Cool kids make the rules! And sometimes also break the rules. Today in Explorastory we learned which rules we should always follow, which we can bend a little bit, and how following the rules can make things more fun!
Books
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
After his mother sends him to his room for terrorizing the dog, Max travels to a land where he can be as wild as he pleases with no consequences. We’re all familiar with the story of mischievous Max and the Wild Things. However, it’s always worth revisiting this classic to remind ourselves that living in a world of no consequences can be very very lonely. Plus, I love the message that a parent’s scolding is really just another way of showing their love. Yeah yeah, that’s probably not the moral Maurice had in mind when he wrote it, but we all have our own interpretation. What’s yours?
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
Boy howdy, was I excited to share this one with Explorastory! This awesome/beautiful/hilarious book was one of the biggest hits of 2013 (not to mention our staff’s workroom) and is a great lesson in unwritten and social rules. Mr. Tiger lives in the most snobbish, pinky-up, top-hat-and-monocle-wearing city to ever grace a picture book’s pages. Naturally, all work and no play makes Mr. Tiger go crazy, but our hero’s attempts to loosen up don’t go over too well with his (literally) buttoned-up neighbors who send him away to the forest. Fortunately, not everyone rejects Mr. Tiger’s free-to-be-you-and-me attitude, but will he ever return to see the change he’s inspired?
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
We closed out Explorastory with another classic, albeit a more modern one: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (or as I like to call it, Peer Pressure: a Comedy!). We’ve all been there and we’ve all cringed at the dumb things we’ve done that seemed like such great ideas at the time. This pigeon is a smooth talker and will stop at nothing to convince us to let him drive that bus. Will he succeed? Well, that’s up to the reader. Mo Willems is a rock star in children’s literature and his pigeon books provide a way to teach kids how hilariously ridiculous peer pressure is through fun stories rather than personal experience. This one’s always a big hit with kids who relish the chance to be the ones enforcing the rules for a change.
Songs & more
We also put what we’d learned to use by playing a quick round of Red Light/Green Light and dancing (as instructed) to fun tunes like “The Hokey Pokey” and “Dance! Freeze! Melt!”.
Craft
For our weekly craft we made our very own traffic lights, ’cause following the rules is good for your health, yo!
See you next time!
