Once Upon A Book: Circus

 

Circus by Lois Ehlert 

Summary:  Simple text and brilliantly colored cut-paper illustrations take children into a big top of circus excitement starring leaping lizards, marching snakes, whistling parrots, and the tumbling Zucchini Brothers.

 

Circus Puppet Show: Jonah used our Portable Puppet Theater and finger puppets to perform his own circus show. I pulled some appropriate animals and people puppets from my favorite finger puppet sets (purchased at Ikea, but I found them on Amazon)

We had a Dancing Bear, Trapeze girl, Ringmaster/Lion Tamer, Lion, Juggling Monkey, Dumbo the Elephant, and a Clown dressed up like a Fireman (remember the scene from the Disney movie, Dumbo?)

 

 

Clown Craft: We made a clown using a paper plate and construction paper. I traced Jonah's hands for the clown hair. I cut simple shapes for the clown features. Jonah decorated the clown hat. If you have a red balloon, you could blow it up slightly, cut a slit in the plate, and place the balloon through the hole. We didn't have any balloons and we used what we had on hand instead.

 

 

 

Clown Noses: While we were making our craft, I cut a nose for Jonah to wear out of our paper  scraps. He loved it and wore it the rest of the morning! It really is the simple things that give them the most joy!

 

Other Activities: We used the Circus Early Learning Pack from Homeschool Creations for the bulk of our learning activities. (We've had a new baby join our family recently and the printable resources were mommy's sanity saver!)

 

 

Snack: Popcorn & a Movie! I remembered that I had a popcorn holder that looked like the ones at the circus and Jonah thought it was extra special. We watched Dumbo while we enjoyed our popcorn.

While I always have the grandest of plans for themes, our simple Circus activities reminded me that it isn't always the grand plans that are the most fun. Jonah loved the silly noses (Mommy wore one, too!) and snuggling on the couch while watching a movie the most. Here's to hoping you find some snuggle time and laughter with your little ones, too!