Unique Origins
For a child, every day is an adventure, even if that day includes nothing more than a quiet afternoon with a toy. It is through their imagination that children can turn the most seemingly uninteresting things into items that are creative and wonderous. It’s what happens when a cardboard box becomes an elaborate castle or an empty container of oatmeal becomes a drum. In this month’s story, a child’s imagination takes center stage as she dreams up the origin story for a beloved stuffed animal.
Penny & Pip by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann tells the story of Penny, a child, who is on her first class trip to the natural history museum. She sees animals and fish of all kinds. Among the dinosaurs, she sees an egg. Her new friend Pip emerges from an egg among the dinosaur bones. He follows her through the museum, and together they hatch a plan. Pip hides in the gift shop among the stuffed toys so Penny can buy him and take him home. No one but Penny knows that Pip is real!
Behind every imaginative play time, there is sure to be an elaborate story forming and growing in a child’s mind. Getting these and other stories down on paper helps children develop numerous skills, not the least of which are skills for building vocabulary and strengthening their ability to communicate in a variety of forms. This month’s activity asks children to follow Penny’s lead by making up an origin story about their own favorite stuffed doll or animal.
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This month’s HoneyB3E’s activity sheet titled Unique Origins helps children outline the basic parts of a story: the beginning, middle, and end. There are two variations that you can use based on a child’s writing ability. Use these to help children make up and record an origin story for their own favorite stuffed doll or animal. Click below to download a copy of the activity sheet for free.
Look for a copy of Penny & Pip by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann at this affiliate link or at your local library.