The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Grade 5 & 6
Week Twenty Nine invites students to embrace change, think flexibly, and enjoy the unexpected. Inspired by Pluto, a small yet powerful symbol of mystery and uniqueness, this week helps children discover that change doesn’t need to feel scary or overwhelming. Instead, through playful surprises, shifting challenges, and imaginative prompts, students learn to stay calm, curious, and open-minded. They practise adjusting to changing rules, responding to new situations with confidence, and viewing unexpected moments as opportunities for fun and learning rather than frustration.
Through activities like Change It Up, “New Way” Drawings, Obstacle Switcheroo, and Adapt & Appreciate, students explore both the playful and meaningful sides of adaptability. They experience physical challenges that shift mid-game, engage in creative risk-taking as they draw familiar things in new ways, and reflect on positive experiences that came from surprises in their own lives. By the end of the week, students realise that flexibility is a superpower, one that helps them bounce back, enjoy the unexpected, and appreciate the beautiful possibilities that come with change. Just as Pluto does, they learn that being unique, adaptable, and open to the unknown makes them wonderfully resilient and ready for adventure.
Courses
Change It Up
Change It Up is a joyful, flexible game that helps students practise one of Pluto’s greatest lessons: adaptability. By beginning with a familiar game and then suddenly shifting the rules, students experience what it feels like when life takes an unexpected turn. They must listen closely, think quickly, and adjust with curiosity rather than frustration. This playful unpredictability mirrors Pluto itself, a small, surprising world that reminds the Playful Astronauts that change can be exciting rather than scary. Each twist in the game becomes an opportunity for students to stretch their minds, try something new, and laugh through the process.
As the rules flip, reverse, or become wonderfully silly, students learn to stay calm and open-minded, even when things don’t go as planned. Mistakes become part of the fun, and flexibility becomes a shared celebration. The game encourages children to enjoy the unknown, adapt with confidence, and discover that they can handle surprises with a smile. Change It Up transforms uncertainty into adventure, showing students that just like Pluto, being different, unpredictable, or changing direction is not only okay, it’s a sign of creativity, resilience, and growth.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Students recognise and reflect on feelings that arise when rules or expectations suddenly change (e.g., surprise, frustration, excitement).
- Facilitated discussion helps them label these emotions and understand how change impacts behaviour.
- The playful format allows students to safely explore emotional reactions to unpredictability.
2. Personal Strengths
- Students identify internal strengths such as adaptability, patience, humour, problem-solving, and willingness to try.
- Celebrating mistakes and playful missteps helps students value persistence and flexibility as personal strengths.
3. Positive Coping
- Students practise coping strategies in real time when rules shift: deep breaths, staying calm, laughing off mistakes, and re-engaging.
- Reinforces that it’s okay not to get something right the first time and that coping well with change is a skill they can grow.
- Encourages self-talk such as, “I can try again.”
4. Problem-Solving
- Students must rapidly apply new rules, test responses, and adjust their behaviour.
- Builds skills in evaluating new information, thinking on their feet, and making decisions under changed conditions.
- Helps them understand that flexible thinking is part of effective problem-solving.
5. Stress Management
- Sudden shifts in the game create a low-stakes version of real-life stress.
- Students practise staying centred, breathing through the challenge, and rejoining the game with focus and positivity.
- Reflection prompts help them identify early signs of stress when things change unexpectedly.
6. Gender and Identity
- Change and adaptability are framed as life skills for everyone, there are no gendered roles or expectations.
- Students express individuality through humour, movement, and personal strategies for adapting to new rules.
- Activity supports identity exploration by showing that everyone handles change differently, and that’s okay.
7. Positive Relationships
- Students learn to support each other when rules switch and mistakes happen, reinforcing that change is easier when we’re kind and encouraging.
- Shared laughter and unpredictability strengthen group connection and inclusivity.
- Builds a culture where mistakes are normal and belonging is prioritised over perfection.
8. Help-Seeking
- Students practise asking clarifying questions when rules change (“Can you repeat that?”) and model seeking support.
- Builds comfort with acknowledging confusion in a safe, playful setting.
- Reinforces that seeking help is a positive, proactive response, during games and in life.
"New Way" Drawings
“New Way” Drawings invites students to stretch their imagination by taking something ordinary and transforming it into something completely unexpected. Just like Pluto, small, surprising, and wonderfully unique, this activity shows students that things don’t always have to follow the same rules. By flipping familiar ideas upside-down, changing colours, or inventing brand-new forms, children learn that adaptability can be playful and exciting. They practise thinking differently, trying unusual ideas, and embracing creativity with confidence, discovering that “new” can be magical rather than scary.
As students share their imaginative creations, they build pride in their own ideas and appreciation for the creativity of others. Each drawing becomes a celebration of flexibility and open-mindedness, showing that when we allow ourselves to explore possibilities, the world becomes more vibrant and full of wonder. “New Way” Drawings turns adaptability into an artistic adventure, helping students see that thinking in new ways, just like Pluto, can lead to surprising discoveries, joyful expression, and beautifully different ideas worth sharing.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Students explore the feelings that arise when they try something unfamiliar or break away from a “normal” way of doing things.
- They recognise emotions connected to creativity, curiosity, uncertainty, excitement, or hesitation, and discuss them through reflection.
2. Personal Strengths
- Students identify and use strengths such as imagination, originality, courage, and flexible thinking.
- They learn that being unique is a strength and that thinking differently is something to be celebrated.
3. Positive Coping
- Students experience a safe, supportive space to make creative choices without fear of being “wrong.”
- When uncertainty arises, they practise coping strategies like staying open-minded, experimenting again, or asking for guidance.
- The activity reinforces that trying something new builds confidence and resilience.
4. Problem-Solving
- Students practise cognitive flexibility by reimagining everyday objects in unusual ways.
- They engage in divergent thinking, finding multiple possible “solutions” to a creative prompt.
- Encourages students to reason and justify their choices when sharing their drawings.
5. Stress Management
- Students learn to stay calm, relaxed, and playful when confronted with change or unfamiliar creative expectations.
- The low-pressure art activity helps them regulate emotions and enjoy the process rather than focus on outcomes.
- Calm, reflective discussion at the end supports emotional grounding.
6. Gender and Identity
- Students express individuality freely through choices in colour, form, and story.
- Creativity becomes a tool for identity exploration without stereotypes or limitations.
- The activity highlights that thinking differently is not only acceptable but valuable, promoting a strong sense of self.
7. Positive Relationships
- When sharing, students practise respectful listening, celebrating peers’ unique ideas and perspectives.
- They learn that creativity looks different for everyone and develop inclusive attitudes through appreciation rather than comparison.
- Builds classroom culture through shared curiosity and joyful expression.
8. Help-Seeking
- Students learn they can ask clarifying questions, seek reassurance, or request help with an idea or drawing technique.
- Reinforces that asking for help when trying something new is a sign of confidence, not weakness.
- Peer discussion offers opportunities to support one another’s creative challenges.
Obstacle Switcheroo
Obstacle Switcheroo turns adaptability into an exciting adventure as students navigate a playful obstacle course that changes each time they complete it. Just like Pluto, where paths shift, surprises appear, and nothing stays the same, this activity helps children learn that change can be fun rather than frustrating. As obstacles switch, reverse, or transform, students practise adjusting their movements, trying new strategies, and staying calm when plans don’t go exactly as expected. Every new version of the course becomes a chance to grow in confidence, courage, and flexible thinking.
With each round, students discover that challenges don’t have to be scary, they can be energising, creative, and joyful. By cheering each other on and laughing through the surprises, children learn that adaptability is a strength they carry with them, both on the playground and in life. Obstacle Switcheroo helps young astronauts understand that when the path changes, they can change with it, stepping forward bravely into whatever comes next, just like Pluto teaches us through its mysterious, shifting orbit.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Students recognise and name emotions that arise when obstacles suddenly change, surprise, confusion, excitement, or frustration.
- They learn to notice how their bodies feel during change and identify strategies to stay calm and flexible.
2. Personal Strengths
- Students identify personal strengths such as courage, persistence, problem-solving, and adaptability.
- They celebrate strengths observed in peers as they tackle shifting challenges.
3. Positive Coping
- Students practise managing unexpected changes in a safe environment.
- The activity provides repeated opportunities to stay calm, reset, and try again when things don’t go as planned.
- They experiment with coping strategies such as deep breaths, positive self-talk, or slowing down to think.
4. Problem-Solving
- As the course changes, students must quickly assess new instructions and determine the best way to move through each station.
- They learn to adapt their approach, modify movement, and apply flexible thinking under playful pressure.
- Students share what strategies helped them succeed, reinforcing metacognitive problem-solving skills.
5. Stress Management
- The unexpected changes and surprises help students practise staying composed during moments of uncertainty.
- Physical movement promotes stress release and regulation.
- Group reflection at each round encourages emotional grounding and awareness after a rush of activity.
6. Gender and Identity
- Inclusive physical play allows all students, regardless of background or physical confidence, to participate and succeed in their own way.
- Students explore identity through how they respond to change, bravery, calmness, creativity, and learn that everyone adapts differently.
7. Positive Relationships
- Students encourage one another through challenges, celebrating flexible thinking and team spirit.
- They develop cooperation and shared enjoyment through rotation-based play.
- Reflection discussions strengthen mutual respect and understanding of how peers handle change.
8. Help-Seeking
- Students learn that when confused or unsure about a new rule, they can ask the teacher or peers for guidance.
- Encourages students to communicate when they need clarity, reassurance, or support.
- Builds a classroom culture where adapting together is normal, and help-seeking is an act of confidence, not weakness.
Adapt & Appreciate
Adapt & Appreciate encourages students to look back on a moment when something unexpected turned into a happy surprise. Just like Pluto, small, different, and full of mysteries, this activity shows children that change can often lead to joy, excitement, or discovery. By thinking about times when a new plan, a surprise, or a sudden change brought fun instead of worry, students learn that adaptability isn’t just about coping. It’s also about noticing the good things that appear when life shifts in a different direction.
Through drawing and sharing, students explore the positive feelings that come from embracing the unexpected. They celebrate moments of joy, connection, or curiosity that might never have happened without a change in plans. Adapt & Appreciate helps young learners understand that surprises can be special gifts, and that staying open, flexible, and grateful, just like our playful friend Pluto, can turn any twist or turn into a beautiful memory worth holding onto.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Students identify and name emotions connected to change, surprise, and unexpected positive experiences.
- They reflect on how their feelings shifted, from uncertainty to enjoyment, and learn vocabulary to express this transition.
- They recognise that it is normal to feel mixed emotions when things change.
2. Personal Strengths
- Students explore strengths such as adaptability, open-mindedness, curiosity, and optimism.
- Through reflecting on real experiences, they identify the strengths they used to embrace a surprising moment.
- They learn that being flexible is a capability that grows with practice.
3. Positive Coping
- Students practise reframing unexpected changes as possible opportunities for fun or learning.
- They develop skills in noticing when emotions shift from negative to positive and understanding why.
- The activity reinforces coping strategies like slowing down, noticing the good, and sharing feelings with others.
4. Problem-Solving
- Students consider how they responded when something didn’t go as planned, and what choices helped them adapt.
- They learn that there are multiple positive ways to respond to change and that flexibility is part of solving real-life challenges.
- Discussion encourages students to evaluate the steps they took to turn a surprise into something enjoyable.
5. Stress Management
- By reflecting on previous unexpected situations that turned out well, students develop emotional resilience for future challenges.
- Drawing and storytelling support calm expression, reducing stress associated with unpredictable moments.
- They learn that looking back on positive outcomes can help ease anxiety around change.
6. Gender and Identity
- Students explore their unique responses to change and express them through creative work, validating that emotions and reactions vary from person to person.
- They gain confidence in sharing their authentic experiences without judgment.
- The open-ended nature of the reflection encourages all students to feel seen and valued.
7. Positive Relationships
- Sharing their drawings and stories helps students build connections through mutual understanding and celebration of each other’s experiences.
- They practise listening respectfully, showing curiosity, and acknowledging one another’s joyful surprises.
- This strengthens a classroom culture of appreciation and openness.
8. Help-Seeking
- Students discuss moments when change felt uncertain at first, building awareness that it’s okay to seek help during unfamiliar situations.
- They recognise the people who supported them through new or surprising experiences, friends, family, and teachers.
- Reinforces that asking for reassurance or guidance during a change is a positive coping strategy.
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