The Boxcar Children is an adorable, classic novel to add to your homeschool routine. This novel unit will provide you with optional activities, crafts, and library topics to enrich the novel topics and themes.
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Experience it in the Home
The focus for this unit is “Experience it in the home…” The unit is designed so that you can add simple discussions, recipes, meals, and outdoor play to your day-to-day life while reading this book. These are related to the events in each chapter and provide a way for you to live out the book and experience it as a family…simply and easily.
Experience it Across Multiple Subjects
There are also additional activities that you can choose to add on as you please. This would be for you to “Experience it across multiple subjects…” This may include crafts, science experiments, math activities or writing. These are all optional and can be completed at ANY time. (We know deep down the memory of a book never leaves us…save these for when it best suits your family)
Organized by Chapter
The novel unit is broken down by each chapter. Every chapter guide includes the following:
Summary
Discussion Questions
Crafts/Activities/Discussions
Library topics to add optional books to your study
Super Flexible
Everything is OPTIONAL! No required book list. No required supplies. This unit is so flexible. Pick and choose what works for your family. Most importantly have fun with it. Learn together from the character experiences. Enjoy digging deeper into a novel.
You can read more about the Read Aloud Experience in this post where I explain our very first one that our family completed for The Secret Garden. To download the free units, click the links below:
One of our Christmas read alouds this year was “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson. I chose the book because it was on the Read Aloud Revival holiday booklist and because I had heard great things about it from others.
A friend reached out to me before I read it, and gave me a heads up that there were some inappropriate parts in the story for little ears to hear. I was so thankful for this message, because she was right. There are definitely some parts in the book that may be worth editing or skipping, and I plan to share them with you here.
This post contains affiliate links. If you follow one of my links I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!
Pointing Out the Bad
Let me just start by saying that this book was so precious. If you’re wondering if it’s a good book to read for Christmas, my vote is YES! My kids looked forward to it every night, and I even teared up at the end!
Now, with that in mind, you’ll have to make note that I’m about to point out the not-so-great things in the book. It’s the focus of this post – to warn you of some of the things that might be bad for little ears. But please don’t mistake that for this being a bad book. Of course, use your discretion to pick what’s best for your family, but please do not interpret my post as a negative review. We adored this story.
I would read it again in a heartbeat!
Age Group
My girls and I read every night before bed. Their ages are 8, 6, and 3. So, you can see that a variety of ages will enjoy this. I will say that my older two caught on a bit more, but you better believe their youngest sister was giggling along with them at times.
I truly feel this book would be great for even older kids as well. If you have middle school kids, they’d probably get a kick out of this too. It’s one the whole family can enjoy together.
The Herdmans
The book is about a group of siblings called the Herdmans. They’re naughty, and I mean really naughty. They are terrible to other kids, parents, and pretty much all authorities. They are mean, destroy property, smoke cigars, and set a terrible example. The thing is — they make this story! Their behavior and actions is what really drives this book home in the end, so you have to get past the bad to get to the good.
What I love about reading aloud with my kids is that it provides us with a safe environment to talk about these things together. What do we think of the behavior? What would you do in that situation? How should we act towards others? Is this the right thing to do? We had lots of these discussions with this book, and they were very meaningful.
Bullying
I’m not going to cover each chapter, but I will tell you that chapter one is a doozy when it comes to bullying. The author does a great job setting up the characters and pointing to the fact that – the Herman’s are rude to all! There is a character in particular that this chapter focuses on, Imogene Herdman. There is an entire section about her sneaking around to find out everyone’s body weight and then using it against them later.
The only time this got really uncomfortable for me is when the book started using words like “the fat kids” and then had an entire paragraph about what fat camp was. I try to teach my kids not to use the word “fat” and it was thrown around quite casually in this chapter. Once again…I’m not mad about it. I love being able to talk to them about these things in the safety of our home. This is just a heads up for you. The word “fat” comes up multiple times in this chapter.
The first chapter also brings up “cooties”, so that was a new term for some of my kids. Needless to say the author does an amazing job making these kids sound straight up awful!
Language
We just finished this book, and I really can’t remember any curse words. In my opinion, those are easy to edit quickly or skip over, but I don’t recall them even coming up.
I will point out that a couple of the Herdmans shout, “Oh my God!” during their rehearsals. The point of this is the rest of the children are in shock that someone would use God’s name in vain in the church.
I chose to say “Oh my gosh” instead and the whole thing went right over my kids’ heads. I want to say it happens 2-3 times.
The only other part that sticks out in my head is when a preacher says at the end of chapter 6, “Mrs. Wendelken says all they do is talk about sex and underwear.”
I didn’t see that one coming, but I just skipped over sex and said “underwear”, not because it’s a bad word, but because I wasn’t about to have a discussion about sex right before bedtime. We’d be talking for hours! I just made the quick decision to skip it and move on.
The Nativity
I don’t want to give away too much in the story, but I think it’s also important to point out that the Herdmans are not aware of the Christmas story. They are very curious and want to make sense of it all. They throw around jokes and make up crazy scenarios about what might have happened. I personally don’t think it’s a bad thing. Just know that you are going to come across some things that add a sort of silliness to the nativity.
Do you ever use Common Sense Media? I looked this book up to see what it had to say, and it made the point like this, “Parents need to know that this is a unique and entertaining spin on an age-old tale. Some parents may want to exercise discretion: Not everyone will want their children exposed to the antics of the main characters or will appreciate the liberties the story takes with what some people may consider sacred ground.”
…But it’s SOO CUTE!
I really hate saying all this. It makes the book sound terrible, but I promise you it’s absolutely adorable. The end of the book was so meaningful and it brought me to tears. I don’t want to spoil it for you.
Here’s the thing – the book is only 7 chapters and just 90 pages. If you are considering it for your family, but you aren’t sure how you’ll feel, pre-read it. You could probably do it in one sitting! It’s that quick (and entertaining!) Find it in your library so you can do this for free, and decide whether or not you want to share it with your kids.
We loved it! I don’t regret it one bit. I love the discussions we had. I love the giggles we shared, but I can’t spoil the beautiful message that is displayed at the end. Even if you read this on your own and decided to wait on it a few years to share with your kids, I truly feel your time wouldn’t be wasted.
Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, and this author has a fun, unique way of pointing this out to us, even if it makes us slightly uncomfortable for a bit. Jesus came for all, and this story proves just that!
Caddie Woodlawn is a beautiful story about a young girl growing up in the mid to late 1800s. Based on the story of a real girl, she lives in Wisconsin with her family where she gets along better with her brothers than her sisters. Through her mishaps and adventures with her friends and siblings, she learns about her role as a young lady and how plays a part in her family.
The following read aloud activities were put together as a plan for our Homeschool Book Club. You can read more about how I host that HERE. However, these activities are also fun to do with your family at home. The activities are intended to be completed at the end of the book as a little book celebration. So please use this plan as it best suits you in the season that you are in.
This post contains affiliate links. If you follow one of my links I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!
Discussion Questions
What is your favorite part?
Who is your favorite character and why?
Caddie and her family lived a long time ago. What are some differences in their way of life that stick out to you?
At the end of the story, Caddies family had to make a choice. What was that choice? And what would you have done?
On the Map
This is a great opportunity to understand where Caddie lived and locate it on a map. We used a US Puzzle and turned it into a scavenger hunt! I’ve had this puzzle for a few years and we put it together all the time! It’s the perfect way to review a map of the United States. It’s large, and the pieces make up the actual shape of the states.
Hide the pieces all around your house or outside (I always love going outside when we can.) As your children bring them to you, begin putting it together. Once it’s complete, point out that Caddie lives in Wisconsin. Show it on the map. You can also locate Boston, where her mother is from.
Ask questions about what it would be like to travel from Boston to WIsconsin? Could they fly or drive? These kinds of questions are always so fun to ask.
Be sure to point out where you live on the map. How far is it from Wisconsin?
Snack – Taste the time period!
One of the moms in our group made a list of a bunch of the different foods that were mentioned in the book. The list included hazelnuts, salt pork, turkey, cranberries, and molasses cookies.
Prepare as many or as little of these as you want! I actually didn’t even know what salt pork was until we made it for book club. It’s not very good at all. (ha!) But it was so fun to try it! I found an easy recipe online, but you have to prepare it 48 hours ahead of time. It’s not hard, and it’s worth the experience if you can.
We were able to talk about why salt pork was so popular during that time period and why it was necessary to prepare it in that way. You can read about salt pork here.
Someone else made the Molasses cookies for our group, but here is a simple recipe if you are on the hunt for one. Molasses is so odd to me, but in a cookie it’s oh-so-good.
All of the other items can come from the grocery store. We didn’t have them all at our group, but I love the fact that any time we do try it, we can still think back to our novel.
Read Aloud
I love when I can read a picture book that relates to our story. Unfortunately, the way our timing worked out during our get together, we didn’t have a chance to read something. I will share what I had hoped to read though.
I went hunting in my own home library for this one. I found a picture book called, “Summertime in the Big Woods”. This picture book is from a series about Laura Ingalls Wilder as a child. The books are precious and easy to read.
Did you know that Laura Ingalls Wilder was also living in Wisconsin during her stories in the “Big Woods”. How is her summer like Caddie’s? How is their summer different from ours? These are all questions I had hoped to chat about with the kids.
If you’d like an alternative for the story time, my other option was to find a book about Abraham Lincoln. There’s a chapter or two that discusses his presidency, and I thought it would be neat to read some history. I considered reading “My Little Golden Book About Abraham Lincoln”. It’s an easy read and very inexpensive.
Raft Challenge
There’s a chapter in the book that Caddie and her uncle ride on a raft. Caddie’s uncle plays a trick on Caddie making it difficult for her to successfully use the raft.
For this activity, I set up a STEM challenge, and it was such a hit! I provided the kids with a basket of supplies: straws, string, masking tape, and sticks from my yard. We talked about how rafts are made, and then I let the children have the freedom to make whatever they wanted. Their goal was to make a raft that a little lego man could float on successfully.
The results were so surprising to me! Every child created something completely different. As they were putting it together, I asked questions. What is your strategy to make this work? Why did you choose straws? What is the string for?
It was summer time when we did this and I set up a blow up pool in our yard filled with water. This is where we tested our rafts. You could use a big tub if you wanted. Want to know something crazy? The most outrageous looking raft was the one that worked the best! This activity went a little longer than I had planned, because the kids just couldn’t stop. They loved building their rafts.
I did stand nearby tearing masking tape for the kids to help them out and keep the building going.
Making Homemade Butter
For the last activity, we made our own butter. Caddie and her siblings churned their own butter. If you have time or the resources, you could share what they might have used to do this. Then, try it yourself. If you’ve never done this – it’s so easy! You have to try it. You’ll need a mason jar and heavy cream. That’s it!
Fill the mason jar half way with cream. I made one for each family. It takes quite a bit of endurance, so sharing the job among the family members made it easier to complete. Put the lid on tight and start shaking the jar with all your might.
This takes a few minutes. When one person was tired, they passed it to someone else in their family. After a couple minutes, you will feel that the jar is not really moving liquid around. That’s because it has turned to whip cream! This is a fun opportunity to put a spoonful in a bowl and add some sugar. I had a bunch of plastic spoons and everyone got a taste. Yum!
Keep on shaking that jar! After a few more minutes, you will start to notice the butter surrounded by buttermilk. The butter actually provided us with a second snack. I added a little salt to the butter and was ready with some saltine crackers. Spread a little butter on the cracker and taste the homemade butter. The kids ate it up!
I labeled each jar with the family name so they could take it home to enjoy.
Want more Book FUN?
We were able to finish all of these activities in about an hour and a half.The kids had so much fun! They loved discussing the books together and the simple activities were engaging and exciting for them.
A small book celebration like this really brings a book to life and we love experiencing the novels we read together in this way. I plan to share all of our book club plans with you, so sign up for my email list below and be notified each time a new one is posted.
You can also check out the growing blog post containing each book we’ve completed already. If you’re a fan of adding to your read alouds in a simple way, I want to encourage you to see the different Read Aloud Experiences I have created. Almost all of them are absolutely FREE! These are created on a chapter-by-chapter basis and create such a unique, hands-on read aloud unit to do together with your family!
“The Adventures of Reddy Fox” by Thornton Burgess is a short, classic novel based on a young, mischievous fox. This quick read is great for children of all ages and it is the start to an entire series of different animals in the forest.
The following read aloud activities were put together as a plan for our Homeschool Book Club. You can read more about how I host that HERE. However, these activities are also fun to do with your family at home. The activities are intended to be completed at the end of the book as a little book celebration. So please use this plan as it best suits you in the season that you are in.
This post contains affiliate links. If you follow one of my links I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!
Discussion Questions
What is your favorite part of this book?
Who is your favorite character?
Why does Reddy Fox live with his grandmother?
Who is Reddy Fox always running from?
What happened to Reddy Fox that caused him to get hurt?
What had to change for Reddy Fox and his grandmother at the end of the story?
All About Foxes – Scavenger Hunt
SUPPLIES: Fox Printout (FREE), Scissors, Tape, Bright Paper and glue stick (optional)
I printed the information for this scavenger hunt using this FREE printable. I had my children cut out the squares and paste them on to bright orange paper so that they would stand out.
Hide the cards all over. I prefer to do this outside, but it rained the day we met, so we hunted for cards indoors. Tape them or place them so that the bright orange is visible for the kids to see.
Once all the cards are found, sit in a circle and read each card together. Depending on the ages and abilities, you could read the cards to them or ask a child to read out loud to the group.
One of the cards talks about the sounds that foxes makes. There is a link to hear these sounds, and I highly recommend visiting it and sharing it with the kids. It’s just always so fun to use multiple senses while learning.
Snack – Fox Cupcake
SUPPLIES: Cupcakes, Icing, Food Coloring, Chocolate Chips, large Ziplock bags, multiple spreading knives (I use plastic silverware for easy clean up.)
For this activity you’ll need to bake the cupcakes in advance so that they are cool enough to frost and decorate. Use any flavored cupcake you’d like. We chose vanilla to keep it simple. It also helps if you make a finished cupcake in advance to use as an example.
You will need to prepare the icing. I purchased one white icing and separated about 1/2 of a cup into a bowl. To this I added red and yellow food coloring to make it a light orange color. Save the remaining white icing. Put the white icing into a plastic bag and snip the corner to use it as a piping bag for decorating.
I had plastic knives stored away, so I was able to give each child a knife for spreading. The first step is to spread the orange icing onto the cupcake. Next, use the white icing to pipe the two sides of the fox’s face. Then, gently spread the white colored icing to blend together.
Feel free to get creative with this next part – building the face. You could simply use chocolate chips for the nose and eyes and call it finished. We do a lot of baking at my house and I happened to have candy eyes and some long orange sprinkles. I showed the children that they could use two sprinkles to make ears and allowed them to add their own unique touch to it.
The final step is to eat it! This is a great time to read a story while mouths are quiet and filled with a yummy treat!
Read Aloud
SUPPLIES: Any picture book of your choosing – use your library or something you already have! See suggestions below.
My focus for this book club was foxes, but you could read a picture book about anything – forest animals, hunting, farming, etc. I did not want to purchase anything extra for this so I showed up to my library and checked out the nonfiction section first. I didn’t have any luck, but the computer system led me to a picture book that talks about the life cycle of a fox. It was so perfect!
The book is called “Fox” by Kate Banks and it follows the life of a newborn fox as it learns from its mother and father. The pictures are beautiful and the wording on each page is not too long for a sugared up group of kids eating fox cupcakes. (ha!)
Drawing A Fox
SUPPLIES: Paper, Colored Pencils, Pencil
I picked a very simple instruction video from Art for Kids Hub that I knew kids of all ages could do. It was a hit! Everyone enjoyed the drawing and it was so neat to see how each child added their own special touch. They all wanted to color it and make it their own, and it was something simple and sweet they could take home with them.
Want more Book FUN?
We were able to finish all of these activities in about an hour and a half.The kids had so much fun! They loved discussing the books together and the simple activities were engaging and exciting for them.
A small book celebration like this really brings a book to life and we love experiencing the novels we read together in this way. I plan to share all of our book club plans with you, so sign up for my email list below and be notified each time a new one is posted.
You can also check out the growing blog post containing each book we’ve completed already. If you’re a fan of adding to your read alouds in a simple way, I want to encourage you to see the different Read Aloud Experiences I have created. Almost all of them are absolutely FREE! These are created on a chapter-by-chapter basis and create such a unique, hands-on read aloud unit to do together with your family!
Homeschool book club is something I started in my home in order to connect with other homeschool families near me. It’s a homeschool group that focuses on literature by reading a novel at home and then meeting together to discuss it. On the day our book club meets we play, eat, read, chat, and do enriching activities to celebrate the novel.
Homeschool book club is not a new concept. I’ve seen some near me and have heard about some from others, but in this post I wanted to share about what it is and how ours came to be. I also want to provide you with ideas for activities in hopes that it might encourage or help others meet up together for the sake of good books! 🙂
And if you’re not into leading in a group setting, stick around! The activities can be done with your family alone, as well. Book activities are so much fun, and I’ve kept it very simple and low key.
This post contains affiliate links. If you follow one of my links I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!
It starts small.
I mentioned the idea to one friend that was interested and she knew one more. That’s it! This group of families contains 11 kids, which was a great number to get us going.
We picked a SHORT novel that would be easy to finish. I didn’t want anyone to feel the pressure of reading a book in time. It also allowed us to finish reading quickly. I’ve read some pretty long chapter books with my kids and after a while it’s easy to forget things. Our first short and sweet book gave me as the planner a little wiggle room to play with ideas without feeling rushed.
The last “small” tip is don’t commit. Isn’t that so weird to say? It makes me laugh thinking about it, but it’s true. Sometimes the thought of a monthly/weekly commitment is overwhelming. We all agreed to one meet-up and than we would decide what to do next.
This worked out fantastic. We had so much fun and knew we wanted to continue. Instead of committing to once a month, we all picked a time in the near future that we were comfortable with…and that’s the only day we have planned for now. This laid back approach really takes a weight off.
Enrichment Activities
One of my passions is taking a book that I’m reading with my family and expanding upon it with games, crafts, food, or more books! We’ve done this many times in the past as a family. (Check out my Read Aloud Experience for The Secret Garden, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, the Boxcar Children, or the Courage of Sarah Noble) So, I was so excited to share our love for literature with our friends.
Different enrichment activities might include themed snacks, crafts, scavenger hunts, drawing, reading, writing, dancing, videos…and more! I pick a couple of these to go along with our chapter book and it brings it to life!
Schedule
The schedule will change each time, depending on the activity, but I do have a goal for each time we meet. We plan for a two hour window and I hope to do the following
Welcome and Free Play
Book Discussions
Activity
Snack + Read Aloud (usually a picture book)
Activity
Every book will be different, but I can add or take away activities as I need to.
Planning
Planning can sometimes be the hardest part for some. There’s so many options and a ton of resources out there!
Don’t give up yet…I’m hoping to do the majority of the planning for you! It is my hope that each time we do a new book, I will write a blog post containing all of the activities we did. I’ll keep a running list on this page of the different books.
Make the Book Club work for you.
There’s no rules to this, but do have fun with it! Go as big or stay as small as you’d like. One thing you could always do is just try out the activities in your home with your family. There’s no rule saying you have to put together a group. Maybe you could read the book and meet with just one other friend. Instead of making a schedule of things, just choose one activity and voila! Simple, fun, and educational.
Whatever you decide, I’d love to hear how it’s going and if you enjoy the activities for the books. Leave a comment here, send me an email, or tag me on social media (@simply.learning.together)
Book List
This is a growing list. So, save this page for future reference!
The Courage of Sarah Noble is a super short, sweet story of a girl and her father. Based on a true story, Sarah and her father must travel long distance to begin making a new home for their family.
In this post, I want to share with you a variety of simple activities you can do at home while reading this book. The activities are designed for you and your children to experience the story a little deeper. By making it available to you in this post, I hope you are encouraged to pick and choose the things that fit best for your family.
Everything is optional. Books are wonderful and educational just as they are, but every once in a while I love to dive a little deeper with my kids and see what sort of fun we can have together through the readings of the story. That’s what I’m here to help you do.
Follow along chapter by chapter for different activity suggestions. Complete them as you read or wait until the end. Read four days of the week and save the fifth day for fun! Everything is meant to be flexible for you. Activities include something as simple as a discussion to tasks a little more involved, like a craft.
Chapter 1:
NIGHT TIME SOUNDS: Sarah and her father have to sleep in the woods on their journey. The sounds of the night scare Sarah. Head out to your backyard when it gets dark. Be very still and quiet and listen to the sounds of your neighborhood/home. What animals do you hear? Do you think Sarah heard the same kinds of sounds?
ANIMAL RESEARCH: Sarah’s father lets her know that she hears a fox and a wolf as they are trying to sleep. Learn a little more about one or both of those animals. Watch an educational video on YouTube. Check out books from your library. Draw a picture of one or both. You can copy it from a book you have or check out Art for Kids Hub for an easy drawing tutorial:
MAPS: In this chapter, we find out that Sarah and her father are traveling from Massachusetts to Connecticut. Complete a US Map puzzle together and point out these states. (This puzzle is our favorite.) Then, point out where you live!
FOREST DREAM: At the end of the chapter, Sarah describes what seems like a dream full of trees. Imagine what this might look like. Draw a picture OR get out paints. Watercolors would be fun and less mess! She mentions men moving in the background. Add it to your drawing/painting. Who might those men be?
Chapter 3:
KINDNESS: Sarah and her father recall the mistreatment they experienced at the settlement. Over and over, Sarah’s father talks about the importance of kindness. Keep this activity simple. How can you show kindness in your home? How about at the park? Or while you are with friends?
Check out this blog post for a list of books about kindness. You may have some at home or visit your library website and see if you can check them out.
Lastly, consider spreading kindness in your home or outside of it:
write a letter
deliver baked goods
offer to complete someone’s chore
write a thank you
let someone else go first
share your toys…the list could go on!
Chapter 4:
JOHNNY CAKE: Sarah is so excited to eat something besides dry johnny cakes! Have you ever tried them? Visit this site to read a little bit of history and for a recipe to make your own. Would you love eating them all the time?
ANIMAL RESEARCH: Animals are always so fun to learn about. Just as you may have done before in chapter one, you can look into skunks, especially if your child(ren) enjoyed the research. Your local library, personal library, or even YouTube may have some great information to look into.
Complete a super simple skunk craft by following this video. Be sure to check it out. It’s more than just a drawing and would be really easy to put together.
Chapter 5
NATIVE AMERICANS: Sarah observes the Indians near her new home. She notices their houses built of bark. Check out the book, “North American Indians.” and learn so much about history and the way different tribes lived. See an example of the different homes they built and learn about their lifestyle. This is a fantastic history book to add to your library.
BIBLE STORY: Read the story of Samuel together with your family. Find it in your Bible in 1 Samuel 3:1-21. Talk about how the Lord spoke to Samuel.
Chapter 6
LANGUAGE: Do you speak more than one? Can you speak a few words in another language? The chapter is titled “Friends”. Did you know that friends in Spanish is “amigos”? Visit www.signingsavvy.com and see how to say friends in American Sign Language. What other languages would be fun to translate the word “friends”?
Chapter 7
MAPLE TREES: Are there maple trees where you live? See them in person if you can. If not, look up pictures or read about them in books. In the fall, the leaves turn beautiful colors.
NEW HOME: Sarah finds out she has to live with the Indians temporarily. Based on her description of their homes, the location, and the illustrations in the book, we can assume that the home might have been similar to a wigwam. Construct a wigwam home that is similar to this out of construction paper. See this blog post for full instructions. What might it have been like to live in a home like that?
Chapter 9
BASKET WEAVING: Sarah learned many new things staying with the Indians, including how to weave her own basket. Try making these simple woven bowls with paper plates and yarn.
Chapter 10
MOCCASINS: Read about moccasins from Brittanica Kids. Do an online search for images of different kinds of moccasins. How were they decorated? What were they made from? Make a simple paper moccasin. Trace your child’s foot onto yellow construction paper. Cut it out and let your child decorate the top. Next cut strips of paper about an inch thick. Cut mini strips to create a frilly look. (See the image above) Use a glue stick to add the frill to the shoes.
Chapter 11
GROWING UP: Sarah thinks she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. Talk with your children about what they want to be when they grow up. What do they hope to accomplish? What did mom/dad want to be when they grew up?
Simple, Flexible, and Fun
That’s what I want this to be for you and your family. Do as little or as much as you’d like, and most importantly enjoy the book with your sweet kiddos.
If this was helpful for you or if you have an interest in more like this, I’d appreciate it so much if you let me know. Leave a comment below. Send me an email jaimie@simplylearningtogether.com. Or, reach me on Instagram @simply.learning.together.
As always, I love seeing all of these activities in action from your families! Please tag and share with me on social media. Seeing you guys enjoy these at home brings me so much joy!
Looking for more novel-based units?
If you like a variety of activities like this, check out my Read Aloud Experiences. These novel units walk you through each chapter and provide multiple ways to experience the book inside your home.
A few years ago, my family ditched the all-in-one workbooks and focused on novels for our language arts study. It’s been the best decision, and we actually have fun learning the subject! After forming a good rhythm in my own home, I now have multiple novel units available for purchase as well. These units take you through a novel with chapter summaries and discussion, provide enrichment activities and literature, AND they will help you hit all the parts of language arts including spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and even some writing! Don’t miss these!
I chose to read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle with my kiddos because it was light, short, and funny. I also discovered that through each chapter, we could have great discussions about good and bad behavior.
I developed a Read Aloud Experience to go along with the novel. If you are not familiar with the Read Aloud Experience, check out this post.
In short, it includes the following: chapter summaries and questions, optional crafts and activities for each chapter, and library topics to guide you in checking out books that go along with the themes.
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There was something special about this book that made me take it a little further.
Every chapter follows a child that is making bad decisions or forming bad habits. The parent calls Mrs. Piggle Wiggle to ask for a “cure” for their child. It is all very fictional and humorous but the behaviors are applicable to real life.
The best part was we could giggle about the silliness, but then have real discussions about good character. We talked about behavior and responsibility in our own home – and most importantly we backed it all up with scripture.
When the characters refused their bedtime, we researched Van Gogh and recreated Starry Night
Every chapter in this Read Aloud Experience includes a bible verse to use as a devotion with your family.
I love when a book leaves an impression on you, and to this day we refer back to the characters in the chapters and what we learned from them. We even memorized a few of the verses and can recite them in certain situations.
There are 8 chapters in Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, and I’ll outline the biblical focus points below:
Obey your parents
Generosity
Use kind words
Greed
Patience
Rest
Thankfulness
Arguing
Sound like topics you might want to discuss in your family?
My oldest two children were 6 and 4 when we read this. So, don’t assume your children are too young! I have even thought about doing this again in a few years. It’s great for all ages! All of these topics come up in our home on a regular basis and it was so nice to be able to sit down and discuss them together.
We homeschool our children and loved using the verses as our devotion, reading a chapter a day, and completing the optional crafts and activities. If you do not homeschool, you could still easily use this book to talk about the character traits listed above.
When a character refuses supper, we got creative with food by completing this marshmallow STEM activity.
Everything in the Read Aloud Experience is optional and it’s meant to be flexible for all families.
Think of it as your guide. There are so many ways you could make it work in a way that fits your family. Simply read a bible verse at dinner and a chapter before bed.
Save it for the weekend! The chapters are short. Read two on Saturday and two on Sunday and you’ll be done in two weekends!
Download the unit for a spring break or summer activity. It would be the perfect thing to add a small bit of structure/routine to your day.
If you wanted to use it to its full potential, check your local library for books that go along with the topics listed in the unit. Use the supply list to make sure you have the ingredients for recipes and craft supplies. Since this book is so short, you can get everything you need in one swoop so you’re ready to go!
In our family, we used the bible verse as our daily morning devotion. I read a chapter a day (usually while the babies were napping). Then, we would complete the activities we had time for. I usually save library books for after dinner/before bed. It’s the easiest way to add them into our day.
I always randomly select library books based on a specific topic. I love the fun and surprise in this. We did come across some great ones and I will share them below if you’d like to search for them specifically:
We read many more throughout the unit, but these were our favorites.
Our “Un-Selfish Kit” inspired by Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s kit – We discussed actions that were kind and not selfish.
If this Read Aloud Experience sounds like something you’d like to look into for your family, you can download the entire unit for FREE in my store.
Pick and choose how you want it to work for your family and enjoy digging deeper into a book. (Download the unit here.) I love how my children and I really become a part of the book when we do this. We get to know the characters as if they are a friend. We experience new things and get to be creative. You could say it’s almost like we are in the book ourselves!
Reading Aloud is such a great habit to form with your family, but what if you could take it one step further?
It all started for my family during our first year of homeschool. We were reading the Little House series and kept talking about what it would be like to live like Laura and Mary. We were craving that experience, and I wanted my children to understand how different it was back then. As a result, we started digging a little deeper.
We started planning simple activities and lessons based on our chapter readings.
It was almost as if we were diving into the book world and getting lost in reading magic. My children could understand and comprehend better, and we were having so much fun learning a variety of different lessons…this includes me! I learned right alongside them.
The Read Aloud Experience is designed to be low budget, low stress, and without all the “extras”.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve downloaded a unit/curriculum for my children only to find out I need to buy 5-10 specific books to go with it. Or, it’s asking for something I can only find at a craft store, and I really don’t want to load up my car and make the trip! Many times it ends in money wasted or just an incomplete lesson.
Most supplies in the Read Aloud Experience can be picked up at your trip to the the grocery store, and there’s no required book list.
I don’t always have time for that extra craft store trip, so adding a thing or two to my grocery list makes it so easy to prepare. As much as a I would love to buy ALL.THE.BOOKS, I just can’t. So, I take advantage of my library as much as possible.
The Read Aloud Experience provides you with a list of library topics that go along with each chapter. That way, you can grab a few books (for free!) to enhance your reading. I love doing library pick-up because I search the topic and look at the book covers to figure out what I like best. I add it to my hold cart, and picking them all up is like Christmas! I have no idea what’s inside, and most of the time I am positively surprised!
“She found herself in one long gallery whose walls were covered with these portraits.” The Secret Garden – Create a self-portrait
A variety of activities are included.
History, science, arts/crafts, music, food, nature, life skills, writing, map skills, and more!…these are the types of activities you’ll get to experience. Some are as simple as – go on a nature walk and use your five senses. Others will require a teeny bit of set up – like a science experiment or craft.
Remember, nothing is too crazy. I have four kids and 2 are under 2. I don’t have extra time to do something extremely intense. If I can do it, so can you!
All book suggestions and activities are optional.
Not feeling up to an extra activity? No problem! Is Thursday your afternoon sports practice and your short on time?…it’s ok! Nothing is required. If you’re in love with the activity but don’t have time to complete it, save it for the next day or move it to the weekend when you’re kids are wondering what the plan is for the day.
“In one room, which looked like a lady’s sitting-room, the hangings were all embroidered velvet, and in a cabinet were about a hundred little elephants made of ivory.” The Secret Garden Elephant mini-lesson
Everything is made to be flexible and adjustable for your family.
A supply list and library topic list is included for every chapter. A Planning Guide is also provided so that you can decide what works best for your family. The Read Aloud Experience can revolve around your routine and your rhythms for the day.
Involve your whole family – all ages.
Everyone can participate in the Read Aloud Experience. It’s like your own little mini book club inside your house. It’s so fun how we all can talk about the book and the things we’ve learned. Dad is usually working during the day and misses the reading, but he always gets to read our library books before bed, learning with the kids. The babies don’t always get to participate in crafts and activities, but many days they’re on the floor listening to me read.
“The skipping-rope was a wonderful thing. She counted and skipped, and skipped and counted, until her cheeks were quite red, and she was more interested than she had ever been since she was born. ” The Secret Garden – Jumping Rope
Easily incorporate the Read Aloud Experience into your day.
Simply add the read aloud to your day and pick and choose activities as time allows. One chapter a day – It’s that easy!
You can also use this as a break from your language arts curriculum. You know that funk you get in when you just need a change? This is exactly what we did, and it was wonderful. There is just so much to learn from reading literature together!!
It is a novel unit that leads you to discuss story elements, vocabulary, and comprehension while diving into other subjects, as well. At my house, we have placed the curriculum workbook aside. Honestly, it got boring! I dreaded doing it. Now, we complete our read aloud experience, a quick phonics page, shared reading time, and that’s it for language arts. It’s been so nice and refreshing.
This is also great when you’re taking a break from school in general, and you still want to have a little bit of structure. For example, this could be summer, holidays, or a break after a new baby.
You can get the entire Read Aloud Experience forFREE!
Still unsure if this is right for your family? Don’t believe me that it’s easy and low stress? Check it out for yourself and decide. You can get the entire Read Aloud Experience for The Secret Garden free and test it out for yourself.
Remember that just reading to your children is going to be beneficial and time well spent. You’ll always cherish that time together. The Read Aloud Experience allows you to take it one step further with ease.
Complete the included science experiment and take a break from your science curriculum that day. Save the activities for a rainy day when you can’t get outside. Or, plan to do them in the afternoon during that awkward time when you’re kids keep asking about dinner. (Anyone else?)
Most importantly, have fun with it! Get the whole family involved. There’s nothing better than gathering around a great book.
Check out the following links for more Read Aloud Experiences:
