C, R, and I enjoyed two books about armadillos.
(C did not want his picture taken, can you tell?)
Armadillo Rodeo by Jan Brett is about a young armadillo in Texas who wanders away from his mother and brothers because he thinks he has spotted a red armadillo. That "red armadillo" is actually a pair of cowgirl boots on the feet of a young girl heading to the rodeo. The armadillo has quite the adventure while trying to talk to his new "friend". If you don't know already, armadillos don't have very good vision!The second book is Substitute Groundhog by Pat Miller. Groundhog gets the flu right before Groundhog Day and decides to look for a substitute to fill in for him on the big day. Many animals audition, but most have some trouble doing the job right. Finally, an armadillo on vacation visiting her cousin Badger comes along and offers to get the job done right. She fills in perfectly, sees her shadow, and tells Groundhog that winter will be sticking around for a while. Groundhog was a bit upset that spring would not be coming early, but then Armadillo invites Groundhog to go home to Texas where the weather is already spring-like.
After reading these books, C and R made their own armadillos. First, cut an oval out of corrugated cardboard. You have to make sure the ripples go across the short width of the oval. Then peel off the cardboard to expose the corrugated ripples.
Now you have the armadillo's body. Glue the oval on to a piece of paper and draw a head, legs, and a tail. Finally, draw the setting in the background.
That is a cowgirl boot with a blue bandanna sticking out of it (C was inspired by the illustrations in Jan Brett's book) behind C's armadillo. He also drew a few bluebonnets in the background.
This is a great tactile project! It's also a great way to finish up the state of Texas. We'll miss you Texas!For more book/art projects, check out stArt at A Mommy's Adventures.
