Craft · Game · Talking
Thatch on a calm day
Teams build a paper-strip roof on a small box twice, once in a strong breeze and once in calm, and compare.
- 45 minutes
- Small group
- Ages 9–12, Ages 12+
- Classroom
- Printable: planning sheet
What to do
- Read the saying and its meaning: the windy day is not the day for thatching. Do not explain it yet.
- Explain the task: each group covers the top of its box with paper strips to make a roof, laid in rows so they overlap.
- Round one, the windy day: give groups five minutes to build while one person from another group fans them hard with the card. Keep the fan at arm's length from faces.
- Stop and look. How much of the roof is on? How tidy is it?
- Round two, the calm day: take the strips off, or start a new box, and build again for five minutes with no fanning.
- Test both roofs by fanning them gently. Which one holds?
- Ask the groups what the saying means now. Then read the meaning again.
Questions to talk about
- Which round was harder? Why?
- Can you think of a job that goes badly if you pick the wrong moment, like asking for something when someone is in a bad mood?
- How do you know when the time is right to do something?
You will need
- A small cardboard box or a folded piece of card per group, to be the house
- Strips of scrap paper or tissue paper, about 2 cm wide
- Sticky tape or glue sticks
- Scissors
- A large piece of stiff card or a folder for fanning
- A timer
Make it fit
Simpler: Use larger strips of paper and tape, and let an adult do the fanning.
More of a stretch: Before round two, groups plan in two minutes how to lay the strips so each row covers the one below it.
Printables
The instructions card is for the adult running the activity; the worksheet is for the children. Prints on A4 or US Letter at 100% / actual size; colour is optional.
The planning sheet
Thatch on a calm day
Name
Record what happened in each round.
The instructions card
How to run it · Craft · Game · Talking
Thatch on a calm day
Teams build a paper-strip roof on a small box twice, once in a strong breeze and once in calm, and compare.
45 minutesSmall groupAges 9–12, Ages 12+
What to do
- Read the saying and its meaning: the windy day is not the day for thatching. Do not explain it yet.
- Explain the task: each group covers the top of its box with paper strips to make a roof, laid in rows so they overlap.
- Round one, the windy day: give groups five minutes to build while one person from another group fans them hard with the card. Keep the fan at arm's length from faces.
- Stop and look. How much of the roof is on? How tidy is it?
- Round two, the calm day: take the strips off, or start a new box, and build again for five minutes with no fanning.
- Test both roofs by fanning them gently. Which one holds?
- Ask the groups what the saying means now. Then read the meaning again.
You will need
- A small cardboard box or a folded piece of card per group, to be the house
- Strips of scrap paper or tissue paper, about 2 cm wide
- Sticky tape or glue sticks
- Scissors
- A large piece of stiff card or a folder for fanning
- A timer
Talk about
- Which round was harder? Why?
- Can you think of a job that goes badly if you pick the wrong moment, like asking for something when someone is in a bad mood?
- How do you know when the time is right to do something?
Make it fit
Simpler: Use larger strips of paper and tape, and let an adult do the fanning.
Stretch: Before round two, groups plan in two minutes how to lay the strips so each row covers the one below it.
Goes with the printable planning sheet.