The Captain’s Corner – July, 2022
27 July, 2022
Bonjour! Mike from StoryCaptain here with your monthly recap.
This month, we journeyed to France – Together we explored the historic streets of Paris, learned about my personal favorite subject (cheese!), and honed our arts & crafts… But the fun doesn’t stop there.
To fully immerse yourself and your little one in French art & culture, check out the crafting activities and suggested reading below!
Boost Their Creativity
To help you bring this month’s activity guide to life, check out these step-by-step instructions for some of the craft activities for the WobbleCaptain and CuriousCaptain clubs.
Mix It Up (WobbleCaptain)
Learn all about colors and paintings! It’s simple, mix paint to make new colors, and be sure to have them guess the color before they see the result.
Supplies: paper, paint, paintbrush, gallon sized bag (optional) and painters tape
Steps:
Without bag
1- Add drops of paint onto the paper.
2- Use the paintbrush (or fingers!) and mix the colors together on the paper.
With bag
1- Tape the backside of the paper to the inside of the gallon sized bag. This is so the paper doesn’t slide around while mixing the colors).
2- Add drops of paint inside the bag onto the paper.
3- Tape the bag shut and tape it to the table or the wall for working on a vertical surface)
4. Child will use their fingers and hands to mix the colors together. This is a great mess-free option!
Parent/Child: Adults can add the drops of paint and do the prep work. Child can do the mixing.
Bike Craft (WobbleCaptain)
Craft a bike using common household items
Supplies: paper, markers, cupcake liners
Steps:
1- Glue to cupcake liners at the bottom of the paper.
2- Use the marker to draw the rest of the bike.
3- Using the book as a guide, label the parts of the bike
Parent/Child: Tips: It doesn’t have to look exactly like the bike. Let your child take pride in their artwork and do most of it themselves. Compare it to bikes in the book or in real life.
Parent/Child: Adults can help draw the rest of the bike after the child glues the cupcake liners on the bottom. You can put two dots on the paper to show them where to glue the cupcake liners. Child can point to parts of the bike and find it in the book while adults can do the writing.
Eiffel Tower (CuriousCaptain)
Build a beautiful replica of the Eiffel Tower in your own home
Supplies: paper, painters tape, paint (any color – I chose blue for the sky, but it really doesn’t matter!), paintbrush
Steps:
1- Place the tape on the paper in the shape of the Eiffel tower.
2- Paint over the entire sheet of paper, even the tape.
3- Once the paint has dried you can pull the painters tape up to reveal the Eiffel Tower.
Tips: Look up actual pictures of the Eiffel tower while you are painting for reference, find it in the book. Talk about the colors you are using as you paint.
Parent/Child: Adults can lay the painters tape on the paper in the shape and remove the tape once it is dry. Child can do the painting process.
Expand Their Library
Can’t get enough of France? Check out these supplementary French-themed books that your little ones will love!
WobbleCaptain Club
Babar and His Family– Laurent de Brunhoff- Follow the tales of Babar, the famous elephant from the classic series by Jean de Brunhoff. This version is written by De Brunhoff’s grandson and adapted into a lovely board book.
Press Here– Herve Tullet- Another interactive board book by the French artist.Your little one will love playing with the book while learning about colors!
CuriousCaptain Club
Madeline’s Rescue– Ludwig Bemelmans- A classic book about Madeline and her classmates that walk in two straight lines. This big picture book features beautiful rhymes and a suspenseful story about a special dog.
The Cat Who Walked Across France– Kate Banks- Walk through the French countryside alongside a cat looking for a new home. Your little one will inevitably be drawn to the cat’s plight and the story’s happy ending.
