Tag Archives: book

The Ultimate Staycation

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Why experience all the fuss and muss of travel when you can have just as much fun at home? And with our super-cozy snail house, you’ll be residing in style and comfort!

We read How to Staycation Like a Snail, written by Naseem Hrab, and illustrated by Kelly Collier (Owlkids, 2024). All of Snail’s friends like to travel, but Snail prefers to have fantastic epic adventures at home. Luckily, his friend Stump agrees and the two embark on the staycation to end all staycations. It gets even more fun when a few new friends drop in (literally)!

You’ll need:

  • 1 small box (we used a 4″ x 4″ x 4″ craft box, but a small tissue box works too)
  • Tag board or poster board
  • A house frames template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ card stock
  • Scissors, tape and glue for construction
  • Construction paper and markers for decorating

We’ve made these box snails before (check out our awesome snail race!) and this modified version isn’t too different. Cut a neck out of tag board or poster board, fold one end to create the head, and then add a pair of eye stalks. Attach everything to a small box. The spiral snail shell is also made of poster board. And it’s the door…to your house!

Swing the shell outward, and the cozy interior of your home is revealed. Use construction paper and markers to decorate the interior and put up some artwork. We went for extra cozy with patterned paper, felt carpets, fabric leaf throw rugs, and an easy chair made out of a paper water cup. There’s even a little book to read!

If you’d like to see some of our other tiny house projects, check out this multilingual dollhouse, this dog bone cottage, and this super charming pit.

Read Me Like a Book

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Perhaps our simplest project yet, this little table card codex doubles as an immediate ice breaker at any party, gala, program, or reception! Just pop it by your place setting, and let the other guests read your (abbreviated) autobiography!

You’ll need:

  • 1 extra large binder clip (ours was 3″)
  • 1 Read Me Like a Book template printed on 8.5 x 11 card stock
  • Pen

We’ll begin with the little book! You can simply cut and fold a page directly from the template, or you can add a poster board book cover, as I did in the example project. To create the book holder, flip the two silvers handles of the binder clip upwards. Stand the clip on its base, then pull the handles until they lean backwards at an angle, like so:

Place the book on top of the base, leaning the spine back on the silver handles. Done!

Hint: if you’re displaying these at an outdoor party with steady breezes, we highly recommend securing the book to the handles with a piece of tape.

Pop’s Top 5: Gross Giggles

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cockroach pizza boxLet’s face facts: most kids (and even some adults!) find gross things funny. They like fart jokes, quips about underwear, burps, bugs, and just saying the word “poop” can send the conversation into a 15 minute spiral. Well, kids…this post is for you. We did a round up of story time projects that involve a wee bit of gross humor. May it bring you giggles and joy!

#1 ULTRA-BRIGHT UNDIES

illuminating underwear

It took a over decade and 450 story times, but we finally offered an underpants story hour, complete with a customized string light project. Inspired by the magnificent book Creepy Pair of Underwear! Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown, the team who also brought us super creepy carrot fun.

#2 WHALE-SIZED POOPER SCOOPER

While this book, I Won a What?, was ultimately about taking care of a pet whale, if you watch the video in the post, you’ll see that whale care includes taking them on walk, bathing them, and yes…scooping up pom pom poop.

#3 ROACH RACER

cockroach pizza box

A pizza box, magnets, drinking straws, and rubber roaches were the winning combination at To Be Continued, our chapter book story time for kids ages 6-8. We read the most excellent Measle and the Wrathmonk, one of my son’s favorites books back in the day!

#4 MAMMOTH UNDIES

mammoth haircut

Returning once again to underpants, we have the truly hilarious book Hot Hot Hot in which woolly mammoths Oscar and Arabella try to beat the heat. The craft project was a decorative underwear reveal on a slightly alarmed mammoth.

#5 SKUNK SPRAY

back of skunk

The skunk is perhaps the most infamous creature in the animal world, with a startle reflex that just keeps giving. We read Please Don’t Upset P.U. Zorilla and then story time officers made deputy skunks with the unique capacity to spray plastic bags. And yes, we do have a training video.

HONORABLE MENTION: MEDIEVAL MUCKRAKERS

best event sign ever

While not technically a story time project, we couldn’t end this post without including our grossest, most popular event sign to date. It completely stole the show at a 2012 Robin Hood event. Click here to read about yuck-worthy Medieval jobs, and if you need some help unseeing it, please enjoy this complimentary copy of Medieval Vogue, which was also featured at the event.