1,2,3 Storytelling
Storytelling 1
Look at the front cover together.
Ask: How many characters can you see? Where might the girl be going? What might happen in this story?
Read the whole story to your child. Use actions for any verbs (doing words): sneaking, zooming, lumbering, slithering, soaring, swooping, gliding, stamping, creeping.
Ask them to use their facial expressions to show how Claire feels during the story.
Storytelling 2
Read the story again and ask your child about each page and the illustrations.
Ask: How does Claire feel when she sees the wolf/the flying saucer/the crocodile? How could she escape?
Storytelling 3
Ask your child to share the story with you. They tell you the story using the pictures on each page.
Ask: Did you like the story? Why? Which was your favourite part? Who might Claire meet next time?
Watch Emma read On the Way Home here
Activities
Help Clare find her way home with this activity.
Click here to open a larger version.
Walk the Map
Put your child’s finished map on the floor or table.
Ask your child to use their Claire finger puppet to travel along the route.
Each time Claire reaches a character, they should stop and say tell you what is happening: “Claire meets a wolf.” “The wolf is sneaking up on her.” “Next she meets…” You could ask, “Where does Claire go next?”
Move Like a Character
Take turns choosing a character without saying its name. Act it out while the other person guesses. Encourage clues using the words from the story: “I’m great and hairy. I’m creeping. Who am I?”
Character Corners
Choose four characters and give each one a different part of the room. You call out a character and your child moves to that place as the character. For example: “Dragon!” – fly there; “Snake!” – slither there; “Giant!” – take enormous steps.
Claire Says…
Play ‘Simon Says’, using the story characters: “Claire says slither like a snake!” “Claire says stamp like a giant!” “Claire says zoom like a flying saucer!” “Claire says sneak like a wolf!” Children only move when the instruction begins with Claire says.
What Did Claire See?
Your child walks around the room pretending to be Claire. You call out: “STOP! What did Claire see?” Your child chooses a character and says a sentence, such as “She saw a huge crocodile!” You can ask more questions such as “What was it doing?” or “What happened next?”
Activities
Move Like a Character
Take turns choosing a character without saying its name. Act it out while the other person guesses. Encourage clues using the words from the story: “I’m great and hairy. I’m creeping. Who am I?”
Character Corners
Choose four characters and give each one a different part of the room. You call out a character and your child moves to that place as the character. For example: “Dragon!” – fly there; “Snake!” – slither there; “Giant!” – take enormous steps.
Claire Says…
Play ‘Simon Says’, using the story characters: “Claire says slither like a snake!” “Claire says stamp like a giant!” “Claire says zoom like a flying saucer!” “Claire says sneak like a wolf!” Children only move when the instruction begins with Claire says.
What Did Claire See?
Your child walks around the room pretending to be Claire. You call out: “STOP! What did Claire see?” Your child chooses a character and says a sentence, such as “She saw a huge crocodile!” You can ask more questions such as “What was it doing?” or “What happened next?”
Rhymes and songs
On the Way Home
Clap the rhythm on your hands and knees.
On the way home, on the way home,
Claire was walking all alone.
What did she see? What did she see?
A big, bad wolf looking for his tea!
On the way home, on the way home,
Claire was walking all alone.
What did she see when she looked up high?
A vast flying saucer zooming in the sky!
On the way home, on the way home,
Claire was walking all alone.
What did she see hiding in the water?
A huge, hungry crocodile snapping at her!
On the way home, on the way home,
Claire was walking all alone.
What did she see hiding in a tree?
A big, fat snake that squashed and squeezed!
On the way home, on the way home,
Claire was walking all alone.
What did she see flying in the sky?
An enormous dragon soaring up high!
On the way home, on the way home,
Claire was walking all alone.
What did she see creeping after her?
A hairy gorilla covered in fur!
On the way home, on the way home,
Claire was walking all alone.
What did she see stamping down the street?
A gigantic giant wanting something to eat!
On the way home, on the way home,
Claire was walking all alone.
What did she see gliding in the gloom?
A ghastly ghost – wooooooooooooooo!
On the way home, on the way home,
Claire was walking all alone.
What did she see flying on a broom?
A wicked, old witch — zoom, zoom, zoom!
Claire got home, Claire got home
She wasn’t alone, she wasn’t alone
She cried to Mum, “I hurt my knee!”
“Never mind,” said Mum, “Come with me.”
5 Little Men in a Flying Saucer
Hold up 5 fingers and count back as you sing
5 little men in a flying saucer
Flew round the world one day
They looked left and right, but they didn’t like the sight
So one man flew away – whoosh!
Repeat until you reach 0
Five/Ten Wicked Witches
Hold up 5/10 fingers and count back
Five/Ten wicked witches flying through the sky,
One flew away and waved goodbye!
Four/Nine wicked witches flying through the sky,
One flew away and waved goodbye!
Repeat until you reach 0
When Claire Walked Home
to the tune of
When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears
When Claire walked home to her house by herself
What did her two eyes see?
A big, bad wolf
A vast flying saucer
A huge crocodile and that was all
And she fell and she hurt her knee.
When Claire walked home to her house by herself
What did her two eyes see?
A big, fat snake
An enormous dragon
A hairy gorilla and that was all
And she fell and she hurt her knee.
When Claire walked home to her house by herself
What did her two eyes see?
A gigantic giant,
A ghastly ghost
A wicked, old witch and that was all
And she fell and she hurt her knee.
When Claire walked home to her house by herself
What did her two eyes see?
A door that was hers
A house that was safe
A Mum that was kind and that was all
She put a plaster on her kneeon.
Claire’s Walk Home
Point to the pictures in the book as you say the rhyme
A big bad wolf came out to play,
He sneaked up behind me then ran away.
A flying saucer came out to play
It zoomed up behind me then flew away.
A huge crocodile came out to play
It lumbered up behind me then swam away.
An enormous dragon came out to play
It flew down behind me then soared away.
A hairy gorilla came out to play
It crept up behind me then swung away.
A gigantic giant came out to play
It stamped up behind me then stomped away.
A ghastly ghost came out to play
It glided up behind me then floated away
A wicked old witch came out to play
It swooped down behind me then flew away..
Five/Ten Little Ghosts
Hold up 5/10 fingers and count back
Five/Ten little ghosts came out to play,
One little ghost floated away!
Four/Nine little ghosts came out to play…
One little ghost floated away!
Repeat until you reach 0
One the Way Home is written and illustrated by Jill Murphy. It is published by Macmillan Children’s Books.