Description
About the story
Poor Duck does all the work on the farm while the lazy farmer lies in bed eating chocolates. Every day the farmer calls out “How goes the work?” and every day the tired duck answers “Quack!” But the cow, the sheep and the hens have had enough – and they have a plan. Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury’s classic is a gentle, funny story about fairness, friendship and working together.
What’s inside
- Farmer Duck Picture Book – included in Little, optional in Classic, Deluxe and Wooden Characters.
- Little: Duck and Farmer Hand Puppets – the two stars of the story.
- Classic: Duck and Farmer Hand Puppets plus Cow, Sheep & Hen Finger Puppets – the whole farmyard cast, great for small-group retelling.
- Deluxe: Duck, Farmer, Cow, Sheep & Hen Hand Puppets – five big, soft hand puppets, perfect for little hands and group retelling.
- Wooden Characters: Farm Man, Goose, Cow, Hen & Sheep – chunky painted wooden figures for small-world play, story retelling and sequencing.
Ways to play
- Read the story, then act it out – who will be the lazy farmer?
- Join in with the repeated lines: “How goes the work?” “Quack!”
- Act out Duck’s jobs – sweeping, ironing, collecting eggs – and mime them together.
- Talk about fairness: how do the animals help Duck? How do you help at home?
Learning through play (Aistear)
- Communicating – repetition, retelling, farm vocabulary and animal sounds.
- Exploring & Thinking – sequencing the story and solving problems with the animals.
- Well-being – hand strength and coordination with hand puppets; talking about feelings.
- Identity & Belonging – fairness, kindness and working as a team.
Good to know
- Best for ages 3–6. Supervise younger children.
- Bag: Fairtrade organic cotton – spot clean or cool gentle wash. Puppets: surface wash only. Wooden characters: wipe clean with a damp cloth.
- The StorySack bag is not a toy. Please supervise play and keep the drawstring bag away from babies and young children.
