Sharing a Shell Small World Play
This months virtual book club for kids author is Julia Donaldson - I hope you could read my smile in there - it's one of our favourite authors and there was so many books to choose from - with the virtual book club for kids running for a month we hope to get in a few more books. But we're starting off with Sharing a Shell.
Sharing a shell is one of our all time favourite Julia Donaldson books - it combines my love of marine life with fabulous rhyming language and fun illustrations. The story of a little hermit crab who find a shell and then some friends to share his shell with and their fun in the rock pool. Reading through this there was only one thing to do - set up some small world play for T.
The first thing we did was set up a rock pool - with our sea creatures I found a pink blob (ok it's a turtle but it's a pink blob and sometimes a mum has to improvise right!) a crab and then something that could be the bristle worm - the sea weed worked well enough adding some shells we had the start of our rock pool small world play.
Of course I added a little more - so we had a complete ocean beneath with rocks and fish and coral and sea weed - well everything that was in our Sea Creature Tub.
T set about swimming the fish through the ocean and into and out of the rock pool cleaning the shells in the rock pool with the sea weed and playing with the different creatures in the pool with me.
It was great for re-enacting the story - we told the story of our little crab looking for a shell and finding it's friends and the book - bringing it alive for T to enjoy through play.
Virtual Book Club for Kids
This months author is Julia Donaldson - with over 30 other bloggers we're inviting you to join us bringing any of her books alive through craft, play and activities for kids of all ages. Please pop by and check out what books the other bloggers have chosen perhaps it's your favourite - and if you would like to join in you can link up any Julia Donaldson book inspired posts.
If you would like to join in you can link up your posts in the linky below
Cerys Parker
Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, high school teacher and mum. Realising that life doesn't have to be put on hold and you don't just have to survive whilst the kids are young she shares ideas to inspire you to LIVE with the kids, with activities to do together, recipes to cook and enjoy and family travel to make memories to last a lifetime.
elsie says
Was a tough choice which JD book we would choose.Sharing the shell was new to us and we picked that one too. Love adding all the rest of the ocean to your play. Must be fun sharing your marine love with your little ones.
Anna @ The Imagination Tree says
That's SO gorgeous Cerys! I love it. Small world play on a huge scale! Perfect for toddlers x