The Colour Monster Goes To School

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The Colour Monster is back, and this time he’s heading off to school! But what exactly is school? A spooky castle filled with terrifying animals? A place in the sky, amongst the rainbows and clouds?

From music lessons, to lunchtime, to making new friends, the Colour Monster’s first day of school is filled with exciting new adventures.

Don’t forget to explore our ideas and resources based on the original Colour Monster book too!

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English

Before reading the story, imagine what might happen. What do you already know about the Colour Monster from the original book?
Read the first page of the book and continue the story from “Guess what? Today is your first day of school.” What would the Colour Monster do in your version of the story?
The Colour Monster doesn’t know what school is. How would you explain it to him? How would you describe all of the things that you can do at school?
Think of some speech / thought bubbles for the illustrations. What might the Colour Monster be saying / thinking at different points in the story?
Nuna gives the Colour Monster a rucksack. Imagine that you are taking the Colour Monster on a new adventure. What things would you put inside it for your trip?
Think of some questions that you would like to ask the Colour Monster about his first day at school. How might he respond?
Retell the story from the Colour Monster’s point of view. This could be in the form of a diary. You could also write Nuna’s story about the day.
Write a new book in this series in which the Colour Monster goes to another new place. What adventures could he have?
Record your own read-aloud video in which you read this story. Here is one example:

Maths

Make a timetable that shows when Colour Monster took part in different activities at school. Can you think of some word problems based on this?

Computing

Use Scratch (or a similar coding platform) to program a monster that changes colour when you press different keys (or when another action takes place).
The Colour Monster makes a big mess before lunch. Can you design a poster to teach him how to wash his hands nicely?

Design Technology

Could you make a model of the Colour Monster?
Design and make a board game based on The Colour Monster. Could you play the official game too?

Art

Look at the illustrations of the Colour Monster on the inside covers. Can you draw your own pictures and put them together into a gallery?
Look at the illustrations in the book. How have they been created? Could you use a similar technique for your own pictures?

Music

Compose a theme tune for an animated series based on the Colour Monster.
Music is Nuna’s favourite lesson. Think of some exciting musical activities for her to try with the Colour Monster.
Write some instructions to teach the Colour Monster how to play different instruments. How does each instrument make a sound? How can you change the pitch / volume?

Geography

Draw a map of the classroom (or the school) to help the Colour Monster find his way around.

Physical education

Plan some sports challenges that the Colour Monster will be good at.

Languages

Can you make a poster showing the words for different colours in other languages?

PSHE

Make a diary to show how you are feeling each day. You could write this or draw coloured monsters to show your emotions.
Look at the illustrations of the children’s faces throughout the story. How are they feeling? How can you tell? Why do you think they are feeling that way?