March
is National Reading Month. Why not celebrate the joy of children's literature
with a kids' storybook craft party? I learned as a special education Montessori
teacher/homeschool mom to make lesson plans hands-on. So my craft parties
include an interactive story and snack. One of my husband's favorite children's
literature characters is Harry the Dog, created by Gene Zion and drawn by
Margaret Bloy Graham. Harry the Dirty Dog won the Caldecott Award for
children's literature illustrations. Here are free printable lesson plans, book
crafts and recipes for a Harry the Dirty Dog party. Most of the activities come
from the book No Roses for Harry.
Read
Harry the Dirty Dog and No Roses for Harry. Stop at different points in the
stories and have children predict what will happen next. Make flip books by
cutting plain paper in quarters and staple together. Let children illustrate
the books and tell the story using flip books. Use these free printable Harry
the Dirty Dog lesson plans. Make a
booklet of free printable Harry the Dirty Dog activities.Use these free printable Harry the Dirty Dog coloring
pages for kids to color while you read stories. Here are some free
printable children's literature coloring pages from No Roses for Harry.
Make
a yarn bush book crafts for the birds based on No Roses for Harry. Have kids
gather up recycled bits of string and yarn. Place them in trees and bushes for
the birds to use in nest building. Look for your yarn in bird's nests. My
mother made a yarn tree and said she knows the birds are using it because the
yarn is disappearing. You might get a bird guide and ID the birds you see in
the yard. Teach kids to braid yarn or strips of scrap fabric. Twist braided
yarn into a flat coil and sew together in several places. Make into pot holders
or mug rugs for book crafts.
For
Harry the Dirty Dog snacks, make scrubbing brush cookies. Use spray decorator
frosting to make brush bristles on Nutter Butter peanut butter sandwich
cookies. For No Roses for Harry, make Polish "roses." Spread cream
cheese on a scallion. Wrap a slice of ham around it. Make No Roses for Harry
rose pinwheel cookies. Roll sugar cookie dough into "snakes" then
roll in red sprinkles. Wind into a pinwheel and bake. Or make flower cookies.
Roll sugar cookie dough in little balls. Arrange four in a square. Bake and
frost. Decorate with candy sprinkles and an M&M in the center. Here are
value-added children's literature book crafts plus snacks!
Enjoy
Harry the Dirty Dog drinks--chocolate milk and white milk--while making your
book crafts. Read the rest of the Harry the Dirty Dog children's literature
series including Harry and the Lady Next Door and Harry By the Sea.
