There is nothing our daughter likes more than acting out stories. Reenactments are a great way for young kids (big kids, too) to integrate the story into their own lives. Playing with stories lets them experiment, consolidate and create. For elementary-school-aged children, acting out the story can be a more much effective comprehension check than questions and answers.
Props and costumes are not necessary. But they are fun. And hands-on creation of story characters or props is another useful way for kids to integrate a story into their lives.
Read Rikki-Tikki-Tavi lately? If so, here's how to make your own mongoose!
What You'll Need:
1 egg carton (the cardboard, papery kind, not styrofoam)
1 popsicle stick
1 brown pipe cleaner, the fuzzier the better
1 red marker
1 black or brown marker
scissors
glue -- hot glue works best.
craft knife (optional)
Instructions:
1. Cut apart the egg carton. Reserve the little fluted part in the middle--this will become the pointed nose.
2. Draw a black or brown circle on the point of the nose.
3. Draw eyes on the head--use red marker if you want eyes of flame like Rikki-tikki-tavi's.
4. Glue the nose onto the head to give your mongoose a long snout. We found that hot glue was the quickest and least messy way.
5. Cut out ears from scrap pieces of egg carton. Glue these onto the head.
6. Glue the popsicle stick to the head. Then take the pipe cleaner and wrap it around the stick.
7. Wrap and wrap, but be sure to leave a big bushy tale at the end.
Voilà! Your mongoose is ready to battle a cobra, or at least watch over you while you sleep.