We are super excited that Laura is here from Make Life Lovely to share a fun idea that goes along with one of Bettijo’s favorite children’s books.
I am so happy to be part of this summer reading series! I taught elementary school for seven years, and have a great love for children’s books. One of my favorites as a child was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I used to wish that it would rain and storm food in my city just like it did in the story town of Chewandswallow!
This book is a classic, and I wanted to make sure that my kids were exposed to the real story, and not just the movie version of the story. I thought it would be fun to sit down with my kids and let them create some clay food straight from the book. It was fun to reread the story and act out the scenes with their clay food. After the story, they plan on using the clay food as food for their dolls, which is a great way to reuse them!
We read the book first, and then the kids brainstormed which food they wanted to create. I gave them a big box of clay from my craft stash and let them go for it. I was amazed at how creative they were when given the chance! Of course they wanted to start with spaghetti and meatballs, just like the title of the story. It was easy for my 5-year old to make “snakes” with yellow clay, and then bend them slightly to make them look like curly pasta noodles. Rolling brown meatballs was also pretty easy for her, too. This activity is great because kids of all ages can participate and create at their own level.
One of my favorites were the giant hamburgers my kids created, complete with little tiny sesame seeds! My oldest daughter left hers plain like this picture in the story, and my younger daughter made hers with lettuce and tomato, just like on a different page in the story.
There were so many fun foods that the kids made, all without ANY help from me. From fried eggs and toast, to tiny hot dogs, to olives, hamburgers, and pickles raining from the sky!
And seriously, how cute is this bacon? I love that the clay food looks tiny by itself, bit gigantic when placed on the illustrations in the book.
My all time favorite though are these scoops of ice cream on a tiny cone. Seriously, my kids blew me away with this one!
I hope you pull out this fun book and let your kids get creative with clay. They will surprise you with the things they can create!
I’d love for you to stop by my blog Make Life Lovely, and check out some fun projects and ideas for you and your kids. Here are some posts that you might like:
Under the Sea Ocean Birthday Party | Rainbow Cakes Baked in Baby Food Jars | Paper Lantern Hot Air Balloons
Laura Russell is a creative blogger at Make Life Lovely, where she loves to share fun crafts, DIY projects, party ideas, recipes, and more! She taught elementary school before making the decision to stay home with her kids and fulfill her dream of starting her own creative blog. Laura loves planning parties, making crafts, traveling with her family, taking pictures, and going to the beach. She keeps busy in San Diego with her husband and four kids.
