We are having lots of fun with the Poppins Book Nook blog series. This month's theme was FAIRY TALES. The kids scoured the fairy tale section at the library and decided on The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. Below you will find a couple resources we used with this book as well as a fun craft we made.
My kids love The Little Match Girl and they listen to it quite often on the Kids Story and Music Box Android App. So when I told them to pick out a fairy tale book at the library for our book club they decided that The Little Match Girl was perfect.
The Little Match Girl is a classic fairy tale story written by the famous Hans Christian Andersen in 1846. It is a very sad story so be sure that you have tissues handy while reading it (I totally sobbed my way through the last 4 pages). It is a great Christmastime book and definitely one I recommend adding to your collection...I know we are. Though it is very tragic story it certainly has some very important lessons that can be learned. Andersen takes an optimistic approach to a distressing situation and shows children that death is not necessarily something to fear and that when we pass away we will be with the ones we love and care about. It also teaches children about helping others that may be less fortunate rather than just passing them by.
Synopsis:
It is Christmastime and the little girl is supposed to be selling matches to earn money for her and her father. Her father is a cruel man and will beat her if she doesn't return home with any money. The little girl doesn't have much luck selling her matches so she hunkers down in a corner to try to shield herself from the bitter cold. She begins lighting the matches one by one and with each match she has a vision of happiness. But when the match burns out she is taken back to reality and remembers that she is cold, hungry and alone. The last vision she had was of her grandmother who had passed away. This made the little girl very happy because her grandmother had been the only person that was ever kind to her. The little girl begged her grandmother to not leave her behind. The little girl then lights all the matches in order to keep the vision of her grandmother. Then the grandmother picks up the little girl up in her arms and together they soared far above the earth where there was no more cold, hunger or pain - for they were both with God now.
Resources:
-Listen to The Little Match Girl here
-Learn about Hans Christian Andersen and his fairy tales on this awesome Andersen Fairy Tales Website
-Hans Christian Andersen lesson plans - there is even one for The Little Match Girl
-Scholastic biography about Hans Christian Andersen
-Hans Christian Andersen lapbook
-Little Match Girl lesson plan
-Lots of various lesson plans from Lesson Planet on The Little Match Girl and Andersen
-Read The Little Match Girl story without checking it out buying it or checking it out from the library
-Little Match Girl literary study guide
Hands On Project - Matchstick Star:
I quickly came up with a perfect craft for this book that was quick, simple and inexpensive. In the book the little match girl sees a falling star and is reminded about what her grandmother used to tell her, "when a star falls, a soul is going up to God." So we made stars out of matchsticks.
Materials:
-Cardboard
-Matchsticks (1 box of 300 was enough to make 2 stars)
-Glue of some kind (we used hot glue and clear Elmers)
-Scissors
-Ribbon
What to do:
-First cut your cardboard cross (you will need 2 for one star). Here is a photo of my template that you can print out and use. You will need to re-size it. Our stars are 6 inches x 6 inches from tip to tip.
-Next light all the matches (if you choose), to make the tips blackened. We did this by making little piles and lighting them all at once. Be sure an adult does this part. It's also the perfect time to discuss fire safety and how matches work. My kids also held a match to see what it would have been like for The Little Match Girl and to see if a match really produced enough heat to warm you.
-Next begin gluing the matches onto both pieces of cardboard. You can do this however you wish, making whatever pattern you choose. You can see in the photo what we did.
-Once both of the cardboard pieces have the matches glued onto them, glue one of them onto the top of the other to form a star shape.
-Add a ribbon so you can hang your beautiful star. I think these will look fabulous on the Christmas Tree!
-If your child wishes they can continue decorating by painting their star or adding embellishments (glitter, stickers, etc).
YouTube Videos:I quickly came up with a perfect craft for this book that was quick, simple and inexpensive. In the book the little match girl sees a falling star and is reminded about what her grandmother used to tell her, "when a star falls, a soul is going up to God." So we made stars out of matchsticks.
Materials:
-Cardboard
-Matchsticks (1 box of 300 was enough to make 2 stars)
-Glue of some kind (we used hot glue and clear Elmers)
-Scissors
-Ribbon
What to do:
-First cut your cardboard cross (you will need 2 for one star). Here is a photo of my template that you can print out and use. You will need to re-size it. Our stars are 6 inches x 6 inches from tip to tip.
-Next light all the matches (if you choose), to make the tips blackened. We did this by making little piles and lighting them all at once. Be sure an adult does this part. It's also the perfect time to discuss fire safety and how matches work. My kids also held a match to see what it would have been like for The Little Match Girl and to see if a match really produced enough heat to warm you.
-Next begin gluing the matches onto both pieces of cardboard. You can do this however you wish, making whatever pattern you choose. You can see in the photo what we did.
-Once both of the cardboard pieces have the matches glued onto them, glue one of them onto the top of the other to form a star shape.
-Add a ribbon so you can hang your beautiful star. I think these will look fabulous on the Christmas Tree!
-If your child wishes they can continue decorating by painting their star or adding embellishments (glitter, stickers, etc).
Check out this beautiful video on YouTube. This also presents a wonderful opportunity to incorporate music into your literature unit study.
Here is a list of the wonderful bloggers participating in the Poppins Book Nook be sure to visit them for more fun Ocean/Beach themed ideas:
Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - 3 Dinosaurs - Monsters Ed - Chestnut Grove Academy - Growing in God's Grace - Royal Little Lambs - Life with Moore Babies - Teach Beside Me - The Usual Mayhem - Mum Central - Fantastic Fun and Learning - Kathys Cluttered Mind - Toddler Approved - Growing Book by Book - Adventures in Mommydom - B-Inspired Mama - The Fairy and The Frog - Edventures with Kids - Learning & Growing the Piwi way - A Gluten Free Journey - No Doubt Learning - Preschool Powol Packets - To The Moon and Back - Our Craft ~N~ Things - Fresh Farm Adventures - Are We There Yet?
NEW! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky winner will win a copy of A First Book of Fairy Tales! The winner must reside within the United States. Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Linking up with: Jay Daniel 4's Mom, Mama to 4 Blessings
3 comments:
Although that story always makes me cry, you made a lovely craft from it.
I love that craft idea! I'm pinning this to save for some Christmas ideas. And I have to admit-I've never read that story to my kids because I knew I would cry my eyes out. I just can't do it!! My poor kids would cry too. Maybe when they're a little older we can make it through that story!
The Little Match Girl is one of my favorite stories. I just love it.
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