April 2nd: Mickey and the Magic Cloak

 

This week, we read our Disney book. From Walt Disney Productions, Mickey and the Magic Cloak is one of Mickey's earliest adventures. I had this book at my house and since my younger sister Therese liked it, I thought it would be good for the group. Before we read, I asked the kids if they knew when it was written. I gave them a hint: "It was written when your parents were probably around your age". One of the younger girls guessed 1850. Well, it wasn't quite that early but this Disney tale, published in 1975, is one of Mickey's first adventures.

After we read, we talked about Mickey's journey, the magic cloak, and the Old Woman of the Woods. I asked them what characteristic Mickey had that gave him the courage to save Minnie from the Wizard Malgar. After telling them it started with a B, they all guessed BRAVE! I asked them if they had ever been on special mission and had to show bravery.

After our discussion, I passed out activity sheets that I had made. I asked them to draw on the page one place they would go if they had Mickey's Magic Cloak. Then, I asked all of them to sit on the floor in a circle with me and share what they had drawn.

These are some of the pictures and places the kids would go if they had Mickey's Magic Cloak :)


When we got together to talk about everyone's picture, I told them we'd be doing it a little bit differently than our normal sharing. This week, I had brought a "magic" cloak and they would each have the opportunity to wear it! I called it the Pink Cloak game. They were all very excited about my shiny pink cloak, even the boys. Similar to Mickey, they each got to pretend they were going on their own adventure. I told each kid as they were in the middle of the circle to put the cloak on, close their eyes, and say out loud the place they had drawn on their paper. They all had fun wearing the magic cloak and imagining going to those special places.

 

 

After everyone had the chance to wear the pink cloak, we had our snack. Disney-based fruit snacks! My mom couldn't find any with Mickey Mouse so we had Toy Story fruit chews instead. We talked about how Disney has changed since 1975, when Mickey and the Magic Cloak was written. I asked them what their favorite new Disney movie was. Some of their new favorites are Brave, The Croods, and Wreck-it Ralph.