🎈📚 From Story to Celebration in Kingfishers
This afternoon, the children in Kingfishers enjoyed a joyful and imaginative celebration party to mark the end of their English learning based on the beautiful picture book Toys in Space by Mini Grey.
Over the past few weeks, the children have become deeply familiar with the story, which begins when a group of toys are accidentally left outside in the garden overnight. Feeling worried and unsure in the dark, Wonderdoll tells the toys a story to help them feel brave. In her story, a mysterious spaceship appears, carrying the Hoctopize — a gentle space creature who has lost his own much‑loved toy, Cuddles. As he travels the galaxies searching for Cuddles, he collects hundreds of lost toys from gardens across the world.
Moved by the Hoctopize’s sadness, Wonderdoll and the other toys decide to help him return all the toys to their rightful owners. The story ends reassuringly, with the toys reunited with their families and a happy party to celebrate — a perfect ending that reassures children who may have lost a favourite toy themselves.
To bring this ending to life, Kingfishers held their very own party in the classroom. The room was filled with balloons, decorations and laughter as the children took part in traditional party games including musical statues, musical bumps and pass the parcel. They also enjoyed decorating biscuits and making their own party hats and decorations, creating a wonderful sense of togetherness.
In the lead‑up to the celebration, the children worked hard in their English lessons. They wrote party invitations and created clear instructions explaining how to have a good party, carefully using bossy verbs and adverbs to improve their writing. The party was a fantastic way to see their learning come to life.
Mrs Henderson said:
“The children have absolutely loved this story. They really empathised with the toys and the Hoctopize, and it was lovely to see how enthusiastic they were when writing instructions and invitations. The party was a perfect way to celebrate their learning.”
One child shared their excitement afterwards:
“I liked the balloons and pass the parcel. It was like the party in the book and everyone was happy.”
This experience beautifully reflected our school vision, as the children Loved learning through an engaging story, Learned important writing skills in a meaningful way, and Shined as they celebrated together.
💛✨ Love • Learn • Shine ✨💛
🌟 Ideas to Continue the Learning at Home
Parents and carers might enjoy:
- Reading Toys in Space together and spotting favourite characters
- Talking about a toy that is special to your child and why
- Writing a simple party invitation or set of instructions together
- Making up a story about where toys might go when they are lost
💬 Questions You Could Ask Your Child
- Which toy did you like best in the story? Why?
- How do you think the Hoctopize felt when he lost Cuddles?
- What helped the toys feel less worried in the dark?
- What would you include if you were planning a party?
- Can you remember any bossy verbs you used in your instructions?
