Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.homeschoolshare.com

If You Give a Moose a Muffin

Unit Study by Ami Brainerd
Lapbook by Shelly Kohlstedt
M Muffin book by Jill Ralph

Drama
Act out the actions along with your little ones.  They'll love to pretend opening the fridge, spreading jam on the muffins, eating them, putting on a sweater, sewing, painting, etc.

Language Arts- Chain Reaction Story
Discuss this story and how one event leads to another.  Cut out these Sequencing Cards & Pocket  and see if your student can put them in the right order.  (If you are making a lapbook, use the cards to make an accordion minit book; a cover is included in the file.)  I am also including a set of blank cards if your student prefers to write in his own answers, or if you'd like to use them for brainstorming for the next activity--

Help your student create her own chain reaction story.  First, ask her what animal she wants to have as her main character.  Next, ask her what she wants to give that animal.  What will happen if you give a __________ a ________?  Keep going until your student is tired of this activity (or until you are!).  You may want to record her answers so you can re-read the story to her later.

Weather
Open your front door and expose your student to the weather!  Is it hot, cold, rainy, snowy, or windy?  Let your student describe the weather and then discuss what should be worn in that type of weather (rain would call for rubber boots, hat, and coat).  You may want to do this on lots of different "weather" days so your student has a chance to decide what's appropriate in different situations. 
Lapbook Component: Weather Match-up Wheel

Sewing
The moose begins to sew a button on the sweater and is reminded of making puppets.  Let your student sew a button, complete some lacing cards, or just experiment with a needle (you can buy large plastic "safe" needles for children) and thread.  If you really want to have fun, make some sock puppets! They don't need to be elaborate and if you don't sew, the hot glue gun can come in handy here!   Further Instruction

Painting
This book is just full of fun activities for you and your child!  If you made the sock puppets mentioned above, you can take a large piece of cardboard and make some scenery.  You may want to plan this out before you start and draw what your child wants on the cardboard before letting him paint.  When you plan it out, talk about what type of scene he wants.  Does he want it to be outside?  What kind of day?  Inside? Where?  etc.   If you don't want to make scenery, just get out the tempera, water-color, or finger paints and spend some time together experimenting with color on paper and having fun!

Cooking
Make muffins together!  This would be a fabulous way to finish this book.

Helping Clean Up
The moose uses the sheet to help clean-up.  Talk about the messes the moose makes in the book and how God wants us to do things decently and in order.  We need to clean up our messes (hopefully before we move on to another activity!).  How can your child help you this week?  Children love to "help" and even though it may take more time for mom now, the future rewards will be worth it.  Some simple ideas are putting silverware away, wiping the table after meals, "washing" the dishes you dirty when you make your muffins, etc.

The moose also hangs the sheet out to dry.   Have you ever explained the laundry process to your little one?  If not, you can take some time to show him how the washing machine works.  Let him help load it.  Bring him back in each cycle to show "what it's doing now"; he can also help load the dryer and put in the dryer sheet.  I know my son LOVES to add the soap in the washer and watch it swish and swash.  Usually young ones are fascinated by these big machines that we take for granted.

JAM!
I think I am going to do the activities in this book in June so my son can help me make strawberry jam, and we can spread it on our muffins!!   You could also talk about different types of berries (look at pictures).  You could go berry picking together.  You could even go to the grocery store and look at ALL the different types of jellies and jams and maybe choose a new one to try on your muffins (or blackberry--it's good, too).

More Printables
Pocket Chart Cards made by Melissa

Other books to read if your child enjoyed this one...
If You Give a Pig a Pancake
If You Take a Mouse to School
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

Websites
Laura Numeroff's website

Printable Weather Chart

Weather Coloring Pages

Materials and information on this website belong to the original composers. It may be used for your own personal and school use. 
Material may not be used for resale.  © 2005-07 HSS