My Very First Linky Party =)

I'm jumping into this blogging deal with both feet....  Let me rephrase that... I'm attempting to jump in with both feet...  Let's see if I sink or swim!!!  ;)    


When I saw Clutter-Free Classroom's post concerning your favorite picture book based on illustrations alone, I knew I wanted to give this "linky party" a whirl.... ;)  


There are MANY picture books that I love... Picture books offer a lot to readers - interesting characters, fun and exciting plots, and of course beautiful illustrations!!!!!  Among a few of my favorite picture books are The Napping House by Audrey Wood, Epossumondas by Coleen Sally, and pretty much anything by Jan Brett, Patricia Polacco, and Eric Carle... which leads me to the purpose of this post....  

I wanted to share an activity that I do with the book, "The Mixed-Up Chameleon" by Eric Carle... This story is about a chameleon who wants to change to be more like other animals in the zoo he sees...  but ends up in a mess!  :)  

So as a follow-up activity to this book, I take a picture of each student and cut out just the child's head.  The students glue their head onto a sheet of white paper and draw a body they imagine to have - any body part of any animal they wish!  Here are a few examples: 

She wanted the body of a mermaid so she could breathe underwater.

She wanted a body and neck of a giraffe.

Who hasn't wanted to have the wings of a bird to fly?  He also wanted the legs of a cheetah so he could run fast on land.  ;) 

I actually took all of these scanned pictures and made an iMovie set to the tune of "You Make Me Smile" which turned into an ADORABLE final project that we shared with the entire school during our "Town Meeting": Click here if you'd like to see it ---> Our Final Mixed-Up Chameleon iMovie


Now, let's see if I can "link up" with everyone else....  ;)