Looking for a beautiful and inspirational picture book that is just fitting for springtime? Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney is a timeless tale that inspires students to dream and explore. This book also challenges students to think of meaningful ways to give back to the world, just like Miss Rumphius did with her lively lupine legacy. This lovely story even inspired me as a young third grader when I first read it, and it is still a favorite of mine to this day for its themes of beauty, kindness, and adventure. Read more about my sweet and personal connection and strong love for this beautiful picture book from Part 1.
Welcome to Part 2 of our Miss Rumphius blog series. Let’s dive into some classroom activities to complete after reading this whimsical and wondrous story. Extend the literary magic and allow students’ learning to bloom, just like Miss Rumphius’ lupines through these five activities!
#1 Planting Dreams of the Future: A Legacy of Lupines Project
A key theme of Miss Rumphius is to do something magnificent to spread joy and love to those around you. Miss Rumphius chose to plant lupine seeds throughout her seaside town, causing a legacy of beautiful lupines to pop up every year, spreading joy through flowers. With spring officially beginning in March and Earth Day in April, it’s the perfect time to read this story and sow some beauty through a small classroom potted garden. Grab a packet of wildflower seeds and some small clay pots. Students can decorate the clay pots with painted illustrations of their own dreams for the future. Ask students to illustrate what beauty they hope to leave behind, just like Miss Rumphius left a legacy of lupines. Watch the wildflowers grow on your classroom windowsill; students can see their beauty come to life right before their eyes!
#2 Postcards from Around the World
Before Miss Rumphius settled by the sea, she led an amazing life full of exotic travels and exciting adventures. Her artist grandfather, a lover of traveling himself, energized Miss Rumphius with the inspiration to travel, through his paintings of faraway visits. Inspired by Miss Rumphius’ travels and her grandfather’s beautiful paintings, task students with stepping into her traveling boots by designing and writing postcards from an exotic place she visited. Students can use the illustrations from the book as a reference, or even research the places she visited to draw a postcard. Students can then place themselves into Miss Rumphius’ shoes and write a postcard from her perspective about her traveling adventures.
Another idea is to have students illustrate a postcard about an exotic place they’d love to visit someday. They can write on the postcard all about the specific location and what they look forward to doing once they travel there.
Love this idea? Grab it in our Miss Rumphius Book Companion Resource!
#3 The Three Promises Writing Reflection
Miss Rumphius followed three great missions in life: to travel the world, live by the sea, and make the world more beautiful. She accomplished all of those tasks. Have students write all about three specific goals they hope to accomplish in their lives. Discuss beforehand how their writing responses can be world-changing and exciting, or personal and lovely. No goal or mission is too small or too big to imagine. Students can then write all about how they are planning to fulfill their three missions in life.
#4 Spread Kindness: A Secret Seed Challenge
Much like the wind carried Miss Rumphius’ lupine seeds to unexpected places, challenge your students to spread kindness in secret ways around their homes, classrooms, schools, churches, and communities. Provide each student with a page of “seed” templates. On each seed, students can write an uplifting, yet generic message they can leave at a specific location. Each message can be full of joy and be something that just puts a smile on someone’s face. Provide an envelope for students to place their seeds in (like a wildflower packet envelope). Students then “plant” these seeds of joy throughout the school, leaving them on desks, in library books, or on a teacher’s chair to brighten someone’s day. Afterward, reflect as a class on how small acts of kindness can create waves of beauty in the world, just like Miss Rumphius’ seeds of love.
#5 Generational Story Telling
Miss Rumphius used to sit on her grandfather’s lap as a child and listen to his tales of travel and adventure, which ultimately inspired her future. This type of generational storytelling had a profound impact on Miss Rumphius. Explore this type of writing with a family interview. Students interview a grandparent, older relative, or family friend about their life adventures and what beauty they have left in the world. Have students write a short essay sharing the most inspiring parts of their loved one’s story. This activity fosters connections across generations while reinforcing the story’s themes.
This mini-project is in our Miss Rumphius resource!
Bonus!
Grab our Miss Rumphius Book Companion which includes the above activities and more. This resource contains out-of-the-box, creative, and hands-on ways to connect with Miss Rumphius.
Included:
- Miss Rumphius: Postcard from the World
- Three Promises Writing Reflection with Lupine Publishing Papers
- Secret Seed Challenge Activity
- Generational Storytelling: Family Interview and Suitcase Writing Craft
- Miss Rumphius Character Traits & Suitcase Writing Craft
- Miss Rumphius’ Transformation
- Setting Exploration Illustrated Map
- Barbara Cooney Author Article & Questions
- The Real Lupine Lady Article
- Lupine Art Project and Lupine Templates
Conclusion
By engaging in these whimsical and meaningful activities, students will not only deepen their appreciation for Miss Rumphius, but also step into their own roles as dreamers, doers, and world beautifiers. As spring is upon us, students can use the themes of this book to help beautify the world and celebrate the season and Earth Day. Because, just like Miss Rumphius, every child has the power to scatter seeds of joy, adventure, and kindness wherever they go.
