centre. The ladybird whispered into each animal’s ear. Think of other words that describe how we can communicate with others (e.g. shouted, screamed, hissed, chattered). Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on. When your paper plates are dry cut the end off the red paper plate and then cut it in half to make your ladybirds wings.