We are, obviously, huge fans of The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. Sweet Pea never tires of that story or its follow-up, The Gruffalo's Child. In The Gruffalo, a clever, little mouse manages to outwit all of the animals in the deep, dark wood that are trying to eat it by making up a tall tale that ends up surprising even the mouse. The mouse's quick wit and the author's hilarious and creative rhymes make for an instant family favourite that is quoted and retold endlessly.
For Sweet Pea's Gruffalo birthday last week, since her birthday presents didn't arrive in the mail in time, I thought I'd have a go at making her some Gruffalo DIY window cling stickers to use for retelling the story through play. They were easy to make and actually work really well! ...
To make them, you just need a printer and some contact paper (sticky-backed clear paper). Find some images you want to use, print them out on regular paper, and cut out the shapes (you might want to use shapes that don't have too many small, fiddly edges to cut around. Ours had a lot of detail and I was in a hurry, so they aren't as neat as they could be.)
Then take a sheet of contact paper and place it on the table sticky-side-down, but with the backing paper still attached so it doesn't stick yet (tape the corners to hold it in place.) Lay all your cut out pictures face up on the non-sticky side of the contact paper.
Next get another sheet of contact paper and remove the backing paper from this one. Lay it sticky side down over the top of your cut out pictures so it sticks to them, sandwiching them between the two layers of contact paper (remember, both sheets of contact paper are facing the same way.)
Finally, cut out the shapes again, going through both layers of contact paper (including the backing paper on the bottom sheet.)
When you're ready to attach them to your window, just peel off the backing paper from the bottom sheet and apply to the glass. They easily peel off to reuse again and again, making them a great way for kids to make play scenes!
Ours are spread across our dining room window, retelling the story of The Gruffalo from beginning to end - what a fun way to enjoy some literacy play!
If you're looking for more Gruffalo things to make and do, you might be interested in these posts, too:
Gruffalo Birthday Party
Gruffalo Crumble Recipe
DIY Gruffalo Puppet Theatre
This post is part of the Virtual Book Club for Kids March edition featuring books by Julia Donaldson. For more great ideas to use with her books, check out the link below!
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