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Short and Sweet Summer Fun with “Chalk” 

It’s summertime!

I don’t know about you, but we have been gobbling up as much sunshine as humanly possible over the past few weeks and loving the extra vitamin D!

Last year, I started a series intended to share short and sweet summer ideas the week before our life descended into chaos.  (Here’s a refresher in case you missed it! Short and Sweet Summer Fun with Bubble Trouble)

Today, I was revisiting the posts I had planned and pulled one out to share with you!

Today’s activity features one of my favorite wordless picture books, and if you’ve been around, you’ve probably heard me mention it before!

Let’s get started!

What do I need?

  • Chalk by Bill Thomson
  • Sidewalk chalk

What do I do?

  • Read Chalk.
  • While reading, make predictions. Ask: What do you think might happen next? Were you right?
  • After reading ask: If you had magic chalk, what would you draw?
  • Draw with sidewalk chalk!

That’s it?

That’s it! I told you it was going to be short and sweet!

But I want more!

Okay…Here’s your bonus…

  • Write a “sequel.” Do any of the kids go back? Does someone else find the chalk?
  • You can “co-write” the story with younger kids by having them dictate the story to you. Prompt them by asking “What happens next? Then what happens? What happens last?”
  • Older kids can write their own story! Encourage them to think about a new problem and a new solution. Then, prewrite by planning the beginning, middle, and end of the story. (Reading Rockets has a collection of printable graphic organizers you can use to get the process started! https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/story_maps)

Your turn! Have fun reading and drawing!

P.S. Celebrate life!