The Lion of Mars: A Fidget to Focus Bookclub

Bell is just like any other 11 year old: school work, chores, the usual. Except he lives on Mars. Join us for an engaging sci fi adventure!

We will listen to the story together alongside a variety of hands-on “fidgety” activities. No homework is required. No sitting still is required. In this book club, you are expected to fidget and wiggle and move as needed. 

Bring your favorite fidgets to class or try one of my totally optional suggestions:

Playdough or air dry clay: roll, squish, stretch, pound, and more! You can make something related to the story or indulge your imagination. 

Lacing beads: small to large, simple to intricate, lacing beads on string, yarn, a shoelace or even a pipe cleaner is a great way to keep your hands busy

Fabric scraps: twist, tie, stretch, and rub various textures with wriggly fingers

Or just bring some blank paper and doodle or sketch anything you can imagine

Do you have other ideas for fidgeting during the story? Feel free to share! 

We’ll aim for 30 minutes of listening, with breaks as needed, and a chance for discussion. During the story, if there is a word you don’t know, write it in the chat! We’ll learn about it together. Each discussion will have a different literary or story-related topic. If time allows, learners can choose to share what they made while fidgeting. 

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Publisher’s description:
Bell has spent his whole life—all eleven years of it—on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid—he loves cats and any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't they have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell—a regular kid in a very different world—to uncover the truth and save his family...and possibly unite an entire planet.
Mars may be a world far, far away, but in the hands of Jennifer L. Holm, beloved and bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish, it can't help but feel like home.

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Finances should never stand in the way of meeting a learner’s educational needs.
Check out my “Pay What You Can” policy in my teacher bio or message me for details.
“Pay What You Can” policy applies to classes with 3+ enrolled learners and you must make arrangements with me before enrolling. I cannot give refunds after the fact. 

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Learners will need paper and pencils/pens/crayons/markers

Fidgets are recommended - bring your own or see suggestions above 

Visual learners may prefer to have a copy of the book and read along to the audio. This is optional, not required.