Strictly no elephants book and crafts

Strictly no elephants by Lisa Mantchen and Taeeun Yoo This is a story about a young boy and his pet elephant, who are turned away from the local pet club, so they start their own with a collection of other unusual pets, including a skunk, hedgehog, penguin and shark.  There are some wonderful lessons about…

Flora and the flamingo book and crafts

Flora and the flamingo by Molly Idle In this innovative wordless picture book with interactive flaps, Flora and her graceful flamingo friend explore the trials and joys of friendship through an elaborate synchronized dance. With a twist, a turn, and even a flop, these unlikely friends learn at last how to dance together in perfect…

Snail and turtle are friends – book and crafts

Snail and turtle are friends by Stephen Michael King is a beautiful book about a friendship between a snail and a turtle.  Sometimes they like the same things, sometimes they like different things, but they still enjoy spending time with each other. Here are some fun facts about snails: Snails can be divided into 3…

Hermit crab books and crafts for kids

Sharing a shell by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks is a story about a hermit crab who finds a new shell.  At first he shares it with the anemone and bristle worm who come along and offer to help him by scaring off fish and keeping the shell clean. But soon he decides the shell…

Penguin books and crafts for kids

Two of my favourite children's picture books are Lost and found and Up and down, by Oliver Jeffers.  They tell stories about the friendship between a boy and his penguin, the time they enjoy being together and the importance of being there for your friends when they need you. Penguins are fascinating creatures.  Did you…

Learning with painted rocks

Painted rocks make wonderful, literacy and numeracy resources for kids of all ages and they also make ideal gifts.  Kids learn more effectively through hands-on learning, and it makes it more fun too! Alphabet rocks Alphabet rocks are so easy to make and can be used for lots of different learning activities.  Kids can use…

Make your own story stones

Story stones are props that are used to create or retell stories.  They may be used to represent the characters (eg people, animals), settings (eg the beach) and objects (eg food, houses, transport) in the stories. Kids can use story stones to: tell their own stories based on a particular theme, eg going to the…