Eeeeek! There's a Mouse in the House

If your family is anything like mine you have gone through a few tissue boxes this germy winter season. After reading a Sean favorite, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, I decided to transform an old box into the furry lil critter from this well-known tale.

First lay the box on its long sides and trace around it on blue construction paper. Cut out and glue on both sides for his overalls. Then lay it facedown where the opening is and trace/cut on brown paper and cut a hole where the tissue is pulled from. Glue on the box, repeat with the 2 short sides in brown. Cut out some ears, arms, and legs. Draw on a face and voilà you now have a mouse in your house.

This box can be used for retelling by printing and cutting pictures from the story and having your child feed them to the mouse in order. Check out http://www.octc.org/pdf/guides/giveamouseacookie_rg.pdf for images

I made a quick chart with just a few items from the story and had Sean glue them with the correct match.

*Sean and Olivia enjoying the story!

 

 

 

 

 Also you can create “cookies” by making circles on different colored construction paper and take turns feeding colored cookies to the mouse. This can be adapted by cutting the cookies into shapes, with numbers, or letters.  

Sean had cookies with the letters from his name in upper and lowercase that he had to correctly put in order before feeding the mouse.

We also practiced counting chocolate chips on handmade cookies. He counted the chips on each cookie then placed the correct number (cheap number magnets from the dollar store) on the cookie.

 

For a gross motor activity Sean practiced throwing various items from the story (glue stick, straw, napkin, tape, plastic toy cup, and crayons) into the mouse box. We had a great discussion about which ones were easier to get in and why.

Bonus…don’t forget to get in the kitchen with your kids and bake some REAL cookies!