January 18th is Winnie the Pooh Day! I wanted to share 3 activities to inspire you to get outside. These will work in a playground or at a Forest School!
- Mapping Skills
Have you looked at the beautiful illustrations of 100 Acre Wood? You can see it here bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-44781752. Why not use this as an opportunity to get outside and create a map using your local area? Can children include their home (or where you base yourself), any significant landmarks, Pooh has 6 pine trees and then where all his friends live (Eeyore’s Gloomy Place – rather boggy and sad, etc).
If you are just using your playground, can the children imagine where the characters would live or even create their own?
Mapping is a maths activity but could lead to some brilliant writing or even a local history project.
- Pooh Sticks
I may be an adult but I still love a game of Pooh Sticks! And yes, I do get competitive and want to find the best stick! All you need is a river or waterway and a marker, it might be a tree further downstream, a bridge, whatever works. Although, I have to admit I also enjoy Pooh Sticks from a bridge and seeing whose appears first at the other side.
This can link really well to maths and working out how fast your stick is going or to geography and how rivers form, it might even link to sustainabilty and taking care of our waterways (one of the Sustainable Development Goals).
- Eeyore’s and Pooh’s Homes
Can the children create Eeyore’s home using sticks and natural materals? Would it look the same as Pooh’s home? How would they be different? Why are they different? This is a great way to begin to explore emotions with children. Pooh is rather cheery, whereas Eeyore is glum. What makes the children feel that way? Is it ok to feel that way (absolutely yes to both!) What can we do when our friends feel glum?
This links in well to social and emotional development in a way that encourages thoughtful discussion.
Are you joined our members site yet? Our members benefitted from a pack of Winnie the Pooh lessons which explores these ideas in much more depth and gives suggestions on how they can be adapted throughout the primary – we even explore how to measure the speed a river is flowing!
