Activities Inspired by the Book In the Forest

I just finished meeting with a client regarding a new HR project I was going to do when I saw that there's a Booksale at the ground floor of their building.  The book lover that I am, I gave in to the urge to search for good books from the pile displayed.

 

That was almost two years ago and this book that we read again today is my great Booksale find that day.  In the Forest, a touch-and-feel adventure is a nature trail book by Maurice Pledger.

 

 

 

"If you love nature, take a look at what is hiding in this book.  All sorts of wonders are in store, as round the forest you explore.  There are things to feel and things to see -- a scaly snake, a fuzzy bee, a velvet flower, a snail's shiny shell, and lots of things to count as well.  So come, get ready.  Don't delay!  We're on a nature trail today."  These are the opening lines that you'll read when you open first open the book. 

 

I loved the book right away as soon as I went through the pages.  There are many things that a young reader can explore in it.  Every page is filled with surprises that the child can either touch, count and feast his eyes on.  It's truly an adventure!  It also made use of rhymes and rhythm making it fun to read aloud and listen to.

 

My kids took turns exploring the book -- lifting the flaps and touching it.  There were also questions on every page asking the child to search and count for things with a specific color.  My eldest eagerly looked for these things and counted them aloud while pointing them to me and his baby brother. 

 

My eldest son and I also had an art activity.  We made a "fuzzy, buzzy bee" which he played with after we finished making it.

 

Here are the steps in making our bumble bee.

 

1. We looked for a toilet paper tube.

 

2. We drew lines on yellow paper which my eldest son cut using a pair of scissors.

 

3. My son put some glue on the yellow strips of paper.

 

 

 

4. I helped him paste each strip around the toilet paper tube.  We left spaces in between for the black strips of paper we will later glue.

 

 

 

5. We drew lines at the back of a used bond paper using a pencil and ruler.

 

6. My son cut them along the lines to form strips.

 

7. My son painted the strips with black paint using his fingers.

 

 

 

8. We air-dried the strips.

 

9. Then, my son put glue again on them when they were already dry.

 

10. I helped him paste them and put them around the toilet paper tube beside the yellow strips so that they form alternating yellow and black strips.

 

11. While we were letting the black strips dry, we drew circles on white paper for the face of our bee and for the tail end.

 

12. My son glued googly eyes on the face and drew a smile using a colored pencil.

 

13. Next, we attached the white round papers including the face of the bee at the ends of the toilet paper tube. 

 

14. We cut short, black strips from the excess black strips we used earlier to form the antennae.  We used glue to attach them near the top/face.

 

15. I drew some wings on white paper which my son cut using his scissors.

 

16. We pasted the wings on the body of our bee.

 

 

 

That's how we made our bumble bee out of a toilet paper tube! 

 

Next time, we will make ladybugs, another colorful creature that we saw in the book. 

 

Until next time!