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​Milk Jug Jumanji Elephant

Chris Van Allsburg Books Lesson Plans

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Lesson plan developed by Aurora Tollestrup, BS Ed. 

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Activity:  

Milk Jug Jumanji Elephant

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Age Group:

Preschool Lesson Plans

Milk Jug Jumanji Elephant Lesson Plan

* Lesson plan objective and assessment can be adapted to use this activity with toddlers.

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Objectives:  

Children will:

• create an elephant to further their imaginations as a result of hearing the book Jumanji.

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CDA Competency Standard:   

II.5.1a

• Candidate promotes individual expression and creativity.

a) Encourages creative self-expression in children’s activities

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Materials: 

• clean empty milk jug, cut in half with the handle side saved
• scissors
• glue
• paintbrush
• water
• tissue paper squares
• Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

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Procedure: 

• Read the book Jumanji and stop throughout to discuss the events.
  
• After finishing the book, invite the children to create elephants from the provided materials.
  
• Encourage the children to use the tissue paper squares and glue/water mixture to make their elephants any color combination that they desire. ​

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Assessment: 

• Were the children able to freely express themselves in a creative fashion? Note any challenges or extension ideas that arose from this lesson.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

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Winter Lesson Plans

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Promoting Imagination

Storytelling provides an opportunity for children to picture something in their mind’s eye as it is being told to them. This differs greatly from a typical conversation because the intention is for a child to be able to imagine the details and create a representation in their own mind. Oral storytelling without being read directly from a book, gives children the best opportunity to use their imaginations. This is because the illustrations in a book can sometimes halt the imagination from really diving in to the story. On the other hand, the illustrations will become a starting point for the imagination to take off, and will actually be beneficial. The key is to know your group and be aware of their attention spans and ability to imagine the scene being set by the reading. Another option is to read a book once, showing the illustrations and pages throughout the reading, and then to read it again in several weeks without showing the illustrations.  

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​In The Polar Express, children are being told about things that are usually culturally accurate and familiar to them, which may make their imagining easier. For other students, however, this may not be a familiar concept. To bridge the gap between the two, you should stop frequently and ask questions, explaining things if need be. You may also begin reading the story and only choose certain pictures to show to the group. These may be especially informative or just exciting for the children. ​  

​For a book such as Jumanji, older children will be able to imagine much of the story, being familiar with jungle animals and themes, but younger children may not be able to. You may consider learning some of the themes of the books to be read and doing some lessons or activities prior to reading the books. This gives children a frame of reference for when the book is read and can thwart any confusion that may occur.

Infants and toddlers are beginning to learn about the world around them very rapidly. They may not be able to use their imaginations to picture different story elements, but with help from the reader, they can experience the stories with simple guidance. Illustrations in Chris Van Allsburg books create eye popping scenes that can hold an infant or toddler's attention while listening to the reading. Try reading the books with the child in your lap or close by and giving them plenty of time to look at the illustrations. Respond to their coos and reactions to the reading as if participating in a conversation with them.  

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Suggestions for supporting imagination:

• Create a dramatic play area based upon the most recently read book.
• Help children put on a puppet show with characters from the book.
• Create a small world play center for children to retell the stories and further their imagination.
• Provide open-ended art and play materials that can manifest themselves into characters and settings from books.
• Allow children to view illustrations and ask questions about them.
• Include sound effects in your reading, such as the ringing of a bell or the roar of a lion.

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References:

• Chris Van Allsburg Official Biography:  http://hmhbooks.com/chrisvanallsburg/biography.html
• Chris Van Allsburg Official Books: http://hmhbooks.com/chrisvanallsburg/books.html
• Phonological and Phonemic Awareness for Reading Rockets:  http://www.readingrockets.org/helping/target/phonologicalphonemic
• Storytelling in the First Three Years, By Susan Engel, Zero to Three: http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/early-language-literacy/the-emergence-of-storytelling.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/