What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside

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Identify the rhyming words used throughout the book. Can you make your own rhyming dictionary, adding other rhyming words for the ones found? Print off these free What The Ladybird Heard wanted posters and draw in Lanky Len and Hefty Hugh. There’s four different versions so you could change who you think should be wanted and there’s also room to add some writing if you’d like to use this as a literacy activity.

Build a Bug Hotel and see who comes to visit. You can keep a guest log and see if the visitors change, over the different seasons - https://www.yocom/watch?v=OexxoXo9uFk Ladybird Hunt – depending on the time of year, you might want to ask the children whether they can find a ladybird when they are outside? This might lead to a discussion about seasons and when you would find ladybirds. Where do ladybirds live? How many legs do they have? What shape is their body? (Some facts for adults to help answer questions - https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/insects/ladybird-facts/ ) The fourth title in the Number One bestselling series from the award-winning team of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks.

The original What the Ladybird Heard books

Wonderfully written, we see this little hero save the day again and out smart the troublesome duo Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len. As well as ladybird crafts and activities you’ll also fine ones for Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len, the mermaid and her friends in the sea with sharks, crabs, whales and a sealion. I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).

Look at the illustrations of the farm in the book. Look at the different textures used on the tree / grass / buildings. Can you try to recreate these textures using different art materials? Have fun with this interactive ladybird counting game - https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/ladybird-spots Can you sort the animals in the story using Venn or Carroll diagrams? Which ones have two legs? Which have four legs? Which ones have a beak or a nose? How many other ways could you sort them? Grab our free What The Ladybird Heard wanted poster and draw a picture of Hefty Hugh or Lanky Len. We’ve left a bit of room if you’d like to add some writing too.Can you make up a song which includes lots of examples of animal sounds? Get some ideas by watching this performance of a song by the author and her husband: I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books. Messy play. Making red playdough - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/playdough-recipe Add some food dye to colour the playdough. I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.

Think about the different sounds that animals make. How do we write these (e.g. miaow, purr)? Can you think of any other examples of onomatopoeia? Are there any other examples in the story? Why not have a red lunch – what foods can the children think of which are red in colour? They may want to have strawberries, watermelon, jelly or even a jam sandwich! By using food dye, colour a water tray or if at home, have fun at bath-time – by making the Red Sea! Allow the children to experiment with different sized containers to explore volume. Many children will also find playing with water emotionally soothing. Why not make some story stones to help retell the story? These ones are sea themed and you could easily add stones with a mermaid, ladybird and any other of the characters from the book. P1 children (and older siblings) might be interested to hear the story being told by Julia Donaldson. Julia explains how she came to write this story and some of her other songs and books. There is even a guest appearance by one of her favourite characters - https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors-live-on-demand/julia-donaldsonBeautifully illustrated by Lydia Monks, such an iconic style. Little C’s favourite character besides ladybird is the sea lion. We’ve been big fans of Julia Donaldson’s What The Ladybird Heard series so I was excited to hear that there was a new book out in the series and as we enjoyed it so much I thought it would be good to share some easy What The Ladybird Heard at the Seaside activities too. In this post you’ll find resources and ideas for ways to extend this activity, with crafts and free printables you can use. The ladybird whispered into each animal’s ear. Think of other words that describe how we can communicate with others (e.g. shouted, screamed, hissed, chattered).

Gather lots of leaves and try to arrange them to make a picture. Look at the work of Andy Goldsworthy to find more examples of how nature can be used to make art. Use these as inspiration to make your own. Take a trip to the seaside, the farm and the bustling streets of London with the best-loved What The Ladybird Heard books. Starring a crime-fighting little ladybird as she embarks on a series of daring adventures, the What The Ladybird Heard books are written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Lydia Monks. Why not do some baking? Here is the recipe for red velvet cupcakes - https://www.cookingwithmykids.co.uk/red-velvet-cupcakes/ I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs. Look at the vocabulary used to describe how the thieves are planning to steal the cow. What other direction words can you think of?Think of some speech bubbles to show what the ladybird might be thinking at each point in the story. The fourth title in the number one bestselling What the Ladybird Heard series – perfect for young children to read aloud!