Here’s a simple, inexpensive fun activity to do with children after reading For No Reason and High in the Sky by Kathleen Gauer.
What You Need:
- 4 sheets of coloured construction paper 8-1/2” x 11” (blue, red, green, and black)
- corrugated cardboard (peel off the first layer of a recycled box and leave surface rough to resemble bark.)
- kindness poem printout 3” x 4” (use my poem or create your own)
- black fine-tipped marker
- school glue
- paper edgers and straight-edged scissors
- stickers (optional)
- googly eyes
- twine 4” long
- clean black foam tray or rubber craft sheet
Directions:
- Cut 7 strips of corrugated cardboard for the tree as follows: 1 – 2” x 5” (tree trunk), 2 – 1” x 5” (large branches), and 4 – 2” x 1/2” (small branches). Cut one end off each branch on an angle depending on placement (see photo). Tie and knot one end of the twine around one of the small branches.
- Using paper edgers, cut around outer edges of the blue construction paper and the kindness poem print-out.
- Cut out of the red construction paper: 3 hearts (or more if desired), approx. 1” x 1”. Use black marker to print short kindness messages on the hearts (smile, be kind, etc.)
- Cut out of the black construction paper: a deep smile 1” across and 2 eyebrows ½” wide. Stickers can also be used for facial features.
- Cut out a tire 2” x 2” from the foam tray or rubber craft sheet.
- Print a MY KINDNESS TREE caption in large letters (by hand or computer) onto the green construction paper and cut off the strip to measure 8-1/2” x 1-1/2”. Fray the top edge ½” to look like grass. Cut out 3 or more leaves 1” long from remaining green paper.
- Glue the trunk of the tree and the 6 branches onto the blue construction paper as in the photo, making sure the branch with the twine is the bottom right branch.
- Glue the googly eyes, smile and eyebrows onto the tree.
- Glue the hearts and leaves onto the branches.
- Glue the tire 1” under the bottom branch and glue the loose end of the twine onto the tire.
- Glue the kindness poem printout to the left of the tree trunk.
- Glue the green MY KINDNESS TREE caption to the bottom of the poster, overlapping the base of the tree trunk. Bend the frayed edge to look like grass.
- Add kindness stickers if desired.
- Sign your name at the bottom and hang your kindness poster on your classroom or school wall with pride!
Here are the instructions to download: MY KINDNESS TREE POSTER ACTIVITY
In For No Reason, Jamie Higgins comes up with a kind and clever way to deal with a classroom bully, Brad Lugsley, without being mean.
High in the Sky follows a young energetic child’s imaginative adventures while riding on a tire swing.
Ask for these titles at your local library or order your own signed copies at https://www.skippingstonepress.net.
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