Let's start at the very beginning
Providing fun wellbeing tools for early years 3 to 7 year olds
Start at the beginning means from birth. What children learn in the first few years of life can have long-lasting effect on their overall health and wellbeing. Start means to begin doing something; Beginning means the first part of something.
The Wellbeing Team are volunteers, helping to create fun books and #KnitWellbeing knitted toys and continue to share the wellbeing message to children and the whole family.
BIG CAL has travelled to more places in Scotland than most of the Wellbeing Team! Fraserburgh, Inverbervie, Edinburgh, Irvien, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Isle of Barra, Isle of Benbecula, and Dumbarton. BIG CAL started travelling in October 2023, and BIG CAL Junior joined the Wellbeing Journey in June 2024.
With BIG CAL and BIG CAL Junior now journeying around Scotland, we are delighted to report that they can stay with you for longer!
The only cost to hire BIG CAL is the arrival travel, which naturally depends on where BIG CAL is coming from. To date the full cost of postage and preparation has been around £8 with the Royal Mail.
If you're interested, please click the link below and complete the Agreement Form. We can then review available dates.
*BIG CAL is an addition to the Wellbeing Toolkit. Visit the book area below to review and purchase books.
Or you can now purchase the Wellbeing Books on ebay and receive a FREE Activity Book with each Wellbeing Book.
- CAL, the Wellbeing Game + FREE copy of the Wellbeing Activity Journal https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146273361562
- BUTTER, My First Journey + FREE copy of the Rights Activity Journal https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146273422914
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#KnitWellbeing 2021 celebrated Wellbeing with CAL, the Wellbeing Octopus
#KnitWellbeing 2022 celebrated Children's Rights with BUTTER, the multi-coloured rights caterpillar
#KnitWellbeing 2023 celebrated Human Rights with BRAVE BUTTERFLY
#KnitWellbeing 2024 celebrated BIG CAL's adventures across Scotland
#KnitWellbeing 2025 collaborates to share the Wellbeing Tools with everyone, everywhere!
Story Time!
BIG CAL Junior's March 2025 adventure in North Berwick:
"The children at Caz’s Kiddies in the Country are very enthusiastic when it comes to learning about and understanding wellbeing...The children were so excited to welcome BIG CAL to our setting. We drew pictures, made a welcome sign and spoke lots and lots about BIG CAL. The children loved chatting to one another and having really in-depth conversations, answering all the challenging questions in the activity pack. BIG CAL JUNIOR joined us for snack, came to the park with us, sat at story time with us, helped a child who had fallen and even helped to raise money for red nose day by holding the money tin at our bake sale. We found the children were very connected to one another and used wellbeing terms and recognised each other’s actions in relation to wellbeing. They would praise one another and often mentioned how proud they knew BIG CAL would be of them for being kind to one another at welcoming each other into games and activities. What a fantastic, hands-on tool to have available to settings across Scotland. The end of BIG CAL’s stay saw the children presented with certificates of achievement from BIG CAL. The experience went better than we expected and it is something the children will talk about for a long time to come!"
"What has eight legs and wellbeing at its heart? The Calamari SHANARRI octopus, otherwise known as CAL, is used to help people learn about wellbeing." GTCS, Teaching Scotland, Wellbeing Tools, November Issue 2020
"It's great that your resources are available now, with such a need to focus on wellbeing. Good for teachers to have something to help." Sue Palmer, https://www.upstart.scot/
"The book (BUTTER) is lovely and feels gentle and kind. I was smiling when I was reading it and your mission to make the costs minimal hasn't resulted in a reduction in quality. Congratulations. It's great to see the UNCRC articulated so well." Cathy McCulloch, Co-Director, Children's Parliament
My Wellbeing Game
A colourful book to accompany the Wellbeing Game Journal as CAL works through the fun, active Wellbeing Activities to achieve the Wellbeing Award Certificate. Ideal for 3 to 6 year olds. 30 pages; 210mm x 210mm. RRP: £4.99
Introduction to CAL
This is a great way to introduce the 8 areas of wellbeing. The book is full of colourful pictures, poems and quotes. (currently out of stock)
My Wellbeing Journal
Includes eight fun activities, clearly explained with space for notes, drawings, pictures and photographs. The Wellbeing Award Certificate can be separated and framed! RRP: £1
BUTTER, My First Journey
BUTTER spends time learning about life by taking a journey through nature and meeting others who share their wisdom. The book is filled with colourful rainbow speech bubbles and hand painted pictures, easy to copy!
34 pages; 210mm x 210mm; Gloss 150gsm cover; 115gsm silk; RRP: £4.99
Rights Activity Journal
The Journal is packed full of fun activities to help children learn about the fundamental children's rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled from the day they are born. RRP: £1
"We met BUTTER, the multi-coloured children’s rights caterpillar who spends time learning about life by taking a journey through nature and meeting others who share their wisdom." @LeafyTrailsFS, June 2021
My Next Journey
As BUTTER enters the world of adulthood as a butterfly, BRAVE BUTTERFLY organises an event for everyone to help each other learn about 'Human Rights,' using fun characters, including Cheeky Chipmunk, Gentle Giraffe, and Calm Koala. The book includes a variety of rhymes, games and poems.
22 pages; 210mm x 210mm; Gloss 150gsm cover, 115gsm silk; RRP: £4.99
Click here to 'LOOK INSIDE'
8 Wellbeing Cards (pdf)
A great sing-along wellbeing song!
#KnitWellbeing: Volunteers knitting CAL, BUTTER & BRAVE BUTTERFLY
Since 2021, knitters from all over the UK, and abroad, have joined the #KnitWellbeing campaign to provide fun wellbeing toys , free with any Book order. We are always looking for #Knitwellbeing volunteers, and especially now as we aim to create at least another two BIG CALs! We simply need some crocheters to create crochet squares and knitters to create scarfs for the arms. If you're interested to create any of the Wellbeing Toys to help young children learn about wellbeing and rights, please contact hello@startatthebeginning.co.uk for FREE knitting patterns.
Work With us to support Wellbeing
The aim of the Wellbeing Books is to provide a fun way for young children to learn about wellbeing, staying fit and healthy. CAL uses the 8 wellbeing words creatively: Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Responsible, Respected and Included. Children can take part in various activities set out in the book, and then be rewarded with an official Wellbeing Award Certificate. A knitted or drawn CAL provides an exciting addition to the learning process.
BUTTER provides a friendly learning tool to help children learn about the fundamental rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. As stated in both Human Rights and Children's Rights, these rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible, and are based on shared values like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and independence.
Why use a caterpillar?
- We all start life as an egg
- Caterpillars vary hugely in shape, size and colour
- Caterpillars live in many places around the world
- Every caterpillar (a child) has a different life experience to a butterfly (an adult); and
- Caterpillar and Octopus toys are easy to knit! #KnitWellbeing
BRAVE BUTTERFLY, the Human Rights Butterfly, is accompanied by 12 friends to create fun games and activities, including poems and rhymes, to help children learn about Human Rights.
Start at the Beginning
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Share your fun wellbeing games, pictures and songs with us and please, keep in touch.
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