Story Telling Wheel for the Snail and the Whale
Hi everyone, I’m so happy to be taking part in Storybook Summer. This week is all about oceans which immediately made me think of the wonderful The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler for our storybook.
If you are not familiar with the story then I can tell you it’s a tale about the friendship between a Snail and a Whale.
One tiny snail longs to see the world and hitches a lift on the tail of a whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs and volcanoes, sharks and penguins, and the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. But when disaster strikes and the whale is beached in a bay, it’s the tiny snail who saves the day.
It’s a wonderful story with the potential for so many craft activities. My 6-year-old and I decided to make a paper plate story wheel to help re-tell the story.
Discover our Story Stones Ideas Inspired by Picture Books for Kids and find 2 other Julia Donaldson Books Featured.
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Materials for creating a story wheel for The Snail and the Whale
How to make your Snail and the Whale Story Wheel
First, we read the story and decided how many sections we would need. We decided on 5. My 6-year-old carefully divided the plate into sections and started illustrating each one. He included the port where the snail meets the whale, the icebergs, the volcano, the huge waves and the busy beach which throws the whale off course.
Whilst he was busy drawing and colouring, I drew the snail and the whale on a piece of card and cut them out. My son coloured them in and stuck the snail on to the tail of the whale.
When the different parts were finished, I carefully put a split pin through the whale and the center of the plate. This meant we could move the whale round the world and tell the story in a new way. My 4-year-old loved hearing the story and this was a great way for her to move the snail and whale and remember the story.
Jenny has been writing and sharing craft ideas at The Gingerbread House since 2005. You can also find her on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest
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