Little Book Group

Today Blythe hosted a neighborhood book group for girls her age.  Since the summer she has been participating, but this month was our turn to host.  She had selected the book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, a wonderful book by Kate DiCamillo (one of my favorite authors!).  On Wednesday, Ellen Mason came over to play after school, and she and Blythe planned all the book group activities, all of them based on the book.  I was delighted by Blythe's initiative and had to do very little by way of preparation.  Here are the planned activities along with the estimated time each would take (with her spelling):

1. Marshmellow rabbits 1 min. (This was eating marshmallow rabbits I bought at the store.)
2. Un-dress doll throw in bucket 8 min. (In the book, Edward has his clothes ripped off and he is thrown in the sea.)
3. Harmonica-puppet show 3 min (Brandt was requested to play his harmonica and the girls performed a puppet show using Blythe's stuffed animals because one of Edward's owners uses him to perform while he plays the harmonica.)
4. Pancakes, eggs, toast, and hot choc. 50 min (In the story, Bryce takes Edward into a cafe and orders pancakes, eggs, toast, steak, and coffee.  This was our treat, hearkening back to the story.)
5. Pellegrina's story 6 min (Pellegrina is Edward's owner's grandmother who tells her a story about a princess who loves no one and is turned into a warthog.  She wants Edward to learn to love.  Blythe read the story to the girls.)
6. Throwing contest 6 min (At one point in the story, Edward is thrown away in the garbage.  They look turns trying to throw garbage into a trash can.)
7. Song  3 min (The girls sang "Home on the Range," and "Buffalo Girls," because the hobo Edward travels with sings around the fire.)
8. Tumbling 4 min (Edward tumbles out of a train and is lost from the hobo.  This got crossed off because there is snow on the ground and tumbling in the snow was not feasible.)
9. Dress rabbits 10 min (This was a craft, cutting out or drawing clothes on a picture of Edward.  The girls took a long time coloring and cutting and making wonderful rabbit pictures.)
10. Draw people 20 min (They were going to draw characters from the book, but took so long with the rabbits they didn't have time.)

I had to buy bunnies and I had to make pancakes, eggs, and hot chocolate (no steak, toast, or coffee).  I had printed off the pictures of Edward, but I essentially let Blythe organize and run the show.  We only had three other girls come (there are usually eight in all), so it was a manageable group, and they all had fun.  I'm delighted Blythe is having the opportunity to be involved in something so grown up, and that she is showing such great leadership.  She did have a bit of a struggle at the end when the girls were still working on their rabbits and taking longer than she had patience for, but all in all, I would say it was a complete success.