The Little Ghost who was a Quilt
LESSON 1
Children will read the story “The Little Ghost who was a Quilt,” and participate in creating ghost halloween crafts.
The book, “The Little Ghost who was a Quilt,” by Riel Nason.
Quilted Ghost Craft:
Cardstock
Fabric Scraps
Black felt or fabric.
Lollipop Ghost Tree:
Lollipops
White fabric or tissue
Black felt or marker.
String
Tree branches
Leaf Ghosts:
Pressed leaves
White/cream acrylic paint
Black acrylic paint
Tree Ghost Decoration:
Plastic shopping bags
Duct Tape
White fabric
Black felt, fabric, or duct tape.
Wire hanger or strong string
Wire cutter or scissors
Materials
Gather materials for activity of choice.
For quilted ghosts, pre-cut fabric into 2 ¾ x 2 ¾ inch squares.
Preparations
Ensure that children understand the instructions and are appropriately guided through each activity, offering assistance when needed.
Foster a creative environment by allowing children to express their individuality in crafting and decorating, while providing suggestions and support as necessary.
Facilitate a meaningful connection between the activities and the story, encouraging discussions and reflections on how they relate to the narrative.
Offer strategies and encouragement for refining fine motor skills during crafting activities, addressing any difficulties or challenges children may encounter.
Create an inclusive atmosphere where all children, regardless of their skill levels, can participate and experience a sense of accomplishment in completing the activities.
Objectives for Teachers
Children develop fine motor skills through crafting activities like cutting, gluing, and painting as they manipulate small objects and perform precise movements.
Children enhance their creativity and imagination as they participate in creative tasks, such as designing ghost faces and decorating Halloween-themed crafts.
Children practice following instructions by engaging in step-by-step activities, which helps them comprehend and execute instructions in a systematic manner.
Children enhance their critical thinking skills by making choices, such as selecting ghost expressions or crafting materials, which encourages decision-making based on personal preferences.
Children improve their understanding of the story by connecting the activities to the narrative, fostering reading comprehension and storytelling skills as they link the story to real-world projects.
Objectives for Children
Collect and Connect
Come up with actions for this fun little ghost poem and practice saying it together.
Little Ghost
Little ghost, little ghost, flying through the air.
Little ghost, little ghost, tickling my hair.
Little ghost, little ghost, flying way down low.
Little ghost, little ghost, tickling my toe.
Little ghost, little ghost, circling all around.
Little ghost, little ghost, please sit down.
Activity Flow
Begin by finding a cozy spot to read the story "The Little Ghost who was a Quilt" with your child. Before reading, introduce the story to your child. A story introduction followed by a question encourages children to actively engage with the narrative, piquing their curiosity and drawing them into the tale. View the sample script below for ideas.
“In this story, you'll meet a ghost who's actually a quilt. However, he's not too thrilled about it. You see, quilts are thicker and heavier than sheets, which makes him different from the other ghosts. He is a bit slower because of this.
Despite his initial sadness, Halloween comes around, and it's his favorite day of the year. Let's find out what exciting things happen to our little quilt ghost on Halloween.”
After reading the story, start a conversation about the importance of being different. Connect this concept to individuals. Here are some thought-provoking questions to ask:
Do all people have the same hair color, skin color, or eye color?
Do they all share the same likes and dislikes?
Do they follow the same routines and have the same hobbies?
Are they equally skilled at the same things?
3. Following the story, you can select a fun craft to do together with your child. You're welcome to try them all if you'd like! You can also do them over the course of a few days.
Quilted Ghost Craft:
Start by gathering the materials your child will need, including a piece of cardstock paper and fabric squares.
Hold up one of the fabric squares and engage your child by asking if they can recognize its shape. Explain that a square has equal sides, demonstrating that each side is the same length.
Show your child how to glue the fabric squares onto the cardstock paper. To make it easier, use the ghost in the book as a reference, demonstrating how the squares fit neatly next to, above, or below another square. Emphasize the importance of avoiding any gaps.
After demonstrating, work alongside your child to help them glue the fabric squares onto the paper. This step encourages hands-on learning and collaboration.
Once they've finished gluing the fabric squares, cut out the paper into a ghost shape. This step brings their creation to life.
Prepare the eyes and mouth by cutting them out of black felt or fabric. Allow your child to choose the expression for their ghost, then assist them in gluing on the face.
Find a special spot to display your little ghost quilt. Let your child proudly exhibit their creation for everyone to enjoy.
Ghost Lollipop Tree:
Begin by turning to the page in the story where the little ghost quilt is inside the girl's home and discovers the Halloween decorations, especially the tree adorned with lollipop ghosts. Share this part of the story with your child to spark their creativity.
Collect the supplies needed to create your own ghost lollipop tree. Encourage your child to take an active role in the process. You'll need lollipops, tissue or fabric, and string. Show your child how to wrap the lollipop with the chosen material and secure it with a string. The string should be long enough to create a loop for hanging the lollipops on the branches.
Work together to add faces to the lollipop ghosts. You can use markers or felt pieces to give each ghost its unique personality.
Once your lollipop ghosts are ready, head on a nature walk with your child to find fallen branches. These branches will serve as the "tree" on which you'll hang the lollipops.
Find a suitable place in your home to assemble your ghost lollipop tree. Create a spooky and delightful Halloween display that both you and your child will be proud of!
Leaf Ghosts:
Start your creative journey by taking a nature walk with your child. During this walk, collect some leaves. I love oak leaves for this craft, as their shape is quite reminiscent of a ghost. It is fun to use a variety of different leaves.
Once you've gathered your leaves, work together to press them. You can use a botanical press or a book for this purpose. If you opt for a book, remember that leaves contain moisture and may cause pages to become wavy. Make sure to choose a book that isn't of significant importance. Insert the leaves between the pages and place heavier books on top. Allow the leaves to dry for a few days before proceeding to the next step.
After your leaves are dried and pressed, use white or cream paint to give them a ghostly appearance. Once the paint has dried, use black paint to add ghostly faces with your child.
Once the paint is fully dry, use tape or wall adhesive to display your ghost leaves around the house. Enjoy the festive and spooky ambiance!
Tree Ghost Decoration:
Begin by turning to the page in the story where the quilted ghost’s friends are pretending to be ghost decorations in the tree so they can watch the Halloween festivities. Tell your child that you will be making ghosts to hang as decoration. Here’s the tutorial we followed for ours.
To start, work together with your child to use one plastic shopping bag and place a bunch of other shopping bags inside to form a ball shape. Once you have a ball shape you like, duct tape it into place. If you would like to make multiple ghosts, create multiple balls.
Tape a strong string or wire into a loop shape on top of the ball.
Take your white fabric (and tule if you have some) and cut a small hole where the top of the ghost will be.
Drape the fabric of the ball and pull the loop through the small hole. Work with your child to add eyes and mouth using black fabric, felt, or duct tape.
Use a fishing string or something similar to hang the ghost in a tree, or somewhere of your choosing!
Begin by referring to the part of the story where the quilted ghost's friends are pretending to be decorations in a tree to watch the Halloween festivities. Share this part of the story with your child to set the stage for your creative project.
You and your child will work together to craft ghost decorations. Start by taking a single plastic shopping bag and filling it with other bags to create a ball shape. Once you achieve the desired shape, secure it in place using duct tape. If you plan to make multiple ghosts, create several of these ball shapes.
If you don’t have shopping bags, you could use recycled newspapers or magazines. Roll up sheets of newspaper or magazine pages into a ball and secure it with twine or reusable string. This not only recycles the materials but also provides an eco-friendly alternative.
Attach a sturdy string or wire in a loop shape to the top of the ball. This will serve as the hanger for your ghost decoration.
Take your white fabric and cut a small hole at the top where the ghost's head will be. Then, drape the fabric over the ball and pull the loop through the small hole. Work with your child to add eyes and a mouth using black fabric, felt, or duct tape.
Lastly, use fishing string or a similar material to hang your ghost decoration in a tree or any location of your choosing. Let your child enjoy their handmade Halloween decorations!
