Friday, March 30, 2012

The Little Breeze

Although I used this story for my March Family Story Time, all of the action takes place at night so I thought this story would also fit in with the 2012 CSLP summer reading program theme, "Dream Big - Read!" 

The little breeze does not want to go to bed so he stays behind in the meadow when the other little breezes go over the hills with Old Mother West Wind to go to sleep.  He finds out that it is dark and lonely in the meadow for the sun has gone and his animal friends are asleep.  Hoot owl and red fox are not asleep.  They are out hunting and they are after the bobwhite family.  The little breeze warns the bobwhite family just in time.  This story is an adaptation of  “The Wilful Little Breeze” in Old Mother West Wind by Thornton W. Burgess (1910, Project Gutenberg Release #2557).  The complete adaption can be found as a Google document here.

I used clip art from Microsoft Publisher for the fox and owl.  I found a shape I liked for the birds and then drew in the details using pictures of bobwhites.  (The true colors of the bird are much more subtle than what I used.)  I drew my own breeze, bush, and bobwhite nest.  Be sure to make the nest large enough to hide the birds.  I drew blades of grass and sticks.  I filled in the background with black marker.  I then glued the pieces to heavier paper because I did not have time to get them laminated before my program.  (I use either construction paper or card stock.)  I added magnets to the back. (Flannel board users would add Velcro).  I had my birds hidden behind the nest so that when I removed the nest, it looked like the birds were flying away.  (If you do that, be careful how you place the magnets or Velcro on the back of the nest.  Those pieces should be at the edges leaving room for the birds in the center.  I didn't pay attention to this detail when I made mine so my nest did not stay up on the board.  Fortunately my board has a shelf at the bottom so I propped the nest up on that with the birds behind it on the board.) 

Figures for "The Little Breeze"

Sharon of Rain Makes Applesauce is hosting a special Flannel Friday Summer Reading Extravaganza this week.  For complete Flannel Friday information see Anne's So Tomorrow Flannel Friday page.

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