Oh, Friends!
Things are about to get really special.
Today’s installment of our ocean-themed, summer reading project has it all! Think picture books + miniature book covers + art + story time for the win.
(If this is your first visit here, Welcome! And it’s not too late to dive in. I’ve got all the links you need to get going 🙂
Now that you’ve created your ocean mural and added a gorgeous yellow submarine, what you need is a bookish sea snake to celebrate all of that summer reading.
In fact, think of that mural as set decoration to immerse your littles in story, as told in words, art, and activities! This makes story time and read-alouds so much fun. Have your littles grab their beach towels and spread them out right by the ocean mural and start your reading.
I mean, the truth is we grown-ups often light candles when setting the perfect bookish mood to read our favorite book club fiction… so why not make a whole ocean to set the stage for summer reading?!
Which gets me to today’s craft! What better way to celebrate, commemorate, and punctuate your summer reading adventure than by turning your favorite titles into a slithery sea snake! The body segments are made out of printed miniature book covers.
For preschoolers who can’t actually read yet, seeing the book cover offers an instant visual reminder of their reading adventures. They may not be able to read a title but they can sure recognize the book cover and remember that gushy feeling of gazing at that gorgeous art while you read to them. So, After each new book is read, your readers can proudly attach another segment to the ever growing reading snake. This is the perfect activity for home, schools, libraries, and after school clubs!
INSTRUCTIONS:
- I made snake’s head out of green construction paper. You can keep it simple like me or make it as artistic and complex as you like. My little reader added the forked tongue!
- Now grab your computer.
- Open a Word document. Locate the book on the Internet.
- Drag the cover art over to your Word document, resize it and print! Save paper by putting several covers on a page. Our snake segments were about three inches square-ish but make as small or as large as you need.
- Cut out each cover a.k.a. snake segment. After the book is read, attach!
Easy. Fun. And a guaranteed memory maker. And it is so fun to look at and remember favorite books as you look at your sea snake.
Need some reading recommendations? I put a list together here. Please let me know if you have a favorite we need to check out!
In this books + crafts post, we are making a sea snake out of printed book covers!
Before we go, I’m so EXCITED to remind you that I have a book coming out in just one month…an absolutely stunning tale of a little girls quest to keep a lighthouse and save lives. The best part is… it’s a TRUE STORY! COURAGE LIKE KATE: The True Story of a Girl Lighthouse Keeper is available for pre-order right now and will be in your mailbox on August 16th! This is the book of my heart and you’ll discover why when you find out about courage it took a young girl to become a lighthouse keeper in the 1800’s. Plus, Emily Sutton’s illustrations are to die for!
NEXT is this series, I’ll give you step by step instructions for adding a sea full of craft creatures to your ocean.
Happy Crafting and Reading!
Anna Crowley Redding is a mom and stepmom to FIVE wonderful kids and the author of six books for young readers with four more on the way! You can check out more information on her books and support her writing by clicking here.
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In this books + crafts post, we are making a sea snake out of printed book covers!