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7 Blind Mice by Ed Young is considered a multicultural book because it draws from a traditional Indian parable about the blind men and the elephant, a story that is well-known across various cultures and often used to illustrate perspectives and understanding.

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Seven Blind Mice introduces readers to seven blind mice who, one by one, encounter a mysterious "Something" by a pond. Each mouse perceives only part of the whole—a leg, a tail, or a tusk—leading to differing conclusions. It isn't until the final mouse takes the time to explore the entire "Something" that the truth is revealed: it’s an elephant.

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Seven Blind Mice, By Ed Young - READ ALOUD

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Blind – Referring to the inability to see, as the mice in the story rely on their other senses to explore.

Perspective – The way each mouse perceives the "Something" differently based on their limited experience.

Exploration – How the mice investigate their surroundings to learn more about the "Something."

Observation – Paying close attention to details, as the final mouse does to understand the whole.

Conclusion – The outcome or decision each mouse reaches based on their findings.

Cooperation – Although not explicitly stated in the story, it's a key implied lesson, as the mice could have discovered the truth sooner by working together.

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Perception vs. Reality – The story demonstrates how limited knowledge can lead to incorrect conclusions.

The Whole Picture – Understanding something fully by considering all perspectives.

Curiosity and Critical Thinking – Encouraging readers to ask questions and look beyond initial impressions.

Cultural Roots – Exploring the origins of the tale, which is based on an Indian parable, highlighting global storytelling traditions.

Teamwork – The unspoken idea that collaboration can lead to more accurate understanding.

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"Seven Little Mice"

Seven little mice, curious and bright, Each went to explore, both day and night. "What's this Something? Let's take a peek!" One by one, they used their feet.

The first said, "It's a rope, I know!" The second felt, "A tree that grows!" The third declared, "It's a big, flat wall!" The fourth exclaimed, "A fan so tall!"

The fifth touched, "A snake, it's clear!" The sixth proclaimed, "A pillar is here!" But the seventh mouse, so clever and wise, Explored the whole, and opened her eyes.

"It's an elephant, big and round! Together, we’ve solved what we have found!" The mice all cheered, hand in hand, "Together, we understand!"

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Four free printable mouse masks including a black-and-white mask to color and three colored mouse masks to craft into wearable paper masks.

1
Open any of the printable files above by clicking the image or the link below the image. You will need a PDF reader to view these files.

2
Print out the file on white A4 or Letter size cardstock.

3
Color the mask if you chose the black-and-white template.

4
Cut out the mask, including the eye holes.

5
Punch holes on both sides of the mask and attach an elastic string.

6
Wear the mask. For step-by-step crafting instructions and more animal masks, visit our Printable Animal Masks craft page.

These printables are for personal and non-commercial use only. Do not republish, upload, or alter the PDF files.

To feature or share these printables, please provide a link to the webpage containing the PDF.

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Mouse Masks | Free Printable Templates & Coloring Pages | FirstPalette.com

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Four free printable mouse masks including a black-and-white mask to color and three colored mouse masks to craft into wearable paper masks. 1 Open any of the printable files above by clicking the image or the link below the image. You will need a PDF reader to view these files.

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A playful and engaging song to pair with Seven Blind Mice for preschoolers is "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." You can adapt the song to emphasize the body parts mentioned in the story (like "trunk" or "tail") to connect it to the mice's exploration of the "Something."

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Materials Needed:

Large sheets of paper

Non-toxic paint in seven colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black)

Paintbrushes or sponge brushes

Small cutouts of mouse shapes

Glue sticks

Optional: googly eyes or markers for details

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Instructions:

1. Setting the Scene: Start by briefly talking about the story. Explain how each mouse explored a mysterious object, one by one, and what they discovered.

2. Painting the Journey:

Assign each preschooler a "mouse" to decorate. Let them paint their mouse using one of the colors from the story.

On the large sheet of paper,

encourage the children to paint

shapes encourage the children to

paint shapes encourage the children

to paint shapes and textures that

represent the discoveries and

textures that represent the discoveries

of the mice (e.g., stripes, smooth

curves, or rough textures).

3. Adding the Mice

Once the paint dries, have the kids glue their decorated mice onto the big artwork, showing where their mouse explored.

4. Group Discussion: Talk about how all the mice needed to work together to solve the mystery. Have the kids point out the different painted areas and share what their mouse “found.”

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Materials Needed:

Pre-drawn outlines of mice on paper

Crayons or markers

Space for a sentence or a few words under each drawing

Word bank cards or picture cues (to help with spelling or ideas)

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Instructions:

1. Story Recall: Begin by asking the children what each mouse discovered in the story. Show pictures from the book to help jog their memory.

2. Imagine and Create:

Give each child a sheet with a mouse outline

Ask them to imagine their own mystery object—what might a mouse find if it were exploring? It could be something silly, like a big shoe, or something familiar, like a toy.

3. Draw and Write:

Have the children draw their mystery object near the mouse.

Help them complete a simple sentence describing what their mouse found

4. Sharing: After everyone is finished, invite the children to share their drawings and sentences with the group. Talk about what their mouse might think or feel about the object.

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Materials Needed:

Small rice cakes, crackers, or slices of bread (as the base)

Cream cheese, hummus, or yogurt (as a spread)

Food coloring in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black

Sliced fruit, veggies, or edible decorations (e.g., strawberries, blueberries, carrots, etc.)

Plastic spoons or butter knives (kid-friendly)

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Instructions:

1. Prepare the "Mice

Help preschoolers spread the cream cheese, hummus, or yogurt on the base (rice cakes, crackers, or bread).

Use the food coloring to create spreads in the seven colors featured in the book.

2. Add Features:

Use slices of fruit or veggies to make the mice’s ears, eyes, noses, and tails. For example:

Banana slices for ears

Blueberries for eyes

Carrot strips for tails

3. Story Connection

As the children decorate their colorful snacks, talk about the book's story. Ask them to name their mice and share what they think the mice might “discover.”

4. Enjoy:

Once the mice are finished, let the preschoolers enjoy their colorful creations as a snack. They can proudly show off their designs before eating

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Materials Needed:

Large cardboard boxes or tunnels

Hula hoops

Foam blocks or cushions

A large sheet or cloth to represent the "mystery object" (like in the book)

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Instructions:

1. Set Up the Course:

Create an obstacle course with different stations. For example

Crawl through a tunnel

Jump into or out of hula hoops

placed on the ground

Balance on a foam block or walk

along a straight line

Wiggle under the large sheet or

cloth, exploring what’s underneath.

2. Act Like Mice

Give each child a color to represent one of the seven mice. They can wear a matching mouse headband or hold a colored cutout.

Have them take turns going through the obstacle course, pretending to be a curious mouse discovering parts of the "mystery object."

3. Group Discovery

At the end of the course, gather the kids and talk about what they "found." Reinforce the idea from the story that everyone’s perspective matters and working together helps them see the whole picture

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Materials Needed:

Cutouts or small toy mice in seven colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black)

Containers or bowls for sorting (labeled with color names or matching colored stickers)

Large poster or paper with numbers 1–7 written on it

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Instructions:

1. Counting the Mice:

Start by giving each child a handful of colored mice (or cutouts). Have them count the total number of mice they have and then break the group into smaller sets by color.

2. Sorting the Mice by Color

Let the children sort the mice into the containers based on their colors. Talk about how many mice are in each container to reinforce number concepts.

3. Connecting to the Story

As they sort the mice, discuss the order of the mice in the book and the colors they represent. For example, “The red mouse was first—do you see your red mice? How many are there?”

4. Number Matching

After sorting, have the children place their mice next to the correct number on the poster or paper (e.g., one red mouse next to the number 1, two orange mice next to number 2, etc.).

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Discover with Touch: Nature Mystery Bags

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Discover with Touch: Nature Mystery Bags

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Materials Needed:

Small cloth or paper bags

Natural objects such as pinecones, leaves, rocks, shells, sticks, or flowers

A large poster with pictures of the items for matching (optional)

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Instructions:

1. Set the Scene:

Talk about how the mice in the book used their sense of touch to explore the mystery object. Discuss how we can explore objects in nature by using our hands, just like the mice.

2. Nature Exploration:

Collect natural items during a short outdoor walk or use pre-prepared objects. Place each item in a small bag so it can’t be seen.

3. Touch and Guess:

Have the children take turns reaching into the bags to feel the object inside. Ask them to describe how it feels (e.g., rough, smooth, spiky) and guess what it might be.

4. Reveal and Match

Once everyone has guessed, reveal the objects and discuss what they are. For an extra challenge, provide a poster with pictures of the items and let the children match their guesses to the pictures.

5. Extend the Fun

Encourage the children to sort the objects by categories, such as “hard” and “soft” or “big” and “small,” or have a chat about what plants, animals, or environments these items might come from.