Storybook Activity Idea

I recently read the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick and really enjoyed the story. But above all, I really enjoyed the artwork. My favorite part in the book happens somewhere in the middle, where Hugo recalls his father's favorite film, A Trip to the Moon, by Georges Melies. In the film, a group of travelers take a rocket ship to the moon and encounter strange inhabitants. In one particular scene, the rocket ship travels directly into one of the eyes of the Moon. I don't know why, but I simply love the still from the movie that depicts this scene. It inspired me to do an activity that showcases this particular scene in the book. 

All I did was use some easy molding clay (the kind you can find at any store in the arts & craft sections) and molded a flat circle, then molded a nose and two eyes and a mouth. Afterwards, I baked it in the oven for about 19 minutes and let it cool. Then, I decided on how I wanted to color it. After several trials and errors, I eventually went with a yellow exterior, because that's how the image of the moon looks like in the photo I based it on. Then, I covered the face with glue from a glue stick and then layered it with gold glitter. The eyes also were originally colored brown, but it didn't look that well, so I re-colored it with blue liquid glitter. Additionally, I made a background to go with it. All it consists of is black construction paper with a rocket ship and stars drawn around a space I designated for the moon. Here's how the finished product looks:

     The activity got me thinking about how cool it would be if I, once I have my own classroom, were to do something like this with my students. I really think that would make Language Arts more enjoyable - diving into stories with our students and then, once done, allow students to recreate their favorite parts by either acting out scenes, or drawing their favorite moments, or even creating scenes from the stories by using clay and making a diorama! This is simply what I did: I took a favorite part from a book I recently read, and I recreated my own interpretation. I really think students would enjoy this approach, and it would enhance their reading experience. Of course, this would also be a ripe opportunity to collaborate with the art teacher too! If there are worries that a regular teacher couldn't pull this off in his/her classroom, then collaborate with the art teacher to allow this sort of activity to be done!

     I remember being in 5th grade and having the chance to recreate a scene from one of the stories we were reading in class. The story was Summer I Shrank My Grandmother by Elvira Woodruff, and we were assigned, in class, to choose one of our favorite parts and illustrate the scene. One of my favorite parts was when the granddaughter woke up one morning to find that her grandmother had shrank to a tiny toddler, so I remember drawing the grandmother as a little girl with red curly hair, with a red wagon! 

     I see no wrong in doing this in a classroom. I mean, I look back on the times my teachers used these moments as teachable experiences and I yearn to have those same moments with my own students. That's one of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher in the first place! I understand that, in a world where we have to deal with teacher accountability and high stakes testing, it can be frustrating to abide by our requirements while also trying to fit in enjoyable moments...but we shouldn't sacrifice the enjoyment just to have more "learning", especially if the enjoyment enhances the learning experience!


     Well, to get off of that unintentional soap box, I close this entry with a look at the clip of Melies' film A Trip to the Moon, which inspired part of Hugo's storyline and my art activity. Oh, and don't feel shy of checking out The Invention of Hugo Cabret or Summer I Shrank My Grandmother from your local library!...They are two really good books!