This post is in partnership with Disney Hyperion.
For as long as I can remember I have been matching books with hands-on activities. It makes both the book and the activity more meaningful for the child. When I was asked to check out the newest book in the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series from Mo Willems, I brainstormed what sort of activity would go with this book. To celebrate It’s Shoe Time! by Bryan Collier, we decided on candy cane shoe deodorizers. Before I tell you why these deodorizers are the perfect pair for this book about perfect pairs, let me tell you more about the book!
In It’s Shoe Time a little girl is excited to spend the day with her dad and her shoes are VERY excited about which pair she will choose. The problem comes when she picks two shoes from different pairs! The story is a lovely look at thinking outside the box and what it really means to be a pair. It is also about connection and how the shoes left behind seek out their pair because they feel like something is wrong.
Well, the book got me thinking, and with the holidays upon us, I decided that in our house the perfect pairs of shoes might not be mixed matched, but they are well worn and stinky. With two active kids that play in the wet PNW grass a lot, and me being an avid runner we have a huge pile of stinky shoes that need to be tamed. My daughter and I decided to make DIY shoe deodorizers because we aren’t going to stop playing or running outside but at least we can make our perfect pairs smell better!
Candy Cane DIY Shoe Deorderizers
Gather your materials. You will need some baking soda, peppermint essential oils, a spatula, coffee filters, small hair elastics and some ribbon or bakers twine. Oh and a bowl or two.
Start by pouring a cup of baking soda into a bowl.
Drop in about 1/4 tsp of essential oil.
Mix.
Put about 1/4 cup of the mixture into a coffee filter, gather and secure with the elastic.
Add baker’s twine.
They smell SO good.
Pop them in your shoes. They really work too. In fact, they work so well I think I might make one for my son’s soccer bag too.
For more about this beautiful little book about connection and being the perfect pair check out It’s Shoe Time! ‘s official website here. Or follow Disney Hyperion on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The book and all the ones below are available now!
Don’t miss the other Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! books. In this fun series, Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie characters introduce you to other awesome children’s book creators for great stories like It’s Shoe Time. The series includes:
The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat
We Are Growing! by Laurie Keller
The Good for Nothing Button by Charise Mericle Harper
JoAn Russell says
Great craft project. Peppermint Oil was a little pricey but it was a very functional fresh and useful gift.