Reading Road Trip: Amusement Park

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Welcome to stop number 7 on our Reading Road Trip! The journey is nearing an end, and we’ve had a great time driving through open country and construction zones, seeing the sights at overlooks and mountaintops, taking a breather at a rest stop, and learning something new at a museum. This week is all about having fun! If this is your first week with us, you can still grab  our map  and join us in the adventure. You can also find the weekly coloring pages and other  printable resources here . For today’s stop, we’re heading to an Amusement Park! The idea this week is to read books that are just plain fun! This can be books that make you laugh, books with fun language or wordplay, or any book that is just plain fun to read. Read:  Any book that makes you laugh or is just plain fun to read aloud! Featured Book:   The Forgetful Knight  by Michele Robinson, illustrated by Fred Blunt. A hilarious story about a knight who has a score to settle with a…what was it again? Oh yes, a dragon! The r
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Read, Discuss, and Do with COZY by Jan Brett

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It's the time of year when a lot o people are trying to stay warm, so what better book for a winter story time than a story about arctic animals trying to do just that? Today's story time idea by Mindy Baker includes a super creative and adorable craft for you to pair with this charming book. What other books would make for cozy winter story times?

Cozy, written and illustrated by Jan Brett is a beautifully illustrated picture book about sharing, friendship, and getting along with others. One night in Alaska, a storm hits, and Cozy is separated from his family. He isn’t lonely for long as one-by-one, different arctic creatures burrow under Cozy’s fur to stay warm. However, it isn’t long before some house rules must be established so that the animals can all get along peacefully. In the end, signs of spring emerge, and Cozy finds his way back to his herd. The other animals move along to their summer dwellings but promise to get cozy with Cozy next winter.

READ:  Cozy by Jan Brett

DISCUSS: 

  • Why did his parents name him Cozy? (His silky coat is soft and thick.)

  • What happens to Cozy when the storm hits? (He is lost and alone.)

  • How does Cozy help the creatures in the story? (They use his fur as protection and to stay warm in the storm.)

  • Can you remember the order in which Cozy helps the creatures? (lemmings, a snowshoe hare, a snowy owl, an arctic fox, a wolverine, a team of huskies, and a sea otter)

  • Did the creatures get along well? (No, not at first.)

  • What helped the animals get along better? (house rules and thinking how the other creatures would feel, putting their needs ahead of their own)

  • Can you think of any situations where rules are helpful? (school, games, sports, traffic, etc.) What do you think it would be like in those situations if there were not any rules? (various)

Cozy was willing to help others. Who can you help and what can you do to help that person? (various)

DO: Make Cozy and some Arctic Animal Cards (For use in retelling the story, sequencing activity, and creative play)

For Cozy you will need:

  • Rectangular tissue box

  • Paper towel tube

  • Googly Eyes

  • Cardstock (brown)

  • Brown piece of felt

  • Piece of faux fur (brown)

  • Stapler

  • Tacky glue or glue gun

  • Sharpie

Directions to make Cozy:

  1. Cut one side of the tissue box so that there is an opening on one side of the box.

  2. Cut a small piece of the fur for the face and glue it onto one end of the box.

  3. Cut out cardstock for the eyes and nose. Glue on the googly eyes and draw the nostrils with a sharpie marker.

  4. Glue and staple the felt onto the other sides of the box, leaving a loose flap over the side with the opening. (So the animal cards can be tucked inside under the felt.)

  5. Make the horns from the paper towel tube. First, cut into two pieces along the seam. box. 

  6. Add the rest of the faux fur to accentuate. (You could also use yarn to create a more shaggy look.) 

To create the Arctic Animal Cards you will need:

A book with pictures of animals Description automatically generated

Directions to make the Arctic Animal Cards:

  1. Fold the index cards in half.

  2. Print the Arctic Animals free download.

  3. Cut out the Arctic animals.

  4. Tape the animals onto the cards.

A collage of a craft Description automatically generated

If you make this or any other craft or project you’ve found on Read, Discuss, Do! we’d love to know about you. You can tell us in the comments or, if you share on social media, use the hashtag #ReadDiscussDo.

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