Winter Story Stretchers: "Owl Babies" by Martin Waddell

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell has been a favorite children's book of mine since my own mother used to read it to me. I still remember the little squeaky voice she used when playing the part of little Bill calling out "I want my mommy!" (And yes, I use the same squeaky little voice when reading it to my students or to S and Y.) It is not specifically a winter themed book, but I tend to read it a lot in the wintertime along with other books about owls. Last year I needle-felted a set of baby owls for the purpose of storytelling with this book and they were a hoot to add to this year's story stretcher as well! We chose this book as a story stretcher on a particularly mild morning. Y was actually napping at the time, so it was just S and I. We took the book along with some accessories (and of course, our little owls) out to the play garden to read and then retell the story.

S wanted to read it together on the front stairs. I also brought along National Geographic Kids: Hoot, Owl!, a non-fiction book about snow owls and plush owl we bought from our last Scholastic order. This easy reader had great photographs of actual snow owls and some interesting facts about them as well. We learned that the color of the owls' feathers help it to camouflage and keep safe from potential predators. Since we have been winterizing our play garden and trying to make it a place where birds and critters who do stick around for the season can eat and rest, S had in mind to make some bird seed treats. I had not actually planned this as an activity on that particular morning, so quite last minute, we gathered some materials from around the house. I typically use pine cones for this popular craft, but we didn't have the opportunity to gather any outside and with Y fast asleep upstairs, a walk to the woods nearby was out of the question. Instead, I raided our recycling bin for some cardboard tubes and punched a couple of holes in the top to thread yarn through for hanging. We brought those, along with some natural peanut butter and a plastic knife to spread it as well as a dish of birdseed outside with us. S decided he was worried about getting peanut butter on his mittens (which he didn't want to take off) so I spread the peanut butter. He helped sprinkle seed on top and I helped roll and press it on. We hung the finished treats on our big front bush (we don't actually have any trees on our property here) and they are ready for our feathered friends! We also refilled our half empty bird feeder with the remaining seed.

Next we decided to retell the story of Owl Babies using our needle-felted set of baby owls and our larger, plush owl as the mother. We took turns (per S's lead) playing the part of hiding the mother and filling in details about what she was doing while she was away. One time she was eating bird seed. Another time, she brought the owls a stick for their nest. Yet another time, she went away to gather some pine cones and seed pods to bring them to eat.

Some fallen branches made the perfect "trees" to stick into the ground for the owl babies' home.

They fit just perfectly inside the branches!

In this retelling of the story, S had Mother hide in the bush where she was eating a birdseed treat!

Mother has returned to her owl babies with flowers for their garden, and some delicious seeds for the babies to nibble.

I love the power of retelling stories from children's literature through play drama. Whether using small toys or large props, play acting story lines and adding to or altering the story can help children recall and comprehend the sequence of what they have read as well as take control over problems in the plot or parts that were disconcerting or frightening. It also helps them to work through their own personal problems or worries through play. This book is a great one for supporting the concerns children have over separation anxiety and typical childhood fears in general. We had such a wonderful time playing about it outside that when it was time to gather our owls and come in, S continued to play inside! He wasn't sure what to use for a tree at first but quickly resolved his own problem and headed to a large basket of recycled cardboard tubes we were gifted from a friend and fellow early childhood educator. He quickly had three little trees set up for the babies and one large tree for Mother Owl to hide in!

We will be back with more winter story stretchers and even some more owl themed and tree themed fun to come! Until then...

Happy Reading and Happy Playing!