That’s What Friends Are For

Episode 24                                                                           Planet: Self

Learning concept of the episode: Friendship is putting the needs of others first.

Story Summary

Bing and Bong play a game of hide-and-seek. Since Bong has a yellow balloon, Bing finds Bong easily. Bing then offers Bong a piece of fruit, but Bong notices that Bing is hungry too and so they both share it. Distracted by the food, Bong accidentally lets the balloon fly away. No bother- Bing produces a red one to replace it! When Bong gets lost, Bing promptly rescues Bong when Bong uses the balloon as a signal. Bing then recovers both balloons, but drops the camera in the process. Bong is hesitant to climb down to retrieve the camera, but does it anyway to help Bing. Yet both are content in knowing the sacrifices each made for each other’s happiness.

Focus Early Learning Goal

Personal, Social and Emotional Development 5: Have a developing awareness of their own needs, views and feelings and be sensitive to the needs, views and feelings of others.

Linked ELGs

PSE7, PSE10, PSE13, PSE14

Preparation

• Watch the Tiny Planets episode 
• Talk about what Bing and Bong did in the story

Talk about…..

• What Bing and Bong did to help each other
• How we help each other and other people
• Friendship

Focus Activity

Friendship Circle (see overleaf)

Follow-on Activities

• Being helpful day
• Paint portraits of our best friends
• People who help us

Friendship Circle

Aim

For the children to understand the idea of friendship and what it involves and to make a large, group display of friendship

Resources

• Camera
• Various coloured paints
• White card
• Coloured pens

Guidelines

• Sit the children down and talk about friendships, discuss helping each other and being kind. Talk about friends at different places e.g. dancing class, swimming class etc. then discuss friends at nursery.
• Take photographs of each child and print them off (this can be done prior to the activity) Let the children look through the pictures and identify their classmates.
• Let the children do hand prints of their chosen colour and then cut them out.
• Display these handprints in a large circle with the child’s photograph in the middle of their hands
• Sit the children down and ask them what they feel they need to do to be a good friend to someone. Write these answers down and display them in the centre of the circle.

Key Vocabulary

Friendship, helpful, respect, happy, caring

Health & Safety

Ensure that the paint used is non toxic and that no child has a skin allergy that would prevent them from putting their hands in the paint.

Ask for permission from the parent or carer before taking the children’s photographs and displaying them.