Brave Sir John – a sensory story of snow and ice

In 1845, Sir John Franklin set sail from Britain with two ships and 129 crew and headed north. His mission was to find the final part of the North-West Passage, a sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. After just over two months, all contact was lost with Sir John and his crew…

Experience Sir John Franklin’s journey with this sensory story told by Noel Hayden. The story uses a mixture of call and response song, sensory props, images and key word signing. These activities have been developed to support individuals with PMLD, SLD and sensory processing difficulties.

You will need

A photo of the materials needed. A bed sheet, bowl of water and ice, scissors, paper, torch, bubble wrap, coloured tissue paper, tape.

A large piece of cloth such as a bedsheet

Ice cubes

Water

A shallow bowl

Confetti or torn up pieces of white paper

A torch

Bubble wrap

Coloured tissue paper

A sheet of A4 card, scissors and sticky tape – to make a card megaphone

Suggested approach

The story is divided into six song lines. Each line has an accompanying image and a suggested activity.
Listen to the first line and then sing it back (as many times as you like!).
If appropriate, look at the accompanying image and sign along with Noel as you sing.
Carry out the suggested activity to go with the first line.
Repeat as desired and then move on to the next line, performing the same sequence of actions.
Repetition of the song lines and the activities is great for building familiarity and anticipation.

Watch or join in with the videos!

Line 1

John Franklin set sail long ago,

The waves were high, and the wind did blow.

Imagine you are on board Sir John’s ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. Take a large piece of cloth such as a bedsheet and waft it like a ship’s sail over your child. Feel the strong sea wind in your face!

Line 2

His loyal crew so strong and bold,

They all went north to the ice and cold.

Experience the icy cold of the far frozen north. Put some water and ice cubes in a shallow bowl. Splash the ice and water with hands or feet.

A bowl with water and ice in. Someone has their hand in the bowl.

Line 3

Find a route to the Pacific,

Through the ice and snow which fell so thick.

Imagine the never-ending snow on your journey. Plunge your hands into a bag of confetti or lots of small pieces of torn up paper. Then sprinkle them like snow.

Paper torn into small pieces being thrown in the air.

Line 4

As they sailed on, what wondrous sights!

Saw fields of ice and the Northern Lights.

Experience the magic of the Northern Lights. In a darkened space, shine a torch through bubble wrap. See what effects you can create by moving the bubble wrap about. Add coloured tissue paper for different effects.

A torch shining through bubble wrap to create patterns on a white surface.

Line 5

As they sailed on, what wonders there!

Heard the fearsome roar of the polar bear.

Recreate the deep resonant roar of a polar bear! Have fun making growling and roaring sounds with your megaphone (see instructions below). Try holding the taped end against your child’s skin, roar through the megaphone and experience the vibrations of the polar bear’s breath.