Due Date!

Today, the kiddos' first school project was due--"Can-A-Characters," sort of like a proto-book report/art project.  They had to dress up a coffee can (How old is this project?  Who buys cans of coffee?) like the main character in a book of realistic fiction.  That's right, none of the kids' current favorites (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and all those biographies.)  Then, inside the cans on slips of paper were descriptions of the character, behavior, lesson of the story, and how the kids were connected to the character.

Sis chose Ramona, from Ramona Forever.   The can is dressed like Ramona on the cover of the book.  I can't tell you what Sis wrote about Ramona as she wouldn't even let me glance in her direction as she wrote her sentences.

Ramona

Bud chose Opal from Because of Winn-Dixie, which I have never read.  He also added Winn-Dixie.  He liked that Opal was friendly and kind to animals, the way he takes care of our cats Albus and Hermione.

Opal and Winn-Dixie

As you can deduce from the pictures, I helped with the hair.  Mama helped affix some of the felt, but, otherwise, these were the kids' projects.  We made structural suggestions, when asked (especially with affixing Winn-Dixie's ping-pong ball head and pipe cleaner legs) but really tried not to take over.

I remember book reports, though I'm sure they were never quite this creative.  I chose Helen Keller for a biography book report once, starting a long-lasting interest in her, but it was just sentences written in pencil on notebook paper, perhaps with a "fancy" manilla paper cover.  I don't recall too many others.

But I think I'll remember these cans for a long time (and will probably keep them!)