Outdoor Play with Paul and Susan: 5 Stories in 1 Book Guide

Start with the book you already have

Outdoor Play with Paul and Susan is an English-language intermediate reader that collects five Paul and Susan stories in one book: Baby Birds, Paul Gets Dressed, The Yellow Mittens, The Animals are Cold, and Totem Poles. Lesson plans are available for the collection.

You do not need a full outdoor curriculum to use it. The simplest routine is to choose one story, read it aloud outside, and then let children look for something in their surroundings that connects to the story. That keeps the reading central and the outdoor time purposeful.

What the collection actually contains

• Outdoor Play with Paul and Susan - 5 stories in 1 book: Five Paul and Susan stories in one book: Baby Birds, Paul Gets Dressed, The Yellow Mittens, The Animals are Cold, and Totem Poles. Five short stories give you five separate outdoor sessions without buying five different books.

  

• Outdoor Play with Paul and Susan - 5 stories in 1 book: English-language intermediate reader; lesson plans are available. Intermediate readers can handle the text themselves, and the lesson plans give you a ready starting point if you want more structure.

A five-step outdoor read-aloud routine

1. 1. Pick one story for the session: Choose a single title from the five so the outdoor focus stays clear. Baby Birds, The Animals are Cold, and Totem Poles lend themselves to noticing animals, weather, or outdoor structures; Paul Gets Dressed and The Yellow Mittens work well for talking about clothing and temperature.
2. 2. Preview the story before you go outside: Read the story once yourself so you know where to pause. The collection is an intermediate reader, so children may read some or all of it aloud themselves.
3. 3. Read aloud in the outdoor setting: Take the book outside and read the story in the place you want children to notice. Keep the reading short enough that attention stays on the text.
4. 4. Connect the story to what is around you: After reading, ask children to find one thing outside that reminds them of the story. For Baby Birds, that might be a nest or a bird; for The Animals are Cold, it might be wind, shade, or a warm spot.
5. 5. Close with a short return to the text: Back indoors or at the end of the session, ask one question that sends children back into the story: which part matched what they saw, and which part did not. This keeps the outdoor activity tied to reading rather than replacing it.

Where the lesson plans help, and where they stop

The supplied information confirms that lesson plans are available for this collection, but it does not describe their contents, grade level, or format. Treat that as a limit: you can plan on having a lesson-plan resource, but you cannot assume it includes outdoor activities, printable worksheets, or assessment rubrics.

If you want a structured outdoor unit, use the lesson plans as a starting point and add the outdoor step yourself. If you prefer a lighter approach, skip the plans and use the five-step routine above.

Choosing the right story for your outdoor setting

• Baby Birds: Best for a setting where children can observe birds, nests, or trees. Pair it with a quiet listening moment rather than a movement game.
• Paul Gets Dressed: Useful on a day when children need to notice clothing and temperature. Ask them to compare what they are wearing with what Paul wears.
• The Yellow Mittens: A natural fit for cold-weather outdoor time. Children can talk about what keeps their hands warm and why mittens matter.
• The Animals are Cold: Works well when children can feel wind, shade, or sun. Ask them to find a warm spot and a cold spot and explain the difference.
• Totem Poles: Best where children can see carved wood, stacked shapes, or outdoor structures. If no totem pole is nearby, use the story to talk about how outdoor objects tell a story.

A note on language and bilingual use

This collection is supplied as an English-language resource. If you are raising bilingual children or teaching French and English, you can still use it: read the English story aloud, then ask children to retell one scene in French or to name the outdoor objects they found in both languages. The supplied information does not confirm a French edition of this specific title, so treat the English text as the anchor and add the bilingual layer yourself.

Product facts for your planning

• Outdoor Play with Paul and Susan - 5 stories in 1 book: Title: Outdoor Play with Paul and Susan - 5 stories in 1 book. One physical book covers five separate outdoor sessions.
• Outdoor Play with Paul and Susan - 5 stories in 1 book: Stories included: Baby Birds, Paul Gets Dressed, The Yellow Mittens, The Animals are Cold, and Totem Poles. You can match each story to a season, a habitat, or a type of outdoor observation.
• Outdoor Play with Paul and Susan - 5 stories in 1 book: Intermediate reader; lesson plans available. The reading level supports independent reading, and the lesson plans give you an optional structure.