Materials
The Tomten and the Fox by Astrid Lindgren
Aluminum pie plates
Jar lids or small bowls
Soil
Moss or gravel
Pinecones
Small branches
Small rocks or crystals
Water
Modeling beeswax or plasticene
Wool, felt, needle, and thread
Instructions
1. Before you begin, read The Tomten and the Fox to the children.
2. When you are ready, have the children place the lid or small bowl in their pie plate.
3. Show the children how to add soil to the pie plate, filling in around the lid, then add a smallamount of moss or gravel.
4. When they are finished, invite them to decorate their garden with a small branch and apinecone, to represent trees, and small rocks or crystals.
5. Pour a small amount of water into the lid and place the gardens outside when the temperatureis below freezing so the water will freeze.
6. Have the children add a bird, fox, or deer that they have sculpted from beeswax or plasticene.
7. Supply the children with scraps of felt and wool and help them sew their own tomten to live intheir garden.More to doLanguage: As they work, ask the children to make up a story about meeting a tomten. Writedown the stories.
