How a dragon’s visit amazed and inspired Reception children in Manchester. By Annette Rawstrone

A fire-breathing dragon swooped into the Reception classroom at Richmond Academy in Oldham, Greater Manchester and ignited an even greater interest in the children’s fantasy investigations.

The children became curious about the idea of dragons after reading Julia Donaldson’s book Zog, starring an accident-prone dragon. They found the main character of the book engaging and started to use fantasy figures in the small-world area to retell the story and create their own dragon adventures.

Reception teacher Charlotte Smythe transformed the role-play area into a castle and added enhancements such as regal costumes so that the children could dress up and act out their own stories involving dragons, princesses and knights. They also enjoyed reading other stories about dragons and castles within the fortification.

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