The Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly has been a hit with children over several generations. Her omnivorous tendencies are celebrated in the latest Storysack from Child’s Play. Storysacks, which recently won an Alcuin Award from the European Parents’ Association, packages books with storytelling, literacy and creative play aids. This one includes an audio cassette on which the song is performed, together with some other cumulative favourites. There is also a doll of the Old Lady herself, with an open mouth down which bean-filled fly, spider, bird and so on can be pleasurably stuffed. She reappears less lethally in the board game My Grandmother Went To Market which brings words, pictures and memory together into an enjoyable activity for small children and their attendant grown-ups.
Old Lady Storysack costs pound;39.50. Old Lady Doll (pound;14.99) and set of seven animals (pound;5.99) are available separately from Child’s Play, Ashworth Road, Bridgemead, Swindon SN5 7YD. Customer Line: 0845 6030220. TD The Real Game, a career resource for key stage 3 pupils, was piloted in 40 schools before its launch in March. The idea is familiar from board games: students make a wish list of possessions and other desiderata. They are then given job profiles by their teacher and have to juggle with qualification, monthly incomes, expenses, budgets and leisure hours to determine whether they can reach their heart’s desire. There are also “chance cards” which make abrupt adjustments to the expected pattern. There are opportunities to plan in groups as well as individually, toturn the classroom into a micro-community and toconsult real sources from GPs to the Internet. The Real Game video and information pack are free from TheCareers and Occupational Information Centre,PO Box 298A, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0ZS.Tel: 0208 957 5030. E-mail: coic@dataforce.co.uk For more information, contact the DfEE Real GameCo-ordinator, DfEE W4b, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4PQ.Tel: 0114 259 3435. E-mail: real.game@dfee.gov.uk TD Is your reception class finding the same old buildingblocks less than inspiring? Kiblo is a new construction resource which enables young children to buildthree-dimensional structures in all directions: eachblock has a simple connecting facility on all four sides. Add letter and number stickers and the blocks can also be usedfor literacy and numeracy activities. A carton of 108 multi-coloured brickscosts pound;74.99, packs of stickers are from pound;3 each from Kiblo, PO Box 516, Swansea SA8 3YN.Tel: 01792 863331.Website: www.kiblo.com SH Contributions by Tom Deveson and Sue Hubberstey
