A Mouse in the House

Makaton

This video will show you some of the signs you may need when discussing the story.

Signs shown:

• Bathroom,
• Bedroom,
• Dining room,
• Kitchen,
• Lounge/Sitting Room,
• Playroom,
• Stairs.

Literacy Activity 1 - Story Time (Listen Phase)

Martin reads 'A Mouse in the House' in the video below. Enjoy watching the video and follow along with the BOOK.pdf attached below.

Can you answer these questions?

1. What sound does a mouse make? Can you make it?
2. What does the mouse nibble in the garden?
3. What does the mouse find in the hallway?
4. What does the mouse find in the bathroom?
5. What does the mouse make at the end of the story?

For an extra challenge, can you find the mouse on each page of the BOOK.pdf ?

Literacy Activity 2 - Story Role Play (Act Phase)

Using the DRAMA KIT resource, have a go at acting out the story. Can you remember the sequence of the story? You can follow along with Martin's video if you like, or just pick one scene to recreate.

Resources needed (download below):

• Printed DRAMA KIT
• Printed COMMUNICATION BOARD
• Scissors

Activity steps:

1. Print out the DRAMA KIT and the COMMUNICATION BOARD
2. Cut out the props and characters
3. Using your props and characters, retell a part of the story. Can you remember what happened in each room? Use the COMMUNICATION BOARD to help remember the sequence and to aid communication. 

CHALLENGE!

For for a real challenge you could have a go at retelling the whole story!

Literacy Activity 3 - Making a Story Map (Map Phase)

It's time to make a story map! You can either use the resources below, or for a real CHALLENGE you could make your own map with your own drawings, arrows and labels.

Resources needed:

• Printed DRAMA KIT
• Printed COMMUNICATION BOARD
• Pens/pencils and blank paper (if doing the challenge)

Activity steps:

1. Re-watch the story video above, following along with the characters, props and set pictures from the DRAMA KIT
2. Make a story map using your props, characters and set pictures from the DRAMA KIT, placing them in the order of the story. You can do as few or as many scenes as you like! Don’t forget to take a picture of your map when you’re done. 

CHALLENGE!

If you’re feeling really confident, you can make your own map from scratch, doing your own drawings and captions!

Literacy Activity 4 - Let's write! (Write Phase)

It's time to write some sentences! Enjoy completing the worksheet, or if you fancy a real challenge, why not compose your own sentences in our CHALLENGE?

Resources needed

• Printed COMPOSING SENTENCES worksheet
• Pen/pencil OR scissors and glue
• Blank sheet of lined paper (if doing the challenge)

Activity steps

1. Retell the story using your story map from activity 3
2. Complete the COMPOSING SENTENCES worksheet by either writing in the words or cutting and sticking the symbols

CHALLENGE!

Choose a scene from the book and verbally compose a sentence about it. Repeat the sentence a few times before writing the sentence in shared writing.

Shared writing is where the adult fills in the trickier parts of a sentence using a different colour pen. You can find instructions on how to do shared writing in more detail in the document how to do shared writing. You can also use Shape Coding when composing the sentence, more information can be found about this in the Shape Coding - how to guide.

Literacy extension activity

Complete the FILL IN THE MISSING WORDS worksheet. Once you have watched the story, see if you can complete the missing words sheet. If you need help, watch the story again or have a look at the BOOK.pdf  (at the top of the page) and see if you can find the answer!

Fine motor skills activities

• Practice your cutting skills with the Paper Mouse Shapes resource. For an extra challenge, can you decorate them and glue them together to make your very own paper mouse?
• Complete the Pencil Control Worksheets to practice your handwriting skills or warm up before writing your sentence in Activity 4
• Have a go at some of the Mouse Colouring too!

Maths activities

Can you complete the worksheets below?

Sensory Story

Follow the instructions below to adapt this book into a sensory story.

You will need 

• A toy mouse or finger puppet. Or you could choose something else to signify this story. 
• A tray of soil or mud (if you don't want to use real mud, see the recipe below for an edible version)
• A jar of coffee or tea 
• Playdough or dough – you could add ginger or cinnamon to give it a biscuit smell! 
• Large coat or blanket 
• A real or electric candle. Or something sweet to taste 
• A toy your child likes 
• Cotton wool 
• Bowl of warm soapy water. You could scent it with bubble bath 
• Teddy or another soft toy 
• Some old music – anything you like! Something to evoke the past. 

To download these instructions as a PDF, click here.

Sensory Play Ideas

The Garden

You could try this recipe to make edible mud

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 
• 2 cups flour 
• 2 cups water 
• Optional vegetable oil to add texture 

Depending on the consistency, you could try mark-making, finding hidden objects or squashing it together to build something.

The Bathroom

Give your child a container of warm soapy water to explore. Something wide and shallow will work best. They could even sit in a paddling pool!
You could add bubble bath to add a nice smell, or food colouring or glitter for visual appeal.
Include some containers for pouring and filling and some objects that might float or sink. Have fun!

The Kitchen

Make some cookie dough together. You could use this recipe:

Try adding a scent such as ginger or cinnamon to the dough for an extra sensory experience.

Let your child explore the dough: squashing, rolling, stretching etc.

If you want, you could bake the cookies (15-20 minutes at 180°C) and then ice them as well.

Role Play Activity

Have a pretend birthday party and invite all your toys! The communication boards below may be useful.