The Tails of Poppy Wiggins By Doreen Murdin
Children’s social learning, educational books and lesson plans www.poppywiggins.co.uk Š Murdin & Magpie 2010
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins The stories of Poppy Wiggins were written to help children to focus their thoughts and feelings on given scenarios. Designed to be read by an adult to or with a child, they give the opportunity to discuss issues and how they affect Poppy and those around her, until the child feels confident enough to talk about how similar issues might affect them personally. Building up empathy with Poppy may encourage children to develop their own coping strategies by exploring what Poppy might do in given situations.
Tails of Bullying
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins By Doreen Murdin
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Tails of Bullying
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins By Doreen Murdin
The Tail of Rusty
Tails of Bullying
The Tail of Roma
Acknowledging the anxiety and pain that bullying causes and the need to seek help to deal with it.
Explores the worries and difficulties of being placed with foster carers. It gives a positive message about having to spend time away from home.
Poppy had hoped to play with Spike but he threatens and bullies her increasingly until she is really frightened. Poppy cannot deal with it alone and needs help to resolve the situation.
More tails of Bullying Helping to understand what bullying is and how it leaves others feeling Poppy teases and frightens the birds; she is unaware that she is being a bully. She says that she is just having fun and playing. When Meg is cross with her and tells her how the birds will be feeling Poppy understands how unkind she is being.
By Doreen Murdin
The Tail of Rusty
The Tail of Judy
Explains that every carer should give good basic appropriate care and if that is not possible then adoption may be the right solution
Exposes unhealthy relationships and confirms that controlling behaviour is not acceptable
Rusty is not cared for very well. He does not always have food or water, and is left The Tails of Poppy Wiggins outside in all weathers. Poppy worries about him and knows he is treated very differently from her. She is equally worried about how it would feel to be taken away from home, but is convinced that this was the right thing for Rusty when she meets him some time later with his new family. By Doreen Murdin
Roma comes to stay at Poppy’s house when The Tail of Roma her owner is in hospital; she struggles with being away from home, with making herself The Tails of understood and Poppy Wiggins with a different routine. She does eventually settle and enjoys Poppy’s company, but she is delighted to be able to return home.
Despite Punch’s charm and charisma Poppy notices how controlling and abusive he is to Judy. Poppy is pleased to learn that Punch’s owner will not allow this behaviour to continue.
The Tail of Judy
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins By Doreen Murdin
Tail of Meg and Blackberries
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins
Tail of Meg and Blackberries Deals with the difficult subject of death and loss in a straight-forward way Poppy experiences the death of someone she loves and has to face the finality of that and also has to deal with the varied and painful emotions that she feels.
The Tail of Different Tails
By Doreen Murdin
The Tail of Safety
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins
The Tail of Safety A reminder to keep safe while using the roads Poppy does not remember to look before she steps into the road, although not hurt she is badly shaken and later meets Ted who has suffered the consequences of not crossing the road with care.
By Doreen Murdin
The Tail of Danger Looks at personal safety and the need to obey rules Poppy disobeys several rules before she is lured away from home by someone who does not treat her well. Her unhappy experience teaches her that rules are there to keep her safe.
The Tail of Danger
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins By Doreen Murdin
Tails of the Sticky Stuff
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins
Tails of the Sticky Stuff Reinforces the need to obey the rules to keep safe and healthy Poppy does not do what is expected of her despite being told several times. As a consequence she is quite sick and misses what would have been a fun day.
By Doreen Murdin
The Tail of Carter
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins By Doreen Murdin
The Tail of Carter An awareness of disability, and a reminder to look beyond disabilities and see the individual Poppy meets Carter who has a disability. She is unsure whether he could be a good friend. Meg tells Poppy a story that helps her to see Carter in a very positive light.
The Tail of Different Tails
The Tails of Poppy Wiggins By Doreen Murdin
Reinforces the message that positive relationships can be formed across a diverse community Poppy thinks that friends had to be exactly like her, a young grey schnauzer puppy, who is quiet but likes to play. She soon realises that size, colour, age and character need not prevent anyone from forming friendships
Educational Packs Heads & Tails Board Game Heads and tails is a board game for one or several children and an adult. The aim of the game is to reinforce messages of safety, good behaviour and social awareness as they are presented in the Poppywiggins Books. The objective of the game is to walk Poppy around the board as many times as necessary to collect all her dog friends. There are no winners or losers in the game, the children must work together (a lesson in its self), taking turns to throw a dice and moving Poppy from spot to spot. When Poppy lands on a blue spot, a card is taken from the pile of blue cards (heads) and read out. The messages on the blue cards say how well Poppy has done to remember a positive message, and the player may take one of Poppy’s friends from the bag provided and place the dog on the board to wait for Poppy. If Poppy lands on a red spot, a card is taken from the red (tails) pile and the message is read out, this time Poppy has not done so well and the player is not rewarded with choosing a dog from the bag. It may be helpful to describe Poppy thinking with her head and making good decisions or conversely with her tail and making poor choices. Play continues, with each player taking it in turns to throw the dice, move Poppy, and maybe choose a dog from the bag when instructed to do so, until all of the dogs are on the board and Poppy can join them, Game over. Clearly each reading of a card is an opportunity to discuss what Poppy did and to reinforce the messages from the book, also to discuss whether choices the children may have made have been with their head or their tail.
Worksheets Worksheets to accompany each book are available to download from www.poppywiggins.co.uk. Each worksheet is designed specifically, to encourage further conversation and confirmation of the messages within the book. There is also a board game which incorporates messages from all of the books.
The Tail of Danger Worksheet Designed to give the opportunity to discuss keeping safe and the possible consequences of not obeying the rules devised to ensure safety Clearly linked to the Tail of Danger book, the aim is to lead Poppy through the maze and safely home. If the child takes a wrong turn they will be blocked by a picture, this will be a prompt to discuss the danger that Poppy encountered. If the child immediately finds Poppy’s safe route home, the pictures can still be used to discuss what would have happen if she had taken the “wrong” path.
The
Rusty The Tail of Worksheet
Tail of Rusty
The Tail of Danger
The Tails of Poppy Wigg ins By Doreen
Murdin
The Tail of Danger Worksheet
Help Poppy
find her way
home
HOME
The Tails of ins Poppy Wigg Murdin By Doreen
The Tail of Rusty Worksheet medical care
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when nece
food
love
water
a clean bed
shelter
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ese things.
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and dese usty needs
Designed to give a child an understanding of basic needs and to accompany “Rusty”, a book about a dog removed from a situation where his needs were not being met The aim is to join the dots on each small picture surrounding Rusty. As each dot to dot picture is revealed, there is the opportunity to discuss why Rusty has a need for, and a right to have, basic things, food, water etc. This can also be equated to the things a person needs. There is also the freedom to have the child draw other things that they may feel important to Rusty’s well or their own being.
A Word From The Author I am a mother, grandmother and have also worked with children for most of my adult life. I have been a child minder, I ran a playgroup, and for a greater time worked with children and families. I have always enjoyed using stories to illustrate a point or to make a dull subject more interesting. I am fascinated by children’s imaginations and their ability to become absorbed in a subject. It does mean that the adults around them need to be enthusiastic and give time and patience if they really want to engage with a child. Not an easy task if there is more than one child, and if you have duties and deadlines to keep. But oh so worthwhile if you can manage it. It worries me that as we adults go about our busy lives, always on the phone, or sitting at the computer, we forget to talk to children as much as we should. I see mums rushing their children to school, often in the car, and as they leave the car, taking that all important phone call, children washed, dressed and breakfasted but are they ready for school? Was there time to really listen to any problems or worries a child might have? Was there time to explain the plans for the day and what is happening after school? Did anyone say why it is important to cross the road safely? Even as adults we perform so much better if we are well prepared and have a good understanding of the situation we find ourselves in. Imagine being a child and going nursery for the first time. If you do not know where you are going, why you are there, when you will be going home, where the toilet is, what will happen if you hurt yourself or burst into tears, it is not surprising if you behave badly. Either because you did not know how to behave or because making a fuss just might get you out of the situation. I am sure you can think of a few adults who still behave that way. So acknowledging that children have so much to learn and so many new experiences to live through I wanted to develop a character that might help young children to explore their own situation safely through a third party. I wanted to avoid books about a child and I thought long and hard about what else might work. When my son bought a new puppy “Poppy” I felt my search was over. Poppy had a lot to learn. She often got it wrong. She wanted to please and she thrives on praise. Although she has learnt a great deal, we all have to keep the boundaries in place and remind her of the rules and make sure we keep her safe. This was such a parallel with the messages I wanted for children that I had found my vehicle and “Poppy Wiggins” was created. I envisage the books being read to or with a child or children. Giving ample time for questions and comment. There are work sheets to accompany each book, giving further time to explore thoughts and feelings. With time and patience I hope you will be able to help a child to have more understanding of a situation and if they choose to, they may eventually share their own personal issues with you. I hope you enjoy your part in enabling the children of today become the confident, socially responsible adults of the future.
Doreen Murdin www.poppywiggins.co.uk © Murdin & Magpie 2010