MAKE YOUR OWN 'WINKY, WONKY DONKEY' PUPPET!

 THE WONKY DONKEY, by Craig Smith & Katz Cowley (Scholastic NZ)

Available for purchase for $15.49 from

The Nile Bookstore

See a review at Kids' Book Review

Have you seen this book yet? 
This award-winning, bestseller has been extremely popular of late, due in part to the visits that Craig Smith has been making to book stores all over Australia. (Read an interview with the author at Kids' Book Review). 

The book was also included on this year's 'Get Reading! 50 Books You Can't Put Down' list. Once you read it, you'll soon agree that it's a story that you and your children will want to read over and over again!  

'The Wonky Donkey' by Craig Smith is an absolute hoot and the graphic illustrations by Katz Cowley are a real winner with the kids.

We first meet a donkey in this story that only has one leg. As we turn each page we learn about each of his quirky characteristics,  and so begins the cumulative story about one very interesting donkey.

The book reminds me of the memory game we used to play in primary school: 'I went to the shop and I bought an apple.... I went to the shop and I bought a banana and an apple.... I went to the shop and I bought a cantaloupe, a banana and an apple......' Did you play that game?

Kids find the story fascinating and hilarious. They will probably also giggle at you getting your tongue twisted as you read the story. Listening to Craig Smith sing his story, (CD comes with the book) certainly puts my storytelling to shame.  It is a story that suits all ages, and I have an activity that brings this 'Winky Wonky Donkey' to life.

MAKE YOUR OWN 'WINKY, WONKY DONKEY'!

We just love using props for story-time and most of all we love puppets, especially those you make yourself!

I'm sure your kids will really enjoy making their own 'winky, wonky donkey' with 3 legs and one eye. Once you have made the puppet you can use it as a prop each time you read the book.

I have provided you with the basic instructions, but you may need to adapt the activity to suit the age and ability of your child. 

Because the activity requires the use of small split pins it is not suitable for children under 3. At the end of the post I have listed some other activities you could do with your child after reading the book.

YOU WILL NEED:

-A copy of our donkey template
-2 split pins
-1 googly eye
-1 feather
-Scissors
-Glue 
-Paddle pop stick
-crayons, pencils, textas (or anything else you would like to use to decorate your donkey.)

(These supplies are difficult to purchase in small quantities. I ordered these supplies in bulk for the Fairy Floss Market. I have some left over I could send to you for a few dollars if you didn't want to purchase a large quantity of them. Contact me at info@mylittlebookcase.com.au if you are interested)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Download and print the donkey template.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD. Not suitable for children under 3 due to the use of small parts.

2.  Colour or decorate your donkey.

(We coloured ours in a traditional grey, but creating a spotty donkey or a stripey donkey could be a lot of fun!)

3.  Cut out the donkey's torso and legs

4.  Line up the dots on the legs with the dots on the torso and secure with a split pin

5.Finish the donkey by attaching the paddle pop stick to the back of the donkey and gluing the eye and feather (as the tail).

 

Your kids will love making the 'winky wonky donkey' do weird and wonderful things. 

  

OTHER ACTIVITIES

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

•  If your children are under 3, you might like to download and print this version of the donkey, for them to colour and decorate. 

• My daughter is only 15 months old. She is just learning to manipulate a crayon. We used the donkey template to help her identify and colour eyes, ears, nose and feet.

• You could also print this version of the donkey and play a family game of 'Pin the Tail of Donkey'. 

THESE ACTIVITIES ARE INTENDED FOR PERSONAL USE AND HAVE NOT BEEN 

COMMISSIONED OR ENDORSED BY THE AUTHOR OR PUBLISHER.