Toys in Space

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Look at the spread where all seven toys are introduced, noting the words Mini Grey uses to describe them. What kind of comments do these toys make as the story progresses? Does each toy have a distinct character? Which toy would your children prefer to have with them in a crisis?

Toys in Space - Penguin Books UK

Find out the cost of various toys and use the prices to make up some word problems. Can you ask a friend to answer these? If your parachutes don’t work, try using toys with less mass ( e.g. Playmobil or Lego…)or fitting something that will slow their descent. Now consider what the toys think of the Hoctopize, and how do they feel? Write this outside the outline, then discuss as a class. There is a massive amount in this book for your class to engage with and they will be keen to talk about the story, as well as relate it to their own experiences. What did they think about the book and the way it was illustrated? Did it remind them of anything else they’ve read? Did anything suprise them? Strong characterisation and a distinctive narrative voice go hand-in-hand with the tale-within-a-tale structure to make this a storytelling masterpiece in miniature.Dog, Cat and Mouse are perfectly happy until a stranger arrives and begins to suggest to each that the others are boring and lazy, resulting in a dreadful row between the friends. The Hoctopize first appears as a silhouette, which increases the tension. Use a white screen and spotlight to explore the silhouettes cast by different shapes. Look at the spread showing the Hoctopize meeting the toys. What is the Hoctopize thinking and feeling? Write this inside your outline. Toys in Space is funny, affecting and deeply memorable, and offers KS1 teachers enormous scope for cross-curricular work and linked activities. Sharing the book with your class Write the story of how one of these toys was kidnapped by the Hoctopize - or tell it as an exciting first-person narrative!

Toys in Space | Centre for Literacy in Primary Education - CLPE Toys in Space | Centre for Literacy in Primary Education - CLPE

Make a collection of toys – teddies, dolls, small world figures - and weigh them. Which is the heaviest? The lightest? Present your results in different ways and generate questions that will help you interpret them. e.g. are all the dolls heavier or lighter than all the teddies? Does the biggest toy have the greatest mass?Ask your class to plan a party, complete with traditional games, food, invitations and decorations. Talk abut the different tasks and assign pairs or groups of children to each task. Make a date for the party and allow each child to invite a toy as a guest. Stargazing

Toys in Space by Mini Grey KS1 Book Topic - Teachwire Toys in Space by Mini Grey KS1 Book Topic - Teachwire

While they are ‘sleeping’, ask children to imagine what their toy could be dreaming about. Are their dreams colourful? Is there any noise? Is anything strange or exciting happening in the dream? The toys see a shadow when they first arrive on the spaceship. How are shadows formed? Investigate what happens to shadows as objects move closer to the light source. Here's an interesting blog from the Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service: towerhamlets-sls.org.uk/blog-lost-toysWhen WonderDoll’s story begins, a range of adjectives are used to describe the toys (e.g. resourceful, brave, clever…). Can you make a list of these and add your own adjectives? Use a thesaurus to find some more. In this book, the Hoctopize first appears as a silhouette, which increases the tension. Use a white screen and spotlight to explore silhouettes cast by different shapes.