Materials
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
Option A: flannel board and white felt or heavy interfacing
Option B: Magnetic board and self-stick magnetic tape
copy machine
navy blue or black construction paper
white tempera or acrylic paint
white pencils
sentence strips
markers
Instructions
Preparation: Copy the patterns from the book, enlarging as desired. For option
A, pin the patterns to white felt and cut out the flannel board shapes. For option
B, laminate or cover the patterns with self-adhesive paper, cut them out, and
attach 1" magnetic strips to the pattern backs. Number the back of the patterns
to follow the story sequence for both options.
1. Set up art tables with the following items: construction paper pre-folded
(crosswise), bowls of paint with plastic spoons, white pencils, and sentence
strips that read "Sometimes it looks like a..."
2. Gather the children in the circle area in view of the story board. First, read
the story from the book. Then, invite the children to participate as you retell
the story on the board. Say, "Sometimes it looked like a... (put the shape on
the board and let them complete the sentence), but it wasn't a..." If the
children are still enthralled, you can invite them to take turns picking shapes
to put on the board and reciting the appropriate sentence.
3. Now, move the group to the Art Area to make blot prints. Show them how to
place a spoonful of paint on the fold, close the paper, and press down with
both hands. Then open the paper to reveal a "spilt milk" shape. Ask the
children to suggest what it might be a pumpkin, a ladybug, a football?
4. Encourage the children to create and identify their own paint blots. Help the
children print sentences across the top or bottom of their papers, such as
"Sometimes it looked like a strawberry."
