Friday we did The Three Little Pigs at school. We acted it out as a “table puppet play,” and as I told them the story, I encouraged them to help me set the scene. The kids got way into this… controlling the wooden “pigs,” helping to name the characters, yelling, “Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!” and experimenting with building their own “houses” after we finished the story. They loved the part where we all “huffed” and “puffed.”

Ian is continuing to play out the story on his own at every opportunity. He’ll grab the tray and say, “I want to build Michael’s house.”  (We named the smart pig who built his house out of stones Michael.  His two brothers are George and Ryan.)

One of the most entertaining aspects of this for me, as the adult, was to see how each child took something different from the story and the activity.  One was most into the huffing and puffing, one was more into moving the “pigs” around, one was delighted at the opportunity to shout defiance at the bully, and more.  Each took to a different aspect and made it their own.  At the end they all joined me in laughing at the wolf who thought he could blow down a stone house!

I’ll huff and I’ll puff