Soak Up Summer Reading Series: Giraffes Can’t Dance

I am so excited to start my Summer Reading Series off with Ashley from The Littles & Me.  She believes in celebrating everyday moments and loves creating amazing activities through play.

Hey friends! Ashley here from The Littles & Me.  Summer break is finally here and with it brings a few of my favorite things—sunshine, swimming and special time with my girls. One of our favorite activities to beat the Summer heat is heading to the library to pick out some new to us books. Combine that with making a craft and you’ve got the perfect activity.  I’m so excited to share with you one of our latest book inspired crafts that pairs with one of our all time favorite children’s books, Giraffes Can’t Dance (affiliate link)

If you’ve never read this book add it to your must read list. It’s beautifully illustrated with a powerful message for both kids and adults alike. The story is about a giraffe named Gerald that really wants to dance, but has a hard time doing so. He finally gains the confidence to dance with some encouragement from a friend. It’s all about being yourself and marching to your own beat which I absolutely love. What better way to march to your own beat than with the help of a giraffe music shaker?

Giraffe Music Shakers Supplies

• Giraffe Shaker Template
• Toilet Paper or Paper Towel Tube
• Yellow and Orange Paint
• Paintbrush
• Scissors
• Gluestick (or Hot Glue Gun)
• Dried Beans
• Duct Tape or Clear Packing Tape

Instructions

First you’ll need to paint the toilet paper tube with a layer of paint.

Set the tube aside to dry and then add giraffe spots.

While you’re waiting, print out the giraffe template and cut out around the head. You can either use one that is already colored in or have your kiddo color the giraffe head. We chose to do a couple of each.

After you color the giraffe head it’s time to assemble your shakers. To assemble, take a piece of tape and secure it to one side of the tube. Next, take a thin stripe of tape and wrap it around the tube again. Be sure that it is really secure. You really don’t want beans flying all over the place!

Add your dried beans in the tube and repeat adding tape on the other end.

Test the shaker out and add any additional tape. Then, once you’re sure the beans aren’t going anywhere you can glue on the giraffe head. We used a glue gun to make sure it was extra secure, but a glue stick would be just fine too. Hooray! You’re all finished and ready to sing, dance, and play.

After we used our music shakers to reenact the book, we turned on some music and danced the morning away. It was so fun to see my girls get so excited about the book coming alive. Total win in my book! I hope you and your kiddos enjoy making this craft and that your Summer is full of lots of sweet memories.

My kids and I absolutely love this book and this activity is so adorable!  Ashley creates the best kids activities and amazing ideas for family fun over on her blog.  She also gives encouragement for the busy mom which I love the most.

Follow along with Ashley, you will be so glad you did!

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