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Those crafty robbers Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len are out of jail, and they’re heading back to the farm with another cunning plan to cause trouble. They’ve been stealing eggs from the fat red hen, but now they’re setting their sights higher and are planning to steal the fat red hen herself! Fortunately, the quiet, clever ladybird is on their trail, and she and her farm animal friends have a plan of their own.
Don’t forget to explore our teaching ideas for the original book, What the Ladybird Heard!
Teaching Ideas and Resources:
English
- Can you think of some synonyms for ‘next’ and use them to create a new ‘What the Ladybird Heard…’ story, e.g. What the Ladybird Heard After / A While Later / Eventually?
- Make a list of similarities / differences between this book and the original. Which do you prefer? Why?
- The original story was turned into a theatre production. Could you perform this story to an audience?
- Write a newspaper report about the missing speckled eggs.
- Create some speech / thought bubbles to add to the illustrations.
- Make a list of all of the rhyming words in the story. Could you create your own rhyming dictionary and use this to create a similar book for children?
- Write an alternative ending for the story, in which Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len manage to steal the hen. How might the animals try to rescue her?
- Write a report about a ‘Snuggly Snerd’.
- Can you find any examples of onomatopoeia in the story? Make a poster that shows them all (and any more that you know).
- Retell the story from the point of view of the ladybird or Hefty Hugh / Lanky Len.
- Use the Farm Animals resource (see Resources below) to record words and phrases that could be used to describe each animal.
Maths
- Compare the sizes of eggs from different birds. Create a graph that shows your results.
Science
- What do you know about ladybirds? Can you create a report about them?
Computing
- Explore the www.ladybirdheard.com site. Could you design a new page / activity that could be included on it?
- Use publishing software to create a ‘wanted’ poster about Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len.
- Watch this trailer for the book. Could you try to make your own using multimedia / video software?
- Look at this stop-motion animation based on the book. Could you try to create your own?
Design Technology
- Use circuits to design an alarm that might deter Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len from stealing the hen.
Geography
- Draw a map of the farm and add labels to show the different characters / locations.
