LEARNING RESOURCE PACKINSPIRING YOUNG CREATIVITY

Brought to you by :

Learning Programme Partner:

www.greatnorthelmer.co.uk

© This publication is copyrighted by Wild in Art Ltd (‘Wild in Art’) and contains proprietary and confidential information. Any use, reproduction, or distribution of this publication is strictly forbidden without the express written consent of Wild in Art.

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© 2019, David McKee. Licensed by Andersen Press Ltd., London. www.elmer.co.uk

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 Introductions and Welcome

Section 2 A New Arrival

Section 3 Getting Creative - Your Sculpture

Section 4 Classroom Guides, Ideas and Lesson Plans

Section 5 Be a ‘HERD HERO’

Section 6 Working with the Media

Section 7 Helping Young People Cope with Bereavement

Section 8 Evaluation

SECTION 1INTRODUCTIONS

AND WELCOME

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WELCOME FROM ST OSWALD’S HOSPICE

Dear Little Elmer owner,

It is with great pride that I present you with your Learning Resource Pack, which I hope will inspire and encourage you to get creative as part of Tyne and Wear’s biggest public art trail.

Elmer’s Great North Parade is designed to be a feast for the imagination, giving us all the opportunity to get children and young people enthusiastic about arts and crafts, as well as engaging them in important topics of conversation, like the environment, health and wellbeing and raising money to help others.

At St Oswald’s Hopsice it is the health and wellbeing aspect that really excites us, as we know how important it is to get families out and about together exploring our fabulous region on foot! The fact that we can combine all of this with fun and creativity is just simply brilliant.

This pack is the first step on your journey. It has all the information you need to start planning the artistic adventure you will have with your little Elmer. You’ll find resources to inspire lessons and activities around making memories and special moments, themes which are central to us in our Children’s Hospice.

Please encourage all of the children and young people you work with to show adventure and imagination in their sculptures, as they have the power to showcase their voice on issues that are important to them, on the biggest of stages.

I personally cannot wait to see all of your little Elmer’s come to life as another lasting legacy for our wonderful region. Best of luck to you all!

James Ellam St Oswald’s Chief Executive

WELCOME FROM WILD IN ART

It’s a very proud moment for Wild in Art and we hope you feel as equally proud. You’ve chosen to take part in one of the world’s first Elmer’s Big Art Parades, showcasing the talent of your children and young people on one of the biggest of stages.

We’re thrilled to see so many taking part in our latest inspiring Learning Programme with St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice. Many of you will have experienced the magic of the Great North Snowdogs either in the classroom, out on the art trail, or both; it’s clear that Elmer’s positive messages about inclusivity, courage and friendship have also captured your imaginations.

We passionately champion the importance of art for everybody and the social, cultural and educational benefits which it provides. This project gives you an exceptional, creative opportunity to get your pupils excited about arts and literacy, and engage them in important topics that the Elmer books so beautifully explore - from citizenship, environmental issues and the natural world, to health and wellbeing, to name a few.

With your support we can make this a very special summer for your project’s participants, Tyne & Wear’s communities and visitors to the region. A big thank you and a warm welcome to Elmers Great North Parade and the Learning Herd from all of the team!

Charlie Langhorne and Sally-Ann Wilkinson Co-founders, Wild in Art

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WELCOME FROM ANDERSEN PRESS

We at Andersen Press are incredibly proud to be the publisher of David McKee’s colourful, playful Elmer for 30 years, and cannot wait to see the creativity that our favourite patchwork elephant inspires in your pupils and in your school.

David McKee has written 26 Elmer books over the past 30 years, and we hope that in taking part in Elmer’s Big Art Parade, alongside this detailed resource pack, you can enjoy the books, their stories and the wonderful art from David McKee and celebrate the themes of friendship, tolerance and appreciating everyone’s own unique colours that are part of the Elmer series.

In addition to the fantastic support and resources available here, we would encourage each and every one of you to sign-up for our special, anniversary Elmer Day Event Pack at www.elmerday.co.uk and celebrate Elmer Day leading up to Saturday 25th May 2019 and join in with schools, nurseries libraries and bookshops around the country for the most colourful celebration ever!

Working with Wild in Art and St Oswald’s Hospice on this immersive art trail has been a wonderful experience for us all, and hope that through it Elmer can inspire your pupils, and together we can raise lots of money for such a well-deserving charity!

Let’s all celebrate this momentous year together – we can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Paul Black PR and Brand Director, Andersen Press

Elmer is really about accepting who you are, about celebrating difference. We are all different, with so many differences, difference of colour, of accents, but also of size, shape and how we dress. The differences are what make the world so rich.

Since Elmer was first released into the world I’ve seen many drawings by children of decorated elephants, I’m so excited by the thought of large 3D elephants being decorated by them now. It will be fun both for the decorators and the spectators who get to see them. But more than that it will be an enormous help to the charities to continue their important work.

Thank you Wild in Art, and St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice, both myself and Elmer can’t wait to see the designs.

David McKee, creator of Elmer

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WELCOME FROM FIRST CLASS SUPPLY

We are so proud to be the official Learning Programme Partner for Elmer’s Great North Parade and it’s great to see so many people are excited about the trail already, following on from the success of the Snowdogs in 2016.

From August to November 2019, herds of Elmers will be stampeding around public buildings, venues and exciting spaces across Tyne and Wear for everyone to discover and enjoy. Elmer is an ambassador of friendship and the importance of acceptance, which really resonated with us because these are topics and values our teachers and teaching assistants strive to educate children about as they grow.

First Class Supply is a local, independent supply teaching agency, working in partnership with schools across the North East since 2004. Our team are truly passionate about education in the local area and we have built excellent partnerships with schools over the years.

Our reputation for delivering exceptional service, together with our ethos of social and community responsibility sets us apart as a teaching agency and it’s a real pleasure to support our local community through this partnership. This is a perfect opportunity to contribute to our local schools, their pupils and families as well as enabling us to support St Oswald’s Hospice in their incredible work.

Look out for our very own Elmer which will be based at Spanish City, Whitley Bay!

Lesley Robinson and Steph Boulton, Directors of First Class Supply

HOW TO USE THIS PACK

IntroductionThis resource pack is designed for use by young people aged 6-15 years old. It is flexible and easy to use, offering a framework for delivering a raft of creative cross-curricular activities. This is a unique opportunity to work with a beloved and iconic children’s character in Elmer, a story that represents inclusivity and working together

We strongly recommend that you look through the whole pack to gain an overall picture of its contents and the possibilities for its use. We also suggest that you and your colleagues have a good look at the accompanying resources which can be viewed and downloaded from www.stoswaldsuk.org/elmer/school-resources. These include fascinating facts and worksheets, additional materials and links.

Whichever group of young people you are working with, and whatever theme you choose to explore, it is most likely that your starting point will be something that is happening in your area or a topic that some of your group members have a particular interest in.

The emphasis of this pack is on group participation, which is both an appropriate and fun way for children to gain a better understanding of the project and feel greater ownership of it.

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Ultimately this pack will enable your school or group to:

• Produce your completed sculpture, which will be publicly displayed from 21st August to 27th October 2019. At the end of the event, you will be able to collect your sculpture (or have it returned), for display in your school or for use as a future educative resource, or you may find it has fundraising potential for your school.

• ‘A New Arrival’, suggests how you might introduce your sculpture to the children in fun, exciting and innovative ways.

• ‘Getting Creative’ explains how the sculpture is constructed, discusses the materials that can be used to decorate and finish it, and gives examples of previous designs and the finished products, to inspire and enchant you.

• ‘Classroom Guides and Lesson Plans’, delivers a creative, but clear cross-curricular, key stage appropriate (KS1-3), toolkit of classroom-based sessions with suggested resources.

• ‘Be a Herd Hero’ will give you fundraising support and advice. We’d love for your school or group to choose St Oswald’s Hospice as your Charity of the Year and use this project to help us raise important funds to support their work. This section contains fun fundraising activities for schools, groups, PTA’s and staff to consider.

PROJECT TIMELINE AND MILESTONES

Applications open for Learning Programme

Welcome Event Education Resource Pack distributed

Deadline for return of design submissions

Reveal assemblies and sculpures to be decorated and

completed

Sculptures to be collected ready for photography for

web/app/trail map etc

Sculptures delivered to trail location

Trail live

Sculpture returned to their owners - you!

Farewell event at Newcastle Racecourse

Evalution

May 2018

NOV 2018

March 2019

April 2019

May - July 2019

July 2019

August 2019

Aug - Oct 2019

Nov - Dec 2019

Nov 2019

Jan 2020

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CONTACT DETAILS

Name: Natalie Santamera

Position: Learning Programme Manager

Contact Number: 0191 285 0063 ext. 2128

Email: nataliesantamera@stoswaldsuk.org

You can also email learning@greatnorthelmer.co.uk or contact us on 0191 246 9123

ELMER ONLINE

Project Website: www.greatnorthelmer.co.uk

Facebook Page: /greatnorthelmer

Twitter handle: @greatnorthelmer

Instagram: @greatnorthelmer

Hashtag: #greatnorthelmer

www.elmer.co.uk www.elmerday.co.uk

DESIGN SUBMISSION FORMIn order to allow us to create signage plaques, and to post details and descriptions of your sculpture on the project website and app, we require you to complete an online ‘design submission form’.

We will email a link for you to complete the form online. If you don’t receive this please contact us using the details above.

Your school or group has full creative license when designing and creating your sculpture, although we ask that you avoid brands or trademarked imagery.

It is important we have a completed form so we can credit your school correctly online and in print.

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SECTION 2A NEW ARRIVAL

Wild in Art has teamed up with artist Jenny Leonard to produce a video resource for schools and groups working with their sculptures. It provides step-by-step guidance on how to plan your project, what materials to use and how to turn you ‘bare’ sculpture into a work of art!Watch it online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9q9dRMKKio You can have a great deal of fun with your sculpture’s first appearance in school. You might choose to:

• Make the sculpture’s arrival something that the whole school gets involved with, perhaps by holding a literacy or arts day that coincides. Keep the sculpture hidden in the school grounds, elaborate with a papier-mâché container or cage and mystery footprints, and tell pupils that the local radio or news reported sightings or strange occurrences in the local area. Get your community involved - police, neighbourhood watch and the local radio could be invited to come to the school to assess and report on the strange goings on! Each year group could focus on a different writing style – factual reporting, fiction, poetry etc. and consider what exactly the mystery visitor could be. Really build up to the grand reveal!

THE BIG REVEALIntroducing the sculpture to your young people is a big moment! Your fundraiser can come to your school or group to host an unveiling assembly where Elmer will be revealed. This is an exciting oppotunity to bring the project to life and engage and inspire the children from the moment their Elmer arrives. Contact your fundraiser or use the details on page 13.

• Once the sculpture is revealed, have it pop up in different places around the school, integrate it into daily school life. Could it be a helper in the canteen or the librarian’s assistant? Could it sweep leaves from the school playground or hang out in the school’s forest area? You can share these images with all the other schools involved via social media, post them on the school’s website to build momentum for the project or included them in newsletters for parents.

• Your sculpture can have, and continue to build, its very own identity and personality. It could have its own twitter feed, blog or section of the school’s newsletter. This would not only help you link to the project as a whole, but also to other schools in your region and to your wider community. Sculptures on twitter have been known to start talking to one another, sharing ideas about additional activities, photo opportunities and community engagement activities.

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Small targeted group versus whole school/groupAlthough the emphasis of this pack is on group participation, it’s you who knows what group dynamic will work best for your children. You may decide to work with a targeted group – your core design and realisation team, made up of a particular year, members of the art club, or students recognised as “gifted and talented”. But for the maximum effect and benefit to be achieved, we do encourage an element of whole school or group interaction.

Below are a few examples of how this might be achieved:

• Set a design challenge. Reproduce the sculpture templates in this pack and invite students to conceive their own designs, either as a piece of homework or a classroom activity. Setting this as a homework challenge, with an explanatory note for parents, will help to bring the project to the attention of parents and the wider community.

• Hold a creative day or week where every year group and class teacher plans themed activities relating back to the sculpture.

• With enough notice staff can integrate the sculpture and its themes into their lesson plans, through key texts, subjects, films, classroom displays, class visitors and trips

• Create an Elmer corner in your library and feature as many Elmer books as possible.

• Holiday challenges can be set, with prizes on offer. Encourage pupils to get out of the house and engage with the sculptures - there could be rewards for the best ‘sculpture selfie’, seek fundraising for completing all or part of the trail, or for keeping a holiday diary or blog where they reflect on the trail and talk about their adventures along the way. Why not set a literacy challenge to see how many books, poems or non-fiction texts your young people can find and read that thematically relate to your sculpture?

• Invite your sculpture to be part of parents evening or school open days and events.

• Consider having a ‘whole school or group design’ - incorporating an idea from every child into the final product. Each child could contribute a fingerprint, handprint, tiny illustration, mosaic tile, word or message. This way every child will feel included and invested in the project.

• Elmer’s colourful patchwork appearance is a perfect thematic canvas for pupils to come together and create a school-wide creative offering. Your patchwork could be made of paper in the form of drawings, letters and stories and displayed in corridors and wall displays, or why not embrace more traditional artforms and create knitted, mosaic or handsewn pieces. This could be a perfect opportunity to digitally ‘knit’ together class photos, school portraits or digital designs, you could even reproduce on a wall mounted canvas as a legacy of the project.

SECTION 3GETTING CREATIVE

WITH YOUR SCULPTURE

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Sculpture Dimensions

Height = approx. 70 cm

Width = approx. 40 cm

Length = approx. 90 cm

Each sculpture is made of lightweight fire-resistant fibreglass. The surface is primed by the manufacturer and is ready to paint. The sculptures are stable and free-standing but please ensure that there is adequate adult supervision during the design and creative process.

Please consider the materials you use for your design carefully. Designs may range from the use of solid acrylic colours, to more elaborate designs using, for example, glitter, decoupage, recycled materials and mosaic. Let your imagination run wild but please ensure that all materials used are non-hazardous and are securely attached to your sculpture.

The adult responsible for co-ordinating the project should ensure the sculpture is dry and sound and where possible, any 3D or sculptural elements are securely fastened, safe and suitable for public display (i.e. don’t present a trip or fire hazard, or have protruding sharp elements.)

Solvent-based markers, such as Sharpies and felt tip pens, often react to varnishes. We strongly discourage their use for this reason. If you do decide to use solvent-based markers, it’s important that when you come to do the varnishing, you test the varnish on a small, discreet area of your sculpture first.

All of the sculptures from the project will be displayed in secure inside venues, so you do not have to worry about them withstanding the elements. However, please do take into account that your sculpture will be displayed in a public place and that, over the course of the trail, thousands of visitors will want to hug and pose with your sculpture, so making sure they have a good hard-wearing finish is key.

If you choose to display the sculpture outside when it returns to the school, you may need to consider giving it a second coat of varnish and mounting it on a secure plinth. Wild in Art recommend Urban Hygiene’s Easy-on Protective Coating Varnish, as this is what we use to coat the large sculptures on the trails. It has an anti-graffiti quality and it’s the product we have had the most reliable results from. Other non-yellowing Yacht Varnish (available from most DIY stores) provide great, long term, anti-weathering, gloss protection. For a semi-matt finish, we recommend Exterior Wood Clear Coat, manufactured by Polyvine and available from Dulux Decorating Centres. Remember: if you use a water- based varnish, it will be

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possible to sand down the sculpture, so that it is once again a blank canvas and the fun can begin again. Most DIY stores also sell a matt or gloss spray-on varnish. This provides a good, light coat, ideal for sculptures that will be living indoors, but as with all of these products it should be applied by an adult in a well ventilated space.

Urban Hygiene now also offer an anti-bacterial version of their clear glaze varnish, with added Bio-Master technology, used widely in hospitals and other public spaces. These products may have a slightly higher price tag than the high street brands, but for the quality of finish and longevity of protection, it’s worth consideration. The smallest size tin is approx. £30-£40, but would offer at least 2 coats of protection, when mixed correctly. Visit www.urbanhygiene.com

Themes and motifsAs mentioned previously in this pack, we ask you to avoid using corporate branding and identities as part of your sculpture design, but we are happy for you to incorporate your school logo or motto in a discrete way. The sculpture as a whole may take on a theme, linking to one of your curriculum topics i.e. Egyptians, Romans, Tudors etc, or draw inspiration from a literary character, a local celebrity or another geographically appropriate event or theme. Get the children’s creative brains buzzing with possibilities and look forward to a whole wave of ideas and suggestions that exceed your wildest dreams.

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Your team might want to devise a design that in some way incorporates the environment in which the sculpture is stationed, and to consider whether there are any 3D objects that could be added to the display. They might want to think about how new technology could be involved, such as solar panels, touch screens or motion sensors. Your sculpture may be a muse or model for specially designed clothes, or wear a super-hero utility belt studded with eco-friendly gadgets.

Could your IT department or technician support the project by creating an app, ibook, blog or twitter feed to track and document your young people’s experience? This would be useful for evaluation purposes, but also a way to engage with young people for whom technology is quite possibly a key motivating factor. Consider having an interactive element to your sculpture, bringing it to life with a voicebox, horns or sirens for example. Could pupils use their knowledge of electrical circuits, even, to create multiple choice quizzes that use lights or buzzers to indicate a correct answer? As they say, the possibilities are endless!

Please be aware that power points may not be available at trail locations.

Engaging and inspiring your design teamIt may be that your whole school or group takes part, with their job being to devise the design, but you will probably then want to select a smaller group of children to work on the implementation of this. A panel of teaching and support staff, community members, children, parents and members of the Senior Leadership Team will need to meet to select a design, or perhaps to select several designs and decide how to fuse these together.

The following questions might be useful to pose to your young people to help them make decisions about the style and purpose of their sculpture. This would provide a great opportunity for them to practice negotiation and teamwork skills.

Questions to think about before choosing your design:

• Our sculpture is going to be viewed by several different audiences – staff, group leaders, pupils, visitors, parents, the local community and it could even ‘travel’ further afield.

• How do we want them to react to our design?

• Do we simply want the people who see our design to think it’s beautiful and recognise that we are talented artists?

• Do we want our design to tell them something or encourage them to think about an issue or react in a certain way?

• If we are trying to send a message, should our message be obvious or would it be better to keep things interesting by making the things we’re trying to say less obvious?

• Are we going to try to make our audience think about issues and reach their own conclusions, or are we going to give answers?

• Will our designs help the audience to learn about things we already know, or should we use the design process to learn about new things ourselves?

• How are we going to decide if our design has been a success?

• Are we going to paint the sculpture or could we design and decorate our sculpture differently?

Discuss, develop, define and deliverFirst IdeasInvite your children to explore the sculpture, and explain that it is going to be decorated. Ask them to think about different possible designs and methods of decoration (e.g. painting, block printing, mosaic and collage). Record your pupils’ initial thoughts and ideas – these first instinctive ideas are important and play a big part in the final design.

ResearchIn pairs or small groups children can research elephant links, facts, themes and activities provided in Section 4. Encourage them to collectively jot and sketch down their responses to this information on large sheets of paper. There are lots of ideas for themes later in this pack, and lesson plans, which explore how you might use them with your class.

A plenary session can be used to share ideas and explore possibilities for themes that could be incorporated into the design (e.g. the design could tell a story, carry a message or tell us something about the school or pupils behind the design).

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Group WorkAfter research and discussions, the pupils may have an initial preference for one or several themes. A good way of helping them to gather their ideas and information together would be to produce large ‘idea pictures’ and/or mind maps.

Idea PicturesUse a mixture of drawings, paintings, photographs, and pictures printed from the internet or cut from magazines. Your idea pictures could include collected leaves, bark, twigs or a selection of wool and fabrics – in fact, anything pupils feel could be relevant to their ideas. Think about, and include, colour, pattern and texture, as well as images.

Mind MappingThese can be created in a very similar way to the ‘idea pictures.’ They should be very visual and will be useful in terms of developing ideas in a way that may not have been obvious at first. Mind maps work best when there is an icon next to every idea and when different colours are used to separate different ideas/topics. Mind maps can cover just one theme or many.

Creating your artwork - Do’s and Dont’s

DO’s • Do unwrap your sculpture upon delivery, check it over and

report any damage immediately.

• Do make a note of your Sculpture Reference number and include this on each design submission form you send. The Sculpture Reference is unique to each sculpture. N.B. This is different to your Order Reference.

• Do go over your sculpture with a fine grade sandpaper, followed by a wipe over with a solution of warm water and a small amount of mild detergent (washing up liquid). The sanding gives a key to the surface prior to painting. N.B. Please wear a dust mask whilst sanding.

• Do ensure there is adult supervision at all times when handling the sculpture and art materials.

• Do use water-based acrylics or emulsion paints. Brands include Liquitex, System 3 or Valspar.

• Do use Posca Pens for applying detail. These are water-based acrylic paint markers.

• Do encourage painters to wear aprons or painting shirts – acrylics in particular are very difficult to remove from clothing once dry.

• Do immediately wash any brushes and painting pallets you have used (before paint is dry) if you want to be able to use them again.

• Do make sure any materials are non-hazardous.

DO’s • Do fix any 3D elements securely. Consider carefully

if they will withstand the demands of being on public display for 10 or more weeks.

• Do make sure that 3D elements don’t present a hazard i.e. there are no sharp protruding elements or can be tripped over.

• Do varnish your sculpture. We recommend at least two coats.

• Do test the varnish on a small, discreet area of your sculpture first before applying it all over.

• Do make sure paint is completely dry before applying varnish with a brush or roller.

• Do allow 12 hours for a coat of varnish to dry. Wait 48 hours after your final coat of varnish before handling the sculpture.

• Do varnish your sculpture in a dry environment – humid conditions can affect its application.

• Do mix Urban Hygiene’s easy-on Protective Coating varnish products according to their instructions to ensure the correct consistency.

• Do contact Urban Hygiene for advice if you are using their varnish products. The team are extremely friendly and helpful.

• Do apply another coat of varnish to your sculpture if you choose to house your sculpture outside when it is returned to you after the display.

DONT’s • Don’t use poster paints on your sculpture.

• Don’t apply watercolour or oil paints to you sculpture.

• Don’t mix layers of paints with different bases as these will react either against each other, or with the final coat of varnish.

• Don’t use felt-tip pens, permanent pens or any other solvent-based markers such as Sharpies.

• Don’t hesitate to either test or ask us before using anything other than water-based acrylic or emulsion paint.

DONT’s • Don’t add 3D elements if you choose to house

your sculpture outside when it is returned to you after the public display. They will not withstand the elements.

• Don’t let children apply the varnish – an adult in a ventilated space must apply this.

• Don’t keep your varnish in a paint pot for long. Once it has been poured out of its tin into a paint pot ready for application, the solution becomes unusable after 24-48 hours.

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CREATING YOUR ARTWORK Please note that although it is acceptable to use watercolour paints at the design stage

of this project, they are unsuitable for painting onto the sculptures.

Materials for painting

Materials for extending paints

Other materials

Acrylic paints

Emulsion paints

Sand or sawdust

P.V.A. glue

Glitter

Lazertran

Safmat

Letraset

Plastic objects

Posca pens

String, bamboo wind chimes, bark, sand, carpet, fabric, beads, solar panels, mirrors, tea…

Collage papernewspaper/tissue paper, etc

Decoupage paper

All colours in the double primary system; Brilliant Red, Crimson, Cobalt Blue, Brilliant Blue, Brilliant Yellow, Yellow Ochre.

Black and white.

Metallic paints.

In a variety of colours, although it is particularly useful to have a large supply of white and black.

Acrylic paint combined with emulsion paint produces a very workable, fast-drying, water-based medium that can be used to great effect.

Small particles can be added to paints and glue to create light relief work or textured effects. PVA glue can be added to paints to create translucency.

CAUTION: Any large-scale relief work, and papier-mâché should be avoided, as the results tend not to be hard-wearing enough to survive for long.

A highly effective inkjet transfer paper that separates in water and can be glued onto the sculpture. Lazertran requires varnish to hold it secure when dry.

A self-adhesive film that can be used in your printer and stuck to the sculpture.

Dry transfer lettering.

Buttons, clothes pegs, combs, spoons, toys, bottle tops.

Great for applying detail. These are water-based acrylic paint markers.

Consider using materials that provide texture, movement, sound, energy, aroma.

Using PVA glue to create collages with paper. When varnished this will hold fast.

You can also buy blank decoupage paper that can be used in printers.

TOOLS FOR PAINTINGTools for applying paints

Equipment for mixing paint

Cleaning materials

Hogs hair brushes

Decorators brushes

Sponges

A range of printmaking materials

Palettes, margarine tubs/yoghurt pots

Plastic pots and cling film for storing paints

Jars for water

Card for mixing textured paints, i.e. using sand/ sawdust

Paper towels

Rags

Washing up liquid

Newspapers

Aprons/large inside-out shirts.

In a variety of sizes.

In a variety of sizes.

Different sizes/textures.

Leaves, string, feet/hands/fingers, vegetable stamps, fabric, feathers, masking tape, vinyl tape, stencils, etc.

Good for brush cleaning when painting, use to dry brushes after cleaning in water, in between changing colours.

General spills.

Great for cleaning brushes and hands. Also use neat to re-point brushes at the end of the day.

Essential floor protection.

Keep children’s uniforms clean when painting or clearing up.

DESIGN TEMPLATES

1100mm

805mm

1290

mm

Scale

500m

m

500mm

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1100mm

805mm

1290mm

Scale

500mm

500mm

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD A TEMPLATE FROM

www.stoswaldsuk.org/elmer/school-resources

30

1100

mm

680mm

Scale

500mm

500m

m

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1100

mm

680mm

Scale

500mm

500m

m

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Download your supporting links

and further reading at www.stoswaldsuk.org/

elmer/school-rescources

SECTION 4NATIONAL CURRICULUM

LINKS, CLASSROOM GUIDES, IDEAS AND LESSON PLANS

Celebrating magical moments and creating magical memoriesBy participating in this project you’ll be involving your children in something exciting and important: a real-world challenge requiring imagination, teamwork and practical commitment towards a shared community outcome. This section of the pack suggests ways to broaden and deepen your involvement – and your children’s learning – through creative cross- curricular activities. This is a unique opportunity to work with a beloved and iconic children’s character in Elmer, a story that represents inclusivity and working together.

Confident individuals, responsible citizens and successful learnersDocument your project as it unfolds, so that your children and their families can enjoy looking back and reflecting on what’s happened. Not only will you have plenty of material for sharing with your community, you’ll also be evidencing your children’s learning for OFSTED.

Putting creativity at the heart of your classroom activitiesThe following suggestions will give you ideas for activities to run alongside your project. Pick a favourite section or mix and match.

Art and design programmes of studyArt, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality education in art and design will engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should come to be able to think critically about and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should develop an understanding of how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

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The National Curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences

• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design tech-niques

• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design

• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Key Stage 1Pupils should be taught:

• to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products

• to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination

• to develop a wide range of art and design techniques using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space

• about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

Key Stage 2Pupils should be taught:

• to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art

• to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas

• to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials (for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay)

• about great artists, architects and designers in history.

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Key Stage 3Pupils should be taught:

• to develop their creativity and ideas, and increase proficiency in their execution. They should develop a critical understanding of artists, architects and designers, expressing reasoned judgements that can inform their own work

• to use a range of techniques to record their observations in sketchbooks, journals and other media as a basis for exploring their ideas

• to use a range of techniques and media, including painting to increase their proficiency in the handling of different materials

• to analyse and evaluate their own work, and that of others, in order to strengthen the visual impact or applications of their work

• about the history of art, craft, design and architecture, including periods, styles and major movements from ancient times up to the present day.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-art-and-design-programmes-of-study

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The following resources have been prepared by Carey Fluker Hunt for Wild in Art, August 2018

Topic Web 1 - Cross-Curricular LinksWHAT WOULD ELMER DO? Wellbeing, connecting with others and building strong

communities

Elmer EXPLORE Building confident and capable learners

Elmer CREATE Putting creativity at the heart of your classroom

Elmer SHARE Working together on a real-world project

Elmer’s COLOURS Colourful cross-curricular activities for everyone

Elmer’s BOOK CLUB Giving your project a special Literacy focus

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DECORATING YOUR ELMER SCULPTURE &

TAKING PART IN ELMER’S GREAT NORTH PARADE

A real-world creative challenge with a shared

community outcome

5.1 Talking about colour in the Elmer books

5.2 Multisensory colours5.3 Colour matching and sorting5.4 Prisms and rainbows5.5 Mixing coloured light5.6 Mixing pigments and exploring coloured paint

5.7 Investigating natural dyes5.8 Elmer’s Colour Swatches5.9 Paul Klee’s magical squares

Elmer’s COLOURS Colourful cross-curricular activities for everyone

1.1 How would you describe Elmer?1.2 What makes you “you”?1.3 We’re Family! 1.4 We Older Ones…1.5 What else do you remember?1.6 Memories and mindfulness1.7 Dealing with change1.8 Fitting In1.9 Are you new here?1.10 Looking after each other with teddy

messages1.11 Elmer’s Buddy Bench1.12 Stronger Together1.13 Looking at the world through other people’s eyes1.14 Multiple viewpoints and visual literacy

1.15 You don’t have to see it: gossip, peer pressure and fake news1.16 P4C and debating: talking about things that matter

WHAT WOULD ELMER DO? Wellbeing, connecting with others and

building strong communities

3.1 Follow Elmer’s Great North Parade

3.2 Small world jungle play

3.3 Elmer’s jungle storyworld

3.4 A new house for Aunt Zelda

3.5 Dance like an elephant!

3.6 Teddy dialogues

3.7 Monster imagination…

3.8 Elmer’s games and jokes

3.9 Patchwork fun

3.10 Make your own herd

3.11 Elmer’s Sports Day

3.12 Paint like David McKee

3.13 Tell me more…

Elmer CREATE

Putting creativity at the heart

of your classroom2.1 Finding out with Elmer: research topics

2.2 Elmer the problem-solver

2.3 Lifting an elephant!

2.4 Making a raft for an elephant

2.5 Size matters!

2.6 Patchwork tessellations

2.7 Mapping your world

2.8 Multilingual elephants

Elmer EXPLORE

Building confident and capable learners

4.1 Bring everyone on board

4.2 Increase your impact

4.3 Throw an Elmer’s Day Party!

4.4 Make more memories with Elmer

Elmer SHARE

Working together on a real-world

project

6.1 Create a jungle-themed reading corner6.2 Elmer’s Booktalk6.3 Be an art critic6.4 Be a publisher6.5 Exploring David McKee’s Elmer books with older readers

Elmer’s BOOK CLUBGiving your project a special

Literacy focus

Topic Web 1 - Cross-Curricular Links

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Topic Web 2 - Individual Subjects

• Rainforests• River courses• Mapping your local area • Working elephants• Wildlife crime and conservation

• Climate and weather

Geography

• Write articles, reports and guidebooks to document and share your Elmer’s Great North Parade project• Write Elmer-inspired stories • Read poems about elephants (and write your own)• P4C and debating: elephant conservation and wildlife crime• Comparative criticism and analysis using the Elmer books

English

• Cross-generational stories and

timelines

• Mammoths

History

• Design and decorate your Elmer sculpture

• Paul Klee’s Magical Squares

• Tints, tones and shades and the Colour Wheel

• Natural dyes and pigments

• David McKee, award-winning illustrator

• Colour swatches and moodboards

• Patchwork patterns

• Designing and building a raft to rescue an elephant

Art, Design and DT

• The double bass and Saint

Saens’ Carnival of the Animals

• Investigate which is the

catchiest tune

• Compose your own elephant

music

Music

• Fake news, gossip and peer pressure

• Self-esteem and personal growth

• Relaxation and mindfulness

• Solving problems together

• Cross-generational connections

• Hold an Elmer’s Day party for your

community

PSHE and Citizenship

• Elephant weights and measures

• Tessellations

• Handling and presenting data

Maths

• Light, prisms and rainbows• Chromatography• Acids, alkalis and indicators• Pulleys and forces• Elephant biology and evolution

Science

• Produce a booklet to accompany Elmer’s Great North Parade • Produce promotional materials for an exhibition about your sculpture

Computing

• Create a foreign-language

guide for Elmer’s Great North

Parade• How many words for

elephant can you find in

different languages?

• Translate an Elmer book

Languages

DECORATING YOUR ELMER SCULPTURE &

TAKING PART IN ELMER’S GREAT NORTH PARADE

A real-world creative challenge with a shared

community outcome

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Cross Curricular links and activities Designing and decorating your Elmer sculpture will give children an opportunity to research and deliver on a project with real-world outcomes. Being able to share their work with family, friends and the wider community will build enthusiasm, commitment and confidence. And Elmer can take you on exciting cross-curricular journeys, too!

Below, you’ll find suggestions for activities inspired by your Elmer’s Big Art Parade project.

There are six sections:

• WHAT WOULD ELMER DO? Wellbeing, connecting with others and building strong communities

• ELMER EXPLORE Building confident and capable learners

• ELMER CREATE Putting creativity at the heart of your classroom

• ELMER SHARE Working together on a real-world project with real-world outcomes

• ELMER’S COLOURS Colourful cross-curricular activities for everyone

• ELMER’S BOOK CLUB Giving your project a special Literacy focus

There are two topic webs – the first is cross-curricular and summarises these ideas. The second features individual subject headings. Your ‘Supporting Links and Further Reading pack’ contains further information, online links to support your work and a booklist. You can download it at www.stoswaldsuk.org/elmer/school-resources.

The six Activity sections follow:

1. WHAT WOULD ELMER DO?PSHE, Citizenship and Critical Thinking Skills

Staying well, connecting with others and building strong communities

Spending time with Elmer is fun. It’s also a great way to introduce some really important topics. Through the Elmer-themed discussion and creative activities that follow, children will understand themselves better, develop empathy and insight, and connect more constructively with those around them.

1.1 How would you describe Elmer? Elmer loves playing games with his friends and is fun to be with - but he’s so much more than just a happy trickster! Elmer notices what’s going on in the world around him and thinks for himself. He is tuned into his own emotions and those of others, which helps him solve problems in a gentle and constructive way, and he is extremely kind. Time spent considering Elmer’s personality will give children insight into their own attributes and behaviours, and those of others.

Talk about personal attributes (kindness, optimism, bravery, tenacity...) and the adjectives we use to describe people’s personalities and behaviour (gentle, enthusiastic, careful, challenging, helpful) What do these attributes and behaviours look like in action? (You are being helpful if you put your toys away, you are being tenacious if you keep going with something even though you’d rather stop…)

What are Elmer’s personal attributes and how would you describe his behaviour and personality? Explore the books and find examples of Elmer being a good friend, understanding other points of view and solving problems.

Make a list of adjectives to describe Elmer and his behaviour. Using the colourful call-outs in Elmer and Elmer and the Monster as inspiration (BOO! and ROAR!) make a patterned call-out shape for each word, and hang from the ceiling to make a mobile in your classroom.

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1.2 What makes you you? What are your personal attributes and behaviours? How would you describe yourself? Decorate one side of an elephant-shaped cut-out, then write your own personal list of adjectives on the other. Place each elephant in a small memo-clip or place-card holder (available cheaply online) so that you can display your herd in a way that allows everyone to look at both sides.

We are all individuals, and we’re all different. But we form groups, just like elephants. Talk about the different kinds of groups we belong to (family, friendship groups, teams, class, school) and the benefits and challenges of belonging to these groups. How do we get along with each other when we’re so different? Talk about teamwork, and how different attributes and behaviours are needed for teams to function well.

1.3 We’re Family!

Look at the picture of Elmer, Wilbur and Aunt Zelda looking at their reflections in Elmer and Aunt Zelda. How are the three elephants alike? How are they different? Think about their characters as well as their appearances – how do they behave and what do they enjoy doing?

Look at the endpapers showing Elmer, Wilbur and Aunt Zelda with the rest of their herd. How are they similar to the other elephants and how are they different?

What do Wilbur and Elmer mean when they say “Each different from the other… but more like each other than other elephants”?

Write a list of words and phrases to describe yourself and what you enjoy doing. Write a second list describing your family, and what they enjoy doing. Use a highlighter pen to mark the things that appear on both lists – the things that you and your family have in common. Talk about your findings – are you surprised by your lists? Have you forgotten anything? In what ways are you and your family similar, and how are you different?

Display your findings as a Venn diagram by drawing two interlocking circles. In the first circle write the words and phrases that describe you. In the second, write the words and phrases

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that describe your family. In the section where the circles overlap, write the words and phrases that describe you and your family.

Remember that families come in all shapes and sizes and ‘being a family’ can be as much about caring and strong bonds of shared experience as it is about genetic relationships.

1.4 We Older Ones…“We older ones like to show off our relatives…” Aunt Zelda in Elmer and Aunt Zelda

Look at the picture of Elmer and Wilbur shaking trunks with the older elephants in Elmer and Aunt Zelda. What makes you happy? What makes your older relatives or friends happy? Aunt Zelda enjoys introducing her nephews to the other elephants. Can you make a scrapbook to share with an older relative or friend containing pictures and information about what you’ve been doing and the things you enjoy?

In Elmer and Grandpa Eldo, Eldo was very happy that Elmer remembered their special places. “But best of all,” he said, “you remembered to visit me.”

Does your school have a special relationship with a Care Home? Are there elderly people in your community who would welcome a visit from your class?

Aunt Zelda can’t hear as well as she used to. Can you learn some sign language to help you talk to her?

1.5 What else do you remember?In Elmer and Grandpa Eldo, Elmer takes Eldo to some of their special places to help him remember things more clearly and asks “what else do you remember?” when he wants his grandpa to tell more stories.

In Elmer and the Whales, Grandpa Eldo tells Elmer and Wilbur that when he was young, he followed the river down to the sea - but he doesn’t warn them about the dangers!

Why do you think Eldo doesn’t tell them the whole story before they go? Why does Wilbur mutter “I’ll say more than hello!” at the end of the book? What other stories do you think Eldo might tell them?

Invite older friends and relatives into your classroom to share stories about times past. Interview your visitors with carefully-prepared questions, then write illustrated reports about what you’ve heard and what you’ve learned (making audio recordings during the interview can help!) Construct timelines linking your visitor’s memories with now and mark significant local and world events on it.

1.6 Memories and mindfulness“This is one of our favourite spots. We sit and talk about memories of when we were young. You’ll do the same one day” Aunt Zelda by the waterfall in Elmer and Aunt Zelda

How does sharing their memories bring Elmer, Wilbur and Aunt Zelda closer? For example, laughing and enjoying things together strengthens their relationship, reminds them of their shared history, allows Aunt Zelda to pass on things she wants Elmer and Wilbur to know about.

Talk to children about the special times they’ve had with people who mean a lot to them. Find a special ‘Aunt Zelda spot’ in school and go there with your class to share some happy memories. Later, you can turn your memories into stories and write them down to preserve them.

Memories can be celebrated and shared in lots of ways. You could collect small mementoes like tickets and postcards and make an exhibition about a class day out. Or you could create a whole-class artwork out of individual memory-scenes on a collaged frieze (or elephant sculpture!)

Do you have a favourite place? Where is it and why is it special? How does it make you feel?

Ask children to imagine they’re in a really special place – one that’s comfortable and welcoming and beautiful and safe. Help children visualize it by asking what they can see, hear, smell, touch and taste. How does this place make them feel? What do they want to remember about this space when they leave? Use your ‘imaginings’ to draw pictures and make mind-maps. List words and phrases to describe your places. Can you write descriptively about the vision in your mind?

Link to PSHE and mindfulness by exploring relaxation techniques. Talk about other ways of dealing with stress and worries. We live in the real world, not an ideal version, so how can we make it a better place for all of us? How can we help each other out when things are tough?

• Elmer’s Mindfulness Walk

“We don’t have time, Elmer, we’re hurrying somewhere.” Elmer’s Walk

When Elmer has a problem to solve he goes on a thinking walk - but he’s never too busy to notice the wonders of the natural world around him! Read Elmer’s Walk to find out what Elmer notices, and why the other animals are too busy to care. What does this book tell us about Elmer? For example, he takes time to appreciate the simple things in life, he wants to share his enjoyment with everyone, he is persistent...

Take a leaf out of Elmer’s book and go for a walk along a route you know well. Take time to notice things you’ve never noticed before and use all your senses to engage with them. Be curious, ask questions and let your imaginations work overtime! Bring friends and family on your walk, and record your adventures using voice memos, videos and photography so that you can share the fun and build on it.

Or visit somewhere new, like a park or woodland, and explore this new environment by

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taking special notice of what your senses are telling you. How do different locations smell and sound? Use blindfold games to explore your sense of touch and encourage children to notice colours, patterns and details as well as overall impressions. Can you taste anything? What do you notice about the wind and weather, the position of the sun and the level of natural light?

Record your impressions on sketchmaps, trying to capture as much information as you can. Back in school, take imaginary walks using your maps - what do they help you remember that you might otherwise have forgotten? Discuss your maps, sharing memories and information. Use them to help you write about the place you visited.

“What is life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?” Leisure by WH Davies

Read the poem quoted in Elmer’s Walk and talk about it. Could you be like Elmer and make more time for standing and staring?

See your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for more information about mindfulness and memory-sharing, including the use of memory boxes in preparing for and dealing with bereavement.

1.7 Dealing with changeEmotional literacy is at the heart of the Elmer books and many ‘big issues’ are addressed in a way that children can relate to and understand. Sharing books like these can be an effective way for adults to start conversations with children about challenging subjects like change and loss.

Dealing with change can be difficult as it involves uncertainty, loss and sometimes fear. Change as a topic runs through the Elmer books in lots of different ways, and talking about change in these stories will help children gain a deeper understanding of this challenging concept and how it affects them and those they love.

Your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ includes links to hospices supporting families dealing with bereavement.

Talk about change. What changes? How? Why? Share some of the Elmer books and find examples of things that change in the stories. With older children, you could consider what the animals lose in each case, and what they gain.

• The weather changes, sometimes quite dramatically and in a way that could frighten the animals. How do the animals deal with high winds and flooding? What does Elmer do in each case? What changes as a result? Elmer and the Flood, Elmer and the Wind, Elmer in the Snow

• New arrivals appear in the jungle, sometimes causing mistrust, dislike or even fear. How do the animals react? Talk about the emotions they’re experiencing. How does Elmer react? (He stays calm and positive. He is inclined to think for himself, gather information and try to come up with a practical course of action.) What changes as a result? Elmer and the Hippos, Elmer and the Monster,

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Elmer on Stilts, Elmer and the Stranger

• Our emotions are always changing, and sometimes they can be difficult to deal with. Read Elmer and the Race and talk about the emotions experienced by the young elephants. How do the other animals react to these emotions? How does Elmer help the young elephants understand and manage their emotions? Talk about challenging emotions like jealousy, fear, anger, competitiveness, aggression. Can you find examples in the Elmer books? How does Elmer help others deal with these emotions? Try Elmer and Big Bird, Elmer and the Monster, Elmer and the Hippos, Elmer and the Race

• People change over time, and watching those we love grow old and become infirm can be tough. Cross-generational relationships and the needs of the elderly are highlighted in Elmer and Grandpa Eldo and Elmer and Aunt Zelda and you’ll find activity suggestions in this section (1.4 and 1.5).

What has been changing in your life? Are there any changes facing you in the future? How do you feel about these changes? What can you do to help yourself through these changes? How could others support you?

1.8 Fitting In“The elephants love Elmer because of his differences, and not in spite of them.”

Elmer is usually a cheerful soul, but in the first story about him (Elmer) he spends a sleepless night worrying about being different. In the morning he slips away before the other elephants wake up and rolls in elephant-coloured berries to dye himself grey. For a while he enjoys being just like the rest of the herd – until he realizes how serious they look and can’t resist playing a joke on them. The other elephants think it’s hilarious. “It didn’t take you long to show your true colours,” they say. “This has been the biggest laugh of all.”

But in Elmer Again, the elephants don’t enjoy Elmer’s trickery quite as much. “This is awful,” they say. “Elmer can’t be like the rest of us. Things won’t be the same without an Elmer.”

Talk about these stories and your reactions to them. Are there times when you want to fit into a group, and times when you don’t? How does it feel to stand out from the crowd? How should the herd behave towards elephants who are different? How can individuals resist pressure from others?

In an interview in The Guardian, David McKee said

“Elmer is really about accepting who you are, about celebrating difference. We are all different, with so many differences – difference of colour, of accents, but also of size, shape and how we dress. The differences are what make the world so rich. It’s strange because we humans seem to like differences in other things – in dogs and trees and flowers – but we don’t accept it in people. If people aren’t like us we don’t accept them. Elmer tried to be like the other elephants

but in the end he has to be himself.”

https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2014/may/16/elmer-gallery-celebrating-difference-david-mckee

Draw up a list of guidelines to help your ‘class herd’ support and celebrate difference.

1.9 Are you new here?Elmer and the Hippos, Elmer and the Stranger, Elmer and the Monster

Read one or more of these books and talk about your reactions to the stories. How do the newcomers feel in these books, and why? What do they need? What does Elmer do about it? How do the other animals react?

Look at your local area through the eyes of a new arrival. What do you think this person would need or want to know? What would you recommend they see or do to enjoy themselves? Remember that newcomers might not have much money/speak English/understand local customs….

1.10 Looking after each other with teddy messages “All teddies are special, especially your own.” Elmer and the Lost Teddy

Paint cut-out cardboard teddies and tie luggage labels round their necks.

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On each label write a kind and positive message for another child. Exchange teddies, making sure everyone receives one.

“This is the season for giving. We give, and Papa Red takes the presents to whoever needs them most.” Elmer’s Christmas

Collect soft toy teddies to give away. Write kind messages on labels and tie around the teddies’ necks. Give the teddies to children who need them.

1.11 Elmer’s Buddy BenchElmer is kind and thoughtful. He looks after his family, his friends and his herd. He also cares about animals he doesn’t know, like Kangaroo and the Hippos, even when those animals are different from him (or a bit scary, like Bloo-Bloo!)

Talk about what it means to be compassionate. In what ways is Elmer compassionate? Can you think of examples when children you know have been compassionate? How could people in your school be more compassionate? What would a compassionate school look like? Could Elmer be a role model?

One way to promote kindness and compassion in school might be to set up a Buddy Bench in your playground. See your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for more details.

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1.12 Stronger Together“If we help it will soon be done.” Elmer and the Hippos

Read Elmer and Big Bird. Why is the big bird bullying the little birds? What does Elmer suggest the little birds do about it? Can you think of another solution to the problem?

Read Elmer and the Hippos. How is the idea of teamwork and ‘stronger together’ explored in this book? Can you think of examples in real life where lots of people working together make a difference?

Make bird shapes out of card and decorate. On them, write something you can do to improve your local environment. Display as a group, then take action on your promises!

“Being part of an elephant family is all about unity and working for the common good.” Joyce Poole, found of the charity Elephant Voices

How do elephants co-operate in the wild?

1.13 Looking at the world through other people’s eyes“I do that when I’m frightened” Bloo-Bloo in Elmer and the Monster

Read Elmer and the Monster. What does Bloo-Bloo do when he’s frightened? How do you behave when you’re frightened? Discuss, respecting everyone’s contributions and noting how they’re similar and how they differ. Why doesn’t everyone react the same way? Would you have known how other people felt without asking them?

Would the animals have behaved differently if they’d known Bloo Bloo reacted that way? What did Elmer do, and why? What happened as a result? What could have happened if Elmer hadn’t stepped in? Is there anything we can learn from this story?

Can you find examples of Elmer looking at things from other people’s points of view, and trying to understand them? For examples, see Your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’.

Can you find an example of a time when Elmer doesn’t use empathy and insight in dealing with others? In Elmer and Butterfly, for example, he is dismissive of Butterfly’s ability to help him.

• Drama is a great way to explore other perspectives. Here is an example based on Elmer and the Race but you could choose a different episode.

Before reading the whole book, look at the picture showing the hippos booing Yellow in Elmer and the Race. Imagine you have stepped into the pages of this book. What can you see and what do you think is happening? What can you hear and smell? How does it make you feel?

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What do you think the characters in the picture are thinking and feeling? Use post-its to add their thoughts to the picture. Do you think anyone is talking? Add different coloured post-its with dialogue. What do you think will happen next?

Read the book and talk about it. Why do the noisy young elephants behave that way during the race? How did Elmer manage them? Do you think he did a good job? Why/why not?

Working in groups with each child taking the role of one of the characters, create a freezeframe of your chosen scene. Use ‘touch and tell’ to hear the thoughts of each character, then clap your hands to bring the scene to life. Showback and discuss.

Imagine your drama is being filmed. How would you direct the camera and action? What lighting and sound effects would you use? Turn your drama into a screenplay, complete with dialogue and director’s notes.

1.14 Multiple Viewpoints and Visual LiteracyThe text alone in a good picturebook won’t tell us everything. There’s a complex interplay going on between words and pictures, and even the youngest children will notice details and make their own interpretations of the artwork - often at a more sophisticated level than we expect.

How are you reading the artwork? Exploring viewpoint and perspective in David McKee’s illustrations can be a great way to develop awareness of other people’s points of view, as well as visual literacy skills.

For a list of illustrations to explore in this way, see Your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’. See Elmer’s Book Club for more ideas on how to question the artwork to develop children’s critical and visual literacy skills.

Before you talk about your reactions to the artwork, make sure children understand there are no right or wrong answers, and that contributions to the discussion are opinions, not facts. Agree ground rules as you would during PSHE or P4C sessions (only one person talking at a time, listen carefully and respectfully…) and encourage everyone to contribute.

The following questions can be adapted for any age group. The aim is to get children looking closely at the artwork, thinking and asking questions, forming opinions, giving reasons for those opinions and listening carefully to the opinions of others.

• What can you see in this picture?

• Does it remind you of anything, or surprise you? What, or how?

• If this picture had a soundtrack, what do you think you’d be able to hear?

• What do you think is happening? Why do you think that? Is there another possible reading?

• What do you think has happened just before this incident? What do you think will happen afterwards?

• What do you think each character can see? Can all the characters see the same thing?

• •What do the characters understand about what’s going on? Are any of them missing vital information?

• •Can you see anything (or do you know something) that the characters can’t (or don’t)?

• •How do you think the characters involved in this incident are feeling? What makes you think that?

• •If this illustration were a photograph, where would the photographer be standing? How does this viewpoint affect what you can see and understand?

• Do you like this picture? Why/why not?

• •Do you think it’s doing a good job as part of this story? Why/why not?

1.15 “You don’t have to see it…” Rumors, gossip, peer pressure and fake newsRead Elmer and the Monster. The animals’ imaginations run wild when they hear a monster is coming - they don’t know the facts, but that doesn’t stop them jumping to conclusions! In the end, the monster himself isn’t scary, but the gossip being spread about him certainly is.

Talk about fake news, rumours, peer pressure, fact-checking and gossip. How do these topics relate to Elmer and the Monster? Why is Elmer’s attitude helpful? What can we learn from him?

In Elmer and Snake, Snake says of Elmer that ‘if it’s repeated often enough, he’ll believe it.” Are people more likely to believe something if they keep hearing it? Is this true of Elmer? Why can Elmer resist this kind of pressure, do you think?

1.16 P4C and debating: talking about things that matter

The Elmer books are full of fun, friendship and colourful goings-on, but running through them are fundamental questions about the needs of individuals, how people should behave to one another and what kind of society we want to live in.

David McKee created the first Elmer book in response to a racist slur hurled at his daughter in the street, and although the books are not constructed as vehicles for debating ethics and morality – they are above all deeply enjoyable stories with great illustrations – the messages are there, and because they come in such appealing packages, they are accessible to children of all ages.

The Elmer books make a great starting point for philosophical discussion in the classroom.

Here is a selection of starting points to explore via P4C approaches or as a class debate.

Elmer and the Hippos “Tell them to go, there isn’t room for them and us.” “What if they don’t want to go?” “Tell them we’ll make them….” How is this problem solved? What should we do when one group of people has something another group wants?

Elmer and the Lost Teddy“You don’t have to be different to be special…” Are you an individual or part of a community? Which is most important?

Playing tricks or bullying?What’s the difference between playing a funny trick and bullying someone?

Elmer on StiltsIs it right to hunt animals?

Elmer and the Race“Remember, it’s not just who’s fastest or slowest but how you run the race!” What does Elmer mean? How could you apply this to your own life?

Elmer and the Rainbow“Some things you can give and give and not lose any. Things like happiness or love or my colours.” What does Elmer mean? How generous should we be?

Elmer and Rose“They’re probably all nice, unique or not.” What does Elmer mean? Is it good to be open to new experiences, or should we be wary of strangers?

Wildlife crime and conservation issuesElmer on Stilts

Older children may like to use P4C approaches to engage with conservation issues relating to wildlife crime and animal welfare. To get you started, here is a statement made by Ed Stewart, President and Co-Founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS):

“Elephants should not be in captivity… It doesn’t matter if it’s a zoo, a circus or a sanctuary. The social structure isn’t correct, the space is not right, the climate is not right, the food is not right. You can never do enough to match the wild. (Elephants) are unbelievably intelligent. With all that brainpower – to be as limited as they are in captivity – it’s a wonder that they cope at all. In 20 years I hope we will look back and think ‘can you believe we ever kept those animals in cages?”

Is Ed Stewart right? Could it be acceptable under some circumstances to keep elephants in captivity?

See Your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for links to websites explaining Philosophy for Children (P4C) approaches.

2. ELMER EXPLOREBuilding confident and capable independent learners

Elmer enjoys observing everyone and everything. He asks lots of questions and collects information and evidence rather than jumping to conclusions. He’s calm and optimistic, and isn’t cast down by problems. Instead, he tries to find a sensible way to solve them - and when his ideas don’t work the first time, he makes changes and tries again. He shares his insights with his friends but gives them plenty of opportunities to make their own discoveries, too. All in all, he’s a really effective problem-solver and innovator – definitely the kind of elephant you’d want to have around in a crisis, and a great role model in the classroom!In this section you’ll find starting points for independent research together with ideas for group investigations. Try giving these questions a real-world context by linking them to a creative project like the ones suggested in this pack.

2.1 Finding out with ElmerHere are some research topics to explore, either independently or in small groups. They’ve been inspired by the Elmer stories and real elephants.

Rainbows – butterflies – African elephants– colours - flying – rainforests and jungles – ivory trading – rafts and boats – whales – Paul Klee – monsters - patchwork – Asian elephants – sign language – snow - waterfalls and river courses – elephant intelligence – superheroes – playing in a band – caves – gorges – pulley systems – elephant conservation - Christmas customs – weather – birds – jungle animals – ventriloquism – mammoths – patterns – kangaroos - working elephants – Saint Saen’s Carnival of the Animals –elephants in zoos

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2.2 Elmer the problem-solver“All right, Elmer,” said an elephant. “What do you want us to do now?” Elmer and the Flood

Read one or more of the following books. What was the problem in each story? How did Elmer react to it, and what did he do to help? Did his idea work first time, or did he need to change it?

• Elmer and the Flood When Young is stuck on an island, Elmer invents a log and pulley system to rescue him

• Elmer on Stilts When hunters arrive, Elmer dreams up an imaginative way of diverting them – the

elephants walk around on stilts so the hunters won’t see them, and put footprint-shaped plates on the bottom to create false trails. Ideas come from unexpected places…your first idea might not be the one that works but you can build on it… people don’t usually look beyond what they are expecting to see

• Elmer and Wilbur When Wilbur is stuck up a tree, Elmer gets his friends to lean on the branch so Wilbur

can get down

• Elmer and the Snow When the elephants are complaining about the cold, Elmer walks them up the

mountain beyond the snowline for some winter fun. When they get back, they don’t think it’s cold any more

• Elmer and Super El When Super El’s suit is torn, Elmer finds ways to divert the other animals and allow

Super El to reach Aunt Zelda without being seen

• Elmer and Big Bird When the bully bird is scaring the little birds, Elmer helps them work together to make

an even bigger bird to scare him away

• Elmer and the Hippos When the river dries up and the Hippos arrive, Elmer works out what’s gone wrong and

finds a way to get everyone working together to solve things

What can we learn from Elmer about effective problem solving? Talk about observing, asking questions, listening to other people, not jumping to conclusions, gathering information, being imaginative, lateral thinking, trying things out, evaluating, making changes and trying again, not being afraid to fail, teamwork, leadership, getting the best out of other people, making decisions and seeing them through.

Identify problems in your school or local community, then put on your ‘Elmer hats’ and come up with some solutions. Test them out and make changes as needed to achieve the best results.

2.3 Lifting an elephant!

Read Elmer and Butterfly. How did the elephants rescue Elmer? Do you think he looks worried in this picture? How strong is the creeper holding him, do you think? What else could they have used to rescue him? Can you design a safe investigation to test the strength of materials such as cotton thread, a strip of fabric, string and wool, as well as a creeper? How many toy elephants will they support before they break?

The elephants in Elmer and Butterfly use a rope to haul him up the cliff but it takes lots of effort. Can you invent and build a contraption capable of lifting a toy elephant more easily? You might want to use a pulley system, like Elmer does in Elmer and the Flood, or a winch.

How high did your contraption lift the elephant? Can your contraption lift more than one elephant? How many elephants can it lift? How much do those elephants weigh? Write about what you did and any changes you made to improve your contraption.

2.4 Making a raft for an elephantRead Elmer and the Flood. How many problems does Elmer solve? He doesn’t just get Young off the island, for example, he also gets himself some quiet time…!

Can you design and build a raft that will float? Can you design and build one that will float and support the weight of a toy elephant? How many toy elephants can your raft support before it sinks?

Use recycled objects together with card, tape and other materials. Find ways to waterproof your rafts. Test your designs using a paddling pool filled with water. Can you design and build a working pulley system to move your rafts across the padding pool, like Elmer?

Take photographs of your investigations and reflect on what you’ve done. What helped you to be successful? Did you have to get things right first time? How did you deal with challenges and failure?

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2.5 Size mattersCompared to people, elephants are very large. But how large, exactly? Find out how much an elephant weighs and how much you weigh. How many of you would it take to weigh one elephant?

How long is an elephant from trunk to tail? Measure it out on the playground and see how many steps it takes to go from one end of an elephant to the other. Measure distances around your school in terms of how many elephants and put up signposts advising people how far it is to various places (to the Headteacher’s Office: 45 elephants…)

2.6 Patchwork tessellationsPlaying with patchwork is a great way to explore shapes and tessellations. Create patchwork patterns using commercially-available shapes or make your own from coloured and/or decorated card. Take photos of your designs, then have another go!

2.7 Mapping your worldRead Elmer and the Whales and Elmer in the Snow. Elmer likes to explore his environment and discover new things. Go on a journey of discovery in your local area - or somewhere you’ve never been before! Make sketchmaps and add notes to remind you about your discoveries. Look at Ordnance Survey maps of the same area and compare.

Find out about snowlines and river courses. Draw diagrams to show how rivers change from source to estuary. Visit a nearby river. How wide is it and how quickly is it flowing? How close are you to the sea? What stage is your river at, do you think? Can you imagine Elmer and Wilbur floating by on a raft? What would they see?

2.8 Multilingual elephants!Elephant in Spanish is elefante. In Maltese it’s iljunfant, in Flipino it’s elepante and in Swahili, it’s tembo. How many words for elephant can you find in other languages?

How many words can you collect to describe an elephant? Translate some of your words into other languages and look for similarities and differences.

If you speak more than one language, can you translate an Elmer book into a language other than English? You could make your own audiobooks in other languages, too!

You can order Elmer books online in dual languages (English with Italian, Polish or Urdu for example) as well as foreign language editions.

3. ELMER CREATEPutting creativity at the heart of your classroom

With its opportunity to research, design and decorate an elephant sculpture, your ELMER’S GREAT NORTH PARADE project already has creativity at its heart. Build on this by taking a creative approach right across the curriculum.

See ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for additional resources and links. This can be downloaded from www.stoswaldsuk.org/elmer/school-resources

3.1 Follow Elmer!Follow Elmer’s Great North Parade and document your expedition by taking photos, recording audio commentaries and drawing annotated picture maps. Back in school, find out more about what you observed. Which artists designed the sculptures? What can you discover about the buildings and other landmarks you noticed along the route? Are there any interesting historical facts or links with famous people? Create a display in your school, complete with photographs and reports about what you’ve seen and discovered and the experiences you’ve had.

Why not design an Elmer-inspired trail of your own? You could choose special places in your local neighbourhood for a ‘slow down and enjoy yourself’ route for family and friends, or give your trail a twist by turning it into an elephant-themed treasure hunt. Whatever you choose, there’ll be plenty of writing opportunities - children can make leaflets and guidebooks to advertise your trail and help visitors enjoy it, as well as documenting their involvement and sharing their experiences through displays, reports and presentations. Or you could make a digital version of your trail and share it!

3.2 Small-world jungle playA small-world roleplay area is fun for younger children and will inspire lots of talking and imagining. Set up a playspace using fabric backdrops, real or artificial plants and other objects. Provide card, tissue paper, recycled containers and colouring materials so that children can make their own trees, plants and other props. Supply plenty of small-world jungle animals for children to explore and animate. Encourage them to create characters, dialogues, adventures and storylines.

To build on this, why not illustrate their stories by arranging the roleplay area for a series of photographs to accompany children’s narratives? Create a homemade book for each child,

complete with photographic story, and scribe their narratives for them - or encourage their own emergent writing. Children can also make maps showing the world they’ve created and use them for storymaking.

3.3 Elmer’s jungle story worldWhat do David McKee’s illustrations tell us about the place where Elmer lives? Do you think it’s based on a real place? What do you know about jungles and rainforests, and what can you find out?

What kind of plants grow in Elmer’s jungle and how does McKee depict them? Pretend you’re a biologist or naturalist visiting Elmer’s jungle. Make sketches of the plants and trees in McKee’s jungle as if drawing them from life, and write notes about these strange new specimens. How many different types of plants can you find? Give them names and invent some more. Write and illustrate a scholarly guidebook to Elmer’s jungle.

What do we learn about Elmer’s storyworld by reading the books? Map Elmer’s storyworld, marking the geographical features and vegetation shown in the books, and the locations in which the stories happen. See your online ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for a list of features to look out for and the titles of the books where they can be found.

Create jungle peepshow boxes and dioramas inspired by David McKee’s artwork.

3.4 A new house for Aunt ZeldaRead Elmer and Aunt Zelda. Where does Aunt Zelda live? Why has she moved? Draw maps to show the location of her new home, with labels explaining why it’s good place for an elderly elephant to live. Design a special elephant home for Aunt Zelda, incorporating furniture and fittings you think she would like, and that would help an elderly (and rather deaf) elephant live more comfortably and safely. Build a model of your elephant house and write about what you’ve done.

3.5 Dance like an elephant!

Look at the picture showing Elmer tiptoeing past the sleepy elephants. Can you tiptoe like Elmer? Elephants are large and heavy. Can you tiptoe slowly, like a large, heavy elephant?

The sleepy elephants are lying in some unusual positions. Can you sit or lie in the same positions? How would you move if you were a large, sleepy elephant? Practise waking up

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like an elephant, then plod, stamp, clump and stomp around the room. Play elephant-follow-my-leader, copying the movements of the elephant at the front of the line. How many different ways of moving like an elephant can you find?

Look at the picture showing Elmer and Wilbur dancing with the whales. Move your elephant bodies like Elmer and Wilbur. Can you invent more dance moves? Find some music for your elephants to dance to – The Elephant from The Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saens works well – and let the performance begin!

3.6 Teddy dialogues “I might have known it was you making Teddy speak!” Elmer and the Lost Teddy

Read Elmer and the Lost Teddy. Do you have a teddy or similar soft toy? How would you feel if you lost your toy? What would happen if your toy came to life?

Bring a collection of teddies into school and make them walk, talk and dance, just like Elmer and Wilbur. What will your teddies do and say? Does each teddy have a distinct character? Record their dialogue and use to help you write scripts and stories.

3.7 Monster imagination…“You don’t have to see it. Just imagining it is horrible enough!” Elmer and the Monster

Read Elmer and the Monster, stopping just before the ‘monster reveal.’ What kind of monster are you imagining? Draw and write about the monster you think is lurking in the jungle, then share your results. How are your monsters similar? How are they different? Read the rest of the book. How did your monsters compare with Bloo-Bloo? Write a story about your monster.

3.8 Games and jokes with Elmer“The whole jungle shook with their noisy game…” Elmer Again

Elmer and his friends are always having fun of one sort or another. Start by playing Hide and Seek like Elmer and Wilbur, then add some ‘noisy elephant’ extras – how about marching and shouting along to Grandpa Eldo and Elmer’s special song?

“When we’re marching on our way, bumpity bumpity bump

We like to laugh and play, bumpity bumpity bump

And when we can’t think what to do, we simply hide and then shout BOO!

When we’re marching on our way, bumpity bumpity bump!” Elmer and Grandpa Eldo

Make some stilts and have fun learning to walk on them, as the elephants do in Elmer on Stilts. You could lay a footprint trail for children to follow - or go outside for some messy play! Real elephants keep themselves clean by taking a mudbath, but if you’re going to have

fun getting dirty, why not turn it into an exploration of dams and water flow? Elmer and the Hippos will give you plenty of inspiration.

“It’s too quiet around here. We need a joke or something to liven things up!” Elmer Again

Elmer and his friends are always telling jokes and playing tricks. Collect jokes and compile to create an illustrated joke book. Practise telling your favourites, then host a comedy cabaret for Elmer.

3.9 Patchwork funUse patchwork-shaped printing blocks or collage squares to create Elmer-style patchwork patterns. Printing blocks can be made in lots of different ways – foamboard, rubbers and potatoes all work well as a base material – and coloured, patterned fabrics can be cut and collaged into patchwork patterns. Or you can try some traditional sewn patchwork techniques!

3.10 Make your own herdAt www.elmer.co.uk you’ll find instructions for making elephants from milk cartons. Can you create a class herd? How about a school herd? Name every elephant and create a character profile for each. What adventures do they get up to in the jungle? Introduce your herd to your Elmer sculpture. What will they talk about? Write some dialogue - or record their conversations!

3.11 Elmer’s Sports DayRead Elmer and the Race and Elmer and the Stranger. What can we learn from these books about competitions and the best way to behave when you’re taking part in them?

Look at the spread showing the elephants lining up to receive their medals in Elmer and the Race. Recreate as a freezeframe, then ‘touch and tell’ to invite children to voice the elephant’s thoughts. Bring the scene to life and show what happens next!

Hold a Sports Day for Elmer with lots of different races and competitions (like Kangaroo’s long jump...) Make coloured badges for the competitors and medals for the winners. Involve children in determining the categories for the awards - you can ‘do an Elmer’ by ensuring you have enough categories for every child to win an award, or adopt a more competitive approach. Take photos before and during your event and use to illustrate factual reports about what you’ve done and what happened.

If you time your races, you’ll generate lots of data. How many entrants competed in each event? How many medals were awarded? What were the fastest times in each race? How far did people jump/skip/cartwheel? How can you display your findings?

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3.12 Paint like David McKee

David McKee’s artwork is bold, bright and immensely appealing. Look closely to see how he creates his jungle landscapes.

Look at the way David McKee depicts rushing water, reflections, wind, grassy areas, chalky cliffs and snow in Elmer and the Whales, Elmer in the Snow and Elmer and the Wind. How has he created these effects? Use a variety of media (pastels, paint, coloured pencils) to layer different colours and experiment with lines and textures to get similar effects. What works best for you?

Use the techniques you’ve developed to create a jungle backdrop and add cut-out drawings or paintings of animals and plants to bring your jungle to life.

“This is an illustration that takes three pages. When I was doing this book I actually thought this might be the last Elmer I’d do. So it was quite a special book for me…. This does run over three pages and when I designed it, I did think it would be nice to print it and have it as a frieze… Some of these designs are based on the feel of other people’s stuff, perhaps Miro. But I always liked this three page spread.” David McKee talking about Elmer’s Special Day at www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28202506

There are lots of patterns and colours to observe and enjoy in David McKee’s artwork, from jungle flora and foliage to the way the animals decorate themselves for their Elmer’s Day Parade.

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Look closely at the front and back covers for Elmer’s Special Day and the way the animals are decorated in the illustrations at the end of the book. Explore artwork by Joan Miro and Henri Matisse. Do you think their work influenced McKee? How?

Let McKee (and Miro, Matisse and other painters) inspire your own decorative painted patterns. Explore lots of different techniques and styles, then choose your favourites to create decorative painted squares. Combine to make a patchwork hanging, or cut animal shapes and collage onto a whole-class frieze showing the animals on their way to celebrate Elmer’s special day.

3.13 Tell me moreThe Elmer books are full of storytelling possibilities. Try these for starters!

• In Elmer and Wilbur, the elephants discover Wilbur up a tree. How did he get up there? Tell the story.

• In Elmer and the Race, Elmer says “another day we might have had a different story…” Tell a different story about the race.

• In Elmer and Butterfly, Elmer says “A butterfly saving an elephant, that’s a good one!” The book shows one way for a butterfly to save an elephant. Can you invent other ways?

• In Elmer, Rose and Super El, Super El says “This sounds like a job for me!” Invent new challenges for Super El to solve.

• In Elmer and Super El, Elmer distracts the rabbits by asking Snake to tell them “about the time he tricked me and the elephants”. The full story of that trick can be found in Elmer and Snake. Can you make up a story about another trick for Snake to tell the rabbits?

4. ELMER SHAREWorking together on a real-world project with real-world outcomes

By working together on your Elmer sculpture, you’re already involving children in something exciting and important: a real-world art and design challenge requiring imagination, teamwork and practical commitment towards a shared community outcome. This section of the pack suggests ways to broaden and deepen your involvement and your children’s learning.

“Confident individuals, responsible citizens and successful learners”

Document your project as it unfolds (consider videos and audio commentaries as well as photographs and written reports) so that children and their families can enjoy looking back and reflecting on what’s happened. Not only will you have plenty of material for sharing with your community, you’ll also be evidencing your children’s learning for OFSTED (and Arts Award, if you’re taking part.)

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4.1 Bring everyone on boardGet your local community involved in your Elmer project by hosting workshops for children together with their parents and carers. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Paint patterns on squares of paper and glue to wallpaper to create patchwork hangings, or enlist the help of local quilters and hold a quilting bee to make a wall hanging or table-cover from patchwork squares. Use as a backdrop for displaying and photographing your sculpture before it heads off on its travels.

• Model mini-Elmers from clay or plasticine and photograph your herd alongside your sculpture. Or make a jungle landscape backdrop using card and fabric or papier mache, and have fun placing your models in their new habitat.

• Make cards to wish your Elmer sculpture Bon Voyage!

4.2 Increase your impactMany people in your neighbourhood will have heard about Elmer’s Great North Parade and know you’re involved, but others won’t. What could your children do to raise awareness and interest? And if local families decide to view the sculptures by following Elmer’s Great North Parade, what could you do or give them to make their experience richer and better?

Put on an event or presentation? Design some posters? Write an article for the local press, website or blog? Create a leaflet or audio guide to the trail? Write stories for people to read while they’re on the trail? Make a sensory pack for a nursery or SEND group, to be explored alongside one of the sculptures? Lead a guided tour? Interview people to discover what they think about the trail and compile a report?

4.3 Celebrate and share Sharing what you’ve been doing with your local community will benefit your children as well as helping your school evidence its achievements for OFSTED and Arts Award.

When Elmer’s Great North Parade is over, what will you do to celebrate and share your experiences?

Throw a party? Put on an exhibition about Elmer and your part in the project? Take your sculpture on a local tour? Raise funds for charity? Make a film? Write a book?

• Throwing an Elmer’s Day partyA special celebration is a great way to involve children in planning and running something that excites them and through which they can develop important skills.

“All elephants must decorate themselves and Elmer will decorate himself elephant colour…”Elmer

You and your children deserve a party after all your hard work, and Elmer’s Day is a great reason for throwing one – so get yourselves decorated and have fun playing some elephant-themed games!

Instructions for Pin the Trunk on Elmer can be found at www.elmer.co.uk along with downloadable materials for a Hide and Seek card game and an Elmer dice game. Other games can be similarly adapted - how about Pass the Patchwork Parcel or a ‘fool-the-hunter’ version of Musical Statues (stand very still to make the hunters think there are no elephants in the room…)

• Raising funds for charityResearching, planning and executing every stage of a successful event like this is great way to develop skills including literacy, numeracy, public speaking, research, planning, people management and leadership.

The sculptures in Elmer’s Great North Parade will be auctioned to raise money for your local hospice. Why not hold a fundraising auction of your own in school to support a charity of your choice?

4.4 Make more memories with ElmerElmer’s an optimistic character who loves spending time with family and friends and appreciates the simple pleasures in life. When we’re busy rushing from one thing to the next, a little ‘Elmer time’ might come in handy to remind us to slow down, enjoy the company of those we love and create happy memories together.

Invite children and their families to suggest things to do and places to go in your local area where they can enjoy each other’s company and make happy memories. Keep a special look-out for activities that don’t cost anything, and include libraries, museums and galleries - they’re great for slowing down and spending quality time alone or with others!

Share ideas on a noticeboard in school and invite families to post information about the ‘days out’ they’ve enjoyed, together with practical tips to help other visitors. Word-of-mouth recommendations can be really helpful!

5. ELMER’S ColoursColourful cross-curricular activities for everyone

The Elmer books are full of colours and patterns. Jump on board to investigate, explore and celebrate with activities spanning the whole curriculum!

5.1 Talking about colour in the Elmer booksShare lots of Elmer books and talk about them. How does colour feature in the stories and illustrations? How do the colours make you feel? What role does colour play? How and why is it important?

5.2 Multisensory coloursThere are lots of multisensory ways to explore and experience colour. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Use a lightbox to explore colour mixing with translucent materials

• Make coloured playdough and slime. Use for sensory exploration, for creating individual and shared artworks, as a base for small world play and as a prompt for talking and writing. Older children could test different recipes in search of the best dough or slime.

• Investigate colour mixing by putting coloured ice cubes in glasses of warm water and watching as the colours blend

• Put blobs of coloured paint in ziplock plastic bags and squish to blend the colours – see more details below or via the link in your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’

• Explore refraction, light, surface tension and rainbow patterns using bubble blowers

• Make a tactile bin containing coloured rice – dye with food colourings and supervise young children as they handle and play with it. Provide containers of different sizes along with toy dumper trucks for some rice-moving and rice-sorting fun!

• Investigate coloured liquids in a water tray, or create coloured water pools for small-world jungle animals to explore

• Colouring the wind: look at the illustrations in Elmer and the Wind and Elmer and the Monster. How does David McKee depict moving air in each book? Have a go at painting the wind, using David’s illustrations as a starting point. Attach thin strips of coloured fabric, gauze or paper to the mesh on the front of a tabletop fan. When you turn on the fan, the strips will be blown sideways. Watch the patterns, take photographs, sketch what you can see and make a list of words and phrases to describe the moving air. Can you write a poem about it?

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5.3 Colour matching and sortingColour matching and sorting activities are great fun for younger children and will develop important skills. See your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for links.

• Put sheets of coloured card on the floor and sort toys or objects by placing them on the matching colours

• Sort coloured pompoms by posting them through the top of a matching non-spill paint pot

5.4 Prisms and rainbowsRead Elmer and the Rainbow. Make your own rainbows by placing a prism in sunlight and angling it until you can see the rainbow colours. How many can you see?

A rainbow is produced when white sunlight strikes rain droplets, which act like tiny prisms.

You can make a rainbow in the classroom by focusing sunlight through a small hole in a piece of cardboard and onto a magnifying lens and a round glass bowl of water. Use a piece of white card and move it around the bowl until you see a rainbow.

5.5 Mixing coloured lightYou’ll get better results if you can do this experiment somewhere dark!

Use three torches. Cover one with blue cellophane, one with red and one with yellow, or use torches which have plastic filters. Shine the torch beams onto a piece of white card (or somebody wearing a white T shirt!) and note the colours created where the beams overlap.

Red and green make yellow, blue and green make a sea-green colour called cyan, and red and blue make a purple called magenta. What happens when all three colours overlap? (White light is produced).

Angle your coloured torches so that white light is projected onto a white card backdrop. Investigate the coloured shadows produced by small-world figures placed between the torches and the backdrop – you could use duplo figures, like the video in the link in your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’, or jungle animal toys.• Newton’s Discs Here’s another way to mix coloured light. On a circle of white card, draw lines to create six equal segments and colour them yellow, orange, red, violet, blue and green - pale colours work best. Bend a paper clip so that you can poke one end through a hole in the middle of your disc and hold the other end. Then spin your disc! (It should look white.)

Investigate other combinations of colours and patterns to see what they look like when they’re spinning. If your disc won’t spin as well as you’d like it to, why not design a better spinner?

5.6 Mixing pigments and exploring coloured paintsColoured pigments don’t mix the same way as coloured light. Investigate pigments in a variety of media (watercolours, powder paint, coloured inks, chalks, pastels) to see what happens when they’re mixed. Decide how to make your investigations fair and scientific – how much of each pigment will you use? How will you record and share your results?

Red, blue and yellow are primary pigments. Secondary pigments are produced by mixing primary pigments: blue + yellow = green, red + blue = purple, red + yellow = orange.

• Try a primary colours squashy bag experiment. Use ziplock plastic bags reinforced with extra tape for security - you can double-bag if necessary. Put a blob of red paint into the corner of the first bag, and a blob of blue paint in the opposite corner, then seal the bag and tape it to a tray. In the second bag put red and yellow paint, and in the third bag put blue and yellow paint and tape them to the tray, too Gently press and push the paints to the centre of the bags to blend. Watch what’s happening and talk about the process, using descriptive language and making predictions to reinforce learning.

• Make colourful butterfly prints inspired by Elmer and Butterfly, or blue and green bubble-paintings to create a river or waterfall backdrop for a classroom jungle frieze.

Join in with the elephants in Elmer’s Special Day by holding a sensory paint playtime. Washable vegetable dyes in squirty bottles can be used to spray colour on paper or cloth hanging on a line or in trees outside, and if you can wash everyone clean afterwards, why not explore finger and body paints too? See also the ideas in Multisensory Colours, above.

• MarblingIn Elmer Again, the elephant’s colours wash off in the river and float on the surface of the water. Use marbling inks to create patterns on water and take prints by floating paper on top of it. Traditionally marbled paper was used in bookbinding – why not use yours to cover homemade books? See your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for information.

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• Tints, tones, shades and colour wheelsRead Elmer and Snake. What happens to Elmer’s colours as Snake adds layers of white mud? Add measured amounts of white pigment to a coloured pigment to create tints. Decide how to record the increasingly pale colours you produce (could you paint sample squares along a strip of white card?) and how you’re going to note the amounts of pigment so that you can reproduce the colours.

In the same way, add measured amounts of black pigment to a coloured pigment to create shades – be careful, though! You’ll need much less black than you did white, as it’s easy to overwhelm the coloured pigment.

Create tones by adding measured amounts of black and white to a coloured pigment. There are more possibilities for creating tonal colours and you’ll need to keep a close eye on the proportions of black and white that you’re adding if you want to be able to reproduce the results.

Try making your own colour wheels – see your online ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for more information and online links. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFBLXkFdgUU is good for sharing with older children.

5.7 Investigating dyesTo disguise himself Elmer dyes his patchwork colours using elephant-coloured berries from a special bush. Elmer and Elmer’s Special Day include pictures of him shaking the bush and rolling in the berries.

Lots of natural materials can be used to create dyes, including onion skins and red cabbage.

A mordant will usually be needed to set the dye, and different mordants will give different results.

Look online for recipes (see your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for suggestions) and follow the instructions to create dyes of your own. Note that plain white cotton will dye better than synthetic fabrics – a 20 cm square should give you enough space to try out some tie-dye, too, if you wish.

Once you’ve got the hang of the basics, you can start investigating – try changing the mordant to see what effect it has on your dye, washing your cotton squares to see whether your dye is colour-fast (and if not, how quickly it fades) or dyeing coloured cotton instead of white cotton, to see what colours you can produce. Once you’ve made some natural dyes you can use them to create tie-dye and batik patterns on cotton textiles.

§Chromatography Chromatography can be used to investigate dyes in felt tips. Cut strips from a kitchen towel or blotting paper and put a small spot of colour about 1 cm from the bottom of each strip. Put a little water in a glass, tape the strip to a pencil and place the pencil over the top of the glass so that the bottom of the strip is in the water. Make sure the coloured spot is above the waterline, though! Over time, the water will rise up the strip,

taking the dye with it. The colours within the dye will separate out, allowing you to see its components. See your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for online links.

§ Indicators Indicators are dyes that change colour when added to an acid or alkali. Chop some red cabbage and cook gently in a pan of warm water. When cool, strain the liquid and pour a little into a series of glass jars or test tubes. Add a safe household substance (milk, lemon juice, soapy water or vinegar) to each jar and watch the colour change.

5.8 Elmer’s colour swatchesOver the centuries, different colours have acquired traditional names. Find as many colour names as you can and research their histories. Make a class non-fiction book about your discoveries.

Getting the colour right can be very important when you’re painting a picture or decorating a room, and people spend lots of time searching for specific colours, all of which need individual names.

Collect paint sample strips from a DIY store and examine in class. How are the colours arranged on each strip? Which colour palette do you prefer, and why? How does each strip make you feel? Can you sort the strips into happy colours, quiet colours…?

Look at the names given to these colours. Which do you like best? Why? Some of the names describe or evoke a particular mood. Make a collection of your favourite names, then choose three and write a story or poem inspired by them.

Use paper and fabrics to create colour strips of your own. Invent a name for every colour sample you’ve included. Or select the colours, papers and fabrics you would choose for decorating your bedroom (or Elmer’s bedroom!) and create a moodboard.

5.9 Paul Klee’s Magical Squares and Colour Symphonies Artist Paul Klee’s life was changed by the quality and nature of the colour and light he experienced when he first visited the Mediterranean. He started using rectangles as building blocks in his artwork, which he combined like musical

notes in a harmony of colours to create paintings with a voice of their own, one that evoked a mood as well as representing the landscape. “Colour has taken possession of me,” Klee

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said, following his visit. “No longer do I have to chase after it, I know that it has a hold of me forever. Colour and I are one.”

Look at Klee’s work and discuss it. How do you think Klee’s paintings influenced David McKee’s artwork, and Elmer in particular?

Explore Klee’s approach to colour by making studies of your own, then build on what you’ve learned to make a large-scale artwork or installation in your school. Can you find a way to combine coloured squares with musical sounds?

“Klee believed that every colour evoked a different response in people.” Rosie Rockel talking about the Paul Klee exhibition at Tate Modern

Can you design an investigation to discover which emotions are evoked by different colours? How will you make your investigation fair? How will you record your results? Display your findings as a graph or infographic. Use what you’ve discovered to design and make a wall hanging for your reading area that will help readers feel happy and optimistic, just like Elmer.

See your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for more information.

6. ELMER’S BOOK CLUBGive your project a special Literacy focus

6.1 Create a jungle-themed reading cornerHave fun looking at David McKee’s illustrations and use them to inspire a class reading corner. Paint wall hangings and friezes with colourful trees and plants. Hang camouflage netting from the ceiling and attach creepers and flowers made from rolled newspapers, fabric offcuts and tissue paper. Add extra touches of your own (a butterfly mobile, a green carpet, a ‘river’ made from scrunched fabric and mirror card…) together with comfortable patchwork cushions or beanbags. And don’t forget a whole library of Elmer books!

Elmer is an optimist, someone who likes to connect with friends and make life better for those around him. Which life-enhancing books would you choose to put in a ‘Feelgood Library’ for Elmer? Make booklists and collect titles to add to your reading corner.

6.2 Booktalk with ElmerWith so many books about Elmer to read and enjoy, you’ll have lots to talk about.

• Which book do you like best? Why?

• Do any of these books remind you of anything else you’ve read? Which book? How?

• Who would you recommend these books to? Why?

• Which book makes you laugh the most? Why?

• Do any of the characters in these books remind you of someone you know?

• Which characters would you like to make friends with? Why?

• What kind of storyworld do Elmer and his friends live in?

• Which area of the jungle would you most like to live in? Why?

• What questions would you like to ask Elmer?

• If you could step into one of the books and take part in the adventure, which book would you choose? Why?

• Are there any recurring themes in these books that you’ve noticed?

• What can we learn from the Elmer books, do you think?

• What would you like to ask David McKee?

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6.3 Be a publisherChildren will enjoy writing and illustrating their own stories set in Elmer’s storyworld. Give their work status by helping them publish their books in hardback form. Display books on a special shelf in your reading corner.

• Help children edit their writing. Work with them to decide how much text should go on each page, and where to place the illustrations

• Provide good quality paper and art materials

• Write and illustrate your books, leaving space for a title page and endpapers

• Make hardback books for younger children and stick their stories onto the pages. With help, older children can stitch their own books. See your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for links

• Decorate book jackets and add titles, blurbs and author biographies

• Share and enjoy!

With so many new Elmer titles, perhaps your publishing company needs a catalogue to help readers decide which books to choose? Budding critics could review your books for a class newspaper - and creating your own audiobooks is always fun!

6.4 Be an art criticChildren of all ages enjoy looking closely at illustrations and will notice all sorts of details. Channel their interest by exploring and discussing David McKee’s artwork in a way that encourages their aesthetic awareness and the development of critical skills.

• Which illustrations do you particularly like? Why do you like them? Are there any you don’t like? Why not?

• Are there any details you particularly like? Talk about them.

• Did these illustrations surprise you in any way? How?

• Which colours does David McKee use in these illustrations? How do they make you feel?

• Are the same colours used in all the books you’ve looked at, or do they change?

• Can you find different types of lines and marks in these illustrations? Look for continuous outlines, lighter/more feathery marks, coloured lines, dots, shading…

• Why does David McKee use different types of lines and marks, do you think? What effect do they have on his pictures?

• What kind of media do you think David McKee is using in these pictures? He uses gouache in most of his illustrations, with other media such as pencils and crayons used in some artwork

• Talk about the way David McKee composes his illustrations and how they are laid out in the books. Usually there’s one illustration on each double spread, with space left for the text, but not always

• If the illustrations were photographs rather than paintings, where would the photographer have been standing for each shot? How does this point of view affect your appreciation of each painting? Can you find illustrations shown from unusual viewpoints? Look at Elmer and the Wind, Elmer and Butterfly

• Do David McKee’s illustrations change over time? Compare books illustrated a long time ago (such as Elmer, Elmer on Stilts) with those illustrated more recently (such as Elmer’s Walk, Elmer’s Race, Elmer and the Flood) Does Elmer change?

• How are decoration and colour used in David McKee’s artwork? You might like to talk about the influence of other painters such as Paul Klee and Joan Miro - see Elmer Explore or your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’ for more information.

6.5 Exploring David McKee’s Elmer books with older readersAn accessible body of work for older children to explore and analyse

The Elmer books are a joy to explore with older readers and can be very rewarding when used as a stimulus for comparative criticism and discussion. They are fun to read and enable every child to get involved, yet taken as a body of work they have a depth and integrity that will interest the ablest of readers - particularly when experienced as part of a literary or artistic investigation. Many children would struggle to read, assimilate and comment on a large number of novels written for their age group, for example, but doing so with a collection of picturebooks is much more attainable.

Use the biggest selection of Elmer titles you can assemble. There are currently 27 picturebooks - see booklist in your ‘Supporting Links & Further Reading Pack’. Encourage children to read the books and become familiar with the characters, settings, plotlines and illustrations. Discuss the questions in 6.2: Booktalk with Elmer and extend by researching and discussing one or more of the following topics.

• Look for examples of Elmer’s optimism in these books. How does this affect the other animals?

• The idea of stronger together runs through many of these stories. Find examples. If the animals hadn’t worked together, what would have happened?

• How are relationships between older and younger characters depicted in these books?

• Compare Elmer’s response to challenges in these books. How would you say he reacts to difficulties? What skills and attributes does he use to help him succeed?

• How do these books deal with the idea of strangers?

• How are tricks used in these books? What do they tell us about Elmer and his friends?

• What are these books saying about individuality, do you think?

• Elmer uses empathy and insight when dealing with others. How different would the stories be if Elmer didn’t consider other people’s viewpoints as well as his own?

• When Elmer goes for a walk or expedition, where does he go and why? Can you draw any conclusions about Elmer from these trips?

• What are these books saying about community and belonging, do you think?

• What can we learn from these books? Do you think David McKee set out to teach us those things when he created the books?

• Find examples of animals looking at events from different points of view (this could be communicated via text or illustrations, or both.) What do the animals understand about what’s going on? What effect do the multiple viewpoints have on the reader?

• How realistic are these books? Make a list of realistic elements and imaginary elements. How might imaginative stories help children deal with real-world issues?

• There are lots of recurring subjects and themes in the Elmer books (problem-solving, looking after others, being an individual…) Analyse the books and make a list of themes. Can you present what you’ve discovered in an interesting and accessible way? For example, as a diagram or poster

• Why do you think these books are so popular with young children? Why do their parents like them?

• Do you think all picturebooks for young children have as much to say about life as the Elmer books? Explore other picturebooks and give reasons for your answer.

DON’T FORGET! You can download your supporting links and further reading at

www.stoswaldsuk.org/elmer/school-resources

SECTION 5BE A ‘HERD HERO’

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A big hello from the St Oswald’s fundraising team.

This sculpture project is supporting the work of St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice and provides a great opportunity for you as a school or group to join our growing band of young fundraising supporters.

Some of your children will also be our children and will have engaged in our services in some way; either personally or via friends, families and loved ones, and therefore the charity will already have a very special place in your heart. By joining this education project and raising funds for us your children will be helping to make a massive and positive difference to the work we carry out.

We know you’ll have loads of brilliant fundraising ideas of your own and are here to support you however we can.

Our friendly fundraising team will be happy to help you and provide any fundraising materials that you might need including sponsor forms, collection boxes, banners and balloons.

We’ve also created a special guide to all of the ways you can use Elmer to make a difference. We will provide you with a printed copy at our upcoming Inspiration Event, or you can download a copy from www.stoswaldsuk.org/elmer/school-resources

Whatever you decide to do, we know you’ll have a great time supporting our great charity. Your hard work will mean that we are able to ensure that St Oswald’s Childrens Hospice continues to offer it amazing range of services.

Thank you for being part of this project and we look forward to helping you to raise some loot for this amazing cause.

To register your Fundraising activities or request any support please contact learning@greatnorthelmer.co.uk

A sneak peek of our Elmer Learning Programme Fundraising Pack. We’ve ‘herded’ together lots of engaging and colourful ways to support you in reaching

your fundraising target for St Oswald’s Childrens Hospice.

INCLUDING:

Elmer on Tour

Taking on the Trail

Elmer themed Events

Getting

Involved

How to become a ‘HERD HERO’

SECTION 6WORKING WITH THE MEDIA

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A decorated sculpture is a fun and exciting sight and it is extremely photogenic. Displaying the sculpture in the school grounds or in a public place, particularly if those people involved in its creation are alongside it, is something the media like to record.

Publicity for the art project is a good way to:

• Raise each contributor’s sense of pride in the work they have put in

• Inform parents of their child’s achievement

• Raise awareness of the school’s or community centre’s activities

• Raise awareness among potential sources of funding

• Raise awareness of environmental issues

Print mediaLocal newspapers love reporting on young people doing something positive - by covering such stories, the newspaper is involving itself in the community it serves and raising circulation figures, because of the number of copies purchased by proud parents, relatives and friends.

You can find the local news desk telephone number in the local newspaper itself and on the website. Ideally, you should give the news desk at least two weeks’ notice, but one week before publication is usually sufficient. If a newspaper comes out on a Thursday, then the best day for a photo opportunity is the previous Friday or Monday.

When you ring, or send details via email to the news desk you will need to provide the following information:

• What the event is? (photo opportunity, unveiling, auction)

• Who’s involved? (make sure young people have carer or parent’s permission to be in the photograph)

• When it is?

• Where it is?

• Why you are putting on the event? (fundraising, celebrating achievement, environmental awareness etc.)

• Who to contact?

Remember that, these days, photographers like ‘tight’ shots. In other words, they may prefer to have just one or two people in the photo. This can sometimes cause disappointment, if a big participatory photograph is also taken but a ‘tight’ shot is ultimately chosen. It is therefore important to manage expectations. You can usually obtain copies of the photographs. Mention this when you meet the photographer and ask how to go about acquiring copies.

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Local radioContact the radio station news desk – the telephone number can be found on their website. Remember to give three key pieces of information:

• Who is involved

• Why it’s important (fundraising, environmental awareness, involving young people in fun and creative activities)

• What you are doing with the sculpture (creating a habitat in the school or community centre garden, fundraising and looking for sponsors, celebrating a public event such as sports day, community centre open day).

• It is also helpful to mention that the sculpture is provided by Wild in Art (www.wildinart.co.uk) who promote awareness of endangered species and environmental issues through running fun and creative projects.

Local televisionYour area may have a local TV station, or you may have links with lunchtime or early evening local news. To secure some TV coverage, you will probably need to be able to offer an interesting footage-taking opportunity and an interviewee. This could be in the form of a

vox pop with the young people or community centre attendants who were involved with the project, and an interview with a member of staff, or the artistic facilitator.

Again, remember to give the following information:

• Who’s involved

• Why getting involved in the Wild in Art project is important

• What you plan to do with the sculpture

Online and social mediaWe would love for you to promote your involvement in the project through online and social media; however, we would also like to retain an element of surprise when the sculptures are revealed in their trail display venues. In order to do this, we ask that you:

• Please only release/post elements of your sculpture taking shape, or sections of your sculpture as ‘work in progress’, before the trail.

• Link to our website www.greatnorthelmer.co.uk from your website. You could include it as a news story on your homepage.

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• Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greatnorthelmer and encourage your staff, pupils, parents and networks to like our page.

• Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/greatnorthelmer and use the hashtag #greatnorthelmer.

• Follow us on Instagram www.instagram.com/greatnorthelmer and tag images using #greatnorthelmer.

• You can also follow Wild in Art @Wild_in_Art and @stoswaldsuk.

• Promote the project on your social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, newsletters etc).

School newsletter/bulletinRecord the project’s progress, for the school bulletin, on a digital camera – you can extract a great series of photographs from your footage, and filming along the way provides

an opportunity for more young people to be involved at various stages of the project’s development. Pupils may like to write a commentary or captions to accompany your footage.

Don’t forget to send images and information about your sculpture project to learning@greatnorthelmer.co.uk so that we can display them on our website and share them through our social media platforms.

Keep us in the loopPlease let us know if you plan to contact the media about your involvement in the project. Our communications team can offer advice and support, as as share your news across our social media and website. Email joannemoore-senior@stoswaldsuk.org

SECTION 7HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE COPE

WITH BEREAVEMENT

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Helping young people cope with bereavementAt St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice, we provide short breaks and respite for children with incurable conditions from across the region, plus support for mums, dads, siblings or other close relations who are affected.

We also provide care for adults and young people across our wide range of services including a Focus on Living Day Centre, Adult Inpatient Unit, Lymphoedema treatment centre and Outpatient Suite, providing complementary therapies.

Through Elmer’s Great North Parade, our aim is to raise vital funds and awareness, so that we can reach out to more children who are going through a difficult time and give them the very best specialist support at a time when they need us the most.

Elmer seemed like a natural choice of character for our trail as there are parallels between how elephants and humans are affected by the loss of someone close. Because elephants live in such close-knit herds and live for about as long as humans do (approximately 70 years), they form strong bonds with those around them. When an elephant dies, the rest of the herd mourns that death.

At our Children’s Hospice, we want to help families create positive memories and enjoy quality time together, but we also work with young people from across the region who have or are preparing to face the death of a loved one. Our specialist team of Bereavement Support Facilitators provide pre and post bereavement support to young people, giving them a platform to share their thoughts, fears and memories in a safe and supportive environment.

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Working with bereaved children and familiesBereavement is something that we cannot avoid at St Oswald’s, and our staff and volunteers work very closely with a specialist team including bereavement support facilitators, social workers and chapel staff, who ensure that everyone who uses our service –patients and their families and friends –are as prepared and supported as possible for when the time comes to say goodbye.

Beth Gregan is our Family and Bereavement Practitioner (Children’s Lead ) based at St Oswald’s Hospice Family Support Centre. Beth’s role is funded by Children in Need and she works closely with young people who have gone through a bereavement or are preparing for one.

“As the Children’s Lead in St Oswald’s Bereavement Support team, I work with young people aged 3-18 from as far north as Berwick and as far south as Sunderland. Referrals are made usually by a parent or guardian, and I will do an initial assessment with the family to see how I can help. I will then meet with the child on a one-to-one basis for around six weeks, although there is no set amount of sessions, as every young person is different. After six weeks, we’ll see how they are getting on and how we can help further, if needed.

Dependent on their ages, children’s understanding of death can differ a lot. My job is to work with them and offer tailored support, based on their needs and understanding, using a variety of tools and methods. For example, we were donated a toy church which started off with a wedding in it, but what we’ve done is change it. We’ve now got a coffin in it and it’s the starting point for a lot of questions such as “where does the coffin go?”, “what happens to the body?”, and we just tell them the truth. We also try to get them to talk and talk and talk. We ask children to do memory charts, memory beads, we ask them to just use pen and paper and write things down and draw.

As my role is funded by Children in Need, I don’t just work with children who have a link to the hospice. Increasingly I am seeing children to help prepare them for the death of a loved one. We find a lot of young people say “I can’t talk to my family in case I upset them. I can’t cry in front of people”. And what we say is, this is a safe place, it’s a confidential place and if you want to sit and cry, you can sit and cry because it’s really important to find strategies to help children to cope with the emotions that come with crying. Grieving is healthy, it’s not an illness. By grieving, the bereaved child adjusts to their loss and the reality of what has happened.

It is common for bereaved children to feel lonely, as if no-one understands what they are going through. At St Oswald’s we make our support available to these children so they can talk about how they feel, and often realise they aren’t the only one going through the death of a loved one.

Being able to help and support those people who are grieving and don’t know what to do right now is just the most amazing job in the world. ”

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Helping a young person deal with griefUp to 70% of schools have a bereaved pupil on their roll at any given time. Around 35% of children aged 5-16 have been bereaved of a parent or sibling. This equates to around 309,000 bereaved school-age children across the UK.

It is crucial that a bereaved child has the support and understanding of a trusted adult, and often a teacher is the person a child will confide in. Here, we outline some of the common emotions and ways of grieving that a bereaved child may experience, to give you a starting point in helping pupils who may have lost a loved one.

The death of someone close to you is the most difficult experience anyone has to face. There is no ‘right’ way of feeling when someone close to you dies. Everyone feels their loss differently, and no child will react the same to a bereavement.

Children, like adults, are individuals and will grieve in a variety of ways depending on their age and maturity. They might also need extra comfort and support and may go back temporarily to earlier stages of behaviour.

They may not have had to face the death of someone close to them before and the strong feelings that they experience may make them confused, frightened and lonely. Life may have been a struggle when the person that has died was ill and now they have died, the feelings of loss may feel overwhelming.

Grief is the ‘flip side’ of caring for someone. When someone we care about dies the strong emotions of pain and loss are what we describe as grief.

Common EmotionsThe feelings a bereaved child may experience may be like a rollercoaster of strong emotions. At first they may just feel numb and empty or even believe that the person they loved will come walking back through the door.

ANGER – It is very natural for a bereaved child to feel angry, they may ask “why has this happened to me?” They may feel that it isn’t fair that the person they love has died. They may even feel angry at the person who has died. This is a normal reaction.

ANXIETY – A bereaved child may feel anxious about being separated from other people in their life. They might not want to be left on their own. Talking about this may help.

RELIEF – As part of the grieving process it is not unusual to feel a sense of relief that the person that they love has died. It may be that they were very ill and in a lot of pain.

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DEPRESSION – The bereaved child might not be able to see that feeling depressed is not a weakness. It is part of saying goodbye to someone they care about.

SADNESS – When an important person in your life dies you can feel an overwhelming sadness. A sadness more painful and profound than you have ever felt before. Sadness is a normal feeling in the grieving process, part of learning to adapt to life without that person in it.

LONELINESS – Grief can be very isolating. Even though the loss may be shared, each person’s grief is unique. It can be normal to feel alone even when you are surrounded by other people who care. You may feel that nobody understands.

GUILT AND BLAME – When someone dies a lot of people feel guilty and blame themselves for various reasons. It’s important that a bereaved child understands that they need to be kind to themselves.

TIREDNESS AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS – The whole process of grieving is emotionally and physically exhausting. A bereaved child may find that they sleep or eat more or less than usual.

Ways of CopingTHE FUNERAL – Funerals play an important role in the grieving process. They let everyone remember and say goodbye to the person who has died, where family and friends can come together to share their memories and support one another. If a child has never been to one before and they don’t know what to expect, it may help for them to talk to somebody about it.

REMEMBERING – It’s natural to spend a lot of time remembering the person who has died. It sometimes helps a bereaved child to write about the person who has died or make a memory box containing items such as letters and photos. This can help them at the time, and will become a treasured possession in the future.

GOOD AND BAD DAYS – A child who has lost a loved one will probably find that they have good days and bad days. Encourage them not to feel guilty when they have a good day. Special occasions such as birthdays can be particularly difficult times.

FRIENDS – Some of the child’s friends may find it difficult to talk to them at first. They may be worried that they will upset their friend and won’t know what to say. If possible, speak with the child’s closest friends and invite them to come to you if they have any questions or want to know what to say or how to help.

If you would like advice and further information about supporting a young person though bereavement, please contact St Oswald’s Family Support Team on 0191 285 0063 ext 2008, email bethgregan@stoswaldsuk.org or visit our website at www.stoswaldsuk.org.

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Useful links (also available from our online resources section of our website)

www.stoswaldsuk.org/elmer/school-resources/

St Oswald’s Hospice information leaflets:

www.stoswaldsuk.org/media-new/1878/a5bereavement-support-in-candya-nov-2016.pdf

A video about our Family Support Service

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiHmzCMN0bE

Winston’s Wish -help for bereaved children and their families

www.winstonswish.org.uk

Child Bereavement UK

www.childbereavement.org.uk

Hope Again -Cruse Bereavement Care’s Youth Involvement Project which aims to support young people after the death of someone close to them.

www.hopeagain.org.uk/

Riprap –support for children who has a parent with cancer

www.riprap.org.uk

Bereavement Training Sessions A free, half day training session will be offered to all participants of the Elmer Learning Programme in the later half of 2019.

The training session aims to help those working closely with young people to understand the emotions and feelings children experience when faced with the death if a loved one. Our specialist facilitators will explain some theories of grief to assist your understanding, including the idea that grief has no time limit, it is a turning point where each bereaved person faces a long period of adjustment to a life which is seldom wanted or planned.

Through the training, you’ll learn that grieving is healthy and is not an illness, and will gain tools needed to support the young people you work with, through their loss.

Further details on how to book on a session will be sent to you via email shortly. Please email learning@greatnorthelmer.co.uk for any further information.

SECTION 8EVALUATION

Now think about it!

Evaluate Your DesignsPupils should be given opportunities to review the project once it has been completed. A process of evaluation allows pupils to reflect on a number of important questions - what have we done, how did we do it, what went well, what could have gone better, what changes would we make next time, what have we learned?

Suggested ActivitiesFacilitate class, group or paired discussion to review the different stages of the design process:

• Think back to the beginning of the project. What were your first thoughts? How does the final design depart from these first ideas?

• Think about your research. How did you research the project? What attracted you to particular images and information? How did your research affect your design ideas? How did your research help you to identify the theme or message included in the design?

• Look at your mind maps and examples of planning. Do you think that this work helped to organise your thoughts, decide on a theme and/or develop the design? Did you experiment with different techniques (e.g. printing, pen and ink, water colours, mosaic) textures, colours and materials? If so, how did this help in developing your design?

• Look at some of your early sketches. Where did you get these ideas? Were you trying to express a message? Did you refine any of these designs? If so, how?

• Look at the sculpture. What was the first thing that needed to be done when it was being decorated? What were the next steps? What problems did you face? How did you overcome these problems? What did you learn?

Our evaluationWe would love to know what you and your young people think about being part of Elmer’s Great North Parade. We’ll contact you after the Parade and ask you to take part in a survey to help us understand your experience.

Get ready for the biggest ever Elmer Day on 25th May 2019!

Visit ElmerDay.co.uk to register for an event kit

www.andersenpress.co.uk

Get ready for the biggest ever Elmer Day on 25th May 2019!

Visit ElmerDay.co.uk to register for an event kit

www.andersenpress.co.uk

Thanks

We would like to thank First Class Supply for their support as our Learning Programme Partner. We would also like to thank the following people:

• The Team at Wild in Art, our event partner

• Brenda Clayton and Beth Gregan, St Oswald’s Bereavement Support Team

• Carey Fluker Hunt, Creative Project Manager, Seven Stories National Centre for Children’s Books.

• Tyne and Wear Metro, Presenting Partner of Elmer’s Great North Parade

Wild in Art and St Oswald’s Hospice has no control over information at any site hyperlinked to or from this pack. We make no representation concerning and is not responsible for the quality, content, nature, or reliability of

any hyperlinked site and is providing this hyperlink to you only as a convenience. The inclusion of any hyperlink does not imply any endorsement, investigation, verification or monitoring by Wild in Art and St Oswald’s Hospice of any information in any hyperlinked site. In no event shall Wild in Art and St Oswald’s Hospice

be responsible for your use of a hyperlinked site.

© Wild in Art Ltd 2019

All rights reserved. © This publication is copyrighted by Wild in Art Ltd (‘Wild in Art’) and contains proprietary and confidential information.

Any use, reproduction, or distribution of this publication is strictly forbidden without the express written consent of Wild in Art.