DIY Peek-A-Boo Turtles and “Big Hid”

“Big Hid” by Roisin Swales

Big the Turtle and Little the squirrel are best buddies.  They do everything together and always have a fantastic time.  However, one day Big hides in his shell for no apparent reason and refuses to come out.  Little tries everything he can think of to coax his friend out to play and in the end a little time and a hug does the trick.

I love how this book tackles a deep issue with such a light, simple and adorable story.  Sadness is sometimes a difficult thing to explain to young children, especially when it is mixed with other complex emotions like anxiety, shyness, loss.  This book never really clarifies exactly why Big was hiding, but I kind of love that.  It allows you as the parent to guide your child’s process with connecting with the story in choosing any discussion you would like in relation to Big’s actions or you can simply leave the message where it stands: that sometimes a hug and a little time can go a long way.

With beautiful illustrations (seriously eye-catching) and an important theme this is a new favorite over here!

Click here to purchase “Big Hid” *affiliate link

DIY Peek-A-Boo Turtles

Even though Big is hiding in his shell for a portion of the book, he is an incredibly likable character.  That was why I thought it would be fun to pair it with a turtle craft and of course the turtles would need a way to “hide” in their shells.   That is when the idea for these peek-a-boo turtles were born.

My kiddos had a lot of fun making turtles with me and they were especially excited about the peek-a-boo action.  Their shells are made with construction paper that has a slit that allows a wooden craft stick head/neck to slide in and out.  Our little turtles turned out to make quite a crew and they are already beloved over here.

supplies:

• 1 colored sheet construction paper (for the shell)
• 2 large wooden craft sticks
• markers
• thick, strong tape
• sand paper
• scissors

process:

1. Cut your construction paper in half width-wise and from that piece cut out a half circle for your shell just under the size of your paper.  Next, using your craft stick as a guide for width, cut a slit near one end of the shell where you would like the turtles head to be.
2. Color your shell for decoration.
3. Keep one popsicle stick whole (for the head) and break the other popsicle stick in half. (for the feet)  Color the ends of your popsicle sticks green with your marker.  There is no need to color all the way down your stick, just the portions that will be showing.  Then, using a black maker, draw a face on the long stick and toes on the “feet” sticks.  Lastly, you may want to smooth the edges of your broken stick.  For doing this I recommend triming any large splinters with scissors and then using sandpaper to smooth out the rest of the edge.
4. Now just assemble your turtle!  Using your wide tape, tape the feet to the bottom of the shell with the tape in the back.  The head you just slip in the slit of the shell and you don’t attach it so that it can be slid back and forth for the peek-a-boo action of the turtle hiding and then appearing from his shell.

Don’t they make a darling line up?  My little girl is especially smitten with their peek-a-boo nature and we have had a lot of fun playing with them already. 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.