We are so excited that the 2nd Annual Booking Across the USA is here! This year most of the 50 great bloggers in the project are featuring a series of books called Travels with Charlie. We received a copy of Travels with Charlie Across the Midwest and are featuring the great state of Nebraska.
My mom grew up in Nebraska and I still have several family members who live there. I have lots of fond memories of visiting my grandparents in a little small town in the Northeast corner of the state.
Full Disclosure: Blue Apple Books provided a copy of Travels with Charlie Across the Midwest for review. All opinions expressed are my own. Affiliate links are included. Your support of Growing Book by Book is greatly appreciated.
Booking Across the USA
The Book: Travels with Charlie Across the Midwest
Thirteen states are featured in Travels with Charlie Across Midwest by Miles Backer and Chuck Nitzberg. This seek & find geography book is filled with tidbits, facts, and landmarks for each state.
There are also three other books in the Travels with Charlie series (South, Northeast and West) which are published by Blue Apple Books.
Did you know that you will find the home of Kool-Aid Museum in Nebraska? Hastings, Nebraska to be exact.
I thought it would be fun to explore using Kool-Aid to improve literacy skills! Are you wondering how? Read on!
Kool-Aid Literacy Activities
1. We made these scratch and sniff stickers with Kool-Aid and then used them as a story starter for writing.
2. Kool-Aid Ice Paints from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog tails is a perfect summer writing tool.
3. Create a Kool-Aid stand. Sell cups of the drink and pass out bookmarks that the kids make with each cup sold. Children will get extra literacy practice by making signs to advertise their sales too.
4. A batch of this scented sand from Momma’s Fun World would be perfect smoothed out in a tray and used as a canvas for writing letters or words with your finger.
5. Microwave Kool-Aid Playdough from Lovin’ Our Chaos is great because you don’t need cream of tartar to make it! Playdough is an excellent material for helping little ones build up the hand strength they will need to write. You can also use playdough to create letters.
6. Make a batch of Kool-Aid dyed pasta from Mama Miss for a story extension sensory bin. Some fun titles that would go well with a color sensory bin would include Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert or A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman.
7. Pre K Pages shares how to create Kool-Aid names. A fun way to practice spelling your name!
Check out all the other great activities that are being shared today for all 50 states. Head over to our main Booking Across the USA page and don’t forget to enter the giveaway too!
Susan W says
I bet the Kool Aid museum will be very excited with these learning activities!! Thanks for sharing at the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog hop!
maryanne @ mama smiles says
A Kool-Aid museum sounds like a fun place to visit! We use Kool-Aid to dye wool yarn sometimes 🙂
Abigail Peterson says
Thanks so much for sharing my Kool-Aid playdoh recipe with your readers! It’s a real joy to be mentioned!
Jill says
What a fun hands on idea! Thank you so much for putting together the Booking Across the USA series 🙂
Amanda Boyarshinov says
This is such an amazing program you have organized!!! I’m loving it and can’t wait to get my hands on one of these books! Crossing my fingers for the rafflecopter!
Jodie Rodriguez says
Thanks so much Amanda. So glad to have The Educators’ Spin On It collaborate on the project. Always love to work with your two ladies!
jessica lynne says
I had no idea there was a kool aid museum, very cool
Lisette says
I had no idea there was a Kool Aid Museum! I want to go!!
Great literacy activities! Pinned!
Alyssa says
I love the Kool Aid literacy ideas and can’t wait to try them out with my niece!
iGameMom says
Never thought of so many uses of Kool Aid. 🙂
JoAnne E. says
I had no idea that there was a Kool Aid museum, let alone that it sat in Nebraska! Fun tid-bit. Love this book series. Thank you!
Meeghan says
Thanks for the ideas – I am going to pin for later. 🙂
Michelle @ Delightful Learning says
I love all the quirky facts and unusual places in the book. Fun twist on Nebraska using Kool Aid! I always think of corn when I think of NE! 🙂
What a wonderful trip! Thanks so much for all of your hard work. 🙂
Jodie Rodriguez says
Thank you Michelle! Nebraska does have a lot of corn too. 🙂
Mary Ann Bulloch says
I’m very excited about these posts! What a fun idea! Who new that Kool Aid started in Nebraska? It is possible that we might be moving to Nebraska within the next year. If we do we will have to check out that museum. 🙂
Amy Decker says
I never knew there was a Kool Aid museum (Nebraska).
Theres Just One Mommy says
Got to check out that microwave playdough! Bet it smells great!
Melissa says
Had no idea there was a Kool-Aid Museum!! That is beyond KOOL!!! Love it Jodi – pinning now 🙂
Country Fun says
Didn’t know there was a Kool-Aid Museum anywhere. It’s quirky items like this that added extra interest to the different state pages in the Travelin’ the Northeast book we have.
The children here also enjoy their Kool-Aid playdough. We will be trying Momma’s Fun World’s scented sand. Do many sensory tubs here and this is something to get added to the mix.
Jodie Rodriguez says
Have fun trying out the fun ideas!
The Preschool Toolbox says
Jodie – this is an awesome post! Wonderful Kool-Aid literacy activities to extend learning about Nebraska! Thanks again for ALL of your devotion to literacy and coordinating the #bookingusa project! It’s been FUN!
Jodie Rodriguez says
Thank you! And, thank you for participating and adding such a great post to the series!