Billy's Bucket

Product Information

You will find many creative activities based on each book to make reading even more enjoyable and interactive. When Billy fills his bucket with water, it sets in motion mystical forces that defy the laws of nature. The idea of Billy’s bucket can be used during carpet time to get the children imagining what they might possibly see in Billy’s bucket. This book could be used as an opening lesson to creative writing, allowing children to recreate their own stories and their own magical watery worlds to share with their peers.

During our English lessons, we thought about what we would like inside our magic bucket, we identified features of an invitation and wrote our own birthday party invitations.After filling it with water, Billy discovers that his bucket is in fact an ocean with a rock pool, crabs and seaweed. Parents need to make sure they are listening to their children and allowing them to play as they please. Re read the book encouraging children to join in with some of the things Billy says such as ‘You must never ever borrow my bucket. Many Hamilton units come with interactive Grammar Presentations integrated into the overall teaching and textual context. Billy only wants a bucket for his his birthday - not a bike, trainers etc, like his parents suggest to him.

This is such a lovely, beautiful, light-hearted story that gets your brain thinking as to why a boy would want a bucket for his birthday. This is a classic 'low thresh-hold, high ceiling' book which can be used as a basis to form many activities - from arts and craft such as filling their own bucket, to deeper discussion delving around the need to accumulate the more typical 'stuff'. He sees many different sea animals at the bottom of his bucket, whilst his parents laugh away at what he's describing. The book beautifully captures children's use of their imagination and takes the reader on an adventure on what can been seen inside Billy's bucket. Used for maths with introducing capacity and in English writing stories about what's in your bucket.

Billy’s Bucket illustrates the pleasure that comes from imaginative play and helps develop creative, playful minds. But Mum and Dad are sceptical and, when Dad unwittingly uses the bucket to clean his car, he's in for a big surprise! The illustrations that go along with the story really let you the reader dive right into Billy’s magical watery world. After discussing the things to do in South Shields, we created a mind map featuring attractions and facts.

This week, Year 1 have read the story ‘Billy’s Bucket’ and thought about the seaside in our Geography topic. His parents laugh it off, but when they borrow the bucket, they have a whale of a problem on their hands.

It is even a very fun book for adults to read, as it really arouses your curiosity the very first time that you read it. In the same way as the game I went to market and I bought adds a new item with each turn play ‘In Billy’s bucket there was’ with children. The story of course, subtly is reinforcing to children that they do not have to necessarily be materialistic to have good play! They offer suggestions of other more regular run-of-the-mill gifts but he sticks to his original request.