Sharing ideas: free resources to download
Here are some free downloadable pdfs of ideas that you can use and adapt for your own work. None of these things are very difficult or technical, and they are all made using basic tools and cheap or free materials.
Mapping your world
Making maps of your world is a useful way to see things in relation to each other. You can make maps about anything: places you like, places you don’t feel safe, places you would like to change… the list is endless. I made the map below during the lockdown in winter 2020/21.
You can download my mapping worksheet here
Apple Day
Here is a worksheet of some easy and enjoyable things to do with apples, based on activities I’ve done with children at Speedwell Nursery School and families at Companion Planting allotment group.
You can download the pdf here.
Manifesto
I reach for John Bentley’s great DIY punk manifesto whenever I lose my way and this has kept me happily off the beaten track for many years. He kindly said I could share it on this website. Here is a link to it.
… and here is one that I made myself.
You can download the pdf here.
Alphabet
This is an alphabet that I originally drew for Speedwell Nursery School. The images link to some of our favourite stories including Three Billy Goats Gruff and Little Red Riding Hood.
You can download the pdf here.
Cardboard box house
Lots of people, including me, really enjoy making these houses. You use a cardboard box as the basis for it and can make it as large or small as you like. You could make the house you grew up in or the house you would like to live in, you could make sheds, barns or castles, you could put several buildings together to create a village…
Concertina book
Concertina books are very simple to make, enjoyable to use and easy to display.
A book that transforms into a poster
This folded book is made with one sheet of paper. When you open it up the other side can be a poster, a map, or anything else that takes your fancy. It can easily be photocopied, and is particularly useful for publicity where you want to produce a leaflet and a poster together.
You can download the pdf here