Hello Friends!
It is time to get colorful in your classroom, and teach teamwork at the same time! It's Jennifer from Stories and Songs in Second here with two great story suggestions, a fun collection of complimentary Pinterest ideas, and two FREEBIES to help you!
I hope this post will encourage you to plan your own classroom celebration that spotlights the sassy, colorful, humorous, and very outspoken crayons featured in Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers' playful picture books, The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home.
Written by Drew Daywalt
Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Both books are perfect mentor texts to use when introducing a letter-writing or persuasive writing unit, and are written and illustrated in a spunky, delightful style that will engage and entertain readers of all ages! In The Day the Crayons Quit, young Duncan's box of twelve crayons have just had it with each other and their stereotypical roles.
Black is tired of just outlining.
Blue is done coloring oceans.
Yellow and orange are always quarreling about which one of them is the true color of the sun.
Life inside their box is a battlefield, and the disgruntled dozen decides to go on strike! They write letters to their owner to share their worries and woes, and hilarity ensues!
In The Day the Crayons Came Home, you'll find that life outside the box has not been all that grand for Duncan's crayons. Their plan to run away and see the world has backfired, and they've mailed a series of postcards to their owner explaining their whereabouts and the reason he needs to come rescue them. Each page of the story reveals the hysterical scenarios each crayon has experienced in his or her travels, and will make you laugh out loud. Grey has had his point bitten off by Duncan's baby brother. Brown has been eaten by his dog. Orange and yellow were left by the pool and have melted together in the hot sun.
Pea Green, who has donned a superhero cape and renamed himself "Esteban the Magnificent," sums up his own woeful experience and admits that there is "no place like home" with this simple statement....
Dear Duncan,
I've seen the world.
It's rainy.
I'm coming back.
Esteban the Magnificent
Because the prodigal crayons are worn out, broken, and weary, they won't fit in the original box they once lived in. Duncan then decides to construct a new home for his creative friends out of a variety of boxes, making sure to meet each color's unique needs and adaptations. He makes a special space where they can all co-exist together peacefully and happily, Imagine what wonderful "Crayon Forts" your students could design and build using their own ingenuity, shoeboxes, cereal boxes, and a whole lot of glue and tape !?!?!! Talk about a great exercise in teamwork and problem-solving!
You'll find more wonderful ways to enrich and extend your crayon-themed learning activities here in this FREE pack of writing templates! Your students will surely enjoy using the prompts to write their own crayon postcards and letters! Thanks in advance for leaving thoughtful feedback! It is truly appreciated!
While you are browsing through my store, be sure to check out this
other fun and FREE booklet that compliments The Crayon Box That Talked!
Click {HERE} to download!
Be sure to follow me on PINTEREST for more creative and colorful ideas for your classroom!
As always, thanks for allowing me to share my story! Stay creative, and be sure to honor your own unique and colorful talents!
PIN FOR LATER
Be sure to follow me on social media! You will find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Visit me at my blog, Stories and Songs in Second for more great ideas for your classroom!
PIN FOR LATER
Continue to teach your children well,
Be sure to follow me on social media! You will find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Visit me at my blog, Stories and Songs in Second for more great ideas for your classroom!
