{Virtual Book Club For Kids} David McPhail: Learning To Storytell

Independence Building Boredom Busters

In our house there are a few “bad” words that the kids are absolutely and completely forbidden to say, like “I hate,” “I can’t,” and “I’m bored.” But that doesn’t mean they don’t ever say say it - in other creative ways - or feel that way when we don’t have scheduled activities. How do […]

{Review} Amazon Prime Now

The joke around here is that our house could double as a shipping facility with all the packages continuously coming in and going out. But after heading back to work full-time, the freedom to shop in person just isn’t a luxury I enjoy anymore, so I am completely unapologetic about my dependency on online shopping and […]

Glue Resist Batik T-Shirts

If you thought DIY Batik Shirts were difficult to make - like I did before we tried this new activity - you are so wrong! Making Glue Resist Batik T-Shirts is actually super easy, super fun, and super cheap, especially if you already have glue and painting supplies handy. This is the perfect weekend activity you can […]

DIY Memory Box Display

We just returned from one of our summer vacations and oh how much we will miss the good times together. To capture our memories, one of the things we do is a bedtime ritual called, “Review the Holiday,” where we recount the highlights of our vacation. A hands-on way to cement our happy memories is with […]

Easy Homemade Play Town

Glitter, upcycling, and independent play: these are a few of my favorite things. When we received a box brimming with Glitter Glue, Painters Markers, School Glue and Glue Sticks from Elmer’s last weekend, I knew EXACTLY what we would do - get our craft on and create a homemade play town with items straight from […]

Top Ten Tips For Disneyland With Preschoolers

After our maiden voyage to Disneyland was such a magical success, we can’t wait to visit again. Short and sweet, here are our Top Ten Tips for Disneyland With Preschoolers. Don’t forget to check out our detailed post on Planning for Disneyland with Preschoolers, with tips on when to visit the park, what attractions not to […]

Planning for Disneyland with Preschoolers

Disneyland is truly the happiest place on Earth. I hadn’t visited the park since 1987, so I was excited to take the kids (4 and 5 years old) on their maiden voyage, but I had no idea how absolutely magical the experience would be. Watching the children’s hearts nearly explode with joy was the best part […]

Easy Kitchen Math: Counting By Tens

Keeping the kids occupied (meaning, not putting them in front of the TV and making sure they’re safe and not killing one another) while we prep dinner is sometimes challenging for us. A fun way to turn what can be a difficult time into an opportunity for learning is this simple Counting by Tens math […]

February 8, 2013 in All Posts, First Grade, First Grade Literacy, Kindergarten, Kindergarten Literacy, Preschool, Preschool Literacy, Toddler Activities, Toddler Literacy

Welcome to January’s Virtual Book Club For Kids blog hop!

This month we are featuring book reviews, activities, crafts, and recipes inspired by the works of children’s author and illustrator David McPhail. (All book links, including images, are Amazon Affiliate links).

If you’re a quick one, you’ll notice that - um - it’s no longer January. Life just got in the way of blogging, which tends to happen sometimes. Forgive me!

For Book Club, we chose Sylvie & True, which the kids went simply nutso for.

Sylvie & True is a group of short stories about two best friends (a rabbit and a giant water snake) living together in a city apartment, and the little daily life interactions and adventures they experience. The illustrations and story lines are comforting because they are familiar, but they’re even more entertaining because the main characters are an unexpected - and lovable - animal pair.

My review: I love that this was a short collection of stories, which was refreshing to read and listen to. It’s great for little ones’ short attention spans. Another benefit of this format is that it’s getting my children ready for chapter books and they’re becoming familiar with storybuilding and character development. Sylvie and True, the main characters, are so effective in illustrating friendship and family because they appear to truly love and support one another.

The children’s review: The kids - again, my 2.75 year old in particular - couldn’t get enough of these short stories. He is completely captivated by True, the giant water snake, and both the kids and I have acted out different scenes from the book, pretending we’re either Sylvie or True.

I don’t have a companion activity to the book this month, but something we’ve been doing to extend the learning is coming up with our own short story versions of the characters’ adventures. For instance, instead of going bowling, we’ll tell a story about going to the grocery store or the park. For more ideas on storytelling, check out our post on KidsActivitiesBlog.com about Starting a Storytelling Tradition.

For some other book extension ideas, check out the linky below, and here are some of my favorites from this month:

Egg Carton Pigs by Reading Confetti for the book Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!
Messy Car Wash by Train Up A Child for the book Pig Pig Gets a Job
Anonymous Joy Bombing by Play Dr Mom for the book Mole Music
Fun With Fixing by Teach Preschool for the book Fix-It

Did you read any books by David McPhail this month and come up with your own craft, activity, or recipe inspired by one of her books? Please link up your post here!

LEARN! Literacy

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Chrissy – who has written 426 posts on The Outlaw Mom® Blog - Creative Living in a Conventional World.