Enabling Environments: Let's explore ... Stick Man

It's always exciting when you find a book that you just know will inspire a whole range of playful learning opportunities encompassing all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. It's even more exciting when the book simply invites children and adults to be outdoors in the winter time.

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo and many other popular children's books, is one such book and is simply a must for all early years settings. Illustrated wonderfully well by Axel Scheffler, it tells the story of Stick Man, who lives in the family tree with his wife and stick children (Alison Green Books).

Because he looks exactly like a real stick, he gets into a sequence of adventures in which birds and people want to use him variously as a part of their nest, a playing piece in a game of Pooh sticks, a mast for a sandcastle and, most worryingly, fuel for their fire.

The story is told in rhyme, making it ideal for encouraging young children to join in with repeated readings, and there is also a delightful catchy refrain, repeated every time Stick Man is used for a purpose that is not desirable: 'I'm Stick Man, I'm Stick Man, I'M STICK MAN, that's me, And I want to go home to the family tree.'

Children will soon learn this chorus, and how it is spoken, giving them a wonderful opportunity to join in with the telling of the story each time it unfolds. Ultimately, Stick Man is rescued from his perilous position in a fireplace and returned to his relieved family by none other than Father Christmas, making this a perfect book to share at this time of year.

What makes this book particularly useful for practitioners is that the resources needed to bring it to life are free! Stick Man and his family are simply a collection of twigs - no complicated props are required.

SMALL-WORLD AREA

Please note that where possible, this should be set up outside, with:

• a selection of twigs that children can use to represent Stick Man and his family;
• a range of natural materials: small logs, pebbles, gravel, shingle, leaves and so on.

Learning opportunities

L Story making
L Using story language
M Problem solving
M Sorting and classifying
M Sequencing and ordering
M Counting
UW Exploring the properties of materials

Adult role 

• First, build the small world (Stick Man's home) with a group of children. Listen for the mathematical language that they use when deciding how to organise the small world. You will also be able to observe a wide range of story language as children breathe life into the stick characters.
•  Help the children decide which are the grown-up sticks and which are the child sticks. Talk to them about the characters and personalities that they might have. Do the children think that Stick Man might have any pets?

The adult could add:

• mark-making equipment and a miniature tea set, to create a meal for Stick Man and his family, for mark-making and for the children's own shopping lists, recipes and menus.
• camera, still and moving image, which can be used forc apturing images from the small world to use for bookmaking and filming children's own narratives, to share with others
• musical instruments which can be used for creating sound effects for the small world and creating musical patterns inspired by the environment that they have built - Stick Man running, floating down the stream, returning to his family and so on.

CREATIVE WORKSHOP

To make special outfits for Stick Man and his family, provide in this area:

• a collection of twigs and sticks
• a selection of tissue papers, for tearing
• glitter, small jewels, etc
• glue, glue spreaders
• scraps of fabric
• a selection of string, raffia, wool and similar materials

Learning opportunities

C&L Extending vocabulary
C&L Using their imagination to create stories
EAD Exploring texture
EAD Responding in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, think and feel
PD Developing fine motor skills

Adult role

The adult could engage with the children to talk about the kinds of clothes that Stick Man and his family might wear if they were dressed up for a special occasion. This might involve conversations around the following themes:

• Discussing celebrations, rituals and special times
• Patterns
• Texture in three dimensions
• Ways of representing
• Storytelling

Ask questions such as: 'I wonder what the Stick People would wear for a party, a wedding, a day out?' 'Which do you think would be their favourite outfit?'

CONSTRUCTION PLAY

To design and build Stick Man's photograph album, provide in this area (outdoors, ideally):

• a range of construction equipment
• a collection of long sticks and twigs, that can be bound together to create 'photo frames'
• a collection of natural materials
• junk modelling materials
• masking tape
• a range of fabrics

Learning opportunities

PD  Developing motor skills
C&L Making stories
C&L Extending vocabulary
M Solving problems, measuring, estimating
UW Building and constructing with a wide range of materials

Adult role

• Work with the children to show them how to join four sticks and/or twigs together to create a frame.
• Explain that they can create scenes from Stick Man's life within the frames using the materials available. Let the children's imaginations run riot!
• They might like to make holiday photos, photos to celebrate a special occasion, photos of friends and family members.

The adult could add:

• clipboards and drawing board which can be used for for mark-making and recording and drawing, designing and planning

• digital cameras for photographing the pictures that the children have created. Print the pictures off and create an album that records the children's creations. Keep it in the book corner so that children can revisit their learning.

GRAPHICS AREA

• In this area provide: a range of book-making materials so that the children can make marks about their experiences, or produce their own 'Stick Man Books'. Make sure that you add paper that will inspire this kind of writing - brown paper, for example. Why not make some special Stick Man story paper by scanning images of real sticks into the computer and printing off some sheets for the children to use?
• Offer twig-like pencils to inspire children to write down their stories.
• Provide wooden boards, varnished, in the outdoor area so that children make notices, signs and labels for Stick Man. Mindstretchers sells some that are ideal for the purpose (see www.mindstetchers.com).
• Ensure that plenty of clipboards are available so that the children can make marks outdoors.

Learning opportunities

PSED Co-operating and collaborating
C&L Talking for a variety of purposes
L Writing for a range of purposes
C&L Exploring and experimenting with sounds, words and texts

Adult role

• Respond positively and value children's independent attempts at writing.
• Organise planning shared writing sessions based on children's ideas to demonstrate writing strategies and to develop understanding of the relationship between spoken and written language.
• Provide a place for children to display their writing - for example, a noticeboard.
• Publish the children's work and display their home-made books in the book corner, in a special container.

OUTDOOR AREA

• In addition to the activities described above, encourage the children to think of other families that might exist in the world of Stick Man. Perhaps there is a family of pebbles living nearby, a family of leaves just down the road, maybe even a petal family!
• Add some large sheets of paper and mark-making equipment, or simply some chalks, so that children can make maps of the area.

Learning opportunities

C&L Storytelling
M Problem solving, sorting, classifying
UW Investigating properties of materials and asking questions

BOOK AREA

• Obtain a selection of the books recommended in the Book Box (above).
• Display the books as a collection that children can readily access for themselves.
• Where possible, ensure that there are multiple copies of some of the titles that prove the most popular. This will encourage children to share books together.
• Make sure that you plan to use the collection in read-aloud sessions, using non-fiction as well as fiction. Discuss the pictures, and pick out some fascinating facts. Encourage the children to be experts and let them talk to you about what they already know.

Adult role

• Make time to observe the children who use the book corner, and their reading preferences.
• Encourage the use of the books in other areas of provision, including outdoors.

RESOURCES BOX

In order to bring Stick Man to life, it will be worthwhile spending time collecting together some resources that will help both you and the children explore a wide range of activities inspired by the story. To support the activities inspired by Stick Man, gather together:

• a collection of sticks and twigs - these can be any shape or size, but the more varied they are, the better;
• a selection of leaf skeletons, either bought from a craft supplier or collected by you and the children (try www.skeletonleaf.co.uk);
• a selection of fabric samples for use in small-world play or block play (you will find a wide range at www.dickorydockdesigns.co.uk);
• a collection of natural materials such as pebbles, stones, nuts, seeds, conkers, acorns, etc;
• books, both fiction and non-fiction (see Book Box);
• string, raffia, wool;
• some props to represent characters from the story (a swan finger puppet is available from www.puppetsbypost.com);
• mark-making equipment suitable for use in the outdoor area;
• twig pencils for writing Stick Man stories (available from www.mindstretchers.com and www.wooden.co.uk);
• some tree blocks to help create woodland scenes that Stick Man and his family can explore (see www.treeblocks.co.uk).

BOOK BOX

There is no shortage of children's books about outdoor adventures! Making a collection of books around the theme of trees and woodlands and using them in read-aloud sessions will feed the children's imaginations and give rise to an even greater range of possibilities. Starting with a story is a fantastic way to take literacy outdoors, helping children to make many more stories of their own.

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt Children's Books) - An inspirational book that uses leaves in the illustrations. It would be perfect to read in conjunction with Stick Man and is sure to stimulate a whole raft of imaginative play, particularly on a windy day.

Winter Trees by Carole Gerber and Leslie Evans (Charlesbridge Publishing) - This picture book describes the wintry walk of a young boy and his dog, playing in the snow and looking at the bare trees. There is a glossary at the back of the book to describe the trees that are featured.

In Search of the Hidden Giant written by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Ruth Brown (Red Fox) - This is a beautifully written book with wonderful illustrations and lyrical poetic language. It is sure to stimulate the imagination, and children will be fascinated by finding the giants hidden carefully in the illustrations. My reception class used to ask for it again and again.

In the Dark, Dark Wood by Jessica Souhami (Frances Lincoln) - This book is a lively retelling of the traditional rhyme, with strongly patterned structures and flaps to lift which guarantee that the children in your setting will love hearing this book time and time again. Under each flap there's a surprise, but nothing like the BIG one that pops up right when the story ends.

The Monster Bed written by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Suzanne Varley (Andersen Press) - This book tells the story of a baby monster who lives in the Withering Wood. Dennis the monster is afraid of humans and needs reassurance that there are none lurking under his bed!

Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough (Walker Books) - The tale of a little boy who loses his teddy in the woods makes for a really enjoyable rhyming story that will promote discussion about all kinds of issues. The ending is wonderfully reassuring.