Tag Archives: story time project

Go Snail Racer Go!

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Who says a snail can’t be speedy? Start your engines, we’re putting it in 5th gear with a remote control snail racer rally!

We read Snail Crossing by Corey R. Tabor (Balzer + Bray, 2020). When Snail spots a delicious cabbage field across the road, he decides to motor over. However, many obstacles (birds, cars, rain, his own sense of direction) deter him from his goal. Thankfully, with the help of some new friends, it’s cabbage soup and tea for all! This book is hilarious and SO much fun to read aloud. Lots of laughter at story time! Highly recommend!

You’ll need:

  • 1 box (ours was 4” x 4” x 4”, but a small tissue box works too)
  • Poster board
  • 1 wheel assembly (more on that below)
  • 1 RC car or pull string
  • Scissors, tape and/or glue for construction
  • Markers for decorating

The snail part of this project is very simple. Decorate 2 poster board snail shells and attach them to both sides of a small box. To make the snail’s head and neck, round one end of an 8″ strip of poster board, then fold to create a head. Don’t forget the eye stalks! We also added a paper racing helmet, but that is optional. Tab the other end of the strip and attach it to the underside of the box.

If you are going to eventually make this a pull string snail like we did, you will find the wheel assembly instructions here. Finish the whole look off with color masking tape stripes and star stickers, or just use markers to decorate. We added red dot sticker taillights and a sticker license plate as well.

Now to get your snail moving! We thought an RC snail rally would be super awesome, so I made a quick trip to Jazams, our local toy store. I found these RC trucks for $17.

One quick note: You’ll notice that the RC truck in the picture above has a nose that sticks out. There was another box, exact same recycling truck, except it had a flat front (see below). Turns out the truck with the flat front held the snail box MUCH better. So aim to find a flat front truck if at all possible!

I removed the green recycle section from the back of the truck, cut a hole in the bottom of each snail box, and then slid the snail onto the cab of the truck like so:

Then we headed out to the big lobby to race our snails! As you can imagine, it super chaotic (we had four running at once). So we waited until a slightly calmer time to video these two racers in action!

Hop Along Li’l Bunny

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Do you have a case of the wiggles this winter? So does this little bunny! Press down on its head to watch it hop and bobble. Originally spotted on Instagram as an octopus, we re-imagined the project as a rabbit…and all it takes is 2 paper cups and some poster board!

We recommend reading Hop Little Bunnies (Bloomsbury, 2020), written by Martha Mumford and illustrated by Laura Hughes (read here by Kids & Company). The little bunnies are sleeping until noon, but when they wake, they traipse through barnyard, waking the other animals until it’s a cacophony of cheeps, meows, quacks, and so forth. Full of animal sounds, this one is sure to get the audience reading along with you! And for the musically inclined, you can try the singing version on the publisher’s official channel.

You’ll need:

  • 2 papers cups
  • White paper for rabbit ears
  • 2 strips of 1″ x 13″ poster board
  • Scissors and tape for construction
  • Markers for decorating

This project is essentially two cups stacked on top of one another with a paper spring in the middle. To begin, flip both cups upside down, then use markers to draw a face on the first cup. Add some paper ears (and an optional pom-pom nose if you desire!). Use scissors to cut bunny legs on the second cup.

Now for the paper spring! Take two, 1″ x 13″ strips of poster board and put them corner to corner at a 90 degree angle, like so…

Keeping the corners together, alternately fold each strip up towards you. Continue until the strips are completely folded into an accordion spring. Tape the end sections together for more stability.

Sometimes it’s easier to show then tell, so here’s Katie’s demonstrating her her awesome paper spring folding skills:

You can secure the spring to the bottom cup with tape or glue, or leave it loose for some extra wiggle. To finish, place the bunny head cup on top the body cup. Then press and release the bunny’s head to watch it bounce!

Original octopus project credit goes to strange_side_of_crafting on Instagram!

The BiblioFiles Presents: Betsy Bird Interviews Team Tolo

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Team Tolo4_2Just posted! A special edition BiblioFiles with guest host Betsy Bird. She interviewed the creative team for Tolo, an original chose your path virtual adventure released by the Cotsen Children’s Library.

You are Tolo, a mouse and apothecary’s apprentice. When sickness strikes the distant village of Mossden, you must make a treacherous mountain crossing with the cure. From ice chutes to surprise attacks, the decisions are yours as you navigate the dangers and obstacles in your path.

Tolo is illustrated by David Deen, who grew up sketching the monsters and beasts in his brother’s Dungeons & Dragons manuals and reading fantasy books. After earning a BA in Art from the University of North Texas, David worked as a computer game artist before embarking on his freelance illustration career.

Tolo is written by Cotsen’s own Dana Sheridan! And since Dr. Dana can’t interview herself, we’re delighted to further introduce our guest host, Betsy Bird.

In addition to being a super librarian, Betsy Bird hosts two podcasts, has a popular blog called A Fuse #8 Production for School Library Journal, and reviews for Kirkus and the New York Times. Betsy is also the author of two picture books, co-author of Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature, and editor of the middle grade anthology Funny Girl. Her most recent release is Long Road to the Circus, a children’s novel illustrated by Caldecott Award winning artist David Small.

Follow this link to the BiblioFiles interview

Photos courtesy of Betsy Bird, David Deen, and Dana Sheridan