Healthy Active School Travel- Activity
’Ten Tiny Things’
The Australian children’s book ’Ten Tiny Things’ by Meg McKinlay is a delightful and valuable tool for the classroom teachings around Active Travel. Contact your Council Officer to borrow the book for your classroom teaching. Alternatively, consider purchasing this book for your school resource library. The book can be purchased directly from Freemantle Press.
(The following extract is from Freemantle Press- teaching notes)
ABOUT THE BOOK
Tessa and Zachary have become very used to their ‘drive toschool’
lifestyle. Every morning their mum drives them in the carand picks them up at the end of the day. They both relish beingable to sit back and immerse themselves in the coolness of the airconditioning on hot days and the warmth of the heater when it iscold.
But one day, disaster strikes! The car breaks down, and Tessa and Zacharyare not able to be driven to school in the morning.After pondering the problem for a while, the family decide they will all have towalk to school instead. So the children set out for school on foot with theirmother. Tessa and Zachary find the going tough, and complain constantlyabout the journey being too hot and too hilly, and their bags weighing too muchto carry. Their legs hurt and they huff and puff as they struggle along.But then Tessa notices something lying on the ground. She stops to pick it upand discovers it is red, sparkly and very tiny. Next is Zachary’s turn to make adiscovery. He finds a small blue, smooth shape and holds it in his hand. Themood of the journey has suddenly changed, and Tessa and Zachary revel inone new discovery after another.
In the afternoon, their mother arrives to pick them up in the ‘green, shiny machine’ again, pleased it has been repaired. But the spell of car has beenbroken and now no longer holds the attraction it did just a few hours earlier.Tessa and Zachary have learnt a valuable lesson about the joy of slowingdown and enjoying the many splendid things the world has to offer to thosewho choose to look. No longer committed car travellers, they knowingly telltheir mother the next day that they think they will have to walk.And walk they do, from then on.
The book lends itself beautifully to discussions about school travel and travel by car in general. Children could be asked to focus on what they notice on their journey to and from school and whether they walk, ride or travel in a car. Children can be asked to find 10 tiny things on their walk to school (if this is not possible for some students they could walk around their backyard or go for a walk with a parent after school).
The children could make treasure boxes to put small items in that they find on their journeys or to
make a class collage.
Children could find:
- Colourful rocks
- Leaves of different shapes, colours, sizes
- Seed pods, gum nuts
- Clouds
- Insects (encourage look but no touch)
- Bark
- Flowers
- Birds
- Clouds
The list is endless.
The items collected can be used for various purposes including;
- Organising into categories
- Graphing or recording data
- Making up a story
- Using in a collage
Older students might discuss the background to the story. Why did the author write the story? Discuss distance and time, and the need for establishing a balance between ‘have to be there on time’ and the need to slow down and enjoy the journey along the way.
Additional resources: