An Interactive Book (Series) & Magnetic Tile Maze!
After reading Claudia Rueda’s “Bunny Slopes” we decided to combine try out a simple and fun activity we’ve been seeing all over Instagram…Magnetic Tiles Cookie Tray Marble Run, except we turned ours into a ski slope! This Magnetic Tile Maze Bookish Play recreates the interactiveness of “Bunny Slopes” while bringing problem solving and 3D art into the hands of your child! I can’t wait to walk you through this simple STEAM activity, so let’s get started…
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Summary of “Bunny Slopes”
“Bunny Slopes” by Claudia Rueda is a fantastically interactive book about a little bunny skiing. My daughter absolutely loves books that put the reader in charge to follow directions to turn, tap, tilt and more & this is one of those books! The reader helps the little bunny ski through the book dodging obstacles in its way. It is super fun and has a very sweet ending, making it a must read!
Bonus: I just found out there is also “Hungry Bunny” & soon there will be “Bunny Overboard“.
How We Made a Magnetic Tile Maze…
We tend to keep the activities as simple as possible around here. We’re not interested in complicated or costly. We are also all about fostering independence. For this activity my daughter gathered her magnetic tiles while I retrieved an old cookie sheet. The cookie sheet was quite tarnished so we used some white acrylic paint to spruce it up and add the effect of snow. Obviously this cookie tray is no longer for cookies & is part of her magnetic play.
Once the paint was dry, which happened fast, she got to work problem solving and constructing her magnetic tile maze. I usually don’t give away the ending of stories but to fully explain what she created I need to…SPOILER ALERT…the little bunny finds her Mommy at the end! My daughter and I both loved that part, so she made sure to have a cotton ball taped to the cookie sheet at the finish line of the maze. She created a little den area for the little bunny to rest (or get trapped in) and really worked on figuring out appropriate spacing and design of her ski slop magnetic tile maze.
This activity was inspired by a magnetic tile marble maze we had seen on @mothercould post. We added jingle bells for fun after seeing they stick to magnetic tiles on @thechildhoodglen’s post. My daughter had the idea to use a cotton ball for little bunny too but to help it move more efficiently she rolled it in her hands until it was very compact. She even carved a circle out of the paint next to the Mommy bunny so that it reenacts what happened in the story.
Once she was happy with her design she stood up and put it into action. Just like she did when she read “Bunny Slopes” she tilted and shook the tray figuring out which way to move the magnetic tile maze to get the little bunny through the slopes and meeting her Mommy. It was a lot of fun, you can see video clips of this activity in our story highlight on Instagram.
One of the best parts of this STEAM activity is that you can create all sorts of different mazes for the bunny to go through. You can try different types of bunnies, perhaps a pom pom or marble to see how that changes its speed and how you handle the cookie tray.
I would suggest creating a Magnetic Tile Maze of your own if you’re looking for an interactive & engaging activity to connect with your child.
If you’re looking for more winter themed bookish play, you might wanna check out our Walking in a Winter Wonderland, Penguins Don’t Wear Sweaters, or Snowmen at Christmas posts!
Materials We Used
- “Bunny Slopes” book (from the library or you can buy one here)
- Cookie tray
- Magnetic tiles – we have some Piccasso & Magna-tiles
- Cotton balls
- Jingle bells (optional)
- White acrylic paint (optional)
Click HERE for Free Printable copy (Email Subscribers Only)
How to Make a Magnetic Tile Maze?
- Gather the magnetic tiles, 2 cotton balls, a cookie tray and any other optional materials you wish to use.
- Roll one cotton ball in your hands in a circular fashion to make it a compact little ball (a.k.a. a little bunny).
- Place the magnetic tiles onto the cookie tray in various positions until you figure out the maze design you like best.
*Keep in mind the little bunny needs space to fit so use the bunny as a guide for spacing. - Once happy with your design tape a regular cotton ball where the finish line is, this is the Mommy Bunny.
- Add optional materials such as jingle bells to the magnetic tiles.
- Ready to play…tilt, turn, and move the magnetic tile maze to help the little bunny find her Mommy!
- Redesign and try new “bunnies” such as pom poms or marbles, as desired!
Click HERE for Free Printable copy (Email Subscribers Only)
Wait, There’s More…
I believe you can easily strengthen communication skills and foster independence all while playing and connecting with your child. To help you do this; I’ve created a FREE printable for each activity called, “Communicating & Connecting”.
It will give you a list of suggestions I’ve found very helpful as a Mom & as a special education teacher; to help you build lifelong skills. Please don’t feel obligated to do everything on the list (but if you do, you’re a rockstar 😉 ).
As a Thank You for subscribing; this is a special FREEBIE for our Email Subscribers Only. 🙂 Click here if you’ve already subscribed. Otherwise, Sign Up below to get the password & access to our entire FREE Printables Library today! 😉
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