Reading is an important part of my life. And raising readers is one of my passions as a mom. I love teaching my kids how to read and I really love seeing them get into books. When we can connect our books to something fun we are emphasizing their importance.
My daughter Georgiana and I are LOVING the American Girl Doll books. Especially the historical ones. I still remember my client/friend Cathy telling me what a treasure these books were way before I had a daughter. A couple of years ago I decided it was time for us to start learning reading the American Girl books. Each 9 year old girl’s story takes place in a different time in history so we are learning and enjoy a tender story.
Felicity’s story takes place just before our country’s fight for freedom, about the year 1774. My daughter knew a little about this time period thanks to the musical Alexander Hamilton. I love the Felicity’s story and her independent spirit. Seriously these books make me cry with their thought provoking and heartwarming stories.
In addition to reading with my daughter we have decided to make a craft or do a recipe that relates to the book. These one on one time activities are building connection and fostering a love for reading.
In Happy Birthday Felicity she receives a guitar from her Grandpa and I knew making our own guitar would be so much fun! Here are the supplies you need:
- Cardboard box (old shoe box)
- rubber bands (preferably different sizes and thicknesses)
- used toilet paper roll
- tape
- paint
Have your child make a guess which size rubber band will make a deeper sound. Assemble your rubber bands around your box. Tape your toilet paper roll on top to create a handle.
Painting was by far her favorite part. I love using an old tablecloth to keep everything clean. And we have an old large shirt, perfect for covering her clothes while painting.
I used some cardboard from our recycling to make a painting tray. Then we added colors to create our color wheel. It was fun having her guess which secondary color we would make if we mixed certain primary colors. And she had a fun mixing them together.
It’s really important to let your child have fun with painting. This doesn’t need to look perfect. My daughter took inspiration from a show she likes called PJ Masks. We just talked while she painted. And I had fun snapping pictures and thinking about how big she’s getting these days.
Once it dried she had fun practicing her guitar skills. And she’s so excited for our next American Girl Doll book! You can see our other fun activities from Molly and Kirsten. Or you can check out her last birthday party, American Girl Tea Party.
Which book is your favorite?
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