Books
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So, Cinderella gets her pumpkin coach with six white mice turned into horses, and a rat turned into a coachman (well, coach boy really). Has anyone ever wondered what the rat thought of the whole thing? Or how he occupied himself while Cinderella danced the night away? Wonder no more! After reading Meddaugh's delightfully silly take on the subject, write your own fairy tale from the POV of a minor character. The cow in Jack and the Beanstalk? The frog in The Frog Prince? The poor guy who had to keep making shoes for the Twelve Dancing Princesses?
Here's an old favorite!
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Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is faced with a terrible problem. She must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. And Mrs. Frisby in turn renders them a great service.
This is one instance where I will tell you to watch the movie, too!
Inventions feature heavily in both book and movie, particularly making things out of found objects. Go through some of the things you are throwing out, and see what you can make out of them instead! My kids LOVE making homes for anything from bugs to bears outside - they built this for the bunnies they were trying to talk me into:
Complete with play tunnel and slide. Because, you know, rabbits love to slide.
No need for instruction here, just let them go to town with their own imaginations!
Is a naked mole rat a mole or a rat? Neither, as it turns out, but this is still a fun book:
9781423114376
Wilbur is different from the other Naked Mole Rats in his Colony, because he wears clothes (and he likes it!). But what will happen when Grandpah, the oldest, wisest, and most naked Naked Mole Rat ever discovers Wilbur's secret?
You can extend this into talking about being yourself and accepting others' differences, or you can have fun making a paper doll mole rat and dressing him up. Or do both!
So, what do we know about REAL rats?
978-177-049-6590
One in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Rat is a look at the black rat. It covers such topics as the rat's long, agile tail (it's good for balancing and picking noses), long teeth (they can chew through anything, including books) and disgusting taste in food (delicious electrical wires in tomato sauce, anyone?). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Rat contains factual information that will both amuse and teach at the same time.
Elise Gravel is a master at combining silly and factual!
Movie
What else but:
(Bonus spelling word!)
Cooking
After watching the movie, dust off the old cookbooks (or the keyboard) and find a recipe that sounds awfully fancy, but looks doable (click here for a head start). Practice your reading and math while you prepare a special supper together.
PE
Pretend you are giant rats and create a maze outside to run through. Look around and think outside the box for things you can use - like boxes! What can you dodge under, around, or through? Change it up and time each other to see who can go through it the fastest.
Other Web Sites to Explore
https://www.oregonzoo.org/discover/animals/naked-mole-rat
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