Look At Me!

This post features a new home made book I created as a "make and take" activity at parent support groups. This book has many features that are appealing to young children:

Mirrors - Babies love looking at pictures of other babies, but they enjoy looking at themselves even more! Mirrors are a great way of helping children become self-aware.

Shapes - Children will learn about a variety of shapes by looking at their relection in the shapes. Learning the names of shapes will help you child take their first steps to becoming a math wiz!

Repetition - We all know that children learn best though repetition. This book was written with simple text to help children understand the relationship between what we say and print.

"Look at me! I'm in a square."
"Look at me! I'm in a circle."

TIP: You can buy mirror paper at your local art supply store on a large roll.

Mitten Weather

Thumb in the thumb hole, fingers all together.
This is the song we sing in mitten weather.

It's the time of year that we begin wearing heavier layers to keep warm. Talking, singing, and reading about layering our clothing will help children understand how to stay warm. This time of year brings out many new vocabulary words.

As a simple activity, make a paper mitten in each colour from construction paper. Children can help you tell the story, "Red Mitten, Red Mitten" which models Eric Carle's story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"

STORY EXTENSION: 10 Little Rubber Ducks

10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle is based on a news story that the author saw in a newspaper about rubber ducks falling off a container ship during a storm. Each of the 10 rubber ducks in the story follow their own unique path.

Here are some activities you can use to extend this book:

- Put rubber ducks into you water play area

- Sing 5 Little Ducks at Circle Time - provide a felt board in your reading area with 5 little ducks and a mother duck


- Encourage counting and matching by asking children to match the number of loose ducks to the number of ducks on enveloppes.




Click here for more ideas!

Do you have an idea you can share in the comments?

Go Away, Big Green Monster!

Halloween is just around the corner. If you celebrate Halloween, and even if you don't I would like to suggest the book Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley as a read aloud to your child.

Go Away,Big Green Monster! is a book of cut-out pages that page by page reveal a monster and then page by page make it disappear. The simple cuts and the bold colors appeal to both young children and old. It is as much of a delight to read to groups of children as it is to just one child snuggled up on your lap.

You can get a free printable pattern here that you can use to make pieces for a craft, or to create your own feltboard story. See craft example below.

Growing Vegetable Soup

Fall is the time of year where we harvest food. Once the weather starts to cool down, it's natural to grab for a sweater and start up a pot of soup for warmth. Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert presents the perfect opportunity to talk about the things that we naturally do at this time of year. Children benefit by learning from relevant events in their lives. Read this book with your child. There are SO MANY ways that you can extend this book into so much more than it is alone. You can develop vocabulary by talking about the names of vegetables, develop tastebuds by sampling different kinds of vegetables, develop narrative skills and numeracy skills by making a pot of soup, and so on.

More information on skills addressed in this book:

• Print motivation – at the end of the story there is a recipe for vegetable soup (shows children practical use of books – they show us how to do things)

• Print awareness – not all sentences finish on the same page they started on. This could start up conversations on how we know when a sentence is done (along with other aspects of punctuation) with older children.

• Vocabulary – vegetables, gardening tools and kitchen supplies are labeled throughout the book, including when they are seeds

• Narrative skills – tells children the process of making vegetable soup from seeds.

Here is an activity you can do with this book:



From the Garden to Soup

o Create vegetables using craft foam.

o Place vegetables in some dirt you may have left over from your garden. You can also use a blanket to simulate earth.

o Invite one child to be a “sounder” and another to be a “matcher”. Have the sounder secretly choose an item from the “dirt” and say the first sound of the item. For example, say “C-c-c” for carrot. Depending on your children’s ability level, you should be the sounder for the first few times that you model the game.

o Once the sound has been heard, the matcher finds an item in the “dirt” that starts with the same sound. If that item is not the item the sounder has chosen, you can help the matcher by giving clues. Continue until the matcher holds up the correct item. When the matcher selects the correct item, he can put it into a soup pot. Play again using another set of children as a sounder and a matcher.

o This activity can help younger children label things that grow in a garden. If you are working with younger children, you could ask them to find colours, “Can you please find me the white onion, orange carrot, red tomato…..

o You could also add some foam alphabet letters to the soup to work on letter recognition. Say, “Can anyone find me a letter “A” and or the letter that starts with the sound /a/ to add to our soup?”


What else would you do with this book?

The Grouchy Ladybug

This Eric Carle book is about an arrogant ladybug who challenges another ladybug to a fight over some aphids. Then, he decides his opponent isn't large enough to be worth fighting, so the ladybug travels around the world looking for larger animals to fight. Eventually, he encounters a blue whale, who slaps him with his tail and sends him flying back to where he started. The ladybug decides to be nice and share the aphids with the fellow ladybug.

Throughout the book, the size of the pages starts small and get bigger as the size of the animals increase. Also, the blue whale's tail takes up a page in itself and turning it is meant to represent the slapping motion. The time of day is also shown at the side of each page. Note: Many children will not be prepared to graps the complex concept of time until they are approximately 7-10 years old.


Here is a link if you would like to browse the inside of the book.

The ladybug above was made using black and red felt. First, I cut out a body, then, the wings, then the spots. The wings were secured on using hot glue. Here are two ways you can use the ladybug:

1) Phonemic Awareness: At age fix to six years children can identify different sounds at the beginnings of words (rock, sock), as well as different sounds at the ends of words (stem, step). Give each child a black dot. Say a word that begins or ends with a letter (e.g., the letter “g”). If they hear the /g/ in the beginning of the word, they put their dot on one half of the ladybug. If they hear the /g/ at the end of the word, they put the dot on the other half of the ladybug. When each child has had a turn, they can remove the dots and listen for a sound in another word.

2) Mathematics: Between age two and three years children know that when one candy is taken away from two candies, one candy is left. Similarly, they know that when one candy is added to two candies, there should be three candies altogether. Roll a number cube with your child and have them match the number of spot on ladybug to the number of spots on the cube. This will help them build a foundation for 1:1 correspondance of numbers.

Links

Let's Talk about the Grouchy Ladybug

Website full of resources and ideas to use with this book

Ideas for Using the Grouchy Ladybug in the Classroom

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly is a great song/poem for children. It is super silly with plenty of repetition for children to join in. All the talking that children do during songs helps prepare them develop their oral language skills, which in turn help them become amazing readers.

I made the resource below using a felt board story pattern I found on the Preschool Printables website. I modified it a bit though. Instead of making a felt board story, I turned it into more of a puppet. I photocopied the patterns onto thick cardstock and coloured them with markers. Then I coloured them in and laminated all the pieces. I changed the old lady by enlarging then cutting her roughly in half where her arms fall. I taped half of a milk bag to her upper half and lower half to make a stomach (it is a bit hard to see with the glare). Children can feed the old lady as they sing the song!




Thanks for this great idea, Peggy! :)

Something from Nothing

Recently, I have started a storytime at Indigo Books for children birth to six years old. Our first story together was Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman.

For those of you who arent' familiar with the story...it's the retelling of a Jewish folktale. A boy recieves a blanket from his grandfather when he is born. Eventually, it starts to wear so grandpa fixes it by making it into a jacket. When the jacket gets worn it becomes a vest, then a tie, then a handkerchief, and finally a button. One day Joseph loses his button. He is so sad. Even his amazing grandfather can't make something from nothing. The next day Joseph goes to school and writes a story (presumably about his blanket and its many transformations).

It is a truly a beautiful story with plenty of repetition for youngsters to join in. To make my storytime interesting, I tried to provide many opportunities for children to interact with the book. I brought a measuring tape for them to touch (just like the one on the grandfather's neck on the cover of the book and related the book to their lives by asking if they have something special like Joseph's blanket.

I used feltboard pieces to help tell the story and encourage children to fill in the blanks, "There's just enough material here to make...a wonderful jacket".

After the story, I made a connection to the book Owen by Kevin Henkes, but we did not have time to read it. This book is somewhat similar because both have a blanket that carry a lot of sentiment. It differs in that Owen is not allowed to bring his blanet to school because he is too old. The resolution is that they make a handkerchief for him to keep in his pocket.

Before leaving, I pulled out a bunch of items I am recycling (a tin can, mesh from oranges, a piece of cardboard) and asked the children if they could make "something from nothing". There were some very creative ideas! The CCCF handout Creating Toys and Activities for Children from Beautiful Junk was given to parents to give suggestions that can be used at home.

Here is a suggestion on how you can use this story in big book format to teach.

Home-made Fall Book

Here is a book you can make with your child to celebrate the arrival of fall (or even use the fancier word...autumn!) This book is made using shapes cut from fall colours, as well as the letter that each shape begins with. This book can be used to teach colours, vocabulary, letter sounds, and so on.

You can even extend the activity with your child by making a complete alphabet book. Find fall pictures with your child using magazines, the newspaper, and flyers.

Felt Board Story Bag

Today is a rainy and gloomy day. Here's a project that can help you make the best of staying inside!

Find a canvas grocery bag to transform into your felt board story bag.



Find a piece of cardboard and cut it down to fit your canvas bag. Use whole sheets and scraps of felt to design a scene for your story bag.

Glue a piece of blue felt (the sky) onto your cardboard. The piece I used was 8 1/2" x 11".



Glue green felt (grass) onto your scene (you can choose a different scene, this is just what I thought would be most useful to me).



Using hot glue, glue your scene/background onto your canvas grocery bag.



You can make animals or objects of any kind to use with your felt board story bag. The possibilities are endless!



You can use the animals you make to sing songs (For example, Six Little Ducks).



The animals you make can be used to help tell a familiar or made up story.

Here is a beehive...

Here is a very simple prop that you can use to demonstrate a short finger play. The rhyme "Here is a beehive" is easy to remember, involves counting, and most importantly is fun. You don't need to make the prop, though. You can use your hand as a beehive and your fingers as bees.

The prop is made from one tan piece of felt folded over (hamburger - the two shorter sides should be touching) and cut into the shape of a beehive. I used hot glue to fasten the two sides of the hive together since I am not a into sewing. Then, draw a design on your beehive to make it more realistic.

The bees are made from small black pom poms and larger yellow pom poms glued together. I drew their stripes on with a sharpie. To make your bees stick to the hive, stick a small piece of velrco on each bee (the sticky side goes on the bees - the felt on the hive will act like the other half of the velcro).

Here is a Beehive

Here is a beehive, but where are the bees?
Hidden inside where nobody sees.
Watch them come out of the hive...




One...


Two...


Three...


Four...



Five...BUZZZZZzzzzzzz!!!! (Gently tickle your child on the sounds buzz!)

Preschool Printables

Preschool Printables is a great website where you can find teaching resources. Since I think parents are a child's first and most important teacher, this website is for you, too, if you're a parent reading.

Check out the felt board stories on Preschool Printables. Print some off in black and white or in colour and tell one with your child today. Oral language is the foundation of literacy. The more practice your child gets talking, the better they will get with their reading.

Apples for Circle Time

Props are a fantastic addition to circle time. Stimulating thought and conversation, they can be a very positive and highly anticipated part of the daily routine.

Concrete objects are the gateway to learning and understanding for young children and should be used when presenting new concepts, themes and other information. Props, pictures, toys and sensory materials are essential tools for children's learning. Capture children's interest with these props and objects and encourage them to explore and experiment with many different materials.

With that said, apple picking season is here! Here is a rhyme with an accompanying prop that will help children develop their schema of apples, as well as numbers. The apples are made from red craft foam (cut using a die cutter), large popsicle sticks, and hot glue...that's it!


Here is a copy of the poem:

5 Red Apples

Five red apples sweet to the core;
One fell down and then there were four.

Four red apples sitting in a tree;
One fell down and then there were three.

Three red apples one for you, and you, and you;
One fell down and then there were two.

Two red apples shining in the sun;
One fell down and then there was one.

One red apple left all alone;
It fell down and then there were none.

Here is another version:

Five Little Apples

Five little apples, not any more.(Count on fingers)
I give one to________(Child’s name)
And now there are four.

Four little apples are what I see
I give one to _____________,
And now there are three.

Three little apples for me and you.
I give one to_____________,
And now there are two.

Two little apples: oh, what fun!
I give one to ___________,
And now there is one.

One little apple, only one.
I give one to _________,
Now there are none.

Note: I would post the poem somewhere with the apples for your child to play with once you have said the rhyme with them multiple times. Also, after you have done the rhyme several times together, leave off the end of each line and allow your child to fill in the blank. This will help your child become a confident reader! Lastly, you don't need to make the apples - you can use your fingers on one of your hands if it's easier for you.

Do you have an apple song or poem to share?

Stop and Go Fun!

I recently used the props above with the song below at a storytime. The preschoolers loved it. The idea is that they pedal their hands like they would pedal their feet on a bike while we sing. When we get to the word "stop", they have to stop right away (which they always get a kick out of). The second verse is fun because when we get to the word "go" the speed up the song and their hand pedals!


I bought a new bicycle, I got it from the shop.
When I see the big red light I know it's time to STOP!

I bought a new bicycle, I ride it to and fro.
When I see the big green light I know it's time to GO...GO...GO...GO...GO...GO...GO...GO...GO!!!


I introduced the song by talking about my favourite summer sport - biking. Most, if not all the children knew what biking is and would have loved to share a personal biking story with me. Then, I asked if anyone knew what the props were. We talked about traffic lights and where we would see them outside. I explained that the colours in the light (red means stop, green means go).

You can also use these props to play "Red Light, Green Light".

Matching Game

Matching is a very important skill in early literacy. In fact, it is one of the corner stones of letter recognition (learning the names and sounds of the letters). Being able to tell similarities and differences between two items or pictures can help your child learn to discriminate between the different letters of the alphabet.

I made the game above using glue, paper plates and fruit cut outs (made with a die cutter and construction paper). If you don't have access to a die cutter, you can do the same at home using hand cut simple shapes.

This game also provides an opportunity to talk about colours and nutrition.

Can you think of any easy to prepare sorting activities for your child?

More on feelings...

This posting was inspired by this article about colour, happiness and depression: Different Colours Describe Happiness vs Depression

My Many Coloured Days, by Dr. Seuss, is a beautiful book that uses colour to express feelings. By reading and discussing this book with your child, you can help them understand that we all have moods. Our moods can change day to day, and that`s ok.

The book is also a great tool for talking about print awareness. Print awareness is noticing print everywhere.The text is written to reflect the illustrations/moods.

Here are two previous posts I wrote on print awareness.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

Point them in the right direction...

Don't throw out the box!!!

What can you do with an old box? Well, it depends on the size really. The idea shown below is for smaller cube-like boxes. Below you'll see an example of a baby toy I made with some young moms.



First, we put some bells inside the boxes with some paper (to keep it from sounding too hollow). Then, we taped up the boxes really well using packing tape to keep the bell from coming out. Next, we chose what to put on the sides of our cube. There was:

- mirror paper (what baby doesn't love admiring their cuteness in a mirror?)
- a picture of baby
- baby's first name initial
- a picture of mommy and daddy
- a nursery rhyme
- a handprint



Once we got all the sides on, we used packing tape to secure all the sides. It also helped to "laminate" the cube, making it easier to clean when baby chews on it. Babies learn through their senses and this toy is a great way to engage almost all of them!

Taste - Mmm...
Touch - you can roll the cube to your baby, they will touch it!
Hear - hear the bell as the toy rolls
Sight - we chose vibrant (primary colours - blue, red, yellow) and contrasting colours (black and white)

For more information on the 5 senses, click here and you'll link to an older posting.



What are some other things you can do with an old box? It can be of any size.

Five Fat Peas

What can you make with a green gardening glove, 5 green pom poms, some green felt, hot glue and scissors? An adorable circle time/storytime/playtime prop! If you would like more information on how I made my prop, please contact me.

Here is the rhyme:

Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed.



One grew.



Two grew.



And so did all the rest.
They grew and they grew and the would not stop,
Until one day the pod went POP! (clap your hands together as you say pop)

How are you feeling?

This morning I was preparing for a special storytime visit at a local child care centre. When brainstorming what songs I would like to sing I considered the topic of feelings. Feelings are very complex and can be difficult to understand. Even though I am well beyond childhood I sometimes don't have the words I need to describe how I am feeling! With this in mind, I bring the song "If You're Happy and You Know It" into the spotlight.

This song is an excellent springboard for talking about feelings. There are so many feelings that you can bring into this song aside from being happy and sad.

Here is the original song:

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it then your face will surely show it.
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.

You can also sing:

If you're sad and you know it keep on crying.
If you're mad and you know it give a frown.
If you're sleepy and you know it give a yawn.
If you're sick and you know it cough and sneeze.
If you're surprised and you know it open your mouth.

Fun-loving songs like this can help your child build their vocabulary. Even though it is seems so simple, sometimes it can be difficult for your child to find the words to describe how they feel. You can further develop feelings using children's picture books.

Are there any other suggestions for song verses or picture books?

Initial Sound Clothesline Activity

A couple weeks ago, I co-facilitated another make and take workshop. This month's theme was CAMPING! Camping is a fun family activity. Many children enjoy using it as a theme for their pretend play. Here is an idea for an activity you can make at home. If you would like an electronic copy of the colour pictures, please just post a message and I will get back to you.

Here are the necessary supplies:
- 18 colour picture cards
- 18 clothespins
- permanent marker
- mac tac
- scissors
- construction paper
- glue


Directions

1. Cut out the colour picture cards.

2. Create a template t-shirt. You could also make pants, but I was trying to keep it simple.

3. Using your template cut out 18 t-shirts from the contruction paper. I fit 4 onto each piece of construction paper.

4. Glue the colour pictures onto the t-shirts.


5. Use mac tac to help improve the life span of your activity.

6. Using your permanent marker, write letters onto the end of the clothespin that opens (see picture below).


To play, your child needs to match the initial sound of the word with the corresponding picture. Once they have made a match, they can hang the shirts on a clotheslines (I made mine with a piece of yarn). Remember to keep this activity developmentally appropriate. Children tend to be able to do this type of activity when they around five- and six-years-old.

You can increase the level of difficulty of this game by having more letters available then necessary for your child to choose from. You can also have them mix up the beginning letter and say the new word.

"If your put the letter W on bug (instead of B), it says WUG!"

You can decrease the level of difficulty by using only one letter sound at a time to reinforce a particular sound.