Letter of the Week Craft: O is for Octopus

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I’m Anna from The Measured Mom, and my big kids (ages 3, 4, and 6) all loved this octopus craft for the letter O.  I hope your kids have fun with it too!  Be sure to check out the rest of our crafts and snacks in Crystal and Company’s Letter of the Week series!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 plain piece of construction paper
• letter O and eight octopus arms (cut from this pattern: O is for Octopus pattern)
• school glue
• glue stick
• Cheerios (or your generic equivalent :))
• googly eyes

1. Glue the O onto the top center of the paper.

2. Put down two dots of glue and add the googly eyes. (My three-year-old hasn’t quite figured out how to put down glue dots yet!)

3. Add the octopus’s eight arms.

4. Here’s the fun part!  Put three dots of glue on each arm, and add the Cheerios — they’re the suction cups.  I put down the glue dots for my three-year-old.  His four-year-old brother (pictured) and six-year-old sister did everything themselves.

And here are our lovely octopi!

RHYMES FOR LETTER O:

Here’s an action rhyme that teachers love for quieting down the class:

Open, shut them,
Open, shut them,
Give a little clap.
Open, shut them,
Open, shut them,
Lay them in your lap.

And here’s a lesser known nursery rhyme:

Old Mother Goose,
When she wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On a very fine gander.

BOOKS TO READ FOR LETTER O:

An Octopus Followed Me Home, by Dan Yaccarino

Kids will love this silly story about a pig-tailed little girl who begs to keep an octopus.  The story gets even sillier when we learn about all the strange pets she’s already begged to keep: the crocodile under the bed, the goats on the roof, the seals in the pool… A bonus is that this funny tale is told in rhythmic rhyme.

Olivia, by Ian Falconer

Olivia is an irresistible little pig with a whole lot of personality.  “Diva” comes to mind!  ” She is good at singing 40 loud songs and is very good at wearing people out!”  Olivia is a true individual – and we love her!  You can’t go wrong with any of the Olivia books – but to get the best, make sure they’re written by the original author and not based on the television show.  The original stories have a character and quality unmatched by books written to promote a television series.

Owen, by Kevin Henkes

If you have a preschooler who can’t bear the thought of leaving his blanket at home… this book is a must-read.  Henkes has a knack for writing about issues that are real to kids. In this story, Owen the mouse brings his blanket everywhere… and no matter what his parents try, he can’t give it up.  Finally his mom finds the perfect solution.

OTHER LETTER OF THE WEEK CRAFTS:

• A is for Alligator
• B is for Butterfly
• C is for Car
• D is for Doghouse
• E is for Eagle
• F is for Frog
• G is for Goat
• H is for House
• I is for Ice Cream
• J is for Jellyfish
• K is for King
• L is for Lamp
• M is for Mouse
• N is for Night

LETTER OF THE WEEK SNACKS:

• A is for Airplane (graham cracker airplanes)
• B is for Butterfly (grape butterflies)
• C is for Car (apple cars)
• D is for Dirt (dirt cups)
• E is for Eggs (candy eggs)
• F is for Fishing (cupcakes)
• G is for Green (green crispy treats)
• H is for Heart (waffles with a candy surprise)
• I is for Ice Cream 

Anna taught eight years and received her MEd in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on literacy. In 2007 she began her career as a stay-at-home mom. She has four children – a girl (6) and three boys (4,3,1). She enjoys teaching them at home and after her daughter’s morning at school. Anna blogs at www.themeasuredmom.com.

More Alphabet Resources

Handwriting Tracing Kit For Preschoolers