Whatever Next!

Product Information

Countdown: Go outside to your garden or a nearby outside space. Count down from ten, taking a step for each number. When you get to zero, say “blast off!” and run to an agreed point. You could try jumping or hopping for each number. Copy: Make a list of what you would take to the moon. The list could include food, toys and special items. This could prompt a discussion about precious things and people. Could you act out the story with some friends? Which characters will you need to have? Will you use any props?

Look at the use of punctuation in the story. How many question marks, exclamation marks, commas, speech marks and full stops can you find? Can you explain why the author has used each one? We talked about imagination and how we could use different things to pretend - we do a lot of duplo and painting but don't play many imaginative games, so it was very helpful to have this prompt. One day we were making paper books and Miles made one inspired by Whatever Next. He told me story and did the pictures, I just transcribed what he said. Mummy Bear and Baby Bear made quite an impression on him!’ Encourage children to tell the story in their own words using the illustrations to help them. You might find they include some phrases from the story. Talk about the story Draw a picture from the point of view of one of the passengers on the plane who sees Baby Bear and Owl flying up to the moon. Whatever Next! is a children’s picture book by Jill Murphy. You can watch the National Literacy Trust reading the story below! Four ways to explore the story with your childThere is an open envelope above the Bears’ fireplace. Could you write the letter that might have been inside it? Indoor picnic: Pretend you are the characters in the story. Collect items you might need for a trip to the moon, including a blanket and food for a picnic. Lay out a picnic inside and enjoy it together. Give children a large piece of paper and paints or crayons to paint a picture of their journey to the moon.

The story starts with a question. Can you think of other questions? How do we show that a sentence is a question? What words are usually used to start questions? Write a diary entry from the point of view of Baby Bear. What happened to him? How did he feel about it? Baby Bear and Owl fly past millions of stars. How many is a million? Can you write a million in digits?

Curriculum

Space pictures: Use tinfoil and paint to make some shiny space pictures. You could paint a moon or some stars. Find out about the history of space flight and the different astronauts who have landed on the moon. Answer mum’s question… ‘Whatever Next?’ by writing a story that describes a new adventure for Baby Bear. Watch this video which shows preparations for a play version of ‘Whatever Next’. Could you put on your own performance of the story? Songs and rhymes: Sing these rhymes about space and space travel: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Hey Diddle Diddle.

Read the book again allowing children to join in with words they might remember such as WHOOSH! BUMP! Or ‘Whatever next!’ Tell the story Make a shopping list that includes items you might need for a picnic on the moon. How much would these things cost? How much would they cost altogether? Use WordArt (or a paint program) to create eye-catching examples of words linked to onomatopoeia (like ‘Whoosh’ and ‘BUMP’).Set out a picnic tea on a blanket for your child dressed as Baby Bear on the moon, children canfind a few toys to join in. Make a picture Jill Murphy is a London-born English children's author, best known for The Worst Witch series and the Large Family picture books. She has been described as "one of the most engaging writers and illustrators for children in the land."