This is a place to find fun projects to do with your kids that relate to our books. They are things that you can do with recycled boxes and felt, no need to run to the store to buy materials.
All of the projects on this page are completely about the kids playing and keeping them being creative. Nothing “looks” beautiful nor are they projects that are art directed by an adult, they are raw fun, making messes and making imaginary places that they direct.
3 hour activity
Create a play: Get a long piece of butcher paper and roll it out for a group of 4 kids, the butcher paper gives them lots of room to explore and draw. Ask them to create an imaginary world that they want to live in by first brainstorming. Ask them to include transportation, food, and characters. Once they have drawn this place ask them to write a play about it. Each child should take a turn writing a line so everyone can determine the outcome rather than just one child. Ask them to include character development and a plot with a beginning, middle and end. Once they complete the story, turn the story into a play by transcribing it. Keep in mind depending on the ages of the kids, it can be a very short play but fun none the less. Once they have transcribed the story into the play give them cardboard, chalk, scissors, and string to create the set. Finally practice the play a couple of times and put on a performance for the parents!
supplies: butcher paper, crayons, markers, chalk, cardboard, old table cloths (for curtains), and A LOT OF IMAGINATION!
3 hour activity
Create a city: Using lots of old cardboard boxes find a place in the house or yard where kids can make a complete mess with cardboard. Ask them to brain storm different forms of transportation. My group came up with horses, trains, airplanes, and boats. Ask them to all tackle one and make it out of cardboard. During the making they will likely get lost in their own world and start playing, which is ultimately always my goal. From the playing they made an ocean adventure and literally entertained themselves for several hours. As they come up with more good ideas from playing help them continue to build out the set around them. For example once we made the boat, we needed waves, and sharks. After making the train we needed luggage and storage, all made from cardboard too.
supplies: lots of cardboard, sidewalk chalk, markers, skewers (for holding up props), and LOTS OF IMAGINATION!
2 hour activity
Create play food: After talking about food on our food sheet, I asked the kids to then think about food they wanted to make from felt. I always have a large bag of felt scraps so what better way to use them than to make something out of them? The activity takes a couple of hours and a hot glue gun but is loads of fun and can turn into a pretend party for the kids. Ask the kids the yell out foods they like and list them on a board or sheet of paper. Then assign one item to each kid to create and once they are done with one food item they can move onto the next one on the list until the menu is complete. You know you have succeeded when they keep making more foods and embellishing them with ketchup and garnishes. Once they start they are hard to stop!
