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Christmas comes but once a year and it’s just as well for Santa’s reindeer who have to fight with Mothball for the carrots left out for them by the local children. And when Mothball takes an unexpected sleigh ride, it’s not just Santa who faces the prospect of getting stuck in the chimney.
Teaching Ideas and Resources:
English
- Can you write a diary of a wombat for another special occasion (e.g. Easter, a birthday)?
- Create a Christmas diary for another animal.
- Write Santa’s diary for the time when a wombat joined him as he delivered presents around the world.
- Write your own Christmas diary. What events would you like to happen on Christmas day?
- Mothball the Wombat doesn’t understand what Christmas is. Can you write a report that explains how people celebrate it.
- The wombat uses very short sentences. Could you rewrite them with greater detail?
- Think of some speech / thought bubbles for the characters shown in the illustrations.
- Read the other books in this series. Which is your favourite?
Maths
- How many carrots did Wombat eat during the story?
- Estimate how many miles Wombat might have travelled on Christmas Eve.
Science
- Carry out some research about wombats and write a report about their lives.
Computing
- Create an animation that shows the main events of the story.
- Decorate the wombat picture using Art software (see Resources below).
- Watch this video in which the story is read. Could you record your own version?
Design Technology
- Make a model of the sleigh that the wombat travelled on in the story.
Art
- Look at photos of wombats and use them as the starting point for your own illustrations (see Resources below).
- Create a storyboard showing the main events of the story.
- Colour and decorate the picture of a wombat (see Resources below).
- Create different outfits for the wombat picture (see Resources below). Could you make a Halloween costume or an outfit for a birthday party?
Geography
- Draw a map showing the places that Mothball might have visited in his search for carrots on Christmas Eve.
Religious education
- Mothball the Wombat doesn’t understand what Christmas is. Can you write a report that explains WHY people celebrate it?
