These activities were inspired by the book The Woo in the Wild Woods by Ayrshire author Greta Yorke. Listen to and watch Greta reading her book You Tube – The Woo in the Wild Woods
Help the Creatures We Share our Outdoor Spaces With
Do we know which creatures use our outdoor spaces and how we might help them?
RSPB RSPB Families Wild Challenge
tell you more and will show you simple activities you can do to make gardens and other outdoor spaces more wildlife friendly.
Make a Map of Jamie’s Journey Through the Woods
Choose approximately 4 or 5 important locations from the story (these should include the start and finish points for the Jamie’s journey). Children make a map showing these locations (where Jamie met the rabbit, for example) on the ground (using chalk, natural and found materials) or using pens and pencils on a large sheet of paper. Think about what directions and turns Jamie took at each location. ‘Do you think Jamie went left, right, forward or back from here?
This kind of mapping is called cognitive mapping and is a good way to think carefully about the details of the story (both text and pictures) Making the might help us notice details we might have missed from just a single reading of the story.
Make a Trail
Make a trail for someone to follow. In an outdoor space use chalk, or sticks/stones laid out to form arrows to mark out a route through your space. Include lots of plenty turns and circles to make it tricky for anyone following your trail. Challenge members of your family to follow your trail. ‘What makes a good trail?’
You can still try this if you can’t get outdoors. Make a trail using arrows marked on paper or use toys (such as Lego bricks) laid out in an arrow shape. Ask someone in your family to follow your trail or ask them to make one for you to follow.
Be helpful and kind! Make sure you that you tidy up afterwards. We don’t want anyone to slip on or trip over your trail and we don’t want to leave things out for someone else to clear away.
