I had the pleasure of doing a read-aloud at Partin Elementary and Primrose School of Oviedo over the past couple of weeks. Over 60 kiddos enjoyed Stanley & the Candy Cane Wormhole during my live readings with them. I took enough supplies for all four classes to make their own Candy Cane Wormholes, and I took each teacher a copy of Find Stanley for Schools, a treasure hunt game they can play in the classroom.
This year I expanded Stanley's story during my reading with a small puppet show. Carl the Cranky Crocagator is the first character Stanley meets during his first wormhole run. In the puppet show, Stanley tries to get the sleeping reptile to wake and return his train. He tries different ways to be patient, ends up falls asleep, and takes a nap, snuggling with the gator. They wake up in a stir, clear the confusion, and Stanley helps Carl get the choo-choo train off his nose. Carl has a loud abrasive voice and stays cranky, even after his nap - think Oscar the Grouch.
Below are some shots of the delightful experience. I had a great time meeting all the kiddos and learning what works well for a puppet show with a live audience. My daughter Finley is responsible for helping me tweak the story for Carl, as I tried it a couple times with her at night for a bedtime story. When I originally wrote the bit, I had Stanley struggling to pull the train off of Carl's nose, but she called me out on that not being accurate - "why would the train stick to his nose?" she said. She also went on to give me other tips and ideas; she's quite creative when coming up with new story ideas and twists.
Thank you so much to the Primrose and Partin Teachers and Staff that enabled me to come to your schools and share Stanley with your kiddos! :)