As a preschool teacher, I put it upon myself to 1. read many, many books to my students, 2. help them fall in love with reading at an early age, and 3. fill my classroom with amazing picture books.
This counting book I love so much. Why? The art is incredible. I believe picture books are pieces of art with words. And children can visit an art museum every time they open a book.
I love setting up invitations to play around a book. This book I discovered while searching for books about Africa. That's the great thing about books - they can show you things, places, people that are thousands of miles away.
This book lends itself to a wonderful invitation to play. I used safari animals from the book. These are all by my favorite company Schleich. I hand painted the peg dolls and used faux trees and greenery and some rocks (aka treasure!) that were found on a nature walk.
One day, I hope to get to Africa, to meet the people, to see the landscapes for myself, to hear their music (and maybe dance!). I has been said that if you go to Africa, you will fall in love with it. Africa is #2 on my travel bucket list - just behind England.
With simple items, this book comes to life in a child's hands. The learning is in the play.
Have a fun and playful day,
Mel
