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MaiStoryBook: Officer Buckle and Gloria + *Superstar Safety Tips with Gloria* Craftivity

by MaiStoryBook

Introducing a back-to-school read about friendship and safety rules, featured in the MaiStoryBook Library Collection: 

“Officer Buckle and Gloria” by Peggy Rathmann

*~Click here to purchase your own copy of “Officer Buckle and Gloria” to start on your own reading adventure! (This is an affiliate link~ 5% of your purchase will go to MaiStoryBook to help create Reading Resources for your littles)~

Book Synopsis and Review

Officer Buckle is an expert at Safety Tips. With almost 100 tips, including everything from *Safety Tip #77: NEVER stand on a SWIVEL CHAIR* to *Safety Tip #57: Never leave a full wading pool where someone might call into is,* Officer Buckle is on a mission to help make his community safer. However, every time Officer Buckle shares his safety tips with the accident prone students and staff at Napville School, the students never pay any attention and nap through his whole presentation! That is, until Gloria comes along. When the police station adopts a new dog, Gloria, Officer Buckle takes her along to his safety presentations~ and instead of dozing off, the students now sit alert and enthused throughout his whole presentation! The students applaud, laugh, cheer, and after that safety speech~ there wasn’t a single accident! Soon, schools and centers are calling from all over for him to deliver safety tips~ and to bring Gloria along of course. Soon, even a news crew is asking to come film his presentation. What is going on to make Officer Buckle’s presentation so riveting all of a sudden? The illustrations will reveal Gloria’s special role in their partnership.

This enjoyable read aloud is a charming tale of friendship and the importance of safety rules. The illustrations weave the whole story together, adding elements of surprise, humor, and detail the narrative. A recipient of the Caldecott Medal in 1996, the background artwork in this book details accidental mayhem (highlighting a need for safety rules!), myriads of safety tips pinned to boards (all of which are delightful to read through with littles- and to discuss the importance of having such tips), and the expressive Gloria- creating whimsy and laughter amongst both the audience in the book and the actual readers of this story. Not only is this a visual treat, the narrative emphasizes the necessity of friendship and teamwork~ highlighting that it takes two, both Officer Buckle and Gloria, to get their safety message across in both an entertaining and informative way. After all, one of the most important safety tips is: Safety Tip #101: Always Stick With Your Buddy!

Vocabulary

  • swivel (p. 1) spins and turns
  • commands (p. 5) orders and directions; telling someone to do something
  • expression (p. 11) with a lot of feeling showing on your face and in your voice
  • enormous (p. 12) super big and huge
  • auditorium (p. 18) a big room or theater with a lot of chairs for an audience of people to sit and watch and listen to something

Themes/ Main Ideas

  • Friendship and teamwork are important for success and happiness. Always stick with your buddy!
  • It’s important to have and follow safety rules to keep your own and other’s bodies safe and healthy

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

Example of a shared-reading, interactive Read Aloud of “Officer Buckle and Gloria” – how to subtly introduce the vocabulary list words within the text, ask guided questions, and spark conversation!

*~Check it Out~*

Subscribe: MaiStoryBook Youtube Channel for additional read aloud videos!

Safety Tips with Gloria + Safety First Badges

When establishing rules for the classroom, or even at home, it’s important that littles have a part in it. Of course you, the adult, guides the conversation, and there will be key safety rules that will need to be there, but letting children take part in creating rules helps keep them accountable, and encourages them to follow and respect them ~ after all, they helped make them! During the first couple weeks of school, before diving straight into making the rules, we explore what our hopes and dreams for the year are, what we are expecting to learn, what we want to learn, and how we imagine the best year will look like. Once we have shared these feelings and good intentions for the year, we consider~ what do I- and what do we- need to do to make sure we can achieve these goals this year: in other words, what rules do we need to ensure that everyone feels safe, that everyone is treated fairly, and that we can have a fun, productive, and respectful learning environment? The big umbrella rule that always makes the list- the one that encompasses all the smaller related rules that the kiddos are keen to point out- is: Keep yourself and others safe. With this one general rule- we elaborate on what safety rules that includes: hands to yourself, walking int he classroom, walking on the blacktop, scissors put away~ and with the current cover crisis~ safety rules would also include wearing a mask, social distancing, washing your hands. Rules help littles feel secure and in control. They help establish the sense of order that they crave. If you’re looking for a fun way to review or create Safety Tips with your littles- Check out this week’s craft inspired by the story and create your own Superstar Safety Tipswith Gloria! Plus, for all the littles out there being safe- create your very own Safety First/ Safety Patrol Badges!

Materials

Directions

  • Banana Peel Safety Badges:
  • Print out and cut Banana Peel Safety Badges in Black & White or Color
  • Options: No Label, “Safety First,” “Safety Patrol” 
  • Color in if you chose black and white. 
  • Use a safety pin or tape to fasten onto t-shirt
  • Our Safety Tips With Gloria
  • Choose the black and white  or color version of Safety Rules with Gloria
  • Print out “Gloria” and color if you chose black and white.
  • Then choose a Safety Star 
  • Safety Star options all include space for 5 safety/tips rules: “Safety Rules/Tips Label” with lines for writing 5 rules / “Safety Rules/Tips Label” with space for pictures / 5 Rules/Tips labels with all lines /5 Rules/Tips labels with blanks for pictures
  • Print out and fill in the safety stars with 5 safety tips/rules you use in the classroom/ at your school/ in your house
  • If you chose the one with the “_____’s Safety Rules/Tips,” write your name on the blank, or you can right the name of your school, or classroom
  • Color around your writing , or lightly over your writing if you chose the black and white version
  • Cut out your star
  • Glue your star to the bottom of “Gloria” near the collar

Enjoy Your Safety Badges + Safety Tips with Gloria Craftivity

  • Wear your Safety Badge and help remind others to be safe when you see something dangerous
  • Share your *Safety Tips with Gloria* craft to teach friends and family how to keep their bodies safe and healthy
  • Share your *Safety Tips with Gloria* craft and ask friends and family what safety rules they think are important
  • Share your safety tips and act them out like how Gloria did in the story
  • Hang up your Safety Tips craft to remind you of how to be safe to help keep yours and others’ bodies safe and healthy

*~Overall, as always, I hope you all are staying safe and healthy, and are ready to enjoy some *safe* back-to-school adventures! Tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary, Twitter @MaiStoryBook  – post on FaceBook – or contact me via email to share your own *Safety Badges and Safety Tips* Crafts and your own reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you !~*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~