Edd Moore

DK have so many titles on so many topics. I chose this book and the lesson pack because my class had recently been learning about the oceans. Learning about the rainforests was a good comparison, learning about another habitat and the range of wildlife. It meant we could build on pupils’ knowledge and embed vocabulary they’d learnt, through comparing and contrasting the two habitats.

Titles to Teach Every Topic

The book and the lesson leant themselves to more than one curriculum subject. Like a golden thread, the topic intertwined our literacy, geography, science, art, DT and even maths.

Using a book, like Finn and Skip, really hooks the children in. It’s a really good starter for a lesson or a new topic. It brings out a lot of conversation about what the children already know and sets the foundation for what you’re going to be learning about moving forwards.\nThe fantastic illustrations really captivate the children and draw them in. They also support the EAL and SEND children in the class; they may not be able to understand all the words but they can certainly understand the pictures. Using a picture book in this way makes the lesson really inclusive and accessible to all learners.\nThe children loved learning about the world, finding out where rainforests are (and discovering that it isn’t just the Amazon where rainforests are found). Some children even had first-hand experience of having been to a rainforest, so there were lots of discussions that evolved.

Inspiring and Engaging All Pupils

In this lesson, the poster activity meant children were able to create posters using the five Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle), which we’d already touched on in our learning about ocean pollution.\nThis meant the learning was embedded and it showed us that they’d really remembered and understood what the five Rs are.

Building on Pupils’ Learning

What was amazing was how much talk we got from this lesson. We could have talked for hours and gone onto lots of different topics, from palm oil to FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). \nThe children were really interested in the FSC and were amazed to hear that you can buy items that support sustainable forests, and were excited to go home and tell their parents that they should be buying products with the FSC logo on them. And this shows how the learning that takes place in the classroom can effect positive change for our planet.\nThe children were asking loads of questions – about the animals, about the habitat, and specifically about what they could be doing in school and at home to reduce, reuse or repurpose items. We ended up making a whole list of ideas for them and that went on our school blog, so that parents could engage in that, too.\nThis learning will also feed nicely into our next topic, which is all about nature, growing, gardening and wildflowers.\n

Taking the Learning Further

There was also talk at the school gates, after the lesson, about what we’re doing as a school, such as reducing the amount of packaging we have from the food we order. We might even have a go at growing our own fruit and vegetables.\nThe lesson really had an impact on the children, in terms of how they’ll be able to take that learning into their homes and into the community. It’s brilliant - the fact that they’ll be able to take that chat into local shops and supermarkets, and go up to managers and staff and say, “I’ve learnt about refuse, reduce, reuse at school. What can you be doing within your store to help this campaign?”

A Positive Impact on the Community

It’s fascinating that children of that age can have that passion and that drive to want to make a change. All from a fantastic book like Finn and Skip – it’s obviously connected with them and made them think, “I can make a change in my school but I can also make a change in my community”.

I’m always on the lookout for detailed plans that will cover curriculum objectives, are well-pitched for my class and fit with my current topic. It takes the stress out of planning. Everything’s there: you’ve got your plan, your timings, the learning objectives, and the resources to go with it. It means I’m not spending hours looking around at what I could be using. Even links to other resources, such as interactive maps are so useful. \nThe good-quality pictures in the photo pack also really brought the lesson alive. Again, I could spend hours looking for those pictures but having them there – either to print out or to get the children to look at on their Chromebooks – is great.

Time-saving Tools for Teachers

We love the DK books. The graphical nature of high-quality information books really supports learning. For younger children, explaining a topic through fiction like this works really well.\nHaving an education pack to accompany a book you’re using in class is great. It’ll inspire more teachers to use that book and teach those topics to their class. Having the book alone, without the lesson pack, might mean the book becomes a storybook read at the end of the day and all the learning opportunities that could be taken from it may be lost.

High-Quality Books and Resources

An education pack like this enables teachers to use that book for a five/six-week topic, or even as part of a whole term’s topic. This is what teachers need; we are crying out for quality books and educational resources to go with them.

Hear more from Edd now

Edd is a primary teacher on a mission! As a national award-winning eco-coordinator, he works tirelessly to empower schools and their pupils to become eco ambassadors. Edd is a Young Enterprise expert and holds a Forest School level 3 qualification. He also speaks out on marine pollution and is a gardening enthusiast. Edd believes knowledge is power so is always researching and sharing information and initiatives that he believes will make a positive difference to our precious planet.

Join fisherman Finn and his dog, Skip, on their second adventure in this illustrated story ebook for young children, which teaches them about deforestation and what they can do to help. This ebook is the ideal introduction to the environmental concerns facing our forests, featuring colourful illustrations and an engaging, light-hearted storyline, drawn and written by Brendan Kearney. Grown-ups and children will enjoy reading together and following the story of Finn and Skip, with its ups and downs, and pointing out all the different animals that Finn meets in the rainforest. They'll also learn about how using ethical products can help save the animals. With its fun, quirky illustrations, Forest is the perfect addition to a child's bookshelf. Young readers will love this picture ebook with a timely and ultimately uplifting message about protecting the world around us.

Early Years and Reception (EYFS)

Year 1 (KS1)

Year 2 (KS1)

IB PYP

Animals and Nature

Geography

PSHE and Citizenship

English

Literacy

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Adventures with Finn and Skip: Forest

Fantastic Forests KS1 lesson plan

An exciting tale about tackling climate change to help protect the animals. Grown-ups and children can enjoy this gentle and imaginative story together, all about the environmental concerns facing our wildlife. Follow the tale of Finn and Skip as they head out for a peaceful picnic - when all of a sudden they hear the sound of buzzing bees, fear sets in and chaos ensues! Can a chance encounter with a beekeeper help them learn the truth about these fuzzy little insects? Introduce 3-5 year-olds to the importance of protecting the environment with this illustrated storybook about climate change and its effects on animals. The ups and downs of this story shows us all the different ways we can help our bees and the environment, through Finn and Skip's adventure. This heart-warming climate change story... - Is a positive and hopeful guide that offers children strong practical tips for how they can take care of bees and the planet. - Is perfect for adults and children to share together, as it prompts a wider conversation about the environment. - Offers a charming, humorous, and emotionally gripping message, whilst raising awareness of the environmental issues impacting bees. With its playful, quirky illustrations, Bee will empower young readers with passion and drive. This inspiring and fun story will help children realise that there is hope to protect our valuable wildlife after all. More in the series At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So why stop there? If you like Adventures with Finn and Skip: Bee, then you'll love other titles in the series that raise awareness of important environmental issues. Why not try Adventures with Finn and Skip: Bird, Adventures with Finn and Skip: Fish and Adventures with Finn and Skip: Forest?

Areas of Learning and Development (Early Years)

Understanding the World

Adventures with Finn and Skip: Bee

\n\nEnvironmental awareness and sustainability are great passions of mine. I read endless articles about climate change and pollution, and have led many ‘green’ initiatives at my school.\nIt’ll come as no surprise then that I love teaching about these topics. I want to inspire the future generation to take better care of our planet, through knowledge, understanding and empathy.\nI’ve used many different books on an environmental theme with my classes, but I only recently discovered the brilliant DK Learning title, \nAdventures with Finn and Skip: Forest\n.\nEven better, DK Learning has produced a free lesson pack for KS1, \nFantastic Forests\n, to accompany this book. High-quality, easy-to-follow, age-appropriate resources like the DK lesson packs are so valuable. \nI recently used the Finn and Skip book and the ‘Fantastic Forests’ lesson pack with my Year 1 class, at my school in Dorchester.

How I Inspired My Year 1 Class with a DK Lesson about Rainforests

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