Retell Little Red Riding Hood (aka Violet and the Woof)!

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Last week I did a literacy workshop at my son’s preschool.

“I did” — that’s not quite true.

I did, as in: I sat there while the teachers did a literacy workshop.

It’s so unusual for me to be on the “sitting” side of a workshop vs. the “doing” side. But do you hear me complaining? Nope, no I’m not. It was so relaxing and fun.

I mean not only was it no prep for me, but I love Love LOVE learning new things, and I’ve been around long enough to know that there is always more to learn no matter how much I think I know. You know?

I left with new resources and a renewed belief in the vital importance of early literacy.

One valuable skill for early literacy is sequencing (find my resources on story sequencing here), another is dictation—being able to retell a familiar story.

This wasn’t my first time hearing about these principles. See, the first educational philosophy I studied when I started homeschooling was Charlotte Mason. Her gentle approach totally resonated with me because it involves:

• use of real books (win!)

• focus on experiencing nature (heck yeah!)

• dictation or retelling stories (pow!)

That last is an essential feature of Charlotte Mason. Basically, a child is demonstrating comprehension by retelling what was read. Can you imagine all the little neurons firing while a child organizes the story in their head to shape it into something that makes sense to Mom or Grandma or Ms. Teacher? Brain scans of kiddos doing this sort of thing are lit up like clear, summer nights.

But how does a little one without a fully developed vocabulary retell a story?

With puppets, of course!

And so I’ve created a set of Violet and the Woof stick puppets—complete with a puppet stage.

If you’re not familiar with the picture book, Violet and the Woof, yet, WOW ARE YOU IN FOR A TREAT!!!

Violet is the absolute cutest, sassiest, sweetest big sister in the neighborhood, and she’s on her way to Papa Jean-Loui’s to bring him soup and cookies (because he’s sick and cookies are good medicine). Along the way, however, she and her little brother, come across … a … a …

WOLF!

Is this sounding familiar? It should, because Violet and the Woof is possibly …

The most unique, kind, cute, friendly retelling of Little Red Riding Hood ever.

Ok, I’m biased. I wrote it. BUT STILL. It’s amazing and so so cute. You will love it.

And to go with sweet little Violet’s story, every little one will want printable stick puppets, amiright? Here’s what you do:

1. Download the cutest printable evah

2. Print (card stock is best for this)

3. Cut out

4. Paste onto craft sticks

5. Assemble the stage (easy peasy)

6. Enjoy retelling Violet’s adventure again and again!

And, lastly, be happy knowing that your little one is developing the love of literature and early reading skills—without knowing they’re doing anything but play!

Would you like the Violet and the Woof (aka contemporary retelling of Little Red Riding Hood) Puppets?

Thank you and I hope you enjoy these cute little puppets!!! Check out the posts below for more fabulous Violet and the Woof-inspired printables. Seriously, cutest. Book. Ever.