Why Dogs Chase Cats: A Folktale from Africa

We had another wonderful theme for Poppins Book Nook this month.  C and I always enjoy a good folktale, it is a fun way to explore other cultures.  The folktale we focused on this month comes from Africa and it sets out to answer the question of why dogs chase cats.  You can watch a storyteller tell this tale in the video below.  The video is from the Orange County Library's website.

The version of this tale we went with was a tad different from the one above.  Instead of buying ham, the dog and the cat purchased cheese!  We had the please of hearing this folktale told at the Dallas Museum of Art by an amazing story teller, Toni Simmons.  She wrote a retelling of this tale in her book The Cheese Chase: Why Dogs Chase Cats.  My little girl loves kitties so she got a kick out of this fun folktale.  I made some simple puppets so she could act out the story.  

More ideas to go along with The Cheese Chase:

• Sample some different cheeses - I don't think I've found a single cheese C doesn't like, blue cheese, feta, swiss, you name it!
• Make a dog craft
• Make a cat craft
• After watching the video of the ham version and reading the cheese version, you could brainstorm what other foods the cat and the dog could have bought together.  Let your kiddo write their own version of this tale!

What is your favorite folktale?  I'd love to hear in the comments below.

We had a blast exploring folktales with Poppins Book Nook this month!  Be sure to visit the other bloggers for more folktale fun.

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God's Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy's Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~ Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ Laugh and Learn ~ A Mommy's Adventures ~Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~ Golden Grasses ~ Our Simple Kinda Life ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Simplicity Breeds Happiness ~ Raventhreads ~ Water on the Floor ~ Learning Fundamentals ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~ Where Imagination Grows ~ Lextin Academy ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ Mom's Heart ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ Suncoast Momma ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A "Peace" of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ eLeMeNo-P Kids ~ Simple Living Mama

Make sure to visit the main Poppins Book Nook page at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom!  For more literacy fun follow along on Facebook and Pinterest!  If you didn't already grab the free lapbook for this month's theme, click on the image below to check it out.

Poppins Book Nook clipart by: Melon Headz

May's Book Nook Giveaway!

Poppins Book NookGiveaway! Every month thePoppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a copy of the E.H.M. curriculum Journey Into the World of Folktales (PDF) and one copy of the book that is required to teach it called Around the World in 80 Tales.   by Saviour Pirotta to further their learning all about folktales.

Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for visiting Joy Focused Learning!

~Angela