Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
Craft and Steam Activities
Strictly No Elephants is a wonderful story written by Lisa Mantchev and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo that lends itself to a variety of engaging read-aloud activities. Here are some ideas and activities I did with my students inspired by this empowering story.
- Character Voices: Read the story and bring the characters to life by giving each one a distinct voice. For example, use a deep voice for the owner of the bulldog and a gentle voice for the boy with the pet elephant.
- Sound Effects: Bring out your instrument box or make your own musical instruments. Incorporate sound effects to match the story. For example, you can make elephant trumpeting sounds, dog barking sounds, or doorbell sounds as the characters approach the "Strictly No Elephants" club.
- Interactive Reading: Pause at key moments and ask questions to engage the audience. For example, when the boy is asked to leave because of his elephant, you could ask, "What would you do if you were in the boy's shoes?"
- Emotional Expression: Use facial expressions and body language to convey the emotions of the characters. For instance, show sadness when the boy is turned away from the club.
- Repetition: This story has a repetitive element with the phrase "Strictly No Elephants." Encourage children to join in and say the phrase with you each time it appears in the story.
- Movement: Encourage children to act out certain scenes. For example, they can pretend to walk their own "pets" to the "Strictly No Elephants" club.
- Discussion: After reading, engage children in a discussion about the story's themes of inclusivity, friendship, and the importance of kindness.
- Craft Activity: Follow up the reading with a craft activity where children can create their own "Strictly No Elephants" club badges or design their own imaginary pets.
- Dramatic Reading: If you feel comfortable, you can add drama to your reading by changing your tone of voice, using dramatic pauses, and emphasizing key phrases.
- Acting Out the Story: Consider having children act out the story as you read it aloud. Assign roles for the characters and let the children participate in bringing the story to life.
GRAB THIS FREE ELEPHANT ACTIVITIES BOOKLET:
Want to extend the elephant theme? Here are some fun stories and education games!
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Happy summer and happy learning!
TP
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