This call and response sensory story is great for topics around building or work. It was originally written for a school that was undergoing major building works to help pupils with complex needs cope with the noise and upheaval. Feel free to adapt the story to make it about your school (inserting your school name) or about other buildings such as hospitals etc.
The Builders
This is a ‘call and response story’ with pupils and team members repeating what the storyteller says. (These are the lines in bold.)
Props ideas:
Most of these props are easy to find – hopefully in the cupboard under the stairs or your garage but if not online or in your local hardware shop. It is not necessary to have all these props to tell the story. Choose the props which work best for your pupils – and the ones that are easiest to get hold of. (Remember these objects are not toys and should only be used under careful supervision.) Allow the pupils plenty of time to explore the props – you can repeat parts of the story as this is happening. The script itself is quite short but with time to explore the objects and repetition it becomes a full lesson.
- hard hats and high vis vests (or children’s dressing-up equivalents of these)
- lengths of PVC piping (ask a friendly plumber, or if you have a set of Boomwhackers you could use these – follow this link for Boomwhackers)
- pieces of wood (ask a friendly carpenter or DIY enthusiast) and offcuts of carpet.
- tape measure
- paint brushes
- other ‘safe’ tools e.g. spirit level or carpenter’s folding ruler
- some toy blocks could be used to convey the concept of ‘building’
Script
There are lots of builders at Cherry Tree Lane.
There are lots of builders at Cherry Tree Lane.
There are lots of builders at Cherry Tree Lane.
There are lots of builders at Cherry Tree Lane.
With their hard hats. And their high-vis vests.
With their hard hats. And their high-vis vests. (Show pupils the hard hats and high vis vests)
With pipes and wood, hammer and plane.
With pipes and wood, hammer and plane.
What a noise! It really is a pain!
What a noise! It really is a pain! (Show pupils the bits of pipe and wood. Pause here and bang these together to make a noise)
‘Stop that noise’ say the pupils, ‘We’re trying to do P.E.’
‘Stop that noise’ say the pupils. ‘We’re trying to do P.E.’
‘Stop that noise’ say the pupils, ‘We’re having a massage.’
‘Stop that noise’ say the pupils, ‘We’re having a massage.’
‘Stop that noise’ say the pupils, ‘We’re trying to relax.’
‘Stop that noise’ say the pupils, ‘We’re trying to relax.‘
‘Stop that noise’ say the pupils, ‘We’re trying to play a game.’
‘Stop that noise’ say the pupils, ‘We’re trying to play a game.’
But… (Pause here and make lots of noise with the props again – banging the pipes and bits of wood together – encourage everyone to join in)
There are lots of builders at Cherry Tree Lane.
There are lots of builders at Cherry Tree Lane.
What a noise! It really is a pain!
What a noise! It really is a pain!
‘Hey,’ say the builders ‘We’re building a school’ (use wooden blocks to demonstrate ‘building’)
‘We’re building a school!’
‘We’re making it strong!’
‘We’re making it strong!’
‘We’re making it new!’
‘We’re making it new!’
‘And we’re making it just for you!’
(Repeat this section as you let pupils explore props such as paint brushes, folding rulers, spirit levels, bits of carpet etc.)
There are lots of builders at Cherry Tree Lane
There are lots of builders at Cherry Tree Lane
What a noise! What a fuss!
What a noise! What a fuss!
But…they’re building a school just for us!
They’re building a school just for us!
Hooray!
Remember – not all of my props recommendations are toys! The props I suggest should not be used by children unsupervised.
