Grab your map, pack some dragon snacks, and hop aboard the Littlemagictrain — we’re off to search for pandas and explore the wonders of China!
We wake up the Littlemagictrain and find ourselves high up on a snowy mountain…
It’s Mount Everest! But wait — we’re a little bit lost. Time for some map reading and problem-solving!
Out come the binoculars! Look — a family of Red Cranes is here to help. Let’s follow them as they lead us through the clouds to the Great Wall of China.
Shhh… there are sleepy dragons guarding the wall. We’ll need to tiptoe past using our very best listening and careful movement skills.
Phew, we made it! And look — what’s that? A pangolin! This curious little creature loves slurping up ants… and oh dear, there’s a bit of burping and farting too. Cue the giggles — and a great chance to talk about animal diets and habitats!
Just when we need help, a friendly tiger appears to guide us through the bamboo forest. Can you see who’s hiding there?
It’s Panda time! Time to learn about these gentle giants — how they live, what they eat, and why they’re so special.
After lots of panda rolling and exploring, it’s time for a well-earned nap. What a journey!
Say goodbye to your new animal friends and hop aboard the Littlemagictrain for the journey home.
And remember — every little explorer gets a special certificate to take home and share their panda-tastic adventure!
How we did it
Setting the scene:
We created our adventure by telling the children we were looking for pandas to be in a Lunar New Year parade. We grew our magic train, introducing the words mammoth and miniature for small and big.
We rode the train and arrived at the top of Mount Everest, where we learnt all about it and then jumped over from Nepal to China.
We explored the map and problem-solved ways to get down the side of the mountain.
We rode the cranes- dancing as we flew. Some children chose feathers as well. Then we gave our cranes treats. They had different math goals, so some counted out a given amount, and some counted backwards as they fed their crane.
Then we found the dragons sleeping, and we crossed the Great Wall of China and froze or crouched down when we heard the dragons in the music. Some children went sideways, or backwards, depending on skill.
Then we wove through a bamboo forest, and some carried a dragon egg to help the dragons not be angry.
We saw pangolins and learned about them before turning into them and eating bugs. We used differentiated tweezers to collect and sort by colour.
Then we all headed home on the train and made it miniature again.
The children got out instruments to wake dragons, and one little boy acted out finding pandas with small-world toys.
We haven’t found the pandas yet, as that is for next week.
Soar Childcare, thank you for sharing your adventure.
