My daughter and I are huge fans of Karma Wilson’s books. Her Bear books are in constant rotation in our read aloud line up, and my daughter already names her as her favorite author. So as dog lovers, we were so excited when we heard that she was writing a new book about a dog named Doug. This adorable story gave us the opportunity to engage in some dog activities too!

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A Dog Named Doug was written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Matt Myers. This story follows Doug, a large and adorable dog who just loves to dig. But when Doug digs, he really digs! When he is challenged by a feisty squirrel to see who is the better digger, Doug rises to the challenge, causing all kinds of chaos with his digging. His digging takes him all over the world, causing destruction and trouble as he goes.

The rhyming text is complemented by hilarious illustrations which sometimes use the words themselves as part of the picture. My daughter especially enjoyed the repeated refrain “Oh Boy, did Doug dig”, because she got to loudly add it in herself. This will definitely be added to our regular rotation of Karma Wilson favorites!

Playing in the Dirt

Dirt Pre-Writing – Since Doug spends the majority of the book digging through dirt, this gave us the perfect opportunity to practice writing and making shapes in “dirt”.

To create the dirt for this project, I mixed a cup of flour with 3 tbsp of cocoa powder. I then poured it into a shallow pan for my daughter to draw in. You could also fill a resealable plastic bag with the mixture and push all of the air out, then allow kids to draw through the plastic sides. We had a lot of fun making different shapes and letters in the dirt, and she had an opportunity to practice her pre-writing skills.

Click here for more dirt inspired activities and snacks! 

Scissor Skills Printable – Using scissors can be a tough skill to master, but it is one that kids definitely enjoy practicing. Taking inspiration from all of the tunnels that Doug and the squirrel made, I created this fun and easy scissor skills printable.

Click here to access this free printable!

Encourage kids to hold the paper in their non-dominant hand. They can then use their own scissors to follow the lines and cut along each path. I created two pages, one with larger lines for kids just starting out, and another with smaller and more complicated lines for older kids.

Tasty Treats

Dog Print Cookies– What better way to recover from all that digging, than with a delicious snack? We decided to make these easy chocolate cookies that look like dog prints in the mud. These start with a simple chocolate cookie batter, and they are shaped while they are cooling.

Ingredients

1 box of dry brownie mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Use a mixer to beat the first 4 ingredients together until you have a smooth dough. Stir in the chocolate chips. Roll dough into 2 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes. (Since they are made with brownie mix, you want them to be a little underdone so they don’t get to hard and chewy).

Remove the cookies from the oven and tap each cookie with a tablespoon to create the base of a paw print. Next, use a 1/2 tsp to tap 3 smaller circles above the first circle to finish your print. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack. If the cookies become to chewy after time has passed, a couple of seconds in the microwave softens them up for eating.

Digging and Chasing Like Doug

Flashlight Tag – In the story, Doug gets into a little trouble when his digging takes him into the White House. Inspired by his chase with the Secret Service guys, we decided to play a game of flashlight tag. Designate one person to be “it”, and give them a flashlight. Gather everyone in a dark room, or in a dark backyard at night time. Have the chosen person close their eyes and count to ten, then use the flashlight to search the dark for the other players. When the light shines on them, they are out. The last person to be found is the next “it”.

Digging Race – Have your own digging contest! Pile a bunch of blankets and pillows on the floor of a room and hide a stuffed toy underneath. Have two kids stand along the edge until you say “go!”, then have them dig their way to the bottom. The first person to find the stuffed toy wins!

Does your family have any fun dog activities that you enjoy? Share in the comments below!

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