Resources 4 pens (pen person’s arms) A small sandwich box (pen person’s body) A ball (pen person’s head) Key controversies What makes you a person? Can you be a person without certain things (limbs, for example) Starter sit children in a circle One by one draw the objects out of a bag and ask a c...

IS THIS A POEM? This is a session came out of a unit of work on poetry. The class had being doing philosophy for 16 weeks and were doing a unit of poetry in their English classes.  Ever since Socrates, philosophers have tried to define terms clearly and exhaustively. This has resulted in a good deal of rigour and precision. Philosophe...

  If an alien came down and saw a box of funny coloured paper with a ribbon tied around it, would they think its special? Why when we look at these boxes do we think there must be something inside? And why do we get excited? Task Questions: Is this a present? Is this piece of rubbish I found a present? If you give me thi...

This session is based on the book 'The Rainbow Fish' by Marcus Pfister. The rainbow fish is the most beautiful fish in the sea. No other fish has such sparkly and colourful scales. When another fish asks if they can have one of those sparkly scales, the rainbow fish says ‘no’. Now she doesn’t have any friends. What...

Designed by Melina Lafirenze This enquiry was written as an extension activity for the Republic Island enquiry (from The If Machine) but it was easily long enough for a full session and could possibly run over two sessions for younger groups. Stimulus On the island there is a lake full of fish. Though they are plentiful the fish are rea...

Thought Adventure no. 20 Equipment needed and preparation: A standard classroom ruler and a less standard, more unique looking item(s). Starting age: 5 years Key concepts / vocabulary: steal, find, borrow, know, intention, property, ownership, permission Subject links: PSHE and all knowledge-based subjects Key controversies: Wh...

Where should you place these things on a line? Is it safe, or dangerous?   Cooking... safe or dangerous? Daddy cooking... safe or dangerous? You cooking... safe or dangerous?   Thinking... safe or dangerous?   Playing with a ball... safe or dangerous? Playing with a ball in the park... safe or ...

Equipment needed and preparation: a percentage die (a ten-sided die rolled twice, once for the units and again for the tens) Starting age: 8 years Key concepts / vocabulary: travel, exploration, risk, self-interest, dilemma, survival, Subject links: geography: ‘travel’, ‘exploration’, ‘survival’, RE (...

Key ideas Perseverance - is it a good thing?   Stimulus This version is for younger years, Reception to year 3 or thereabouts Tell the children the story of Incy Wincy spider (they should know it and will probably start joining in) Incy the spider climbed up the water spout and nearly got to the top when all of a sudden, t...