June saw
the opening of a new exhibit - Storyland: A Trip through Childhood Favorites - at one of our favorite museums here in Greenville,
the Upcountry History Museum!
The GHS-sponsored, bilingual adventure allows visitors to step into the pages
of classic children's literature, featuring seven books that include favorites
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
The
traveling exhibit is geared towards children ages 0-8, with matching, rhyming,
poetry and storytelling activities. All three boys kept themselves occupied
during our two-hour stay, which is about how long it took to fully explore all seven
books.
All
three boys spent a significant amount of time at the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (by
Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault) palm, sending letters up the tree only to
have them tumble back down, just as in the book.
The Snowy Day (author Ezra Jack Keats) had a beautiful snowy vista that encouraged
visitors to build snowmen, make snow angels and to walk through the winter wonderland to the sound
of their own footsteps crunching through the snow.
If YouGive a Mouse a Cookie (by Laura Numero) featured a station where the kids could
write a note to Mouse, and a giant cookie – a sensory station with items from
the book hidden in each chocolate chip.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit (book by Beatrix Potter) was my favorite, with a perfect little
rabbit (and toddler) sized house. The boys enjoyed gardening with Peter, and
searching for the hidden puzzle pieces that fit in various spots throughout.
Where’s Spot (Eric Hill) garnered the most attention from Vilis, who insisted on
lugging Spot around to all the other exhibits...
The
book Tuesday (author David Wiesner) was previously unfamiliar to me. The story
of a Tuesday when frogs took to the air on their lily pads won the Caldecott
Medal in 1992, and fit perfectly into Storyland with a percussion wall and
clock activity.
Finally
we read about Abuela (by Arthur Dorros), with Rosalba and her grandmother flying
high above the heads of the children while they wrote shopping lists and helped
stock the shelves of the store.
Storyland:
A Trip through Childhood Favorites will be at the Upcountry History Museum through
September 11th, and should be added to your summer bucket list for a
visit on one of those hot, southern days. Relive your favorite childhood books
while the kids learn the joy and power of reading through play, and don’t
forget to stop by the library next door before you head home – maybe you want
to take one or two of the featured books home?
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