Design a Picnic
Summer is the perfect time for a picnic, and with this "doodle" page you can design your own. What will you pack into the picnic basket, and put on the plates? Make sure it is all delicious!
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The Famous Five are four adventurous children and a dog, the characters in a series of 21 books written by children's author Enid Blyton between 1942 and 1963, and loved by children all over the world from publication to the present day. The children's school holidays are packed with fun, and they solve mysteries, have all sorts of adventures, camp, cycle, hike, live in a caravan, catch criminals, enjoy picnics and generally have a exciting time! And we have some fun activities based on the Famous Five books that you can enjoy with the kids. Exlore below!
Julian is the oldest of the children, and is very much the leader. In the first book of the series, Five on a Treasure Island, he is twelve years old. Dick is his younger brother, and is eleven years old when we first meet him. He is funny, and brave. Both Julian and Dick are very protective of their younger sister Anne, aged ten, who is often scared on their adventures. Also eleven is the children's cousin, Georgina - known only as George, as she is most definitely a tomboy and likes nothing more than being mistaken for a boy! George has a loyal dog called Timmy, the last of the five. Many of the stories also include George's mother, Aunt Fanny, and father, Uncle Quentin, a famous scientist.
Summer is the perfect time for a picnic, and with this "doodle" page you can design your own. What will you pack into the picnic basket, and put on the plates? Make sure it is all delicious!
These are the opening lines of Five on a Treasure Island. If your child hasn't read the book yet, why not have a go at writing your own story based on these first few lines. What will happen next? Then read the original and see how your story differs!
These are the opening lines of the mous Five book, "Five Go Adventuring Again". They make an interesting story starter and could take your child off in many different directions!
These are the opening lines of the Famous Five story, Five Go Down to the Sea. Children can use them to spark off their own imaginative story - which will no doubt be very different from the original!
There are many reasons that Dick might be complaining that this is the worst Christmas holidays ever. In the original Famous Five story - Five Get Into a Fix - it is almost certainly because the children haven't yet stumbled upon an adventure to enjoy!
Use this simple worksheet as a short writing excercise after reading one of the Famous Five books. There's space for a short description of each of the Famous Five, and a picture.
The Famous Five - Julian, Dick George, and Timmy - are setting off on one of their great adventures. But first they are going to have a delicious picnic! Here's a lovely Famous Five colouring picture for the kids to enjoy...
Children can use this fun story paper to start off their own Famous Five story - or perhaps to describe the scene in the picture. And why not colour it in, too!
Can the kids find all the words listed on the right in the puzzle on the left? They might be horizontal, vertical or diagonal, but there are no backwards words.
We can think of many ways of useing the three versions of this footprint frame below - blank, lined and "story" lines with space for a picture too. We've been inspired by the Mystery stories of Enid Blyton!
You never know when you are going to need to leave a trail - and here's a fun way to learn how! Give each child a collection of small pebbles and see if they can make or follow their own trail using these simple signals.
It's always useful to know how to leave a trail with objects you might find outdoors, and here's a clever way to do it using sticks you have collected, just like in an Enid Blyton story!
Many children's mystery and adventure stories have a secret message in the plot - and here's some paper that the kids can use for their very own secret messages!
We have two versions of this fun matching puzzle, with which children can practice their mystery-solving skills! These is only one pair of matching shoe-prints in the puzzle. Can they find them? We've made the second version a bit harder by providing both right and left feet.
The Famous Five were always outdoors. If not hiking or cycling the country lanes they were staying on George's private island, Kirrin Island, or going on an adventure in their own gypsy caravan! Obviously in "real life" our children can't go off on their own like the Famous Five did - but that doesn't mean they can't get outdoors to play! Why not have a Famous Five party with an garden or park scavenger hunt, or play some of the games on our Outdoor Games page.