Love the way we are

Taking inspiration from Elmer

What you need:

● Elmer by David McKee ● An Elmer toy (optional) ● A large piece of cardboard with the outline of an elephant drawn onto it ● Paints, crayons or pens ● Paper ● Decorations, such as ribbons and jewels (optional)

Top tip

Encourage conversations focusing on the fact that although we all look different, inside we are the same.

What’s in it for the children?

The children will learn that we are all different and that being different is not to be feared. In addition to this, the children will extend their social skills as they work together and develop their language skills through the introduction of new vocabulary.

Taking it forward

● Focus on the children’s creativity skills and support them in designing their own Elmers. ● Carry out some research with the children to find out about different types of elephants and where they live in the world.

What to do:

1. Read the story Elmer to the children. 2. Use the toy as a prop or share the pictures from the book so the children can really see Elmer’s colours. 3. Ask the children questions about the book, such as,

‘Why didn’t Elmer want to be different?’, ‘Why is it OK to be different to other people?’, or ‘Why do the other elephants look up to Elmer?’ 4. Suggest that the children create their own Elmer based on their own skin colours. 5. Either draw shapes within the elephant for the children to colour, or hand out paper for the children to use, which can then be stuck onto the elephant. 6. Ask the children to colour their shape based on their own skin colour. 7. When the elephant has been coloured or the paper has been added to the elephant, ask the children to choose a name (the children could vote for their favourite). 8. Celebrate the beauty of each child’s different colour on the new elephant and display the artwork for the children, parents and carers to see.