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A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

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Create a simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO to commemorate your child’s love of the mouse. Also, look at my page Geronimo Stilton Books for more great activities.

Too, this activity encourages the skills of creativity, fine motor skills, and following directions.

Do you have a mouse loving kid?

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

And by mouse, of course, I mean the adventure loving, time traveling mouse -Geronimo Stilton.

If you do, I have a really fun 2D Portrait Geronimo Stilton LEGO tutorial for them.

In addition, I have a roundup of other unique crafts and ideas to go along with many of the books in the series.

Geronimo Stilton Books for Kids

Geronimo Stilton Books 1 - 20

It is not necessary to go in order, each book is its own stand-alone story, and the main characters are properly reintroduced each time.  So, you can choose the books based on your child's current interest, the season, or a unit study topic.

What I love about the books besides the fact that they are intriguing to kids and build reading fluency and vocabulary skills is that they have great illustrations.

They show actual artifacts, clothing, and people throughout history as well as current places to naturally build geography skills through familiarity.

The series is humorous and contains lots of great facts presented in an entertaining way, he definitely has earned a portrait of his own.

The majority of the bricks needed for this craft, or a very close substitute can be found in the LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box.

More Geronimo Stilton Book Series Activities

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial

The cone we used for the nose is not in the basic brick boxes, but you may have it in your stash, if not there are other tapered bricks that can give you a similar look.

I highly recommend that even if your child has a lot of LEGO bricks already that you purchase one or two of these and keep them separate from all other bricks to use for builds like this.

They are also really fun for challenges and can be used during reading aloud to keep hands busy.

You will need:

  • 2 LEGO Eyes
  • 1 single brown round stud
  • 2 Pink 1×2 LEGO Bricks
  • 9 Tan 2×2 LEGO Bricks
  • 6 Tan 1×2 LEGO Bricks
  • 2 Tan Studs (single)
  • 3 Red 2×2 LEGO Bricks
  • 6 White 1×2 LEGO Bricks
  • 10 Green 2×2 LEGO Bricks
  • 2 Green 1×2 LEGO Slope Bricks
  • Small baseplate

First, place your 9 tan 2×2 LEGO bricks in the center of a small baseplate to form a square, any plate 16×16 and larger will work great.

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

Place your 3 red 2×2 bricks right down the center right to the bottom edge.

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

Now put the white 1×2’s down either side of the red to form his shirt and tie.

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

Place three 2×2 green bricks down either side and then 2 of the 2×2 green bricks outside of that, topping them with a sloped brick to create the appearance of shoulders/arms.

If you don’t have those sloped pieces, no worries, just use another couple 2×2 bricks.

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

Starting at each of the top corners of the head make ears by placing your 3 tan 1×2 bricks and the single 1×1 tan brick in a “circle”

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

Fill in with a pink 1×2 brick.

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

Finally place a brown round single stud on top of a cone or other sloped piece and press in the center of the face and add your eyes.

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

What a handsome mouse he is!

A Simple Geronimo Stilton LEGO Tutorial For Mouse Loving Kids

6 Boy Approved Books Which Spark the Love of Reading

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have six boy approved books today. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips.

Not wanting my boys to be among the boys-who-hate-to-read statistics, it was a challenge in the beginning to keep my boys’ enjoying reading.

I had a LOT to learn about how boys learn.

Sharing these 6 boy approved books which spark the love of learning, I’m hoping that one or more of them will flame that ember to read in your boys.

3 Boy Mom Reading Tips

Now that I have lifelong adult son readers, I know you’ll benefit from these three simple, easy, and tried and true reading tips.

1. Quit thinking like female teachers.

I know, it sounds crazy because homeschool stats reveal that a majority of the teaching is done by moms.

It’s hard to not think like a woman when you are one.

Where am I going with this?

The point is we add to our son’s dislike for reading when we try to use the books we loved as a girl to spark a boy’s interest.

My boys didn’t connect with a lot of the books I loved as a girl.

When I started homeschooling, I felt like I had a diversified reading diet growing up, but it didn’t include a lot of topics boys liked.

6 Boy Approved Books Which SPARK the Love of Reading!! Sharing these 6 boy approved books which spark the love of learning, I'm hoping that one or more of them will flame that ember to read in your boys. CLICK here to look at this short but TRIED and TRUE List!!

Sure, some of the books were the same ones I loved like Where the Red Fern Grows and The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.

But I had to expand what I thought were appropriate topics to read about.

2. The Hero or Heroine Matters.

Although boys love to get lost in a world of fiction too, relating to the hero matters.

It’s hard for boys who are struggling to read to relate to a sentimental girl.

At the time my first son was struggling with a love of reading, unless the girl was mischievous or a tomboy, it wasn’t easy for my boys to understand the sentiment.

Too, a lot of boys, including mine, develop slower.

Their maturity rate is different than girls.

They don’t necessarily see themselves in a place through the eyes of the character, so you have to be sure they do.

Instead of trying to read between the lines, my boys needed to understand the why of a point directly.

Finding a solution to the problem was more paramount than understanding exactly how a character felt.

A story line with male role models no matter the age was a good starting point in helping my sons identify with people who are like them.

3. Boys LOVE Pictures.

Boys are not ready to move away from pictures as fast as girls may be.

Realizing that significant fact, I was so grateful for the Great Illustrated Classics series.

True, some of the pictures are not like the comic books that boys love, but pictures are still pictures to boys.

The size of the print mattered to my first reader too.

The bigger the better in the beginning.

Until he felt comfortable and was hooked on reading, we just kept on reading most of the books from the Great Illustrated Classics series.

I never worried whether the books were abridged or unabridged until I hooked my reader.

Out of all the books I used for my boys to hook them on reading they narrowed down their favorites to these 6 choices to nurture a love for reading.

  1. Where the Red Fern Grows
  2. The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (Great Illustrated Classics)
  3. Invisible Man (Great Illustrated Classics)
  4. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
  5. Shiloh
  6. Stone Fox

One or more of these books or series should give your boys a taste of boy approved books, but more important they’ll nurture a love of reading.

A book list doesn’t have to be long to work; the book list needs to be focused on what boys can relate to.

I’ll be sharing more book lists that have worked for us through the years.

Does your son have a favorite book or series that worked to fan that tiny ember to a raging love for reading?

6 Boy Approved Books Which SPARK the Love of Reading!! Sharing these 6 boy approved books which spark the love of learning, I'm hoping that one or more of them will flame that ember to read in your boys. CLICK here to look at this short but TRIED and TRUE List!!

You’ll love these other tips:

12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Finding the best books for beginner readers was at the top of my list when I sat my first homeschooled grad on my lap at 3 years old to teach him to read. Also, look at my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum for more tips.

Equally important was learning the other skills I needed as the homeschool educator to teach him to read.

Like many educators who have their first budding reader I too was overly worried about the process.

First, look at some of these tips for teaching beginning readers which have worked for me through my many years of homeschooling.

12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled

Books for Beginner Readers

  • Trust that the process is natural. Unless your child has special needs or a disability to hamper learning how to read, he will learn to read. What I’m saying is that children learning to read are learning with every breath they take. Seizing their love of learning in their organic environment (your home and your lap) is where the seed is planted.
  • In addition, I didn’t realize the value of my habit of reading aloud to my first reader and reading silently. The point is from the beginning I was placing not just a high value on the skill of reading, but a love for it. Although you may not think so now, teaching a child a child to read can be quite easy compared to teaching him to be a lifelong reader. Lifelong readers model what they see.
  • Next, like a lot of new homeschool educators, I concentrated on intensity instead of consistency. That was a mistake and I almost gave up homeschooling. So the power of little and often cements a pattern for how your child learns to read. Short fun spurts throughout the day teaching your child to read is how to make true progress.

Timeless Tips for Beginner Readers

Picture Books Library Lists

Second, remember that while you’re teaching your child to read, he will need direct phonics instructions.

Not only are you training his eyes to read or decipher (decoding), but you’re training his ears to hear sounds (encoding).

On top of that, remember to look at the BIGGER picture as you embark on your journey to teaching your child to read.

Direct phonics will help your child to decode words, and training his ear to distinguish between sounds and writing the correct symbol for that sound is encoding.

The Power of Little and Often

What I’m saying is that you want to pair a phonics program along with teaching your child to read.

Look at some of these helps:

All About Reading

In addition, you also want plenty of time reading aloud to your child which doesn’t include direct instruction.

You constantly want to reaffirm that reading is enjoyable, meaningful, and should be pain free. Keeping that warm and fuzzy feeling for reading is essential.

Books that Help Kids Learn to Read

So read below about books which make it easier for teaching beginner readers being homeschooled.

12 Books For Beginner Readers

I know some of these books will work for you because they have worked for homeschool families for years.

Our needs at home vary because we want to teach phonics, love of reading, and sight words all in a natural way.

More Tips for Beginner Readers

12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled

Other Tips or Books for Beginner Readers

Our tools and books we choose should help us to nurture lifelong readers so I know you’ll love these.

Do you have other favorite new reader series?

You’ll love these other tips which work solidly for me through the years for beginner readers.

5 Easy Steps to Putting Together Your Own Homeschool Phonics Program

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I have 5 easy steps to put together your own homeschool phonics program. And look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

I shocked myself.

Mr. Senior 2013 started to read before kindergarten, but the shocking part was that I wasn’t quite sure what I had done to help him read early.

I did know that it was important for him to start reading as quick as he could, so I went down to the local teacher store and purchased a set of Dr Maggie’s Phonics Readers.

5 Easy Steps to Putting Together Your Own Homeschool Phonics Program

It was one of the best things I had done though I didn’t know it at the time.

Each book highlighted which consonants and vowels the phonics reader was teaching.

How I turned a Book into a Reading Program

In my stupidity, (yes I felt that way but chuckle now) I had accidentally started putting together my own phonics program.

First, look at the fun resources and books to add to your learning day.

13 Phonics Readers and Games for Homeschool Kindergarten

You can never have enough decodable books and hands-on ideas and games.

Sharing what I did, I am hoping to help you purposefully put together a phonics program.

5 Easy Steps to Putting Together Your Own Homeschool Phonics Program

1. Purposefully purchase phonics readers.

Look at the book above, which was the first phonics reader my son read.  I studied the book and realized that it had a sound focus or objective with each reader.

It was not only teaching my son how to read, but it was given me tips as the parent.

Realizing which letters were highlighted in the first reader, I started putting together activities for those specific letters for my son to work on while I pointed out the letters and words to him in the book.

I used those letters to focus on hands-on activities for each week and used songs too.

2. Work with the sounds of the letters that are highlighted in the phonics books.

To build his fine motor skills while teaching him to read, I also made time for him to cut out pictures from an old magazines and paste on a page.

We made crafts for each letter that was focused in our phonics readers.

More Homeschool Phonics Program

Though I had been doing activities for a letter a week, I realized I could move a bit faster than introducing one letter per week. 

He got bored with hands-on activities for only one letter each week.

3. You don’t have a classroom, so go your child’s pace when introducing letters sounds.

I finally found a perfect balance for us.

I would have one letter that I would highlight, but I would continue to add in and introduce other letters during the same week.

Later I learned what I was doing was reviewing. 

It was a great strategy or technique that I learned naturally by following the capabilities of my son and adjusting our activities to his needs.

When he could read the first phonic reader, he wanted to do it again and again.

4. Reading the same books repeatedly instills confidence and builds mastery.
  It’s not just repetitive work, it’s nurturing a love of reading.

Of course, when he was able to read the first phonics reader, he had to read to me again and again and to his dad and to his grandma and to paw paw and to his aunt and back to me again.

5. Reading aloud needs to be varied in content. (psst! use audio books and sing alongs too)

Besides Mr. Senior 2013 reading back to me, I read aloud to him often also.

I started off with Dr. Seuss books because he could start making connections to the words and sounds I was teaching him.

Homeschool Phonics A,B,Cs

Choosing books where he could pick out words he knew over and over again was another strategy. 

I didn’t have to be so formal all the time by creating tons of flashcards and even having a word wall.

Simply holding him in my lap and using the book to guide us, he learned to read naturally.

In addition, to books like Dr. Seuss that had repetitive sight words, I also read books several grade levels ahead of him to stimulate his vocabulary and build it.

Frog Street Press for Early Phonics @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Too, big books are not just for public school. 

Realizing that I would have to teach phonics to at least three kids to teach phonics, I bought some fun and useful tools like big books and music.

Homeschool Phonics Program

As we went through each of Dr. Maggie’s phonics books playing with letter and sound recognition from each book, Mr. Senior 2013 was off to a great start.

All About Reading Pre-reading

I chuckle at how unconcerned I was back then with reading delays or if my son would not love to read as he got older.

Reading is a natural process and it doesn’t take a teaching degree, it takes a teaching heart. 

It does not have to be complicated; it has to be consistent.

A few phonics readers along with learning sounds and a great heap of good books to read is the foundation to a wonderful reading program.

That’s it. Trust that reading is a natural process and unless your child has some special need, he or she will learn to read.

What reading program are you using? Is it working? I also love and used All About Reading.

Also, look at:

5 Easy Steps to Putting Together Your Own Homeschool Phonics Program @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a letter k craft preschool with an Australia theme. Also, I have more alphabet letter fun on my page How to Homeschool Preschool.

I have a K is for Kangaroo craft which means a fun and exciting study on all things below, mate!

I have a cute wearable kangaroo pocket for your child to wear as they learn all about Australia and K-K-K-Kangaroo.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

One of the most distinctive things about Australia is the unusual and fascinating array of flora and fauna.

From the whirling Tasmanian Devil to the depths of the Great Barrier Reef there is much to learn about.

Koala and kookaburra are also popular and adorable Australian creatures. Also they start with K and tie in so nicely with the theme.

This is a wonderful topic for geography and science.

I have rounded up plenty of on-topic ideas.

From math to tucker (food) and science to songs to introduce letter K craft preschool.

More How to Homeschool Preschool Letter of the Week Activities

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Language Arts Focus Day 1

There are several fun-themed words to focus on in this Australia unit for K-kangaroo, koala, and kookaburra.

Repeat the beginning sound several times every time you say them.

Letter/Sound Recognition- Jack Hartmann’s songs are a wonderful way to teach and reinforce letter sounds and recognize them through repetition and catchy tunes. 

Book- Australia Travel For Kids is great even if you are not planning an actual trip there. It gives kids a glimpse into the unique country of Australia. 

Craft/Activity- Make a Paper Plate Kangaroo Pouch with the tutorial down below.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Song/Fingerplay- Here are the words to the classic Kookaburra Song along with hand motions to make it even more fun.

Song/Finger Play- Learn and sing all about this wild country with Australia by The Wiggles.

This song celebrates the fascinating animals, flora, and fauna, as well as the people who make their home there. 

Snack- If you want to dive into Australian culture consider grabbing a box of these famous Australian snacks from the famous Vegemite to crisps and sweets to enjoy throughout your study.

Science Focus Day 2

You could choose any flora or fauna topic that you want to talk about for these letter K craft preschool ideas.

There is no shortage of unusual creatures from the egg-laying mammal the platypus to marsupials like kangaroos and koalas.

I gathered up a few things to focus on a koala, but you could do any Australian animal or the unusual plant life.

Letter/Sound Recognition- Use this Tape Resist Name Paintings for Kids to practice name and letter recognition.

While, yes, you can use it to spell out their entire name it is also a great idea for learning individual letters, especially letters like K that just have straight lines.

Book- A good encouraging book like The Koala Who Could is a wonderful way to encourage and build children’s social and emotional development.

Craft/Activity- Create this Adorable Handprint Koala climbing up a tree, maybe in search of a snack.

Song/Fingerplay- The Barramundi Song is sung to the familiar tune of Frere Jacque and is a fun way to learn about the animals of the outback.

Snack-  This adorable Koala Treat goes perfectly with my book selection for the day and is a great way to reinforce what your child will learn about koalas.

Math Focus Day 3

Count your Australian animal figurines in this letter K craft preschool unit.

Have your child hop like a kangaroo as far as they can, mark it and measure it out with a measuring tape to introduce using different tools for measuring.

I also found this fantastic kangaroo-themed number line printable to practice with.

Letter/Sound Recognition- To go along with our snack today I thought it would be fun to use some sprinkles (or 100’s and 1000’s as they are called in Australia) to make a sensory writing bag.

Place some sprinkles inside a small sandwich bag, press out the air and spread them out in a very thin layer.

If you place them over a white sheet of paper it’s much easier to see when your child uses their finger to practice writing letters.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Book- What’s That Wombat? Is filled with hilarious rhyming text and colorful introductions to the native animals of Australia in this letter K craft preschool topic.

Craft/Activity- Enjoy this Australian Animal Graphing printable, I love that it is not only math but also social studies and science ruled into one fun activity.

Snack– Make Australian Fairy Bread.

This is an Australian treat made for special events.

It is simply bread that has been buttered and then topped with colorful sprinkles, usually cut into triangles.

Just coat the bread generously with butter to help the sprinkles stay in place and then top with the colorful little balls, enjoy!

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

History/Geography Focus Day 4

 Focus on the map and learn to identify the shape and location of Australia.

Be sure to point out to your child that Australia is the only country in the world that covers an entire continent.

Letter/Sound Recognition- Grab do a dot markers, pom poms, pennies, cereal, or whatever you like for your child to cover each of the circles in the Letter K Dot Painting.

If you laminate a worksheet like this you’ll be able to use it over and over throughout the week in this letter K craft preschool theme.

.Book- Edward The Emu has gotten tired of being an Emu and tries to be something else, eventually realizing that being himself is the best choice.

This is an adorable lesson in being content with yourself.

Craft/Activity- Grab a world map and one of your Australian creatures and help your child identify Australia on the map.

Look at what bodies of water that surround it and name them.

  • Where is the continent north of Australia? South? East? Work on those introductory math skills.
How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Song/Fingerplay- What a silly and addicting song this is, I’m a Kangaroo Do Do Do.

Not only is it entertaining but your child can add to and expand on the animals listed in the song making it open-ended fun to add to your letter K craft preschool.

Snack- Make this Aussie classic – no-bake lamington balls with a pre baked sponge cake to enjoy a treat that is a treat enjoyed in Australia.

Letter K Craft Australia Theme

Teach your preschooler about the letter sound K is for kangaroo and learn all about Australia.

Language Arts Focus Day 5

See how many words you can find around the house that start with k like a key, kangaroo(toys), a kite, a delicious kiwi fruit, or a kitten.

What actions start with k? Kick and kiss. How about family members and friends? Reinforce names that begin with K like Kevin and Kelcie.

Letter/Sound Recognition- Alphabet clip cards are a nice and easy letter recognition activity but they also build fine motor skills as children squeeze the clothes pins to clip and unclip them.

Book- The Great Barrier Reef (Earth’s Incredible Places) 

While there are many fascinating land animals in Australia one of the most beautiful and varied parts is under the ocean in the Great Barrier Reef. give children a unique look at an important ecosystem with this beautifully Illustrated reference book.

Craft/Activity- Australia Sensory Bin- I used these adorable Australian Animals And My First Bananagrams Letter tiles to create a phonics-based sensory bin.

Place the animals and their beginning letter sound tiles in the sensory bin with a layer of sand as the base. Help your child match the animal to its beginning sound.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Song/Fingerplay- Phonics Letter K song helps reinforce that letter sound as well as recognition through fun and bright animations put to a familiar tune (Twinkle Twinkle).

Snack- Make a traditional  Australian Damper Bread together, it is a dense soda bread that is great for stockmen traveling with basic rations.

Cooking is such a wonderfully natural way to teach your child math and science skills as well as basic life skills.

How To Make A Letter K Craft Preschool Kangaroo Pocket

You will need:

  • 2 paper plates
  • Brown craft paint
  • Paintbrushes
  • Google eyes
  • String/yarn
  • Glue stick
How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Directions:

Cut the first paper plate in half.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

On the second paper plate, trace a baby kangaroo in the center ( it’s a lot easier than it looks) for the head we just drew a sideways teardrop shape with long ears sort of like a bunny, and then rounded it off by drawing a curve on either side for the shoulders and the body.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Cut out the baby kangaroo (joey).

Glue the two halves of the pocket together.

I found the easiest way to glue the pocket together is with hot glue otherwise your child will have a long wait in store and it will not hold as well.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Hole punch either side near the top you want to go through both plates.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Let your child paint the pocket as well as the Joey with brown craft paint.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Once the glue is dried, run the yarn through both sides and hot glue to the back to secure it, be sure your loop is long enough that it can go around your child’s neck and hang near their stomach.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Add details to your Joey. Add googly eyes, then use a black marker to draw in the ears, a nose, and a mouth.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

If you want to make it look like you’re little joey look as if he’s ready to leap out you can cut out little paw shapes. Slip right over the side of the pocket like this.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme

Slip the Joey into the pocket and glue it into place and your kangaroo pocket is ready to be worn.

How To Make A Kangaroo Pocket | Letter K Craft Preschool Australia Theme