A Pair of Red Clogs

Last week, we read A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno.  In the book, a grandmother (named Mako) is remembering when she was a young girl and her mother bought her a new, beautiful pair of red clogs.  She loved her clogs and she loved to listen to the sound they made as she was walking (kara koro, kara koro) or when she was running (koro koro, kara kara).  One day, she was playing the weather telling game with some friends.  This means that the girls were kicking their clogs off and predicting the weather according to the way the shoe fell.  During this game, Mako cracked her shoe.  In hopes of getting a new pair of shoes, Mako almost did a dishonest thing by trying to trick her mother into buying her a new pair.

Arin seemed to like this book.  Several times throughout the week I overheard her mimicking the sound of the shoes: kara, koro, kara, koro.  I am not sure if it is just because that is a catchy sound or because she was trying to get away with saying my name!  Either way, the book stuck out in her mind.

We talked about honesty versus dishonesty and what the right thing would have been for Mako to do in the situation.

Of course, we put our world map puzzle together.  We found Japan on the map (that is where the story is set). 

Arin also completed a lapbook for the story, which can be printed from here.

She also played the clog memory game, which is included in the lapbook lesson.  Ella used the colored clog cards as a matching game.

Using one of Arin's wooden blocks, which is shaped similiar to the clog in the story, we played the weather telling game.  Arin couldn't kick the block off her foot, so she just tossed it in the air and watched which way it fell and then she told me what the weather would be. (Sometimes Arin thinks her mom has lost it, like when I am actually encouraging her to throw things in the house! Ahh, the things that are done for the sake of education!)

If the clog fell like this, the weather would be fine tomorrow.

If the clog fell like this, there would be snow (most of the time is fell this way for us).

If the clog fell like this, there would be rain.

While we read the story, Arin said that she would like a pair of these clogs.  We found intructions to make these clogs and hope to be able to soon, but we ran out of time for that project during Cc week.  If you want the instructions to make a pair of these shoes, also called Geta Sandals, you can find them here.