I saw this incredible AR tool on Facebook and I just had to share it! It’s a fun, creative, clever way to inspire creative writing that children (and adults) of all ages would enjoy! Which animals will be on the loose in your house?
Activities
1) Google an animal on your iPhone or iPad.
Log onto www.google.com and search for your favourite animal. Google’s incredible Augmented Reality (AR) feature works for most animals, but not all. So, you may need to have a few attempts to find an animal that works. Perhaps try tiger, penguin and bear to get you started. Once the Google search brings up all of the information and images on your chosen animal, you will need to scroll down the page a little until you see the ‘view in 3D’ option, where you’ll be able to meet a life-sized version up close! Click on it. It will immediately switch to camera view and will ask you to move the camera around a little so it can adjust to the surroundings. After a few moments, your chosen animal should appear on your screen in your home! Here’s a cheeky penguin interrupting my puzzle time! Pretty AMAZING, right?!
2) Film a video of your favourite animal in your home!
You can reduce or enlarge the size using the touch screen to make the size of your creature more realistic – or not! (it could even be held in the palm of your hand!) – and you can either take a photo (a great selfie opportunity here for you instagrammers!) or record a short video using the red button.
WOW! This technology is super impressive and lots of fun! This creative AR feature provides endless entertainment for kids (and adults too!) as you experiment, explore and discover new places and creatures to interact with!
Have fun creating your photos and videos! Here are a few examples I made at home earlier today:
3) Creative Writing
First, start to think about how and why this animal has ended up in your home – is it lost? lonely? hungry? On holiday? Is it a special pet? Did it follow you home from the zoo? Can it talk?
Option 1 – Write a short story: Can you think of your own adventure story for you and your favourite animal? The Adventures of Paddington Bear or The Tiger Who Came To Tea are both classic examples of this type of story! You could call it ‘My Day with Bear’ (or whichever animal you choose). What sorts of things would you get up to?
Option 2 – Write a letter or postcard: You might like to use a photo and write a letter or postcard to someone about how you’re having a lovely time at home because you’ve got a new best friend to keep you company! What sorts of things would you do together? Do you need to feed it? Wash it? Play a game with it? What mischief would you get up to? Would you have to hide your pet from mum and dad?
Option 3 – Write a fact file about your animal: This could include real facts that you find online, as well as your own fun facts that you learn whilst looking after the animal. You could print a picture of you and your animal to stick onto your factfile. How many hours does it sleep? What does it like to eat/drink? Where does it usually live (habitat)? Does it like to be tickled or rubbed on the tummy? Does it have a favourite TV show?
Option 4 – Create a comic! You could even take lots of pictures of your animal in a variety of situations and turn them into a comic, complete with speech balloons, thought bubbles and narration boxes. There are some comic strip apps available to do this digitally, or you could print your photos out and create your own.
Remember to Share and Connect…
Don’t forget to share your learning! We’d love to see your stories, letters and fact files, as well as your photos and videos! You can either comment in the box below or post a photo on social media (you can find me on Facebook and Twitter) using the hashtag #literacywithmissp
Happy Writing!
Miss P x
Literacy with Miss P 
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