1Me and My Big Mouse

Kids’ Activity GuideMe and My Big Mouse is a silly tale of a boy named Michael and his big pet mouse, Bo. Michael loves Bo but sometimes his mouse friend can be annoying. Bo embarrasses Michael in front of his friends, doesn’t listen, and has problems with personal space. When Michael ditches Bo to meet up with his friends at the park, Michael learns a lesson about friendship. Join Michael as he works through his feelings and comes up with a plan to help Bo avoid some of his annoying habits. Your child will love the antics of Bo and will relate to Michael’s embarrassment and annoyance with Bo.

Me and My Big Mouse is a great way to introduce your child to the concepts of personal space and conflict resolution. Michael and Bo will help your child learn how to avoid and resolve conflict with siblings or friends. Ethan Long’s playful artwork and comedic narrative will have your child laughing out loud as he or she learn valuable lessons.

Pre-reading Questions:1. Do you have a pet?

2. Do you ever have to clean up after your pet?

3. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

4. Have you ever gotten in a fight with any of your friends?

5. What is sharing?

6. What is personal space?

7. What is a rule?

8. What happens if you break a rule?

The questions above will set the stage for reading Me and My Big Mouse and introduce your child to some of the concepts in the book.

My Big Mouse Snack:Introduce your child to a tasty and easy-to-make cheese and cracker snack! It can be tough to motivate a child to try new foods. This fun-to-make snack is a great way to involve your child in the snack-making process, and hopefully to get them to try a new treat.

Ingredients:Mini soft white cheese wedges

Bag of mini pepperoni

Crackers (any kind or size)

Several black olives (chopped)

Crunchy chow mein noodles

Directions:1. Place a wedge of cheese on a cracker.

2. To make the ears, push two pepperoni into both sides of the cheese wedge.

3. For the eyes and nose, use the pieces of olive.

4. And for the tail, insert a piece of chow mein into the back of the wedge.

5. Repeat to make as many mice as you want, and serve.

mini pepperoni mini cheese wedge

cracker

chow mein noodle

chopped olives

2Me and My Big Mouse

Conflict Resolution Activities:Dealing with conflict is a big part of childhood and growing up. In Me and My Big Mouse, Michael and Bo have some issues to resolve. The following techniques are some great ways to resolve childhood conflicts.

1. Coin Flip – When two children are having a problem with sharing or taking turns, teach them to flip a coin to see who gets to go first! It’s simple and kids love it. One child is heads and the other is tails. They flip the coin and whoever’s side comes up gets to go first or use the item in question first. Then the other child goes.

2. Dueling Toys – When children are having an issue with sharing, simply find an alternative toy for one of them to use, and then suggest they trade after a set period of time.

3. Time to Share – Use a timer to help solve conflicts. Each child gets to be in charge for a set amount of time. They can choose what games to play and what toys to play with. When the time is over, it is their friend’s or sibling’s turn.

Animal Thumbprint Memory Game:

Me and My Big Mouse is a book about a boy and his pet. Your child will use the animal cards on page 3 and an inkpad to play a memory game. Your child will enjoy cutting out and decorating the cards in addition to playing the game.

Materials:Markers

Animal memory cards (on page 3)

Scissors

Inkpad (feel free to make each pair of cards a different color)

Directions:1. Have your child make a thumbprint on

each card.

2. Help your child draw the animal on each card using the thumbprint as either the body or the head of the animal.

3. Cut out all of the cards along the lines.

4. Play the game!

Game instructions: Flip the cards face down and randomly lay them out in three rows of four. You and your child will take turns flipping two cards over, trying to make a match. When a player matches up the cards, they take both cards and set them in front of them. Keep taking turns until all of the cards have been matched up.

My Pet Brainstorming/ Writing Activity:

Your child will write about a pet they have, have had in the past, or would like to have one day. Give each child two sheets of paper, one for drawing and one for writing. Have him/her draw a picture of a pet using crayons, colored pencils, and/or markers. Help your child brainstorm for words to describe the pet. Help him/her come up with five to seven descriptive words which they will write down around the picture of the pet. Using the descriptive words, help your child write a paragraph about the chosen pet.

World’s Largest Rodent Facts:1. The largest rodent in the world is

the capybara.

2. Capybaras can weigh as much as 150 pounds.

3. They spend much of their life in the water.

4. Capybaras can be found in South America.

5. They can hold their breath underwater for five minutes.

6. An adult capybara can eat six to eight pounds of grass a day.

3Me and My Big Mouse

Animal Thumbprint Memory Game:

Mouse Mouse Cat

CatDogDog

Fish Fish Bird

BirdSnakeSnake

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Make Your Own Behavior Contract:Bo and Michael make and sign their own Behavior Contract. A Behavior Contract sets rules on how to act. Use the form below to help your child come up with their own contract.

______________________’s Behavior Contract

Choose 3 of the rules below or create your own:

I will clean up after myself I will share with my brother/sister

I will not whine I will not hit

I will follow directions I iwll not be rude

I will not yell/scream I will not interrupt

______________________ ______________________ ______________________

Consequence for violating the contract:

Reward for following the contract:

Child Signature:_____________________________ Date: _____________

Parent Signature:___________________________ Date: _____________

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This guide was created by Chris Valcarcel, Educational Consultant, and Jennifer Messinger, Graphic Designer.

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