DIY Peek-A-Boo Mole with “Morris Mole”

“Morris Mole” by Dan Yaccarino

Sometimes small children may feel that they cannot do big things.  Often they get told that they are “too small” to do something and often they may feel overwhelmed by large tasks.  They may even feel like they are overlooked sometimes and perhaps not listened to as much.  That is a bit how Morris the mole was feeling in this book.

Morris is a mole who is quite a bit smaller than the rest and has a different perspective of looking at things.  When the problem in his community arrises of there not being enough food all the moles think they need to dig deeper down, all of the moles that is, except Morris.  Morris thinks they should dig up.  It’s an intimidating thought to him, and he is all alone, but he gives it a try and discovers a whole new world with so much to offer.

This book is fantastic!  I love its message of gathering courage in the face of your fear, being willing to strike out on your own, having the confidence to do “big things” and being willing to embrace change.  The main character is completely lovable and the illustrations are simply darling.  We love this book!

Click here to purchase “Morris Mole” *affiliate link

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DIY Peek-a-Boo Mole Craft

My absolute favorite illustration in this book is when Morris finally reaches topsoil and peeks out into the bright and sunny world for the first time.  His surprised expression and gentlemanly umbrella make it all the cuter.  Because Morris’ big idea, and action in the book is to take the chance of digging up I thought it would be fun to create a peek-a-boo mole craft to accompany this book.  That way, after reading the book, little readers can delight in making their own little mole pop-up on their own.

This craft is so easy and quick to assemble, plus it has a big wow factor.  It took all of a couple minutes to make and my kids were completely smitten with it.  Let’s just say that after popping out over and over again, my kids still weren’t tired of the delight.  I even included a printable (free for personal and educational use) down below of the moles so that they are ready to go in a cinch and already to scale for a standard toilet paper roll tube.

Supplies:

• standard toilet paper roll tube (with no paper left on it)
• 5X7 rectangle of “Sticker foam” sheet (You could also use regular  foam sheets or even construction paper and just glue it on instead of sticking it on. I used ones like THESE and cut a green one to size.)
• scissors
• tape or glue
• the mole printable
• small, paper drink umbrella (like THESE)
• craft stick (we used a “jumbo” one here)

Process:

1. Cut a fringe along one of the long sides of your 5X7 foam sheet.  This gives it the effect of being “grass”.
2. Pull the sticker backing off the sheet and wrap it around your toilet paper roll to adhere it.  The top with the fringe will stick out a little over the top of the tube.
3. Print out your mole using the printable below (we used card stock for extra strength) and then cut it out.  Tape or glue the paper drink umbrella to his hand and then tape or glue your mole to the top of your craft stick.
4. Slide your craft stick into the covered tube and your done!
   

• To make your mole move up and down to play “peek-a-boo” simply push the craft stick up and down in the tube.

Download the printable here: _Peek-a-boo Mole_ Craft Sheet

If you give this Beyond the Book activity a try I’d love to hear how it goes! Share it on Instagram using hashtag #beyondthebook (I’m on Instagram as @book.nerd.mommy) or even just comment here with your thoughts. It would make my day! Or to simply save for later pin the image below.