Jill Tomlinson - The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark

Plop, the Baby Barn Owl, is like every Barn Owl there ever was, except for one thing – he is afraid of the dark. “Dark is nasty” he says and so he won’t go hunting with his parents.

Follow this journey of bravery as it illuminates the wonders of the night sky and inspires your Key Stage 1 pupils.

Genre: bravery, adventure, birds

Themes: family, siblings, emotions, adventure, nature

Age: 4+ years old

Activities

Plop is described as fat, fluffy, soft and perfect. Can pupils pick other animals and use different adjectives to describe them? (CC: English)

Using the similar idea of an owl being afraid of the dark. Can pupils choose another animal and think of a story that describes them being afraid of something that they normally love? What happens in their story? Can they draw pictures to show how the animal feels and behaves? (CC: English, Art)

Can pupils create a scientific poster/profile about owls? What do they eat? Where do they live? What is their body like? Do they have any special adaptations? (CC: Science)

Being afraid of something is scary, and it’s even harder to try think of ways to overcome a fear. Can pupils think of something they are afraid of, and then discuss ways with the class/friends that they could overcome their fears? (CC: PSHE)

Owls are nocturnal, and we are not. Can pupils create a timeline of our days with times, and compare it to a timeline/times of the day for plop the owl? (CC: Maths)

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