Enjoy this heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship and the magic of Christmas.

Watch the video below and try some of our suggested teaching and activity ideas!

Teaching Ideas:

English:

• Write a diary entry or social media post from the boy’s point of view.
• Write a non-fiction text about octopuses. Our Report Writing Pack has lots of useful resources.

• This page from National Geographic Kids has plenty of information about octopuses, too.
• Write a sequel to the story. What happens to the octopus next? What happens to the boy?
• Collect vocabulary to describe the boy and the octopus. What words can be used for both of them?
• Role-play a scene from the video and create some dialogue.
• Create a comic strip with an alternate ending to the story.
• Summarise the video in five sentences.
• Write an alternative title for the video and explain your choice.
• Write a review of the video.
• Invent a new character for the video.
• Write a letter to Disney pitching a story idea for another holiday short.
• Stop the video at certain points and discuss how the boy’s emotions change. Try 0:29, 0:55, 1:16, 1:49, 2:16 and 3:43. What vocabulary can you use to describe his emotions at each point?
• Use our Under the Sea Image Pack to start a discussion about marine life.
• Use our Saint Nicholas Fact Cards as a reading resource.

Maths:

• Use this ocean creature database to find the lengths of different sea creatures, then order them by size.
• Research time zones and work out the time in different parts of the world.
• Collect data from your class about their favourite sea animals and create a bar chart.
• Draw some symmetrical sea creatures. This page has lots of useful information.
• Play an ocean-inspired maths game, like this one.

Science:

• Create a diagram showing the life cycle of an octopus.
• Write a report about the ocean habitat. Better Planet Education is a great reference resource to use.
• Create a food web that includes an octopus, like this one.
• Find out how octopuses change colour.
• Label an image of an octopus, showing its main features and adaptations.
• Create a presentation showing how octopuses are adapted to their environment.
• Try this amazing ink demonstration.

Computing:

• Create a simple animation based on the video, such as this one made in Scratch.
• Create a presentation about an aspect of the video, such as ocean habitats or friendship.
• Create a blog post about the boy’s adventures.
• Create a branching database about animals found in the ocean.

Design Technology:

• Create a 3d model of an ocean habitat.
• Design an ocean-themed board game, using one of these templates.
• Build a 3D model of an octopus using recycled materials.
• Design a gadget or device for use in the ocean.
• Design a new swimming mask or goggles.

Art:

• Create a collage of an underwater scene inspired by the video. This page has an interesting method you could use.
• Make a paper mache octopus.
• Make model sea creatures from clay.
• Create an octopus handprint picture.

Music:

• Write and perform a song inspired by the video.
• Create a soundscape that represents underwater sounds.
• Write some lyrics for a sea shanty about the boy’s journey.
• Listen to some classical music inspired by the ocean.
• Listen carefully to the music in the film and discuss how it is used to help tell the story.
• The music is an orchestral arrangement of Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. Listen to the original song and compare the two versions. What is different, what is the same?

Geography:

• Research and present facts about the world’s oceans.
• Create a booklet promoting a beach holiday. What kind of activities could you do there?
• Download our Water Cycle Pack and learn about the ocean’s role in it.

• Create a poster about keeping the oceans clean and free of pollution.

History:

• Create a timeline of ocean exploration.
• Learn the history of our oceans.

Physical Education:

• Design and use an exercise circuit inspired by the video.
• Play “Follow the Leader” with ocean animal movements.
• Create a dance inspired by the movements of ocean animals.
• Try some martial arts games.

Religious Education:

• Research deities that represent the ocean from different religions, such as Varuna, Hindu god of sky and water.
• Compare the role of the ocean in different religious stories, such as the creation, or flood stories like Noah.

Languages:

• Learn ocean-related vocabulary in the language you are studying. This site has some useful ready-made lists in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish.

PSHE:

• Create a video discussing how we can care for the ocean.
• Use the video to prompt a conversation about how friendships grow.
• Share memories and experiences about the ocean.
• Conduct a class discussion on what makes a good friend.