This giraffe craft is an engaging extension to Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees, a beautifully illustrated rhyming tale about a giraffe named Gerald. Gerald is clumsy with spindly legs and crooked knees. At the Jungle Dance,…

This writing prompt, which is included in our Transportation Math and Literacy packet, is a wonderful extension to the vibrant, action-packed story If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen. A young boy named Jack verbally designs his ultimate…

Spring is here and what better way to welcome the season than with kites? This colorful kite day craft is a delightful extension activity to the book Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand. Bear looked at…

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, is one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. This charming tale of a tiny and very hungry caterpillar who eats a large quantity of food and then changes into a beautiful…

“I’m the Cat in the Hat, and we’re off to have fun. We’ll visit the planets, the stars, and the sun!” These are the captivating first words of the book There’s No Place Like Space!. Written by Tish Rabe and…

As a parent and a teacher, it’s always been fun and important for me to introduce ALL of my children to what I loved and adored, and learned from when I was young. So every holiday season, I bring out…

Let’s make some truly magnificent broomsticks! This extension activity for the delightful book Room on the Broom is all kinds of fun. Paired with the story, this craft helps children to practice rhyming (phonemic awareness), rhythm and repetition, pro-social behavior,…

The children’s book The Carrot Seed is a simple classic that teaches perseverance, and the method of planting a seed and helping it grow. This delightful story, which was first published in 1945, has never been out of print. The…

My first year of teaching I discovered a wonderful book, Owl Babies, written by Martin Waddell, and beautifully illustrated by Patrick Benson. Three baby owls awake one night to find their mother missing. “Where’s mommy?” they wonder. Exactly where mommy…

This Charlie Rooster shape craft is a fabulous extension to the story Friends written and illustrated by Helme Heine. Together, these activities teach pro-social behavior, shape knowledge, and color recognition. As children grow, they become increasingly interested in establishing friendships….