One of the stories by Gene Zion about a much-loved pet dog called Harry is No Roses for Harry (Red Fox, 4.99). The family that looks after him celebrates his birthday, and one year Grandma gives him a knitted sweater sporting a pattern of roses. Harry instantly dislikes the sweater because he dislikes the roses.
The story follows Harry's endeavours to lose the sweater on his walks with the two children and Grandma. Eventually, a bird manages to grab a loose thread from the sweater and all the knitting unravels. The last we see of it is a length of wool trailing behind a bird as it climbs into the sky.
So, Grandma knits another sweater that she gives Harry for Christmas.
This is a humorous tale with illustrations that capture the emotions and frustrations of both Harry and the children. It is such a good story that children will choose to hear it again and again. It should stimulate lots of discussion about their own experiences of losing and searching for objects. Children will enjoy it in the run-up to Christmas, and it could lead into discussions about Christmas presents - and what they should do when they receive a present they don't like!
The story can also inspire lots of interesting activities.
Grand designs
Harry dislikes Grandma's first sweater but likes the second sweater, which has a black and white pattern and resembles his fur. Draw children's attention to the difference between the patterns on the two sweaters, and encourage them to design some of their own.
Key learning intentions
To talk about, recognise and recreate simple patterns
To explore colour and form in two and three dimensions
Adult:child ratio 1:4
Resources
* Patterned objects for the children to handle, observe and investigate, including patterned fabric, wrapping paper, wallpaper and household objects such as crockery * trays with flat sponges soaked in paint thickened with PVA glue * hand - sized pieces of wood to use as printing tools, with buttons, strips of string, matchsticks or linoleum geometric shapes glued on to them * oval-shaped paper and coloured markers *children's T-shirts
Activity content
* Engage the children in looking through the samples of patterns. Talk about the shapes, symbols, pictures and colour combinations that are repeated in the designs.
* Draw children's attention to the contrasting use of colour when they compare the background and the foreground of the patterns.
* Invite the children to select a T-shirt and to use the wooden custom-made tools and the paint colours that they have chosen to create a design or repeated pattern on the fabric.
* Leave the painted T-shirts to dry.
* Enliven the effect of the creations by suggesting that children draw faces on oval pieces of paper.
* Match the T-shirts to the faces for an animated wall display of this work.
* Simulate a three-dimensional effect by trapping crumpled pieces of newspaper behind each face when you staple it to the backing paper on your display boards.
* Label each T-shirt and face with the artist's name.
Lost and found
Harry tries hard to lose his rosy sweater, but his initial attempts fail because kind people keep returning the unwanted sweater. Use Harry's frustrating experience to inspire games of hide and seek in which memory skills can be developed.
Key learning intentions To concentrate and to maintain their attention at a task
To engage in challenging tasks that enable them to develop sustained attentive listening
To enjoy solving simple problems
Adult:child ratio 1:8
Resources
* Tray * teacloth * range of small objects, familiar and unusual, that will fit on the surface of the tray
Activity content
* Encourage the group of children to identify and name all the objects on the tray.
* Cover the tray with the cloth and ask the children to shut their eyes while you remove one object.
* Lift the cloth and choose a child to work out and name the missing object.
* Give every child the chance to play the game.
* Suggest that the children take over from you and control the game.
Extension ideas
* Play a similar game using a set of small lidded boxes with a tiny object such as a ring, key, button or coin hidden inside.
* Allow the children to open all the boxes and look at the object.
* Replace the objects and close the boxes. Then remove one of them.
* Let the children investigate the boxes one at a time to check the contents and discover which is missing.
* This second version of the game is more sophisticated than the first because children need to remember the objects still hidden in the other boxes and work out by elimination the one that has been removed.
Build a nest
An endearing episode in the story occurs when the children and Grandma look into the tree and see a nest. It looks very much like Harry's lost sweater and has the same pattern of pink roses against a green background. You can use this event in the story to stimulate an investigation of bird life and examine the variety of nests that different birds build. Use the research to get children interested in the task of designing and creating nests from a variety of materials.
Key learning intentions
To explore texture and form in three dimensions
To handle tools and materials safely and with increasing control
To find out and investigate features in the place they live and the natural world
Adult:child ratio 1:4
Resources
* Bird reference books * large assortment of materials that will inspire children's interest and creativity, including: clay, plasticine, straw, hay, feathers, twigs, cork chips, string, gravel, wool, raffia, strips of newspaper, ribbon, dried seeds and leaves * a flat piece of board for each child to work on * scissors * glue * sticky tape * masking tape
Activity content
* Observe a variety of bird habitats in reference books. Explain that some kinds of birds build their nests in tree trunks, others on rocky promontories, others on the underside of eaves. Highlight the way that the size of the nest depends on the size of the bird.
* Prompt children to investigate and explain what they think different birds have used to create their nests.
* Talk about why birds build nests.
* Introduce resources and ask them to build and 'feather' their own nests, inspired by the illustrations and photographs in the books.
* Give children free range to mix and match the textures and materials.
* Use the hard board as a base for each model nest.
* Encourage children to mould the clay into bowl shapes and weave in twigs, raffia and feathers. Or they could build a nest by wrapping hay and straw together and weaving in lengths of wool and ribbon.
* When all the nests have been completed, attach labels with children's names and place them decoratively around the classroom to attract attention and interest.
Reader offer
* We have ten copies of No Roses for Harry by Gene Zion (Red Fox, 4.99) to give away to Nursery World readers. Send your name and address on the back of a postcard or envelope, marked 'Harry', to the address on page 3. Winners will be the first ten names drawn on 28 November.
