Along the meadow, where cows once grazed, there was an old wall. Among the stones of the wall, near the barn, some field mice had built their home.
Task 1: Create Mouse Federico and implement it with cutouts
Materials: Gray cardboard and some colored ones to create the details of the face, colored markers.
But since the farmers had abandoned the farm, the barn had been left empty. Winter was approaching, and the little mice had to think about stocking up. Day and night, they busily collected nuts and grains, hay, and berries.
Task 2: Gather gray materials that represent concrete resources for the winter.
Materials: Sheets of paper, crayons, dark-colored markers, buttons.
They all worked. Everyone except Federico.
So, who is this little mouse who doesn’t worry about gathering supplies and doesn’t help his brothers? What is he doing?
His sitting still with his nose in the air certainly doesn’t go unnoticed, and time and again he’s asked:
“Federico, why aren’t you working?”
“How come I’m not working?” Federico replied, a little offended. “I’m gathering the sun’s rays for the cold winter days.”
Task 3: Draw the sun and its rays.
Materials: Crayons, chalk, tempera paints, or wax crayons, paper.
“That good-for-nothing Federico is trying to make fun of us,” thought the others. “With those words, we’ll have little to eat during the winter.”
Winter came, and when the first snow fell, the little mice took refuge in their burrow among the stones. Little by little, they began to eat up most of the berries, hay, and grain. They certainly weren’t starving, but the green meadows, the games in the field, and the poppies in the golden wheat were just a distant memory. They felt more and more sad in front of the cold winter, and no one felt like chatting anymore.
Task 4: Let’s build winter with snowy trees.
Materials: Strips of paper of different sizes, rounded-tip scissors, scrap paper, upcycled tools such as brushes and sponges of all kinds, tempera paint.
It was at that point that Federico spoke up:
“Don’t be sad, my friends, it’s time to enjoy the supplies I gathered during the summer!”
Federico cleared his throat, waited for a moment, then took out all the supplies he had collected during the summer. And while Federico talked about the sun’s rays, the little mice began to feel warmer. And when he spoke of the blue of the cornflowers, the red poppies in the yellow wheat, the green leaves of the ivy, they saw the colors as if they had many palettes in their heads.
Task 5: The Skin of Things
Materials: Sheets of paper, wax crayons, upcycled tools such as brushes and sponges of all kinds, tempera paint.
“And the words, Federico?”
Federico cleared his throat, waited for a moment, and then, as if on a stage, he said:
“Who makes the snow, the meadow, the stream?
Who makes the weather bad or good?
Who gives color to the roses and the violets?
Who lights the moon and the sun?
Four little mice, with blue fur,
who are up there watching us from the sky.
One makes the sun and the light breeze
and is called the little mouse of Spring.
Fragrant bouquets… serenades,
are given to us by the little mouse of Summer.
The little mouse of Autumn makes shawls and embroideries
with golden leaves torn from the branches.
The little mouse of Winter, sadly we know,
gives us this hunger… and the cold it brings.
There are four seasons. But sometimes I wish
there were seven, or five, or six.”
Task 6: Create the Seasons, the tactile book that describes the sensations of the 4 seasons.
Materials: Anything you have at home, nets, bubble wrap, paper and cardboard, threads, lace.
When Federico finished, the little mice burst into a warm applause. “But Federico,” they said, “you are a poet! We will make you a laurel crown!”
Federico blushed, lowered his eyes, embarrassed, and shyly replied:
“I don’t want applause, I don’t deserve laurel. In the end, everyone does their own work.”
With those words, the little mice were able to build beautiful stories that spoke of games in the grass, of nights spent singing under the moon, of feasts in the wheat fields: it really seemed like summer had returned. And so, among the folds of the wall, near the barn, joy returned.
Task 7: Create the unreadable books
Materials: Colored cardstock, rounded-tip scissors, binding thread.
The depressing gray that surrounds the work of the little mice and their concern for the future alternates with warm and bright colors that Federico evokes in their memory, bringing to mind a joyful world. The chromatic change persuades the child even more than words, the power of language, and the imagination it stirs, as well as the power that mastering words can create in the life around us. It also invites us to focus on what truly matters, reminding us not to forget to nurture our souls and listen to our emotions.
Task 8: Create the Silent Book with a collection of the works completed in the previous tasks.
Materials: Glue, Masking tape
-Cardboard strip (1.5 meters long) or, alternatively:
-8 sheets of A3-sized paper (20×30 cm) to be connected with masking tape, or
-4 A1-sized sheets folded in half and attached with masking tape.
