Fergal is Fuming!

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By teaching emotional literacy we can prepare children for future experiences, help them empathise with others and show them that others have their own, interior world of emotions. It's important that children know they are not on their own. How to use books to explore emotions I love Fergal, he is such a brilliant representation of those children who are a little bit hot-headed and who have a fiery temper. After Fergal has upset all of his friends he seeks comfort and advice from his mum and he learns that there is a way to perhaps control his anger. Fergal realises that everyone gets angry but all of his friends have ways of managing their anger. Ideas for dealing with anger that feature in the story include; counting to ten, talking to others, focusing on a moment of calm and having a stretch. The most valuable lesson that Fergal learns is that life is not always fair and that you can not always get what you want. I really like how the story offers Fergal lots of alternatives to breathing fire as a way to get his anger out. His mom suggests counting to ten. His friends have their own ways of dealing with anger, and Fergal gives some of them a try. Everyone--including Fergal--is much happier when things aren't bursting into flames. And Fergal comes to realize that his fire has some pretty nifty uses... when he's calm enough. This activity is a part of a series of STEM resources designed to follow the CASEL Framework for social emotional Learning. By encouraging the children to think about why characters are behaving in a certain way, we can help children to put themselves in another's shoes.

Integrate STEM, SEL, and Literacy in your classroom with a perfect STEM challenge to connect to Furgal is Fuming by Robert Starling! Fergal is Fumingis a brilliant new picture book about a dragon with a short temper–and how he learns to calm down. Students also discover how to create a plan and make better decisions using different self management techniques using the mindful moments strategy, activity, and writing prompt. There are plenty of books out there about emotions and how to deal with them, but I've found that the picture books that work the best for this subject are those with a touch of humour or absurdity. Fergal and the Bad Temper is one of those, in which a little dragon has trouble regulating his anger... to the point that nobody wants to hang out with him because he keeps incinerating his surroundings! Now, author Robert Starling tells us how stories are invaluable when it comes to discussing emotions and feelings with young children.A lovely read that is beautifully illustrated and is essential reading for all those fiery little dragons. In class, we might talk about what could have happened if the character had made a different choice. We might 'hotseat' a child in character, or write a diary to explore how a character feels. All of this helps develop empathy and the vocabulary of emotions.

A book can put into words or pictures a feeling that a child is unable to express. In Shaun Tan's The Red Tree, we see feelings of sadness, frustration and loneliness–and hope–manifested as stunning, evocative paintings. It can be hard to articulate a feeling, even for us adults–but a picture might give us a way in. Amazing resource for STEM club, STEM teachers, elementary librarians, parents who love hands-on learning, and elementary teachers who want to create a hands-on educational environment in their classroom! This is perfect as a beginning of the year activity or end of the year STEM challenge! Children may also find comfort in You've Got Dragons by Kathryn Cave, where a simple, clever metaphor could give shape to all sorts of concerns. Badger's Parting Gifts by Susan Varley or The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic might help a child to begin to explore very difficult, unfamiliar feelings associated with loss and death.This includes the capacities to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation and agency to accomplish personal and collective goals. This is one of the stronger picture books about emotions that I've read. Like Sangeeta Bhadra's Sam's Pet Temper, it uses a somewhat silly premise to get its more serious message across. I think Fergal and the Bad Temper is a bit easier to understand, however, especially for the target audience.