Extend Your Reading!

Frostfire - Snowdragon Pop-up card!

Snowdragons can be hard to find… This one is hides inside a card. It is a more advanced activity but is nice in that it uses simple materials. All you need is a printer, white paper, scissors and a gluestick! I designed this one using cardstock and if you have it, it will make for a sturdy card but if not, it will work just fine with printer paper.

Step 1 - Print these 3 pdfs. Dragon 1, Dragon 2, Dragon 3 and fold one sheet of printer paper in half. (Image 1)

Step 2 - Cut out the dragon pieces. (Image 2)

Step 3 - On the paper with lines, fold it in half, then cut the two solid lines, fold the dash lines. (Image 3)

Step 4 - This is a little tricky! Push the folded pieces to ‘pop’ through to the interior of the card. (Images 4-6)

Step 5 - Glue the head and tail onto triangle folds. Make sure they are close to the point of the triangle so that they fold in without sticking out of the card. This part is also a little tricky. (Images 7-8)

Step 6 - Put glue on the bottom of the rectangle that pops out. Line up the body and stick it on. Close the card to make sure everything pops up nicely. (Image 9)

Step 7 - Fold the bottom of the smaller leg and put glue along the whole length. Then, stick it down in front of the dragon body as a front leg. (Image 10)

Step 8 - Do the same with the larger back leg. It should sit just in front of the smaller front leg as in the photo. (Image 11)

Step 9 - On the top of the leg, glue the top of the tab, fold it backwards and attach it to the body of the dragon. Fold the card to make sure the tab works. (Image 12)

Step 10 - Glue the middle section of the wings and the tab. Place it on either side of the dragon body as shown. Make sure the card folds. (Image 13-16)

Step 11 - Attach an outer piece of paper to your card. Line the folded card with the interior fold. Glue the pop up, not the blank sheet. Test it! (Image 17-20)

Step 12 - Write a message to your friend or decorate the card if you wish!

I Am a Meadow Mermaid - Imaginary Maps

After reading I am a Meadow Mermaid, create your own fantasy map. What does your imagined world hold? Do you know where the seahorses play? What shape will your island take?

1. Print out a map from the link below.

2. Make some tea. Make sure it has cooled to the touch before using.

3. Optional - crinkle up your map. This will create stained crease lines.

4. Optional - tear edges of map.

5. Run the teabag over the surface of the paper. Do the back as well to prevent curling.

6. Dry

7. Draw whatever you wish - water, land, monsters, forests, etc.

8. Name your imaginary place.

9. Create a legend/key to help travellers find their way.

Hidden Treasure Activities

A Day at the Beach - Pop Up Card

Instructions:

1. Fold an 8.5x11 inch paper in half.

2. Measure 1 inch in from each side and 2.5 inches up from the fold.

3. Cut along each line and fold the middle up.

4. Push the middle through the centre and close.

5. Measure 1 inch in from each side along the folded middle crease and one inch up.

6. Cut through the 2 layers, then fold the new flaps up.

7. Push the new flaps through the middle. Image 7 shows the back.

8. Image 8 shows the tiered front.

9. Cut 2 strips of paper, 2 inches wide x 8.5 inches. Then, cut a wavy edge.

10. Colour the water strips. Glue the water to the pop up layers.

11. You could add a person, boat or ball to the scene or maybe your dog! Make sure it doesn’t stick out when you fold the card.

12. Decorate the sand and sky. Fold another sheet of paper in half and use it as a backing for the card. You could add a note. Here are a few ideas: See you this summer! Meet you at the beach! See you next summer!

*** To see a VIDEO of how to make it, visit my Instagram. ***

I love pop ups! My mom, Joan Irvine wrote books on making pop ups when I was a kid. Check out her books.

Hidden Treasure - Field Studies

For me, the joy of looking for treasures comes from seeing the beauty in each thing and looking closely. What is the texture? The shape? The colour? You can note the smell or anything else that makes it unusual. It is important to know when a treasure can come home with you and when it should stay where it is. This is a way of collecting treasures and letting them remain where they are. Note the location of your treasure in your field notes. My son drew his treasures in a little notebook. You could use a notepad or use this PDF with space for 5 treasures:

Field Note PDF

My mom looks for a treasure every day in the fields by her home and shares her field notes on Instagram. Here you can see her drawings of: Sweet Briar, Birdsfoot Trefoil and Pin Cherry.

The Secret Fawn

Tunnel Card - Secret Message

I love tunnel books. It is what got me started. They can be tricky to make though. This design is nice for its simplicity. You just need one piece of paper (any size), some scissors and something to draw with.

• Fold the paper into 8 sections (Fold each direction and then in half.)

• Cut along the middle until you reach the last section (where my finger is pointing).

• Cut away 2 sections on one side.

• Fold the long side up like an accordion.

• In the first three sections of the accordion, cut jagged holes. The first one should be largest, then a bit smaller and then smaller still.

• -Next set of photos-

• Fold the long side down. Then fold the accordion in.

• Draw your fawn in the middle of the holes. You can lift it to better see.

• Colour the facing pages.

• You can write on the left but also under the tunnel! Do you have a secret to share?

• Design the front of your card too!

The Secret Fawn - Fawn Mask

For the book launch of The Secret Fawn, I quickly made this fawn mask. Perhaps your little one wants to play dress up too? They can colour their own or you can print one already coloured.

• Download the PDF you’d like. It is best to print it on cardstock (8.5 x 11 inch). You may want to print it slightly smaller for little kids. This one when printed -fit to page, fits an adult.

• Cut out all shapes, including eye holes (tricky). You may need to adjust the spacing for your child.

• To make the ears, fold the bottom edges in and staple or glue. Then attach them to the upper sides of the mask with staples or glue. Antlers are optional of course.

• You can attach a stick to the mask with tape and hold it up. Or you can attach ribbons or pipe cleaners to the back.

Pop Up Card - Paper Crown

I made this craft tutorial for the Washington Post on Mother’s Day. But it would also make a great fairy crown to go with reading The Tallest Tree House. Click the link for instructions (easy and intermediate options).

Pop Up Card - Paper Crown

The Tallest Tree House - Blueprints

Design your own fairy tree house. Come up with a plan by creating some blueprints. (Teachers - a STEAM activity.)

8.5 x 11 PDF printout

Will your tree house have a slide, a swing or maybe a tower? Follow up by sharing your plan with a friend. Can you combine your tree houses? If you have building materials (Lego, blocks, boxes and paper rolls or natural materials) try building your tree house.

To create the tree houses in the book, I used foam core and covered the outside with metal (similar to tinfoil) and thin wood strips (similar to stir sticks).

Red Sky At Night - Activities!

Meteorology

Interested in the science behind the sayings in Red Sky at Night? Meteorologist, Phil Chadwick dives deeper for us, here: http://philtheforecaster.blogspot.com/

Fish Windsock

• We used plastic tablecloths to make our windsocks, though the kids found it slippery to cut. I'd suggest using waxed kite paper if you have some.

• We folded our sheets in half. The fold becomes the bottom of the fish. The rest of the fish was drawn with magic marker.

• Packing tape was used to tape the top edges (but not the ends).

• Scales, eyes and fins were attached with tape.

• 3 Ribbons were attached to the mouth and tied together about 2 ft from the fish.

• We had to run on a windless day with ours!

Paper Weathervanes

• We used black cardstock, straws, wire, tape and a base (could be anything flat) to make our weathervanes.

• First we drew our shape with pencil.

• We cut the shape out and attached a straw to one side, taping the top of the straw closed.

• Next, we curved the bottom of the wire (floral wires from the dollar store) into a flat circle, leaving most of the wire long.

• We put the straw over the straight part of the wire.

• Then, we attached the curved part of the wire to some matte board.

• These looked so great. The kids were really proud of them. I love this fish my son made!

Beach Baby Activity - Sand Castle Painting

• We used black paper, drawing our castle outline and details with silver and gold pens.

• We covered the castle area with glue.

• Sand was poured over the glue and then shaken off.

• The beads were added with white glue after.

• If you want to keep the sand from coming off, you can spray it with fixitive.

Butterfly Park Activity - Magnetic Wand Garden

• We used the lids of boxes that hold printer paper for the base of our gardens.

• We then drew flowers and attached the pictures to the top of the box.

• The magnetic wands were made from tongue depressors. We taped a magnet to the end.

• The kids discovered polarity of sticking 2 magnets together! After making butterflies we attached a magnet to the back of each. Some worked and others pushed away from our wands.

• Once our magnets were sorted, we had fun playing with our new toys, using the wand behind the garden to make the butterflies fly.

If You Hold A Seed Activity - Miniature 3-D Forest

• This is an easy way to make 3D art with kids. First fold cardstock in half.

• Then, fold each end into the middle and tape the seam.

• Pop it up. You can cut indentations in the ends and fold them in on the sides to make it stay upright.

• Make trees and attach them to the top of either side of your rectangular prism with tape or a gluestick.

• Decorate the surface with an extra panel of paper or make draw roots!

• My daughter added deer to create an animal habitat.

Shadow Chasers Activity - Shadow Puppets

Did you know there are hidden animals throughout the pages of Shadow Chasers? Look behind the two girls running and you will see a deer and bird. See how many you can find and follow up with this activity.

• To make shadow puppets you can use any thick paper. We used black cardstock.

• We drew animals and cut them out.

• Some children made 2 piece animals that hinged in the middle with a brass fastener.

• We pulled paper clips into L shapes and attached one side to the animal and one side to a popsicle stick.

• We hung a sheet over a table and played with our shadow puppets.

• Just a note to be careful with your light source. If working with kids, create a perimeter around the light or give them flashlights. Have fun!

Just for the love of paper…

Flexograms

Flexograms are magical. Here is a template for one that turns inside out. I made this template for myself quite a while ago and came across it recently. I am not sure where I originally found the idea. This pattern makes 2 flexograms.

1. Cut 1 shape template out.

2. Fold along all lines in one direction and again in the other direction.

3. Push the edges in to form a diamond and continue doing so down the length of the paper.

4. Glue the tabs to the inside of the other end.

5. Slowly push the inside back through to the front and continue turning. It is a little tricky. It works beautifully with a different colour on each turn.