SUMMER 2012 for nursery and reception
Performed by Juliet Fry & Cheryl Stott
Resources written by Malcolm Jennings & Juliet Fry
Devised by Malcolm Jennings
Directed by Juliet Fry
Puppetry direction by Clive Chandler
Puppet construction by John Crane
Costumes by Kay C Wilton
Website & interactive activities created by Gary Roskell & Gavin Medza
Here are some other easily available similar stories that can be used as a stimulus for some fun numeracy work and discussion around the themes of the programme.
A Series of short documentary films about food and farming that might be of use and or interest http://www.foodafactoflife.org/VideoActivity.aspx?siteId=15§ionId=66&contentId=163&titleId=166
Short film showing harvesting, industrial milling of flour and baking http://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/VideoActivity.aspx?siteId=14§ionId=63&contentId=163&titleId=169
Animations of different methods of seed dispersal that has a blackbird that poos!!! http://www2.bgfl.org/bgfl2/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/science/plants_pt2/dispersal.htm
Great online games and recipes that older children could use to practice maths concepts and revise bread making processes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/bigcooklittlecook/
Here is a video with captions but no sound of a Yr 9 class baking different bread shapes that you might like to try with your class
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPRnjuc-rtw
For a variety of recipes for modelling dough
http://day-care-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/edible-play-dough-recipies#ixzz0lvosq3Ue
A making bread, sequencing activity for using downloadable printable cards
http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/thumbs646-650/sb646prev.html
Simple pictorial instructions for growing a bean in a plant pot http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/thumbs751-755/sb752prev.html
Useful hints and tips for growing really big sun flowers, for adults to use with children with a slightly competitive edge
http://www.sunflowerchallenge.org.uk/code/sunflower_growing.asp
Detailed information for adults to use with children who would like to invest more time and effort in growing passion fruit or mango
http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/exotic_fruits/passion_fruit/
This is a shape matching game that you could use to talk about shape names and colours
http://www.thekidzpage.com/freekidsgames/games/concentration/shapesmatching.html
This is also a matching game but with farmyard animals the pictures are realistic but there are perhaps a little too many choices for younger children to remember
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=MatchingPairsFarmyard
This is fun game to play once you have got past the advertisement. Match the eggs of the same colour, bring them next to one another and watch them hatch
http://www.donutgames.com/play/chicken_and_egg
Here is another silly game. A chicken lays eggs and moves along the perch you have to move the box underneath and catch the falling eggs simple!
http://gamescene.com/Chicken_And_Eggs_game.html
This is a game about identifying what makes a particular sound; it has lots of common animals and also some more unusual ones (like a puffin) also includes other sounds like rain
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/theme/seasonal/3#/lb/greenballoonclub/whatsthatnoise
This game allows you to explore different areas of a farm; collect eggs, feed hens etc. this may be useful to talk about what a farm is like and what happens there.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/theme/life/all#/lb/comeoutside/downonthefarm
We love this really interactive site. There is little text or instruction. Just move and click your mouse to explore and discover amazing things
www.poissonrouge.com
A wealth of downloadable teaching resources for all sorts of curriculum areas and key stages
http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/
Most of the work of The Play House is delivered to groups from schools, nurseries and other youth settings. However, there are lots of other ways for children to get involved…
Clive Chandler acted as consultant for Little Red Hen. He has been working in schools and other settings for over 20 years. For more information on Clive, his work and his puppets have a look at his website.
http://www.tiptoppuppets.co.uk/
If you live in Balsall Heath, Balsall Heath Extended Services offers lots of out-of-school opportunities. The Play House works closely with them, and Little Red Hen was part of one of their summer schools. You can find out more about them here: http://www.stpaulstrust.org.uk/childrens-services-0-11/balsall-heath-extended-schools-provision/
If you’re not in Balsall Heath, you can find out about your own extended provision in Birmingham here: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/extended
Birmingham City Council’s website for signposting services for children and young people I need to know is a little hard to navigate, but is currently being updated to include more arts activities. http://www.ineed2know.org.uk
The Play House has a close relationship with Birmingham Rep, having delivered co-productions and presented work there. The building is closing down for a while for the new Library of Birmingham development, but keep an eye on their website to see what they’ll be doing in the meantime. http://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/
mac has recently reopened, and in the past has presented a good range of work for children and young people. http://www.macarts.co.uk/
The programme begins in the classroom with the children seated on the story mat or in a similar area. The teacher/actor will arrive and introduce themselves to the children and explain that they like to cook and tell stories.
The children feel grains of corn and help grind them into flour; they help measure out water and mix it into the ground flour to make dough. The dough is then put into a bread maker and as it starts to cook the story begins.
The children play with some pecking hen toys before they meet a glove puppet of the Little Red Hen that, inspired by the smell of baking bread has a big idea and leads them off to the school hall for the rest of the story.
At the hall we meet a push along puppet of the Little Red Hen who leads our journey, pecking, clucking and flapping around the farm yard. She realises the enormity of the challenge she has set herself when she sees just how much corn there is to collect and she asks a woodpecker for help. He refuses and we hear how the little red hen feels about that. Having decided to carry on she collects the grains of corn in the farmyard and the children count as she puts them in her basket. The children use their hands to imitate the pecking up of the corn and putting it into the basket.
We move on to the second part of the story as the Little Red Hen leads us on a journey until she comes to a river that she will need help to cross; however when she asks the two ducks that come along they are two busy quacking. We hear how the Little Red Hen feels before she notices some stepping stones, the children hold up hands to be the stepping stones and she hops across.
The third part of the story brings us to the barn where we see three kittens playing and the children join in their play. When the kittens refuse to help the Little Red Hen plant the corn we hear how she feels as she resolves to plant the grains of corn all by herself. The children mime planting seeds and while we wait for them to grow we take a break that coincides with the usual school break.
When the children return from break they are met by the Little Red Hen who leads them to the forth part of the story that takes place in the field. We meet four dancing cows and join them for a moment in their dance but when the Little Red Hen asks for help to harvest the corn the cows are too busy, leaving her to tell us how she feels and pick the corn all by herself. The children mime grains of corn growing and as they ripen in the sun we discuss how each single grain has produced more grains before harvesting them.
The Little Red Hen takes us to the fifth part of the story at the mill where we meet five mice who scamper around the wheels of the mill as it is activated by children. When the mice are asked to help they refuse and the Little Red Hen is left to grind the corn into flour herself. She takes the flour to the oven and mixes it with water and puts the dough in to cook. While we are waiting we recap the story recalling who we met where and what the red hen did. When the bread is ready and it is taken out, the Little Red Hen celebrates the success of her hard work and can’t wait to get home and eat it. As she journeys back past all the animals they ask to share her bread. Before she can decide what to do we remember the bread we have left cooking that is nearly ready. We return to the classroom and there is just enough time to speculate on what the little red hen should do. She tells us her decision. We count down and open our bread maker and take out our beautiful looking and delicious smelling fresh loaf, but it is too hot to eat so it will be left with the teacher to share out later as a reward for helping to tell the story.
Aim of the programme
Little Red Hen aims to give children the opportunity to practise and develop key numeracy skills alongside taking an active part in an exciting and challenging drama.
Programme outcomes
Little Red Hen will provide opportunities for children to:
Participate actively in a quality artistic experience involving drama, storytelling and puppetry
Practise skills and understanding around numeracy
Engage with the issues of sharing and responsibility
Understand the process of transformation involved in the making of bread and growing of seeds.
September sees Language Alive!‘s 25th year of bringing the curriculum to life across Birmingham and the West Midlands. We’ve just released next year’s programmes which are available to book. Apologies for the delay – funding, as you’d appreciate, has been a bit scarce, but we’ve been able to raise enough to keep school contributions the [...]
Welcome to the new website. Pardon our appearance whilst we tidy up! We’re not quite finished yet. There’s still a few bits that don’t work quite how we want them to, and other bits we still need to add (come back next term and hopefully we’ll have some activities for the Interactive WhiteBoard too). Hopefully [...]
