You may have noticed throughout SYLVIE that a tea set plays a very important role in the story.
There’s a teacup on the cover and a tea set in several of the book’s illustrations. Can you find them all? And if you turn to the very last page and look closely, you’ll see that Sylvie is holding an itty-bitty teacup.
What is a tea set for? What does it symbolize?
- Socializing
- Friendship
- Gathering
- Community
- Taking a break
What do you think Sylvie is drinking from her teacup? Could it be Spider Cider Tea?
Consider holding a Spider Tea Party and Storytime for parents, grandparents, with another class or just as a way to socialize within your own classroom. Decorate the classroom or library with webs and spiders and sunflowers. You can also include a game of Spider Hide N’ Peek. See my SYLVIE Curriculum and Storytime Guide to learn how. And finally serve Spider Cider Tea. Here’s how to make it.
All you need is:
- 1 C. of boiling hot apple juice (requires parent or teacher help)
- An apple cinnamon tea bag
- A cinnamon stick
- A teaspoon
- Your favorite teacup
Just pour the apple juice into the teacup, add your tea bag and let it steep for 3-4 minutes. After it steeps, using your teaspoon, take your tea bag out and stir your tea using your cinnamon stick. That’s all there is to it. Delicious! But where’s the spider, you ask? Well, she’s right there in the book. And maybe the next time you read SYLVIE you’ll enjoy the story with a cup of Spider Cider Tea.
Watch author Jean Reidy make Cider Spider Tea.
And don’t forget to finish up with a reading of SYLVIE … in which all are warmly welcomed!
To find out more about SYLVIE or to purchase your copy, please see her book page on my website.
