Storytime with Temeka: Harold and the Purple Crayon

Temeka reads Harold and Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Questions to Discuss

  • Why do you think Harold uses only a purple crayon?

  • Would the story be different if a variety of colours were used?

  • Do you think that the story is real, or part of a dream? 

Explore

Exercise 1
Using one colour and a piece of A4 paper folded in half, draw a two part adventure. It can be as simple as the drawings that Harold drew, or can become more complex – imagination is your only limitation!

Exercise 2
Brainstorm what ‘home’ means – write responses on a large piece of paper. Delve a little deeper by asking questions about senses as well – e.g. How does home smell? How does home feel? What can they see? What colours are there?

Exercise 3
Using the words and feelings from the previous activity, ask the students to draw what home means to them in a variety of colours.

Further Learning

Theatre makers draw on inspiration from various parts of society, sometimes a piece of music, a story of a book. Inspiration for ZOOOM comes from the iconic children’s book, Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.
Watch the trailer for ZOOOM.

  • What does it mean when something is inspired by something else?

  • Can you see how ZOOOM is like Harold and the Purple Crayon in some ways?

  • In what ways is it similar? In what ways is it different?

More activities to try

It's a String Thing Visual Story A resource designed to help teachers and parents prepare children for their It's a String Thing incursion.
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Colour Chromatography Activity In this simple STEM activity, children learn about colour mixing and separation in a hands-on way. Using a coffee filter and black marker, discover the different colours that make up black ink.
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Shadow Puppets Make some animal shadow puppets with Temeka!
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