Pairing Picture Books with Maker Activities 2019

Pairing Picture Books with Maker Activities

Nan Stifel Librarian Concord Hill School, Chevy Chase, MD ​www.chsbookster.com​ on twitter: @nstifel Presented at ISTE2015 updated, 2019 ​ licensed under a ​Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

4.0 International License

Questions to ponder:

● Does the book inspire student imagination?

● Can I design an age-appropriate, fun maker activity for this story?

● Can this story and maker project extend the classroom learning?

● How much time do we need for this activity? Is one class period enough? If not, where can we store works in progress?

● What materials are required? (I use recycled items whenever possible.)

● Do the story and activity support our school’s mission, in terms of character development, diversity, ecology, collaboration, etc.?

Note: QR codes on the following pages link to amazon.com pages for specific picture books.

This is a terrific book to use as you kick off the maker year. Its depiction of a child struggling to invent “the most magnificent thing” exemplifies the Think-Make-Improve mantra suggested for young makers by Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager in​ Invent to Learn​.

Spires, Ashley. ​The Most Magnificent Thing.

While this picture book may be used to launch just about any maker activity, I found it particularly applicable to the Makey Makey projects that our 3rd graders undertook.

They invented musical instruments and games that relied on an understanding of conductivity and Scratch programming. In the photo below, the kids’ physical contact with each other completes the circuit.

Another wonderful picture book that promotes perseverance in the face of perceived failure -- in this case a “first flop” that Rosie learns is not a global failure of her ideas.

Beaty, Andrea. ​Rosie Revere, Engineer.

Global Cardboard Challenge arcade games: emphasize the notion of “first flop” as presented in the book. Many of our students did encounter a first flop in the design or fabrication of their cardboard arcade games, but inspired by Rosie, they persevered and triumphed at our Morning of Play. See the video about our Global Cardboard Challenge here.

In this story a young boy scrounges and trades for pieces of loose wire so he can make a galimoto.

Williams, Karen Lynn. ​Galimoto.

Wire toys: After hearing and discussing the book, Kindergarten students used different kinds of wire and washers to make their own toys.This is the first of several “loose parts” activities in which students create objects using wires, corks, drinking straws, and other items.

In this festive story, a child has second thoughts about smashing her dog-shaped piñata, which she has befriended.

Fortunately, another child has a solution.

Kleven, Elisa. ​Hooray! A Piñata!

First graders were learning about Mexico in their classroom. In Library/Maker class they watched a YouTube video to learn how to make a piñata. They then made their own star-shaped ​papier-mâché​ piñata for Cinco de Mayo. The project was a smashing success!

This popular picture book, with its vivid illustrations, inspires the imaginations of young students who are asked, “what would YOUR dream car look like?”

Van Dusen, Chris. ​If I Built a Car.

Balloon cars: Three- and four-year old children made balloon powered cars to race around the library. (Children selected materials, cut masking tape, and threaded bamboo skewers through plastic drinking straws for axles. The Librarian helped push the axles through plastic bottle cap wheels.)

Inspirational true story of Isatou Ceesay, who realized discarded plastic bags were killing village goats and contributing to local pollution and disease. Her solution?

Cut the bags into strips and use them to crochet wallets and purses to sell.

Paul, Miranda, and Elizabeth Zunon. ​One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia. (nonfiction picture book) Plastic bag mesh door mats (woven rather than crocheted): Second- and third-grade girls’ “Eco-friends” group recycled discarded plastic bags to make door mats for the school playhouse and other locations.

Describes and depicts the unique, artistic shadow boxes created by Joseph Cornell.

Winter, Jeanette. ​Mr. Cornell’s Dream Boxes (​ nonfiction picture book).

Personal Shadow Box: After hearing and discussing the book, students brought to school items to include in their own boxes. They also explained the details and told the stories behind their collected items. This was a school-wide project taught by our Art Teacher, Jan Bennett.

Children enjoy finding animals and landforms in this book. Several of Ehlert’s books can be used as maker activity prompts.

Ehlert, Lois, ​Leaf Man. (Nonfiction option:​ Look What I Did With a Leaf! b ​ y Marteza E. Sohi) Leaf collages: After hearing and discussing​ Leaf Man,​ three-year olds collected leaves and seed pods on a nature walk, then created their own collages using paper and glue.

Generations of children have enjoyed this story of an anthropomorphic lighthouse that learns that being small can be just as important as being big.

Swift, Hildegarde, and Lynd Ward. ​The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge.

Cubelets lighthouse, littleBits lighthouse: young children collaborate using Cubelets and a red Solo cup. Older students can make a littleBits lighthouse based on the one at http://littlebits.cc/projects/wine-box-lighthouse

Young children like this story that combines undersea creatures with helpful actions -- Herman is unforgettable.

Kraus, Robert. ​Herman the Helper.

Paper plate / pipecleaner / pasta octopus (thin-tube rigatoni) This sample photo is from the “Buggy and Buddy” blog. ​http://buggyandbuddy.com/fine-motor-octopus/

Children love the wide-mouthed frog who, after wanting to be something different, decides that being himself isn’t so bad after all.

Petty, Dev and Mike Boldt,​ I Don’t Want to be a Frog.

(Nonfiction option: ​Red-eyed Tree Frog​ by Cowley and Bishop) Feed the Frog: Children use clothespins or Gator Grabbers to feed pipecleaner worms and other items to a wide-mouthed frog made from a Parmesan cheese container.

This book is a visual masterpiece that provides children a glimpse into the past to learn how the giant balloon animals came to be.

Sweet,Melissa. ​Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade.​ (Nonfiction picture book) Balloon animals: After hearing the picture book, third graders watched a short video about making balloon animals, then tried their own hands at it, using inflating pumps and long balloons.

Oh, the anticipation! The excitement! And then, we’re off -- climbing up, up, up, then zooming down and around, hearts in throats.

Frazee, Marla. ​Roller Coaster.

Marble runs: store-bought or home-made, these activities are enticing and impart a bit of physics. Materials may include cardboard tubes with tape, pool noodles, blocks and ramps, marbles, and ping pong balls. Open-ended activities such as this allow the students to be the designers and inventors.If using a store-bought kit, hide the instructions!

Based on true events, this picture book chronicles the dream of ​Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl, to play drums in a band -- at a time when girls were not allowed do so.

Engle, Margarita and Rafael López. ​Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music.

Oatmeal box bongo drums. These instructions are from the National Wildlife Federation’s website for kids: http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/Toys-From-Trash.aspx

This little bug wants a stinger in its tail like the bee has, and undertakes a quest to find one. Along the way, the little bug makes friends and ultimately gets something different and uniquely his own.

Martin, Bill Jr. and Michael Sampson. ​The Little Squeegy Bug.

Take-home squeegy bugs made from loose parts. I keep loose parts in Tinker Trays, and the children love combining them.The loose parts include corks, different types of wire, washers, glue sticks, craft sticks, plastic straws with connectors (Strawbees), and round glass pebbles. For more on the joy of loose parts and tinker trays, see ​Loose Parts​, by Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovsky. St. Paul: Redleaf Press, 2015.

This story also would be a great way to introduce simple paper circuits with a single LED light.

Most young students are familiar with this classic story, and the maker activity is a nice complement that uses recycled material.

Carle, Eric. ​The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Egg carton caterpillars. Librarian/teacher can cut the egg carton apart and make two holes for the antennae.Children paint the head and body, insert the antennae, and attach the googly eyes.

this photo is from ​Rusty and Rosy Reading blog

Documents a family preparing for Chinese New Year celebration in New York. Young Ernie Wan looks forward to performing his first Lion Dance in the streets.

Waters, Kate, Madeline Slovenz-Low and Martha Cooper. ​Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan’s Chinese New Year.​ (Nonfiction picture book)

Kindergartners hear and discuss the story featuring a boy their own age, then construct their own dragon to parade throughout the school hallways. (K classroom project)

Now and then I return to this oldie but goodie and enjoy observing the children’s imaginations go wild.

Mayer, Marianna and Mercer. ​Me and My Flying Machine tegu/LEGO/DUPLO airplane designs

While the youngest students are learning about shapes, we enjoy this book and look for basic shapes around the library. The children model the book’s pictures and the shapes they see in the library as they create.

Ehlert, Lois. ​Color Farm;​ also, Walsh, Ellen Stoll, ​Mouse Shapes​; Hoban, Tana.

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes

Make and connect shapes out of colored jumbo craft sticks with Velcro dots.

This classic works on so many levels! I have used it to teach about plot (beginning-middle-end), setting, and character. In addition to the setting maker activity depicted, the story also can be used to introduce a pasta cooking activity!

DePaola, Tomie. ​Strega Nona LEGO representation of Strega Nona’s Calabrian village. This project was undertaken by 1st grade students at Johnson Elementary School, Fort Thomas, KY, under the direction of librarian Heidi Neltner, and I intend to try it next school year!

photo tweeted by @heidinelt 1 June 2015

Preschoolers love the Pigeon books, and this is a favorite in the series.

Willems, Mo. ​The Duckling Gets a Cookie?

Clothespin game: Preschoolers exercise fine motor skills by picking up and transferring cardstock cookies with Pigeon and Duckling clothespins.Cognitive challenges (such as picking a cookie with a certain number of chocolate chips) may be added to this fine motor activity.

This photo is from the​ Lalymom blog​, where complete instructions can be found.

During National Robotics Week in early April, we highlighted fiction and nonfiction books about robots.

Dyckman, Ame, and Dan Yaccarino. ​Boy + Bot. A ​ lso, DiPucchio and Myers.​ Clink.

Paper circuit robots: 3rd graders learned about simple and parallel circuits and made 2D robots with LED eyes that illuminate when the parallel circuit is closed.

In preparation for a special visit by author/illustration Susan L. Roth, children enjoyed this book and made their own collaborative models of the Watts Towers.

Aston, Deanna Hutts and Susan L. Roth, Dream Something Big: the Story of the Watts Towers

For #GLA15 we celebrated the picture books of Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Kindergartners made their own OK book using pipe cleaners, paper markers and glue, and the Book Creator app.

Rosenthal, Amy Krouse and Tom Lichtenheld, ​The OK Book.

Third graders enjoyed this story of multi-generational sharing and used fabric to decorate matchboxes to hold their own tiny treasures and mementos.

Fleischman, Paul, and Bagram Ibatoulline, The Matchbox Diary

Newberry-winning author Paul Fleischman replied to our tweet about the project!

One of the second grade reading groups enjoyed this book and used various building materials to create an indoor model of Roxaboxen, including Town Hall, the cemetery, and other features from the story.

McLerran, Alice and Barbara Cooney, Roxaboxen​.

Students from all grades pitched in to design and build a house for a leprechaun using Rigamajig and other materials.

Wallace, Adam, and Andy Elkerton, ​How to Catch a Leprechaun

This Art Class project was inspired by a nonfiction picture book. Third graders collaborated to design and build their own circuses from wire and other materials.

Stone, Tanya Lee, and Boris Kulikov, Sandy’s Circus: a Story

(Photo by Concord Hill School Art Teacher Jan Bennett)

(Photos by Concord Hill School Art Teacher Jan Bennett)

First graders love Laurie Keller’s wacky stories, and this book is no exception. After hearing the story, the students created their own special potato pants to display in the library.

Keller, Laurie. ​Potato Pants!

Third graders used the DoInk Green Screen app to produce an animated retelling of this well-known Halloween favorite. Their finished video was shared with families through their Seesaw digital portfolios.

Williams, Linda, and Megan Lloyd. ​The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

The music teacher reads this story then brings first graders to the Makerspace, where they create their own musical instruments from recycled parts.

Hood, Susan, and Wood, Sally. ​Ada’s Violin: the Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay.

Third graders were inspired by this book to create their own creepy carrots and a fenced enclosure. Second graders made the creepy underwear (from the book sequel, ​Creepy Pair of Underwear!)​

Reynolds, Aaron and Brown, Peter.

Creepy Carrots!

Maybe next year...

This book juxtaposes illustrations of children building structures with photographs of real-world buildings of similar design.

Hale, Christy. ​Dreaming Up: a Celebration of Building (​ nonfiction picture book) Children will emulate real-world structures using materials they choose.

Other possibilities:

● Making stuff to eat: Pancakes, Pancakes (E. Carle), Thunder Cake (P. Polacco), Big Moon Tortilla (J. Cowley); Dragons Love Tacos (A. Rubin, D. Salmieri) ● Textiles: Extra Yarn (M. Barnett, J. Klassen), The Cloud Spinner (A. Catchpool) ● Thinking outside the box: Harold and the Purple Crayon (C. Johnson); The Day the Crayons Quit (D. Daywalt, O. Jeffers); Not a Box (A. Portis); Beautiful Oops (B. Saltzburg) ● Building: The Village of Round and Square Houses (A. Grifalconi); Iggy Peck, Architect (A. Beaty) ● Making a school garden: How Groundhog’s Garden Grew (L. Cherry); The Carrot Seed (R. Krauss, C. Johnson)

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