During April and May 2014, we focused on an out-of-Africa story. We wanted to focus on imagination and how books can take readers anywhere in the world of ideas. We abridged the book to make the language simpler – text can be found at:
https://www.childrensbook.co.za/news/2014/05/28/snow-goose-theme-book-clanwilliam-and-red-hill
For anyone wishing to do a similar workshop, here are some of the exercises and ideas we used. We had five groups of four children each.
Snow Goose writing activities
1
Make a list of words you know about:
Flying
Birds
Sea
Danger
Storms
Now write four sentences about the snow goose flying in the storm.
2
Make a list of words you know about
Frith
Philip
Being afraid
Being hurt
Being brave
Now write four sentences about Philip and Frith
3
Pretend you are the snow goose. Think about her story. Think about what it would be like to fly – all alone – when she was lost in the storm.
Now write four sentences about her adventure in the great storm – and her safe landing
4
Think about what it was like when Frith and Philip saw the snow goose fly away for the first time. They were very sad to see her go. Frith didn’t visit Philip while the snow goose was away. Then one day the Lost Princess came home. Philip left a message for Frith in the village. Frith came back to see her friend the big, white bird – and Philip.
Write four sentences about what they felt like when the snow goose left them – and when she came back.
5
Write some words that you know about:
War and guns – and fear
Sailing a boat in the dark when you are afraid
Helping people who are in trouble
Having friends to help – and love you.
Now write four sentences about Philip sailing across the sea to rescue the soldiers – and about Frith waiting for him to come home. Write about the snow goose going with him and watching over him.
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Snow Goose art activities:
1
Philip Rhayader lived in a lighthouse beside the sea. The land was very flat and wet. Grass grew there and there were many big birds. Hunters came there – but not to Philip’s land. There the birds were safe. Philip sometimes went out to sea on his sailing boat to take pictures of the birds.
Draw a picture of:
A Philip with his boat
B The lighthouse and the birds
2
Snow geese fly thousands of kilometres from the far, far north to the south. They spend winter in the south and summer in the north. The Lost Princess is blown far out of her way.
Draw a picture of:
A Thousands of white birds flying high in the blue sky
B The Lost Princess
3
Frith was a small girl when the Lost Princess came. She had long blond hair and blue, blue eyes. She was very afraid of Philip, but she was brave. She took the snow goose to him when it needed help.
Draw a picture of:
A Frith carrying the big bird to Philip for help
B Philip helping the snow goose
4
Every year Philip and Frith waited and hoped that the Lost Princess would come back to them. They waited and watched every day until she came – and she always did come, and then they were happy.
Draw a picture of:
A Frith and Philip waiting for the Lost Princess
B The Lost Princess landing at their feet.
5
When war came, all the people living at the sea with boats were asked to go and rescue English soldiers. They sailed across the dangerous sea and brought the men off the beaches. Then they took them to the bigger boats that were waiting. All the time, the enemy were shooting at them. The snow goose flew with Philip when he took his boat out. She watched over him while he saved many men’s lives.
Draw a picture of:
A The men waiting on the beaches
B The small boat at sea with Philip and the snow goose.
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FACTS ABOUT THE SNOW GOOSE
The plural of goose is geese
Geese are large birds that fly in a V pattern across the northern skies
They travel huge distances from their summer to winter homes
They fly south in winter, north in summer
They like to live in cold, wet grasslands
They eat grass and grains
Their summer breeding place is in the Arctic Circle
They chose only one mate for life
They lay between 2 and 6 eggs every year
Chicks can swim and eat on their own 24 hours after they hatch
These birds were protected after 1916 when they were endangered. But now there are large numbers of beautiful snow geese.
(We found the best pictures on the National Geographic webpage)
