Happy Birthday, Eric Carle!

Eric Carle, born June 25, 1929, is the very talented author and illustrator of over 50 treasured children’s books. His signature style of illustration is very distinct and recognizable to children and adults alike.

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Celebrate his legacy today with some of these fun activities:

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Have a Very Hungry Caterpillar themed meal:

Use small cocktail plates placed in a line down the center of the table. Place different meal items on each plate, organizing them by color. Choose fruits and vegetables in addition to an Eric Carle inspired painted grilled cheese sandwich. Pour small amounts of milk into shallow bowls. Add food coloring and encourage your child to ‘paint’ bread with the colored milk using pastry brushes. Use cooking spray to coat the pan and continue making the grilled cheese. Cut the sandwiches into circles and serve on the small plates and encourage your children to act like a Very Hungry Caterpillar. How hungry are your caterpillars?

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Create insects and animals like Eric Carle:

Encourage your children to create mono-chromatic paintings using paint, crayons, and markers. Once dry, have them cut the paintings into different shapes. Can they piece the shapes together to make animals and insects? Ask them about their creation and record their answers to make their own story.

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Cloud watch and create a book:

After reading Little Cloud, discuss with your children how clouds come in many different shapes and often change in a matter of minutes to new forms. On a sunny day when the clouds are nice and fluffy, take your children outside and encourage them to relax and look at the clouds. What shapes do they see? Keep track of the animals or shapes that they see. When you are back inside, encourage them to draw, paint using white paint on blue paper or use cotton balls to create the clouds. What other shapes would be neat to see in the clouds?