October Virtual Book Club

This week's fun was inspired by the wonderful book Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.  This post is part of The Virtual Book Club for Kids.

This summer, I participated in a Summer Book Exchange Program with Kim from The Educators' Spin On It.  I sent her family the book Spoon and created the activities for them to enjoy.   You can see the fun they had with it here.  I was very excited to introduce this book and the activities I planned to my own little Mommy and Me Group last week!  

Gathering Activity: Musical Pots and Pans
(This activity develops hand eye coordination, imaginative play, and cooperation skills). 

We had our loudest gathering time ever this week!  The children had a wonderful time creating their own band with utensils, pots, and pans.  (Although more than one mommy commented on how LOUD the activity was).  




Circle Time
 (During circle time we practice listening skills, social skills, language development, and early literacy skills).

We read the story Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.  It is a delightful picture book with a moral.  The story is of a spoon who is feeling a tad jealous when he compares his life with the seemingly more exciting lives of his friends, the fork, chopsticks, and knife.  His mother kindly listens to him and validates his feelings about the talents of his friends, but at the same time encourages him to see himself the way they might see him.  Equally as endearing as the sweet life lesson and happy illustrations, are the cute puns.  My favorite is when Spoon and his family "spoon" together all snuggled up at bedtime. 
 
We taught the children the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle," because it is mentioned in the book. 

Art Time: Spoon Puppets
(This activity develops fine motor skills, creates connections with literature, and promotes aesthetic creativity). 

Supplies Needed: large spoon, felt, glue, googly eyes, yarn, ribbons, fabric scraps, markers

Directions: We gave each child and mom their own spoon and materials to create a puppet which we used after snack in a puppet show.

SNACK-Applesauce with Chocolate Covered SPOONS
 (Snack time even provides learning time.  Children practice self-help skills, hand eye coordination, and social skills). 

We gave each of the children their own applesauce cup and one of these adorable chocolate covered spoons.  We were inspired by these we found here at JellyfishJelly.   You can click through to get complete directions to make your own! 

Games
 
1-Pom Pom Pick Up 

We provided each child with chopsticks and spoons.  The chopsticks were rubber-banded together to make them easier for our little ones to use successfully.  We gave each child a bowl of pom poms and an empty bowl.  The children used the chopsticks (or spoon if they chose) and moved the pom poms into the empty bowl.  We placed the empty bowl on the right hand side, to let them practice transferring them from left to right.  (Tracking left to right is an important early reading skill.  And this activity provided fine motor and self-help skills practice).

2-Puppet Show
(Social skills, literacy skills, language development)

 The children had a wonderful time outside creating their own puppet show in this fantastic theater a mom brought to share!  Puppet shows are so much fun for little ones!  They didn't want to stop!  And to be honest, I wasn't quite ready to stop listening to their fun imaginative play when it was time to go home.  

Did you have fun with one of Amy Krouse Rosenthal's books this month?  Please join our Virtual Book Club for Kids and link up your activities below and join these other fabulous bloggers!

Toddler Approved - Rainy Day Mum - Adventures in Reading with Kids - 3 Dinosaurs - Royal Baloo - The Educators' Spin On It - Inspiration Laboratories - Pleasantest Thing - Edventures with Kids - Two Big Two Little - Playing With Words 365 - Kitchen Counter Chronicles - Outlaw Mom - Mommy and Me Book Club - Crafty Moms Share - No Twiddle Twaddle - The Good Long Road - Ready. Set. Read 2 Me - Reading Confetti - Mama Smiles - Juggling with Kids- Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas - Creekside Learning - Creative Family Fun - The Usual Mayhem - Teach Preschool - PlayDrMom - CraftoArt - Here Come the Girls - Being a Conscious Parent - Smiling like Sunshine - Crayon Freckles - Train Up a Child - Smile Play Learn

 

September Virtual Book Club For Kids

Rrralph  by Lois Ehlert

 

This month our featured author for the August Virtual Book Club for Kids is Lois Ehlert.  She has written and illustrated so many fabulous books that it was hard to choose just one.  That is, until I read Rrralph to my children this summer.  They thought it was Laugh Out Loud Funny. 


Gathering Activity: Doggie Ears

Materials Needed: Long strips of white construction paper large enough to wrap around a child's head.  Two Black Doggie Ears.  We cut ours to have jagged edges like those in the story.  Stapler 

1-Allow the child to color the ears and white paper.  

2-Staple the headband to fit the child's head.  Then Staple the ears to either side of the headband. (This is an adult step, but the children love to help use the stapler)! 

Circle Time:

I read Rrralph by Lois Ehlert to the children.  It is a clever book with clever artwork.  On each page, the dog's owner asks a question and the dog responds in ways that seem like he is speaking.  He tells his owner his name is "Rrralph" and he is standing on the "Roof, Roof" and the ground feels "Rough, Rough" on his paws.  The three year olds thought it was a very funny book...and so did their Mommies, as we groaned together at the old puns.  Ehlert uses recycled materials in this book to create her illustrations.  The result is bold and amazing.


Ralph (to the tune of Bingo)
There was a farmer had a dog and Ralph was his name-o.
R-A-L-P-H, R-A-L-P-H, R-A-L-P-H and Ralph was his name. 
(We sang the song, replacing one letter each time, with a bark).

Art Activity: Dog Art Collage
 

Materials Needed
*Using the image from the cover of the book, draw an outline of the dog on a ¼ sheet of posterboard (needs to be heavy paper) with a black sharpie. 

*Collage materials:  soda pop tabs, fabric, various printed papers, buttons, recycled  odds and ends, foam shapes, etc...
 

*Glue

Provide the children with various collage materials to fill in the outline to create their own dogs. Let them name their dogs and write the name of the dog on top.

I ADORE how these turned out.  The children were able to do these with very little guidance needed.    

 
Snack:  Puppy Cookie

Ingredients Needed Per Child: One Nutter Butter, One Vanilla Wafer, One large round Sugar Cookie, Brown frosting, kid-friendly plastic knife, 3 M and Ms Candy pieces

1-Allow each child to frost the large cookie. 

2-Open the Nutter Butter.  Place one piece on each side of the large cookie to create ears.
3-Place the Nilla Wafer in the center of the face.
4-Add eyes and a nose. 

The children loved making and eating these!

Games

In order to play our two games, we needed our own doghouse! 

This one was created by cutting arched doors in the two opposite sides of a large box.  Then it was wrapped with newspaper and covered with paw prints.  One of the talented moms who comes to our Mommy and Me Book Club made this.  Don't you love it?!?!?

1-Doggie Doggie Where’s Your Bone?

Each child took a turn hiding inside the box with the bone.  Another friend came and took the bone and hid it.  We all sang "Doggie, Doggie Where's Your Bone?  Somebody took it from your home.  Guess Who?"  Then the Doggie came out and tried to guess which friend had the bone.  We let them guess until they found the right person.  We did not limit their guesses. 

 2-Musical Dog House-

This was played a little bit like musical chairs. We played doggie themed music as the children crawled on the floor like puppy dogs in a circle each taking turns to crawl through the dog house.  When the music stopped, the person in the dog house stayed inside and made one of the sounds Ralph makes in the book.   

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Here are the other participants in this month's Virtual Book Club.  Please check out their great ideas, too! Can you believe how big this has gotten?  So happy to have so many other bloggers who love reading as much as we do!

Toddler Approved - Rainy Day Mum - Adventures in Reading with Kids - 3 Dinosaurs - Royal Baloo - The Educators' Spin On It - Inspiration Laboratories - Pleasantest Thing - Edventures with Kids - Two Big Two Little - Playing With Words 365 - Kitchen Counter Chronicles - Outlaw Mom - Mommy and Me Book Club - Crafty Moms Share - No Twiddle Twaddle - The Good Long Road - Ready. Set. Read 2 Me - Reading Confetti - Mama Smiles - Juggling with Kids- Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas - Creekside Learning - Creative Family Fun - The Usual Mayhem - Teach Preschool - PlayDrMom - CraftoArt - Here Come the Girls - Being a Conscious Parent - Smiling like Sunshine - Crayon Freckles - Train Up a Child

I am so excited to see what fun book inspired activities YOU did with your children, based on Lois Ehlert's books!  Please link up your posts below!

 

 There are a few rules for this blog hop that we ask you to follow, so make sure to read them:

1. Link up only posts inspired by Lois Elhert that share children's book inspired crafts, activities, recipes, etc. Any other posts will be deleted.
2. Visit other blog posts on the linky and comment on or share the ones you love!
3. Add our Virtual Book Club button to your post if you'd like.