Dive into Summer Fun with Ringo Starr’s ‘Octopus’s Garden’!

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Summer is officially here, and what better way to kick off the sunny season than with a splash of musical magic and captivating underwater adventures? Let’s take a deep dive into this brilliant picture book which brings to life a beloved classic song: Ringo Starr’s “Octopus’s Garden”!

A Little Bit About this wonderful song

“Octopus’s Garden” is a charming song penned by none other than The Beatles’ drummer, Ringo Starr. Released on the iconic Abbey Road album in 1969,maxresdefault it’s a testament to Ringo’s sweet and heart-warming songwriting style.

Inspired by a trip to Sardinia on a boat and a conversation with the captain about octopuses collecting shiny objects and stones to make a garden to decorate their homes, the song paints a beautiful picture of a peaceful, idyllic retreat under the sea. With its gentle melody and simple, heartfelt lyrics, it’s a song that has resonated with generations, offering a comforting escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Ben Cort‘s incredible illustrations

Cort’s vibrant and imaginative artwork perfectly captures the song’s whimsical spirit. His sea creatures and kids are friendly and inviting, his underwater scenes are bursting with colour and playful details, and each page is a visual delight that will spark the imagination of any child.

 

What’s more, the song’s simple lyrics, repetitive structure, and playful theme make it perfect for vocabulary building, listening comprehension, and creative language activities.

Activities to go along with the book

“Octopus’s Garden” and Ben Cort’s illustrations are the perfect springboard for summer engaging and creative activities for children. Here are a few ideas:

Vocabulary Building

  • Before listening, brainstorm sea-related words (Ocean Word Bank: octopus, garden, sea, waves, treasure, coral, fish, turtle, starfish). Find them HERE.
  • Underwater Storytime & Sing-Along: Gather the kids for a cosy read-aloud session of the “Octopus’s Garden” book. Encourage them to point out their favourite details in Ben Cort’s illustrations. After reading, have a sing-along to Ringo’s original song!
  • Show illustrations from Ben Cort’s book and label objects.
  • Play the song and have students raise their hands when they hear the words. 

Have a look at the video I made of the book and song:

A teaser of the book by Waterstones here:

Get crafty!

  • Craft your own Octopus’s garden! Provide supplies like construction paper, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, glitter, and even real shells or pebbles. Challenge the children to create their own octopus characters and their ideal underwater gardens. They can draw, cut, glue, and decorate to their heart’s content.

You could even make a group mural. Invite kids to describe it (How many fish? How many octopuses? How many starfish?)

  • Octopus Handprint Art: Paint kids’ hands (minus thumbs) and press them onto paper to create octopus tentacles.
  • Sensory Bin Ocean Exploration: Fill a large bin with blue-tinted water or blue rice/pasta to simulate the ocean. Add toy sea creatures, plastic plants, small rocks, and shiny objects (like foil-wrapped coins or beads) for children to discover, just like an octopus collecting treasures. This is a wonderful tactile experience!IMG 20250608 115421
  • Make an octopus from a toilet paper roll. Find instructions here.

 

Get adventurous and playful

  • “Find the Shiny Treasure” Scavenger Hunt: Hide shiny objects around your house or garden. Give the children clues that relate to the song or Ben Cort’s illustrations. The “treasure” at the end could be a new book, some fun craft supplies, or even a treat!
  • Octopus Movement Game: Play “Octopus’s Garden” and have kids dance like ocean creatures—floating like jellyfish, scuttling like crabs, or swirling like waves.

OR

  • Use calming ocean music and lead a movement session where kids stretch like seaweed, sway like fish, and wiggle like octopuses. Encourage mindful breathing — a nice mix of fun and relaxation.

 

Grammar…anyone?

Prepositions of Place

Use Ben Cort’s illustrations to ask:

“Where is the octopus?” (Under the sea!)

“Where is the treasure?” (In the garden!)

“Where are the kids?” (On the turtles!)

 

Time for some colouring!

I created a colouring page in imitation of one of Ben Cort’s illustrations in the book. Press on the picture to get it!

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So this summer, whether you’re by the sea, in the classroom, or just curled up under a tree, take a dive into Octopus’s Garden — and let Ringo’s underwater daydream make a splash in your heart.

 

Octopuss garden

Making a storytelling chair no.2

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Storytelling chair No2 making of

Storytelling chair No2

After the success of my first Storytelling Chair (and ways to use it – you can find them all here), I decided to craft another one—this time inspired by the vibrant, playful illustrations from some of my students’ (and mine!) favourite books:

You can see the making of the chair here: 

 

Book Inspirations:

“Dogman”(by Dav Pilkey) – A half-dog, half-cop hero fights crime with humor and heart. Dogman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain underpants“Captain Underpants” (by Dav Pilkey) – Two prankster kids turn their grumpy principal into a superhero in tighty-whities.

 

 

 

 

 

“Level Up” (by Antonis Papatheodoulou) – inspired by the world of gaming and the level up mania in apps and games, this is a story of two game characters  and what power really is! Level up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clues“Detective Clues” (‘Speurder Kwaaikofski’ in its German editions by Jürgen Banscherus) – Clues (Kwaaikofski) is a natural talent of a private detective! Give him a glass of milk, Carpenter’s gum and his special hat and he is ready for anything! 

 

 

 

 

 

“Asterix in Britain” (by Goscinny & Uderzo) – Gauls Asterix and Obelix battle Romans with magic potion and British tea. Asterix Britain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winnie “Winnie the Witch” (by Valerie Thomas) – An adorable witch and her long-suffering cat Wilbur cause magical mayhem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Where’s Wally?” (by Martin Handford) – A global hide-and-seek adventure in crowded, detailed scenes. Wally

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trianglefish “Trianglefish” (by Vaggelis Iliopoulos) – A ‘different’ fish saves his school by turning his difference—the very trait mocked by others—into their salvation

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ouch!” (by Ragnhild Scamel) – A humorous and charming story about a hedgehog who tries to prepare for winter but keeps getting unexpected items stuck to her prickles instead of leaves. Ouch

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pete “Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes” (by Eric Litwin) – A book that follows groovy Pete as he explores his school while singing and adapting to new experiences with a positive attitude.

Making (and using) a storytelling chair

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Storytelling for kindergarten (and, of course, primary school) children is highly beneficial. Not only does it inspire imagination, but it’s also highly engaging. It captivates young learners’ attention, acts as a language booster, and ignites a love for literature.

Using puppets, props (even the simplest ones can have a tremendous effect on the little ones! – try pressing all your fingers to the front, using your hand as a beak and then engage in a dialogue with it), body language and animated voice can encourage imagination and creativity and foster social interaction: children empathize with characters and engage in discussions, developing, thus, their critical thinking, a much sought-after skill not only for their personal growth but also for their academic success. Sometimes nothing else is needed when telling a story other than imagination: creating mental pictures and getting the children physically engaged through movement can do the trick (‘imagine being the wind that blows the leaves off the tree, or being the leaf thrown out of the tree by the wind!’, ‘imagine climbing up the beanstalk, careful not to slip and fall, looking down as we climb’).

Finding the age-appropriate book for our students is of paramount importance. Books that contain simple language (or you can simplify it yourself as you read), and repetitive patterns are very helpful: fun aside, repetition can boost students’ confidence, consolidation of new vocabulary and sentence structures.

And how should you narrate (or read) a story? Standing or – better – sitting in the middle of a designated storytelling area is a good idea. A storytelling chair can serve as a focal point for teacher-student interaction during storytelling sessions, fostering a positive learning atmosphere. It can enhance engagement, create a sense of anticipation, and provide a comfortable and focused environment for children, making the storytelling experience more memorable and enjoyable.

I’ve had my eye (and set my heart!) on getting one – but then I thought: why not MAKE one? So I bought a plastic chair with ample writing space and got a pencil, a rubber and some permanent markers, and some days later … my storytelling chair was ready!!!

You can see the story of my chair unfold here:

Ways to use a strorytelling chair

Tell stories and repeat them often. Children feel more confident listening to stories when they know them inside out and know exactly what comes next.

When children become very familiar with certain stories invite them to sit on the storytelling chair and recount (or repeat) a part of the story. Anyone who sits in it becomes the storyteller with powers to entrance their listeners!

Have students identify another character on the chair. What would happen if the hero of the story met another hero (and became good friends with them?) – time for some critical thinking and communication development then!

 

Food for thought

How about you?

How would you use a storytelling chair?

 

Can you find the stories that appear on my chair?

How many can you find?

(here is something that will help you 😆 Books that appear on the storytelling chair)

 

How many have you used in your teaching?

 

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the process yourself: approach storytelling with enthusiasm and joy. Your genuine passion for the story will be contagious, and the child will sense your enjoyment and engagement.

 

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books

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body

Joseph Addison

So…. let’s get those young minds exercising!

Why???

For a host of reasons:

  • to help kids develop basic language skills
  • to profoundly expand their vocabularies
  • to widen their consciousness
  • to entertain them!

to name but a few!

The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett

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front cover

A brilliant children’s book is Jan Brett’s ’The Three Snow Bears’: one of her most beautiful picture books, a wintry spinoff of Goldilocks, set in the Arctic. A polar bear family leaves its igloo for a walk to let baby bear’s soup cool just as Aloo-ki, an Eskimo girl, runs past, searching for her team of huskies, which have drifted away on an ice floe. Being a curious girl, she goes inside the polar bear family igloo to eat some soup, wear their boots and take a nap into the ‘littlest’ bed!

Not only the story is gripping, but also the wonderful, intricate illustrations, so typical in all of Jan Brett’s books: the distinctive borders and graphic side panels are hallmarks of her illustrations, and they help beginning readers by foreshadowing events.

Make sure then that kids look at the borders of her drawings: sharpen, thus their observation skills and encourage them to retell the story that takes place in the main frame, but also in the borders!

This is the way I used it with my kindergarten students:

You can see a video of how I used all this material (not at the Kindergarten, though, for reasons of children’s safety)

For the story patterns I used pics from the book. Here are the pdfs:

Bowls

Boots

Beds

 

Here’s a worksheet (with a matching activity) I created and used:

The Three Snow Bears worksheet

 

For the little figures around and in the igloo I used the material for the bears I found in Jan Brett’s site and I drew Aloo-ki myself (not as well as Jan, I must admit!)

Aloo-ki and the polar bear family

For the igloo I used white self-hardening clay which I rolled into a flat sheet with a rolling pin and put it on top of a bowl covered in cling film. When the clay hardened I carefully removed the bowl and painted the igloo. Follow the steps here to make your own set:

You can also use a white plastic bowl or a plastic cup and a white plastic plate to make your Arctic scene (use blue permanent marker – and a steady hand!!!- to draw the ice blocks of the igloo).

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As a follow-up activity I made some igloos for the students, a little eskimo and a little penguin (the kids had to colour the eskimo clothes in specific colours; blue for the pullover, red for the pants and also the penguin’s flippers and beak). Before attaching them with Blu Tack we practiced placing them in or on the igloo.

 

 

Enjoy this brilliant book!!!