In the special education section of Futura Geluwe, Miss Cindy and her class delved into the world of HÖNGRY. What started with a book that caught her attention on social media, grew into a complete theme where stories, emotions, movement, and creativity converged.

A theme that immediately resonated with the class

Miss Cindy works with a class of type 2 students, aged 7 to 10 years. When she discovered the books, she quickly realized they could be perfect for her class.

"The covers of the books caught my attention with their beautiful color combinations and character designs. I was looking for a theme that connected with the daily lives and experiences of my class group. Food strongly appeals to them. Also, the content of the books goes much further than just recognizing fruits and vegetables; they get to know the characters, each with their own personality or talent. These are very relatable for them. So, the books were also excellent for working on social skills."

And so, a theme emerged where stories, emotions, and vocabulary came to life together.

A classroom full of fruity characters

The classroom quickly became a place where the HÖNGRY gang appeared everywhere. Miss Cindy read, among other things, the storyboards of De beste and hung posters in the reading corner to make the theme extra visible. Even on the classroom door, a poster appeared to pique the curiosity of passersby.

The characters also found a place within the classroom itself. The emotions poster hung next to the color monsters, with a particular focus on the theme of anger from the book Framboos. In the vocabulary cabinet, the characters literally came to life.

"I had the characters from the book laser-cut into wood to display in my vocabulary cabinet. This made the characters come to life even more."

In addition, the HÖNGRY stickers, puzzles, and coloring book were enthusiastically used in the classroom. The stickers, for example, served as small rewards after a completed task, while the puzzles were eagerly done during independent moments.

The bundle by teacher Sara for the book Framboos also found it's place in the class project.

Start as a class, then discover independently

Activities usually started together in a circle, for example, during a reading moment or when practicing vocabulary. Afterwards, the students continued independently during the learning circuit.

During the learning circuit, children could, among other things:

• revisit the books
• look for details in Framboos
• re-enact the story of Erwtjes in de ruimte with a storytelling table
• practice vocabulary using a speaking wall
• make puzzles
• solve sudokus and matrix exercises about feelings

Like this, pupils could discover the stories in a different way each time. Besides the learning circuit, other working methods were also integrated into the theme. During free choice time, students could, for example, go to the craft corner. There, they could choose a coloring page or an activity where they mirrored a character from the book using a mirror.

Motor and movement activities were also incorporated into the theme.

"During a fine motor skills lesson, we made crumpled paper balls to create the florets on broccoli heads. This activity came from the lesson inspiration. Extra ideas also sprang from the lesson inspiration to shape my lessons; for example, during active learning, we sorted fruits and vegetables after completing a balance obstacle course."

Thus, the HÖNGRY theme evolved into a versatile learning experience where language, movement, creativity, and social skills came together.

What happened with the children

The enthusiasm among the students was immediately palpable. The stories sparked their imagination, and the characters clearly stuck with them. Moreover, the theme didn't stay confined to the books. During the project, work was also done with real fruits and vegetables, making the stories even more tangible for the children.

"The children were much quicker to try different kinds of fruits and vegetables. Some students even brought raspberries and blueberries to class during fruit time."

A moment that lingered

Sometimes a story can also help when emotions run high. One moment from the classroom particularly stayed with Miss Cindy. "X from my class was about to explode, just like Robby. I was able to calm her down by taking out the book and together looking at everything that was happening with Raspberry. So, we took deep breaths in and out, and after a while, X calmed down."

This is how Robby Raspberry's book helped to understand feelings together and learn how to deal with them.

Popcorn in the classroom

And of course, there was just as much fun to be had in the classroom. For example, inspired by the book Wat als ik pof?, they popped corn together, all in theme.

The enthusiasm was even contagious within the school. "After I announced that I would start this theme, two colleagues also purchased some books and puzzles to use in their classrooms."

What began with one book thus grew into a complete class project full of stories, emotions, movement, and creativity. Exactly as we like to see it: books that stick with children and let them discover, talk, and have fun!

Feeling inspired to get started with the HÖNGRY gang in your classroom? Be sure to check out our lesson inspiration page.