Sep 12, 20203 min read

Mr Big

Hi everyone,

'Mr Big' by Ed Vere is a story about a big monkey/gorilla that feels like an outcast because of his appearance. This is a story about acceptance, emotions and finding a common ground through music.

Learning Ideas

Communication and Language

Re-tell the story from the beginning using just the pictures.

Research information about monkeys/gorillas and give a 1-minute presentation.

Discuss what you would say to Mr Big to make him feel better.

Encourage children to use 'and' and 'because' to expand their spoken sentences.

Physical Development

Fine Motor - Monkeys in a tree game. You could always make your won tree from sticks and place these into a plant pot with sand or playdough. Hang the monkeys on the tree to practice hand-eye coordination.

Practising using an effective pencil grip while writing and drawing.

Personal Social Emotional Development

How do you think Mr Big felt at different parts of the story? When he was all alone? When people ran away from him? When he was playing his music at the piano? When he received a letter? When he played at the 'Blue Note' jazz club?

Build word power by encouraging children to use words other than happy/sad. e.g worried, upset, downhearted, miserable, dejected, cross, ecstatic, cheerful, merry, jolly, delighted, etc.

What would you do if one of your friends were upset? Give them a hug, play a game together, hold their hand, give them a smile, etc.

Play a board game together and practise taking turns. Pop-up-pirate, Crocodile Dentist and Monkeying Around (Monkey Business) are some of my classes favourites.

Reading

Retell the story from the beginning. Can you remember what happened next?

Can you think of any other stories with Monkeys or animals in?

What do you like/dislike about the story? What do you think would make it better?

Writing

Write a letter together to Mr Big. What would you invite him to do? Where would you meet him? When would you go? Why do you think he needs a friend.

Draw a picture of your favourite animal and write its name using phonetic knowledge. Remember in Nursery we aren't looking for spelling to be correct, mark-making is fine. If we are working with a Reception child then we would be hoping for a phonically plausible attempt to name the monkey e.g. "m-u-n-k-ee".

Numbers

Links to numbers are a bit scarce for this story, so focus on embedding counting into all the activities you do while learning about this book.

How many different animals can you see in the story?

Shape Space and Measures

Discuss day and night, the things that happen at these times? How do we know that it is day or night?

Recap the days of the week. This learning could be incorporated into a bedtime routine. What day will it be tomorrow? What day was it today? What day was it yesterday?

Place a group of 5-10 toy animals on a tray and cover it with a cloth. Secretly take one away and uncover the tray. Can the children say which animal is missing? Try with more animals or taking away two animals at a time.

Understanding of the World

Mr Big didn't know that he was good at the piano until he tried. What would you like to be when you grow up? What types of jobs are there for adults to do? Do they need to be good at things? e.g. To work in a shop you need to be good at counting and recognising money.

Expressive Arts and Design

Can you recognise all the musical instruments in the playlist of this video?

Click on the playlist icon to choose between different instruments.