Always Remember by Cece Meng Type of Activity Plan: Grief and Legacy Building Title of Activity: “Always Remember” Popsicle Turtles Primary Age Group: Preschool (ages 3-5) Therapeutic Goal:

● To allow emotional expression and discussions of grief by providing an opportunity for children to engage in a paper craft, that includes writing feelings and memories, alongside the grief book Always Remember.

● To allow children legacy building opportunities as a sibling, parent, or loved one is dying by discussing memories and working together to create a paper craft alongside the grief book Always Remember.

Amount of Time Needed for Activity: 20-40 minutes Materials Needed:

● Always Remember by Cece Meng ● Jumbo Popsicle Sticks (9 per turtle) ● School Glue ● Green Paint ● Foam Brush ● Small Paper Plate ● Scissors ● Green Tissue Paper ● Green Cardstock Paper ● Small Googly Eyes ● Black Marker

Space Needed: This activity can be completed bedside or at a table. It can be completed by an individual or with the entire family. Restrictions and Precautions: If needed, assist the child with the scissors. Maintain supervision throughout the entire activity. Detailed Procedure:

● Introduce the activity by reading the book Always Remember, followed by an example of the activity.

● Begin by helping them glue the popsicle sticks together, 7 in a row, with two glued across the backs of them for support (like a fence). Set aside to dry.

● Then, cut a head and four legs out of the cardstock paper and set aside. ● Next, the child can paint the popsicle sticks green. ● Using the tissue paper, tear a few pieces and glue them to the popsicle sticks to give the

turtle a shell. ● Using the cardstock pieces made earlier, glue on the head and feet. ● Add googly eyes and a mouth to the head. ● Explain how the child can write different memories on the ‘shell’ so that they can

“always remember” their loved ones just like the other animals will always remember Old Turtle. You can also use emotions in place of memories if the child needs to work on emotional expression in their response to the grief.

○ What is one of your favorite memories with ____? What is an activity you liked to do with ______? How would you feel when you would spend time with _____? What are some of _____’s favorite things? What was their favorite color/food/animal/etc.?

Adaptations and Variations:

● To adapt this for school aged children, create Quilled Paper Turtles:

Materials Needed: ● Construction Paper (green, yellow, and one background sheet) ● Scissors ● Glue ● Small Popsicle Stick ● Marker ● Pencil

Procedure:

● Cut strips of green and yellow construction paper, as well as a head, four legs, and a tail.

● Take one strip of green, and glue it into a circle (this will be the shell). ● Trace the circle onto the background paper, and glue the head, feet, and tail in

appropriate spots on the traced circle. ● Then, take the strip from the second step and glue it on top of the traced circle. ● Take the remaining strips of paper, and write memories or feelings (as explained

in the final step of the original activity). ● Wrap the strips around the popsicle stick one at a time to curl the paper. As you

wrap each strip, hold it tightly and slide it off the end of the stick so it remains curled.

● Dip the end of the curled paper in glue, and place inside the turtle shell. Continue this until the shell is full.

Reference: https://www.gluedtomycraftsblog.com/2016/04/popsicle-stick-turtle-kid-craft.html https://twitchetts.com/2017/05/quilling-turtle-craft.html/