At the beginning of the school year, I’m always looking for books to read to my students. One of my favorite books is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. It’s a sweet story about a young raccoon named Chester who is nervous about starting school. Mrs. Raccoon shares the Kissing Hand with him to reassure Chester of her love any time he is feeling scared. After reading the story, we talk about how we feel on the first day of school and make this Chester the Raccoon Paper Plate Craft.
How To Make A Chester the Raccoon Paper Plate Craft:
Supplies:
- Paper Plate
- Scissors
- Grey Paint
- Paint Brush
- Glue
- Black Construction Paper
- Googly Eyes
- Black Pom Pom
Directions:
To begin this activity, the children will cut the paper plate so it is in the shape of a triangle.
If your students haven’t developed their fine motor skills yet, they may have a difficult time cutting the paper plate. You can either pre-cut the plates or provide hand-over-hand support.
Next, the children will cut two small triangles out of the paper plate scraps and glue them on top of the paper plate for the raccoon’s ears.
They will then paint the paper plate grey. If you don’t have grey paint, simply mix one part black paint with two parts white paint.
After the paint dries, the children can cut a long, thin rectangle out of the black paper and glue it across the paper plate.
Next, they will then cut two small triangles out of the black paper and glue them onto the raccoon’s ears.
The students will then glue the googly eyes on the black rectangle in the center of the paper plate.
Finally, the children will glue a pom pom onto the point of the triangle for the raccoon’s nose.
To extend this activity, your students can write or draw a picture describing how they felt on the first day of school.
After making this book-inspired Chester the Raccoon Paper Plate Craft, I love the hang them on the bulletin board outside of my classroom. It’s a fun and simple activity that is perfect for the beginning of the school year.