I chose to focus on the story There’s a Dinosaur in the Park! this week. It is a wonderful tale of a dinosaur that only a little boy can see that the park. The boy and the dinosaur play together, explore together and have just plain fun.
Can you guess the reason that no one can see the dinosaur? It really is green and is probably fierce in the smell, but it isn’t a dinosaur it is a trash can.
I chose this book because I wanted JDaniel to open his mind to the possible of things being more than the seem. I also thought this book would help with the book extension I wanted to do.
What did we do with the book?
JDaniel and I created a story elements box. We started by going over the elements or parts of a story. The who, what, where, and when that need to be part of a story. We skipped the why. Why? I decided we had enough elements to contend with given his age. He was pretty familiar with the terms, but we did take a few minutes to break down some familiar stories into their elements to make sure he really understood them.
Then we took an old plastic briefcase that I think came filled with baby care items, and filled it with objects from JDaniel’s room that he thought would be good in a story. He really loved the idea of a character in a story being a letter A and a rocket would be a good setting for a story.
How did your story go?
A lion and a snake live in a birdhouse high up in a tree. One day they notice that a large object has landed in front of a red bear and his car. The car needs to be put into the shop for the weekend. The lion and the snake invite the bear to stay with them while his car is in the shop. He has a great time. They are good friends by the time the bear’s car is ready.
The wonderful thing about a story elements box is that it can be filled with all kinds of treasures. The objects in the box can be changed as often as the storyteller feels necessary. The box is portable so it can be taken with you on car trips or to doctor’s visits. It could also be taken into a child’s bed just before bedtime to create original bedtime stories.
Disclaimer: I am being given copies of the books being featured in the Readathon 2012 in return for writing post based on the books.
Love this, and I’m adding that book to our library list because I KNOW my girls will adore it!! And they would totally go nuts with a story box! LOVE!!
This looks like a book C would enjoy.
What a great idea for fostering storytelling ability!
You do the cutest crafts!
That is such a great idea! I love it!!!
So simple, fun and effective. Pinning it!!
I love how he helped to pick out the items for the elements of the story instead of you just choosing them. Awesome!
Thanks for hosting. 🙂
I think you’re right. The details will come later, but the foundation for telling stories is being laid. Such a neat idea!
This is a great idea, Thanks for sharing;)
What a great idea! Thank you for sharing.
that is so cute… just to let you know, i am all about trying to get one of those free little libraries near us… thanks!!!!!!!!
I like this idea. My 4 yro is already great at story telling (retelling a story) but my 5 yro still struggles at times. This might be fun for her.
So neat!
Love your story building elements, especially the fact that you can play your story as you make it up.
pinned this! what a great idea!
I absolutely LOVE the idea of a story elements box! What a creative and fun idea!
What a clever idea! Stopped by from SITS this weekend 🙂
What a great thing to do! I especially love the part where you mention: “to open his mind to the possible of things being more than the seem”
Stopping by from SITS!
what a clever idea
would love it if you could share them on my link party – http://serenityyou.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/serenity-saturday-48.html
Natasha xx
I absolutely adore this!! This is on my to do list. I love how it’s so interchangeable and it really encourages imagination. I’ve pinned and shared. 🙂 Thank you so much for posting!
I absolutely LOVE this story elements box. We’re always doing activities related to what we’re reading and this activity is now at the top of my list!!
Would be great to do a box with the book we recently did a storyboard for – http://jennifischer.blogspot.com/2012/07/simple-sunday-storytelling-board-hush.html
LOVE this idea! For some reason I thought I’d commented before! Well, here I am now! Such a fun idea to encourage storytelling and imaginative play! Thanks for sharing!
I am a speech-language pathologist and I LOVE this idea of using props to create a narrative. Thanks for sharing this creative, hands-on approach! I will definitely be sharing with colleagues and parents to make therapy that much more effective.
This is an awesome idea! I plan on using it today!
¡¡Fantastica idea!! Muchisimas gracias por compartirla… Soy Cuenta-Cuentos, y hago muchas animaciones a la lectura, y con esta idea se puede trabajar…Gracias otra vez