2013 Week 25: Tatty Bumpkin's pose for the Week is GIRAFFE.

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist

The pose for this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is GIRAFFE.

It may be hot, but is it as hot as the African Savannah? This week Tatty Bumpkin is off exploring these african plains to visit her friends the giraffes.

She finds the giraffes drinking round a leafy waterhole, stretching up high to nibble prickly leaves and then bending down low to drink the cool water. However all is not well! Baby Giraffe does not like prickly leaves. an Tatty Bumpkin help? She will of course need ideas!

What GIRAFFE POSE Looks Like


Stretch up tall to nibble the prickly leaves

Bend down low to drink from the waterhole

Description – What to Say to Your Child

Put a blue piece of fabric in front of you, this is your waterhole! Stand with your feet apart and pointing slightly inwards. Stretch both your arms above your head and clasp your palms together. Then bend your knees a little and slowly bend forwards to drink from your ‘waterhole’ trying to keep your back and arms as straight as you can, you should be bending at only at your middle. If you cannot touch your waterhole with your fingers you may need to do what giraffes do, that is take your feet further out to the side. Imagine your thumbs are giraffe horns and give them a wiggle. Did you know that giraffes make very little noise but sometimes they cough or snort!

Want to make it harder?

Bend forward like a giraffe drinking, as before, but this time see if you can gently push your giraffe ‘horns’ (your fingers) through your legs and wiggle them. You may need to bend your knees more to do this.

Note to parents

Be a giraffe with your child. Bend forwards carefully; you can protect your back by slightly turning your feet so they are pointing inwards, bending your knees and tightening your tummy muscles.

Remember doing movements with your child can help you 'bond' with them

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

Giraffe pose will give your child the opportunity to:

Stretch their back and hamstring muscles. As your child bends forwards to drink in giraffe pose they will be giving their back and hamstrings, the muscles down the back of their thigh, a great stretch. Guide your child to do the actions slowly so their muscles have the chance to really stretch out.

Strengthen their back, tummy muscles and arm muscles. When your child bends forwards they will be using their tummy muscles to control the movement. As they straighten up your child will be strengthening their back muscles. Throughout both movements, as they keep their arms straight above their head, your child will be strengthening their arm and shoulder muscles.

Increase their awareness of their 'midline'. As they do giraffe pose, your child will move their hands up and down in the ‘midline’ of their body. The midline of the body is the imaginary line which separates the right side from the left. Increased awareness of this ‘midline’ will help your child develop their co-ordination and hand skills i.e. dressing or writing skills.

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

In Tatty Bumpkin classes we use unique storylines to make the activities meaningful and to fire the imagination.

All our classes are multi-sensory comprising of:

Adapted yoga poses and activities which both stimulate and calm the body senses

Dedicated songs and rhythms which are relevant to the stories

Bespoke hand-woven props to look at and feel. Tatty Bumpkin has its own range of fairly traded animal props to back up the yoga poses and bring the stories to life. Our teachers are supported to use natural props in the classes which are great to feel as opposed to smooth plastic

We have carefully linked each Tatty Bumpkin to the new 2012 Early Years Foundation Stage framework. Importantly supporting children to learn ‘how to learn’ not just focusing on what on they learn.

So … The Adventure This Week ..

This week Tatty Bumpkin explores the African Savannah. She finds her giraffe friends drinking from a waterhole and nibbling the prickly leaves of the Acacia trees.

One little giraffe does not like the spikey leaves and asks Tatty Bumpkin to help him find something else to eat. Tatty Bumpkin is always keen to help, so together they visit the elephants, but Baby Giraffe does not like the long grass they are eating.

The elephants have long trunks to wrap round the long grass

Then it is down to the river to meet crocodile, but Baby Giraffe does not like fish either!

Crocodile snaps to catch his fish!

What does Lion eat they wonder? Cautiously they tiptoe through the grass to look for him. Lion is snoozing, as the two friends disturb him, he awakens with a roar! Baby Giraffe and Tatty Bumpkin take flight. As they hide behind a bush Baby Giraffe decides he would like to go home to his family, maybe he might get used to the prickly leaves.

This story gives your child an opportunity to role play the everyday situation of disliking some foods but still ‘having a go’ at trying new and different foods.

Your child will have the chance to:

Talk about the foods they like and dislike

Make suggestions on what the various wild animals might eat

Play with others to be: giraffes drinking from a waterhole, elephants roaming over the grasslands and roaring lions.

At the end of the story everyone comes together to make the most delicious leafy fruit cake for the giraffe family.

Make a delicious leafy, fruit cake!

Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html