Books Alive: Edgar Gets Ready for Bed

Our fun visitor today is Megan of Persimmon Floral, here with a craft project we know your kids are going to adore.

Hello! I am so excited to be a part of this fun series. I just had (well, I guess a year ago) my first baby boy, so I’m excited to be joining the ranks of supermomdom! And along with that, slowly gaining a really fun book collection. Some of my favorites so far come from Jennifer Adams, author of the adorable BabyLit series. Seriously, have you seen these? Jennifer takes well-loved classics (like Sense and Sensibility, Moby Dick, Jungle Book, and Alice and Wonderland) and creates primers to introduce your child to the world of literature. The artwork by Alison Oliver is amazing too. I can’t get enough of them so when I picked a book for this post, I had to use one from the BabyLit series. And since I’m a new mom, all things sleep and bedtime are high on my list of thoughts so Edgar Gets Ready for Bed was an obvious choice.

This "Edgar Gets Ready for Bed" book looks so cute via @PagingSupermom

In this book (inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven), Edgar is a mischievous raven who answers all his mother’s requests to get ready for bed with a defiant NEVERMORE! The mother ultimately understands how to make bedtime happen however and the story ends with some snuggling and story time for Edgar. The artwork by Ron Stucki is incredible and the inspiration for this craft. Edgar is a black raven, but if you look closely he’s got a lot of fun color going on.

Edgar the Raven via @PagingSupermom

Edgar’s look reminded me of a fun elementary art project from back in the day. It’s scratch art using crayons, paint and toothpicks. Using this technique you can make a personalized bedtime routine book for your little one (with their help of course!). Let’s get started!

Supplies for Making a fun Scratch Book via @PagingSupermom

What You Need:

:: Crayons
:: Black tempera paint (make sure you get tempera)
:: Blank index cards
:: Paintbrush
:: Washi tape
:: Toothpicks
:: Paper pockets

Coloring - How to Make Scratch Art via @PagingSupermom

Step One: Scribble!

Scribble and color on your index cards with a variety of colors and patterns. The bolder and more varied the colors and patterns the better. Have fun and don’t be afraid of making a mistake here cause you won’t be seeing it for long…

How to make scratch art via @PagingSupermom #KidsCrafts

Step Two: Paint!

Squirt some black tempura paint onto a surface and paint over the top of your crayon creations. You will need to do approximately three coats of paint so you can’t see the crayon anymore. The cards will curl a bit, but can be flattened with a heavy book and they also kind of straighten out on their own with a little time. The paint takes a couple hours to dry. So have a snack and ready a story. This looks yummy.

How to Make Scratch Art via @PagingSupermom

Step Three: Scratch!

First brainstorm some bedtime routine ideas with your kids. There are the obvious steps (brush your teeth, put on your pjs, and get in the tub) but let them suggest ideas too. Things like reading a story or playing a simple game will make bedtime fun for them and they might actually look forward to it! Next, take your list of ideas and start scratching. Use the toothpicks to scratch in the words or scratch pictures of the routine onto the index cards. You’ll start to see the crayon colors come through as you scratch! Just like Edgar’s feathers.

How to Make Scratch Art via @PagingSupermom

Step Four: Pockets!

Next decorate your paper pockets with some washi tape or more paint or paper. Slip each bedtime activity into a decorated pocket.

 How to make a fun Scratch Book via @PaigngSupermom

 How to make a fun Scratch Book via @PaigngSupermom

Step Five: Package!

Now that your activities are pocketed up, print out “GETS READY FOR BED” on copy paper leaving room at the top for your child to write his/her name and tape to a black index card. Place on top of the envelopes and tie up with string. You could also bind together as a book or hang on the fridge with magnets or string onto a garland in your child’s room. Then each evening your child can open up the pockets to see the next activity in order to get ready for bed. Making it a fun game and hopefully relieving some of the NEVERMORES you may have heard before.

 How to make a fun Scratch Book via @PaigngSupermom

Hope you enjoy and happy scribbling!

Megan is a mom to the raddest kid ever, wedding florist, and soda jerk and lives in Bountiful, Utah. Check out some of her party flowers over at One Charming Party here, here, and here. When she isn’t arranging flowers or playing peek-a-boo she also helps her husband design DIY project plans at Kingbird Design.

Sometimes Supermom

Administrator at Paging Supermom
No one can be super all the time, but we each have our moments. PagingSupermom.com is dedicated to making and sharing “Supermom Moments” — those little successes of motherhood!

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