Weekly Activities

Summary:

When Ethan looks under the bed for his monster, he finds this note instead: “So long, kid. Gotta go. Someone needs me more than you do. –Gabe”

How will Ethan ever get to sleep without his monster’s familiar, comforting snorts? And who could need Gabe more than Ethan does? Gabe must have gone to Ethan’s little sister’s room! She has been climbing out of bed every night to play, and obviously needs a monster to help her get to sleep – but not HIS monster! Ethan tries to help his sister find her own monster, but none are the perfect blend of cute and creepy.

Just when it seems that Ethan will lose his monster forever, an uninvited, tutu-toting little monster full of frightening fun appears.

Discussion Questions:

• Emma has a lot of energy at bedtime! Instead of sleeping, she likes to play with dinosaurs and have tea parties. If you could choose your own bedtime, what time would you choose?What games and activities would you play before going to sleep?

• A good night’s sleep is important for everyone. Do you have suggestions to help Emma with a better bedtime routine?

• The narrator is upset that Gabe, his monster, left him to help his sister, Emma. Think about a time when a friend left you to play with someone else. How did that make you feel?

• Emma is very brave. She is not scared of Agatha, Cynthia or Vladimir nor Gabe. Are you afraid of any of the monsters? If so, which ones? Why?

• Stella, Gabe’s sister, frightens Emma with her hiccups. Why do you think Stella was the perfect monster for Emma?

Writing

Gabe and Stella are similar to pets. They lay under beds, eat snacks, keep Emma and the narrator company, and protect them while they sleep. Describe your perfect pet monster!

Think about the perfect pet monster. Write a description of your pet monster. Be sure to describe in your writing exactly what your monster looks like. Note how many eyes your monster has and what color they are. What does your monster’s nose, mouth, teeth and tongue look like? Is your monster big or small, tall or fat, furry or scaly, slimy or soft, or a combination of it all? What types of things does your monster like to do?

Science

Monster Slime

Emma thinks Agatha is “Icky!” This “slime-covered monster” sniffled, squelched and dripped mucus from all of its noses! Become a “mucus monster” with your own Monster Slime.

MATERIALS — A mixing bowl and spoon, liquid starch, food coloring, clear glue

PREPARATION TIME — None

LENGTH OF ACTIVITY — 15 minutes

PROCEDURE FOR EXPERIMENT —

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add about 1/2 cup of clear glue (such as Elmer’s glue).

Step 2: Add a generous amount of food coloring. Agatha’s slime is a little pink, but any color will do! Mix very well until the glue and the food coloring are well blended.

Step 3: Add the liquid starch. Pour the starch very slowly, adding just enough until a slime forms. Keep adding small amounts until the mixture you stir is slimy and gloppy.

Move your Body!

The narrator races from his bedroom to his sister’s and back again. He always leaps onto the bed so Gabe cannot grab his toes. Are you fit enough to escape monster toe-grabbing?

MONSTER OBSTACLE COURSE

Plan your course inside or outside. Start at the narrator’s “bed” and design a route that takes you to “Emma’s bed”. Be creative! Be sure to add obstacles that you have to hop over, go under, run around and stomp through.

MONSTER ROLL CALL - partner game - play with your brothers or sisters!

The narrator and Emma call monsters to their room by knocking on the floor. Will a monster arrive if you knock on the floor? One partner knocks on the floor to call a monster. The other partner appears as one of the monsters from the story. Choose to act like Gabe, Agatha, Cynthia, Vladimir or Stella. Can your partner guess which monster you are?

This week's website is a coding website.

With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community.

Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century.

Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge.

Kids can sign-up for an account with their school e-mail address. When you sign up, remember NOT to use your real name. Make up a fun online name!

You can get started here.