Tag Archives: friends

Ghost-y with the Most-y

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Share a soft ghostly glow with a spirited little friend! This was a very simple project and activity, but a total story time favorite! And just LOOK at this vibrant book cover!

We read Gustavo the Shy Ghost, by Flavia Z. Drago (Candlewick, 2020 and read here by The Teacher’s Library). Gustavo is a very shy ghost, but he wants friends more then anything! The problem is, no one ever seemed to see him. So Gustavo sends an invitation to a violin concert in the cemetery. No one shows. Gustavo decides to play anyway and gets so caught up glowing and creating his beautiful music he doesn’t notice his friends have arrived (they were just a little late)! Now Gustavo has plenty of friends, and even though he still might be a bit quiet, they always know he’s there!

You’ll need:

  • 1 paper lantern
  • 1 LED votive candle
  • 1 ghost ornament
  • Yarn or ribbon to hang the lantern
  • Markers for decorating

We bought our lanterns on Amazon, opting for the large 14″ diameter ones with lots of decorating room. We purchased the ghost ornaments on Amazon as well, but you can also make these easy ghost lollipops too!

During the project, we turned off the lights and invited kids to use markers (and self-adhesive foam shapes) to decorate their lanterns in the twinkling glimmer of an LED votive. Then we went on a ghost hunt to find ghost ornaments hidden in the gallery!

Want to meet the author and see her studio? You will find our Studio Snapshots feature on Flavia Zorilla Drago here!

Blue Skies for Narwhal

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blue skies for narwhal

Just because you live in a fishbowl, doesn’t mean you can’t dream big! We made these adorable narwhal tanks, and then hit the road with a little red wagon so our aquatic friend could take in the sights and sounds of the wide, wonderful world!

We read Someday, Narwhal, written by Lisa Mantchev, and illustrated by Hyewon Yum (Simon & Schuster, 2017). Narwhal lives an unexciting life inside her fishbowl. The view barely changes, even when she gazes at the blue sky outside the window. Narwhal dreams of seeing the world, but her lack of feet, concerns about getting lost, and fear of the cold keep her from venturing out. Happily, her friends (Boy, Bat, Penguin, and Giraffe) work together to take Narwhal on an unforgettable trip in a little red wagon. The world awaits!

You’ll need:

  • 1 clear plastic favor box
  • 1 narwhal template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ white card stock
  • 1 small piece of clear elastic beading cord (ours was 2.5″ long)
  • Yellow tissue
  • Scissors and tape for construction
  • Markers for decorating

If you want to make a wagon, you’ll also need:

  • 1 large tissue box
  • Red construction paper
  • 2 drinking straws
  • 1 piece of string (ours was 15″ long)
  • 1 wheel assembly (more on this below)

narwhal tank

We used 4″ x 4″ x 4″ clear plastic favor boxes for our narwhal tanks (a 25 pack is currently $18 on Amazon). Place yellow tissue paper on the bottom of the tank, and add some (optional) mini sea shells.

Now for the narwhal! It’s two sided, so color and cut both the right and the left-facing narwhal pieces from the template. Tape a 2.5″ piece of clear elastic beading cord to the back of the left narwhal, then tape the right narwhal on top of it. Measure for height and tape the free end of the clear beading cord to the top of the tank lid. Done!

red wagon and narwhalIf you’d like to make this awesome tissue box wagon for your narwhal to ride in, you’ll find the instructions in this post. Then wheel your narwhal outside for a little walk!