Make a Pop-Up Story Forest

Does your child love listening to The Three Little Pigs? Is Little Red Riding Hood her absolute favorite? If she begs to hear you read imaginative tales and magical stories again and again, this art-based reading activity is bound to be a perfect fit. Show her how to turn a favorite story into brilliant pop-up art—inspired by nature's own beauty. Have her choose a story and one or two of her favorite characters (think the Big Bad Wolf, Hansel and Gretel, or Little Bear), and help her create a sculptured fantasy forest! This activity will strengthen her early literacy skills, helping her understand concepts like sequence, character, and setting. As a bonus, she'll also explore important art processes like drawing and sculpture.

What You Need:

• Thin cardboard, such as an old cereal or cracker box
• Scissors
• Clear drying, non-toxic glue
• Construction paper
• Markers
• Tempera paint
• Paint brush

What You Do:

1. Begin by reading a selection of the story to your child. Include old favorites such as Goldilocks and The Three Bears or choose a favorite modern tale. Talk to your child about the different elements of the story. Include the main characters, beginning/middle/end, and the setting.
2. Help her cut the cardboard into a rectangle, which will be used as a base for the art project.
3. Fold the cardboard in half like a book.
4. Open the cardboard and ask her to paint the ground of her storybook forest. Encourage her to include nature-based colors such as green, brown, and blue.
5. Have your child draw a few of the story characters onto pieces of construction paper using markers. This is a good time to talk about size and scale.
6. Cut the characters out, leaving a small tab on the bottom. Fold the tab down to create a pop-up stand for the characters.
7. She can now draw and cut out additional forest elements, such as trees, plants, or rocks. Leave room for a tab to fold over once the object is cut out.
8. Once the paint has fully dried, have her place a small line of glue on the tabs, and press them onto the cardboard base. The characters and nature elements should "pop up" off of the page like paper sculptures.
9. Allow the glue ample time to dry. Once dry, fold the cardboard along the previously made crease to create a book shape. She can practice writing letters or draw a picture of the story on the front cover.

She can either keep the pop-up book closed, or display it in its open form. If she wants to keep it closed, try wrapping a loose rubber band around the outside to keep it shut. For some added fun, created multiple story "volumes," featuring different characters and settings.