February 19th: The Lion and the Mouse

 

This week we read The Lion and the Mouse, a popular Aesop fable rewritten by Bernadette Watts. This lesson was meant to teach the kids about stereotyping and the importance of kind deeds. This well-known Aesop fable was perfect in showing how even the smallest creatures can help the big and powerful leaders. I asked the kids if they've ever had to help their parents or older siblings with something. I gave an example of how sometimes, when I was little, I would have to reach behind or climb under things to get stuff for my parents because they were too big. Some of the kids told stories of when they had to help others and were able to because they were smaller.

I began the meeting by reading the book. After, we went over it and answered some discussion questions. We talked about how the lion was the selfish king of the jungle and laughed at the mouse's offer for help. But later on, he realized the mouse could in fact help him and freed him from the trap. After we had discussion time, I gave each kid a sheet of paper and asked them to draw their own interpretation of the story. They each drew their own lion and mouse in a different way and colored it. When everyone finished, we gathered into a circle and each kid showed their picture to everyone. It was great to see what each kid took away from the story through their picture.

 

The craft for the Lion and the Mouse was to make lion and mouse masks. We used paper plates to make the faces. I let each kid pick if they wanted to be a lion or a mouse and then they colored the faces using markers. For the mice, we cut the plates in half and used the top half for the little face and the bottom half to make two ears. For the lions, we cut slits around the edges to make a 3D mane. The kids really liked making their own masks and it was fun to help them. Even though they were the same animals, every mask was different! When we finished the craft, we all sat down and I told them they now had to use the masks to make a skit! They picked a partner, rehearsed for a couple minutes, and then perfomed the skit in front of everyone. I think they did a fantastic job of retelling the story for their friends.

 

 

 

After we watched the skits, I gave them each a pack of Animal Crackers which they were very excited about. I told them to see if they could find a lion and a mouse!



 

February 12th: Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books

Today, we read a book about Abraham Lincoln in honor of his birthday, celebrated on February 12th!This book, written by Kay Winters and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, was a great illustration of Abe's early childhood life and development into the president. We talked about how important he was as a president and what life was like for him as child. This book started out in 1809, with Lincoln's birth, and brought us to his life as an adult, during his presidency. The kids enjoyed learning about his childhood and how life was different for him in the backwoods of Kentucky.

After we read the book, I had discussion questions prepared that I asked the kids. Most of them were eager to answer why they thought Abraham Lincoln was such an importnat president. I quizzed them to see if they remembered what state he was born in, after a silent pause, I told them it started with a K. A little girl excitedly shouted Kansas! But I reread the page to them slowly to point out his log cabin in Kentucky.

Then, we had an activity where I had them think of some of Abe's traits and characteristics. One student quickly volunteered to draw stick figure Abe on the board and they took turns writing the traits they came up with: Strong, Creative, Brave, Sad, and many more!

Finally, we had a craft. The craft was to make log cabin houses using small milk cartons, chocolate frosting and pretzels. Although it was quite a mess, they all enjoyed making Abraham Lincoln's log cabin out of snacks and eating it at the end!

February 5th: The Giving Tree

 

This week was our first Bookmunchers meeting of the year! 13 kids signed up ranging from grades   1-3. I introduced myself and the activity and they were all very excited to read our first book. I read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to them and we had some discussion time. They were very responsive and gave great answers to all the questions. Then, I handed out worksheets and explained the instructions. They wrote down three people that were giving to them and also wrote ways they could be giving to other people such as their parents, siblings, friends, and pets.

    

 

After they had finished their worksheets, we began the craft. The craft was to make a tree out of brown and green construction paper. I helped the kids trace their arms for the trunks and trace their hands for the leaves. Then, I gave each of them a few apple stickers to stick on their trees.

 

Overall, it was a great meeting. The only things I need to work on are making sure I have all the materials for 14 kids and making sure I stay in charge and don't let them get too excited or distracted. Next Tuesday, we will read our book on Abraham Lincoln.

Welcome to the Bookmunchers!

 

 The Bookmunchers is an after school activity that meets every Tuesday at Westlake Academy. Each week, we will read a book, discuss it, play games, do activities, and a craft centered on the book. I will be posting a blog entry each week explaining what we did and posting photos. The After School Activity Schedule is as follows:

February 5th

February 12th

February 19th

February 26th

 

March 5th

March 19th

March 26th

 

April 2nd

April 9th

April 16th

April 23rd