Felt pigs, mud pies, model barns, and farm animals made our Charlotte's Web book club a fall literary adventure ~ especially when the fair came to town.
Felt pigs, mud pies, model barns & farm animals = Charlotte's Web #bookclub #ihsnet Click To Tweet
Charlotte’s Web Book Club
I’m not sure there is a more classic children’s book than Charlotte’s Web
. It was one of the first books I remember reading as a child and one of the first I remember reading to my girls. It is such a sweet story of friendship that is outside the normal boundaries, and it actually makes me like spiders just a little ~ you know, as long as they are in a barn and not in my house!
Charlotte’s Web Book Club Activities
As we were discussing “Some Pig,” we made felt pigs. We traced a pig outline onto two pieces of pink felt. Then we sewed the two pieces together leaving a hole to stuff cotton balls in between the felt sheets. The kids rolled black pipe cleaners
on their pencils to make pig tails that we then sewed on the pigs. For the littles, we had some “mom help,” but the older kids did a great job sewing their pigs. When they finished, we glued on plastic eyes
.
Each of the children brought a shoe box and plastic farm animals to book club. We painted the shoe boxes with brown paint, shredded brown paper for hay and glued craft sticks
together to make fences. We folded wax paper
into quarters and cut designs into it to make spider webs. Then the kids drew spiders on their webs. Some of the kids had fun spelling words into their webs. Once the farm animals were added, the barns were complete.
Each book club needs an activity that provides a little energy release. This book club we blew up pink balloons and used black markers to paint pig faces on them. Then the kids chased their floating pigs around, tossing them in the air and playing dodge ball.
Charlotte’s Web Book Club Snacks
Mud pie (aka dirt cake) was the first snack that came to mind when we considered doing a book club about the story of a pig and his barnyard friends. One of the moms purchased a kid sized plastic wheelbarrow and the kids helped whip up some chocolate pudding and Oreo dirt cake with gummy worm decorations. They had a blast eating out of the wheelbarrow and pretending they were farm animals.
Charlotte’s Web Book Club Field Trips
Usually we don’t head out on field trips with the book club, but this was an exception. The fair arrived in our town while we were reading Charlotte’s Web. Since so much of the book is set at the county agricultural fair, we thought this opportunity was too good to miss. The kids enjoyed feeding farm animals as “ordinary” as pigs and as exotic as camels. They played in the corn crib playground and visited all the historical displays. They were truly fascinated with wall phones with rotary dials (talk about making Mom feel old!).
As if one great opportunity wasn’t enough, our local children’s theater also performed Charlotte’s Web. We grabbed some seats at the homeschool performance and enjoyed watching the book come to life.
Charlotte’s Web will always be a favorite book of mine and now it’s a favorite book of the kids. Its enduring quality lasts through the generations and reminds us that some friendships may not last long, but will be remembered forever.
Charlotte's Web Online Book Club
Join us on a farming adventure based on the book, Charlotte's Web. During this online book club, we will go on rabbit trails of discovery about the pigs and spiders (of course), other barnyard friends, history, science and more. We will find ways to learn by experiencing parts of the book through hands-on activities.
At the conclusion of the story, we will have a "party school" celebrating Wilbur and Charlotte!
Take a Sneak Peek into our Charlotte's Web Online Book Club:
Book List
You can purchase it in digital, paperback, hardcover, and audio formats. It is also available at many local libraries. This is the only book you will need for this book club. You will also need a notebook for your notes, copywork, dictation, and journaling.
Hi, I’m Dachelle. I’m a homeschooling mom of 3 in the South. I love chocolate and have been known to hide it from my children. I can often be found reading a good book (or even sometimes just an okay book) and enjoying a jar of Nutella — don’t judge. I blog, here, at HideTheChocolate.com when I’m not creating book clubs and making lists…lots and lots of lists (it’s an addiction). Learn more…
Wow!!!! You are an amazing mom.
Haha! Nah, just one who loves party school! But, thank you.