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:
Click HERE for a wolf drawing.
Chapter 2:
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.
If you feel up to a painting craft, check out this fun, easy broccoli-print maple tree.
Chapter 8
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!
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