Created on: 22 Dec 2020 | Last modified: 10 Apr 2024
HWB Focus: Mental and Emotional HWB, Relationships and Food and Health
Week 1
Introduce the story, ‘The Colour Monster’ by Anna Llenas or listen to it being read here. There are some questions in the clip after the story which might help to scaffold a discussion around the story.
Invite the children to discuss their feelings. Sometimes we can feel a bit mixed up like the Colour Monster. It might help to have a friend, older brother or sister or a trusted adult help the child to sort out their feelings at those times, just like the Colour Monster and the little girl. Talk about the things which make the children feel happy, sad, angry, fearful and calm and loved.
Now invite the children to draw a picture of all these things in the relevant colour. They might even want to put the different pictures into separate jars or containers, just like the Colour Monster. Alternatively, they could draw them into different jars using this template - https://teachingideas.co.uk/sites/default/files/emptyjar_1.pdf
As an extension activity, the discussion could also focus on what things help when they are feeling sad, afraid or angry.
Let’s explore colour some more through messy play! The children might like to experiment with paint or water and food dye by mixing colours to see what new colours they can make. What colours can they create and what feelings do they link with their new colours?
Now it’s time to make their own Colour Monster. The children could do this through junk modelling, playdoh (homemade recipe – https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/playdoh-recipe), paper mache (recipe – https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-make-paper-mache) or if they would prefer to draw the Monster, this link to different Monster templates might help - https://teachingideas.co.uk/sites/default/files/monstersoneperpage.pdf. Remind them to show how their Monster is feeling through the colours chosen.
Time to get creative outside (weather permitting) – why not create a mud kitchen to allow the children to explore natural resources as they invent new and wonderful recipes for an outdoor café! Ask the children to collect leaves, pine cones, petals and flowers whilst they are outside. or on walks or in the garden. All they need now is some soil and water to start cooking! For the adventurous, they might want to mix in some jelly, glitter, spaghetti or even some shaving foam to experiment with different textures. They might even want to create a new pink perfume! For some ideas of how to get started and the possibilities, these websites might be helpful - https://content.pentagonplay.co.uk/article-pdfs/66/mud-kitchen-activities-and-ideas-pdf.pentagonplay.pdf
https://www.1001gardens.org/20-mud-kitchen-ideas/ or https://outdoorclassroomday.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/10/Top-Play-Tips-for-Outdoor-Classroom-Day-2019.pdf
Week 2
Recap on the story of ‘The Colour Monster’. Parents may want to read the story again with the children or invite the children to tell them the story, using their own home-made monsters from last week’s resources.
Perhaps the children would like to make their own Calm Jar – they might want to decorate their own jars or bottles and decide what colour to make their water (using food dye or petals from flowers). Which colour will they choose? For some examples of how to make one, check out there clips - https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Calm-Down-Jar or https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?filter=bitesize&scope=bitesize&q=making+a+calm+jar
Why not encourage the children to create their very own special place by doing some den building. Dens are great for all sorts of things - a bit of quiet time, some imaginative play as the den becomes a magic cave or a spaceship or even just a place to snuggle up for a story! And dens can be inside or outside. All you need are some sheets and pegs and off you go to create a new world… For some tips on den building, check out these websites - https://www.playfulchildhoods.wales/top-tips-for-dens-at-home or https://www.edenproject.com/learn/schools/lesson-plans/den-designers or https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/10/how-to-build-a-den/
The children might enjoy exploring what Monsters, like the Colour Monster, enjoy eating. Listen to the story, ‘Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli’ by Barbara Jean Hicks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M69VI0Hs8lo – don’t forget to join in!
Now that the children know what Monsters eat, are they brave enough to take the ‘Monster Eat the Rainbow Challenge’? Healthy eating means eating fruits and vegetables which are the colours of the rainbow. Can the children eat the rainbow in one week? Maybe they could take pictures of what they are eating and make a Rainbow Food Diary to share with everyone. If they get stuck , this Monster Vlog from Milo the Monster might help - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljh3fxcTwzU
Last week, the children used their mud kitchen to cook up some treats. Why not finish the week with some baking inside. Here are some recipes for delicious cakes made with raspberries - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1JjrEgXneM or rocky road made with pink marshmallows - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/rocky-road or if you prefer some unicorn fudge - https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/watch/bp-no-bake-unicorn-fudge. Enjoy!
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