The story time diner is open, and delicious waffles await! Your mission: to get the woodpecker to the table…by any means possible!
We read Woodpecker Wants a Waffle by Steve Breen (HarperCollins, 2016). Benny the Woodpecker makes every attempt to taste the waffles at Moe’s Diner, but is consistently thwarted by a stern waitress. The other animals laugh at Benny, but he’s determined not to give up. He hatches an incredibly complicated plan to get into Moe’s (juggling, dancing, cannons, fireworks, etc.). The next day, a crowd of animals arrive to see Benny’s crazy plan in action, but he is nowhere in sight. The herd draws the intrigue of the diner customers, who step outside to stare at the animals…leaving the restaurant unguarded. Benny walks right in. Success! The delicious waffles are all his, and they are well worth the effort!
You’ll need:
- 1 box (ours was 9” x 4 ½” X 4 ½” but a large tissue box works too!)
- 1 smaller box that fits inside the larger box (ours was 4″ x 4″ x 2″)
- 2 toilet paper tubes
- A selection of construction paper
- Scissors and tape for construction
- Markers for decorating
This is essentially a toss game, with the goal of getting the two toilet paper tube characters into the diner to enjoy waffles. We folded up the lid of a large craft box to create the sign for our diner, and couldn’t resist adding a large picture window, tissue paper shrubs, star stickers, and patterned wallpaper. The toilet paper tube characters can be decorated with construction paper and markers.
Inside the diner is a small box that serves as a table – just make sure there’s space around the table for the the toilet paper tube characters during the toss game!
Want to try another variation on the game? Have one person close their eyes and “guard” the diner, while another tries to sneak the woodpecker to the table without being heard!
Once the box animals are complete, loop together a pipe cleaner, then tape it to the top of the box, right in the middle. At the top of the loop, either attach a large paperclip to form a hook, or use a carabiner (we had some leftover from 
Your animals are ready to race! We set up two zip lines using coated wire. One end of each wire was stabilized on the ceiling of the library, and the other end was held by a volunteer, who could adjust the slope of the zip line to make the box animals go slower or faster. Each kid brought their box animals to the starting line, then scooted over to the finish line (which we marked on the floor with red masking tape). We clipped the boxes to the wire, counted to three, and the race was on!
Needing some answers? No problem! We tested this set of Mystical Fortune Teller pencils offered by Snifty. Yes, for a mere $10, you have the opportunity for 10 unique answers to your most burning queries.
Eventually, the message fades back to its original state. The packaging also warns you not to put the pencils in direct sunlight. So of COURSE I ran outside and did that very thing. The pencils are essentially heat activated – so the hot sun made the messages appear. I also accidentally left them in my hot car and the same thing happened.