The Yarn Bunch
Hello children! My name is Val Bonikowski and I’m a Children’s author. I’m here to read you two stories from the book I’ve written called ‘The Yarn Bunch – Seasons’ and I’ll be here throughout the day to do some activities too.
Come and listen to what the four friends get up to on ‘One Calm Winter Day’ and again on ‘One Pleasant Spring Day’. Learn about hibernation in the Winter and let’s build a hibernation den for your favourite teddy or toy!
In this video, I introduce you to The Yarn Bunch and I tell you their special powers!
One Calm Winter Day Story
Can you remember The Yarn Bunch names and all their special powers? I’m sure you can, but don’t worry if you can’t, the Winter story will tell you. Here we go.
Encourage your child to listen to the story. Talk about the cold weather in Winter, the different seasons, the characters in the book and their special powers. Ask them which character is their favourite and which power they would like to have if they could. Talk about friendship.
Develops: PSED, Communication and Language, Listening Skills and Understanding the World Skills
Make a Hibernation Den
You will find in The Yarn Bunch stories, that Fleur the Bear likes to sleep and sleep and sleep a lot. She’s always tired. She’s my favourite!
Do you have a favourite toy that you would like to make a hibernation den for? Let’s make our hibernation den together!
Encourage your child to listen to the story. Talk about the cold weather in Winter, the different seasons, the characters in the book and their special powers. Ask them which character is their favourite and which power they would like to have if they could. Talk about friendship.
Develops: PSED, Communication and Language, Listening Skills and Understanding the World Skills
Hibernating
In the Winter Story, we learned that Fleur the Bear likes to hibernate in the cold weather, but did you realise that Amanda the Panda is also a bear, but she doesn’t hibernate? In this video you learn about the difference between the two friends and find out about other animals that hibernate.
Help the children find more animals that hibernate by using all forms of resources. Use the links to the YouTube videos for help. Talk about each animal you find and encourage your child to think about where those animals would go to sleep.
Develops – Communication and Language, Understanding World Skills.
What's Your Special Power?
This activity is going to make you think about things. We know that these little animals all have special powers. Do you have a special power? Is there something you are really good at?
Help your child to draw an outline picture of themselves. Encourage your child to design their own character and think about what they can do really, really well. Download the colouring in templates.
Develops – PSED, Communication and Language, Physical and Expressive Art and Design skills.
Extension
Learn an animal hibernation song:
One Pleasant Spring Day
Are you all ready for bed? Are you cuddled up cosy and warm and ready for this story? The Yarn Bunch friends have to go themselves into Fleur the Bear’s hibernation den and they are all sitting there waiting for the bedtime story too.
Grown Ups - Encourage your child to think about and discuss the different seasons. Talk about the difference in temperatures: cold, sunny, hot and windy days. Encourage your child to draw pictures of different days.
Develops - Communication & Language, Expressive Arts and Design and Understanding the World skills.