A favourite activity - Cows in the Kitchen

"Being around kid-energy is, for me, like breathing a special kind of oxygen. Ideas spark easily and rapidly. I keep my journal handy, as I teach, to capture the ideas for later pondering." - Peter Reynolds


These words really stood out to me recently when I read the latest post from Peter Reynolds at The Stellar Cafe.


I was reminded immediately of an activity that I have done with a few classes recently. Each time it has been really enjoyed by the children and I have been amazed at the creativity of their ideas. Their ideas really do spark easily and rapidly. 

my much loved copy

The activity is based on one of my favourite children's books, Cows in the Kitchen by June Crebbin. I read the story once to the children and then again encouraging them to join in. They usually love the sing-song repetition of it. The opportunity to yell at the end is also usually a big hit. Following the reading we talk about the alliteration in the book, noticing there is a type of animal and a room starting with the same sound on each page at the start of the book. I then ask them to think of some ideas of their own - animals and places around the school. This is when the ideas have just flowed. Each child then chooses one or makes up another one and writes a sentence and draws a picture. 


Some of the great ideas and pictures have been

Puppy in the park

Cheetah on a chair

Whale on the wall

Orangutan on the oval

Giraffe in the gym

Leopard in the library

and of course, we are in Adelaide with the pandas, Wang Wang and Funi, at the zoo so we had to have

Pandas on the playground

This was such an enjoyable activity each time so I am sure I will be doing it again in the future.