Weller, Duncan. (2006). The Boy From the Sun. Italy: SimplyReadBooks
ISBN - 10: 1-8-94965-33-7
Fantastic short and artful story about 3 sad children. One day a boy with a sun for a head comes down from the sky and tries to cheer them up. He shows them wonderful things like nature, culture, differences, etc. and the children become happy. The book also starts with little colour, and at the end, the pages are full of colour.
This is a great story to show differences, world culture, inclusion - the list goes on.
Presentations:
1.) Ask one child to be the sun boy and have him stand with you at the front. As you pause through the story, ask him to go around the circle and touch his friends on the shoulder. When he touches them, that means they have been cheered up by the sun boy!
2.) A puppet show with facial expressions for each child can be integrated.
3.) Fingerplay can be a fun way to present this story as well as easy. You could have the sun boy on one hand and the three other children on the other hand. The great thing about this book is that you can extend the story by making lots of puppets or pictures that the sun boy makes appear. Provocations:
1.) Have a yellow ball with a smily face hanging from the ceiling in your circle area.
2.) Have a discussion on how everyone is feeling that day - be sure to ask everyone how they are feeling right away that day. Then you can ask again at the end of the day
3.) A feltboard with a blank face is great. This allows you to add and change different facial expressions.
Extentions:
1.) Art project - have ping pong balls to colour and make feelings and expressions on
2.) Toss the yellow happy ball around in a circle and explain how youère feeling
3.) Sing songs about feelings - example If you are happy and you know it
Baguley, Elizabeth. (2005). Meggie Moon. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc
ISBN - 10: 1-84506-443-7
Meggie Moon is a girl who likes to play with boys. But boys at her age don`t want to play with her. They think she is too girly, and they would rather be alone. She comes across two boys in a junk yard and asks to play. They tell her ``NO GIRLS ALLOWED``. With hurt feelings she goes off to prove to the boys that she is fun. She creates a race car and allows them to play. Then she makes a pirate ship and a space shuttle. The boys realize that she is very fun, and that playing with a girl can be great! Meggie eventually has to move and the boys are distraught. They build a space ship to go off and find her.
This is a great story for inclusion (Specifically boys and girls including the opposite sex). The artwork and dialogue are very enticing, allowing the children to follow along with the story very easily.
Presentation:
1.) Ask the boys and girls to sit next to a member of the opposite sex. Pause along the story and have the children talk amoungst themselves about their ideas about what has just happened.
2.) Ask the children to act out different parts of the story as you go along.
3.) A feltboard story is great for this story because the storyline is easy to remember and follow. Provocations:
1.) Have a sign up in circle area that reads `NO GIRLS ALLOWED`` and see the reactions. When the boys all migrate to the circle, switch the sign around to the back which could read `NO BOYS ALLOWED``. Ask how they feel about the lack of inclusion.
Extentions:
1.) Have game time and ask the children to choose partners of the opposite sex
2.) Because the story is set in the junk yard, it is a great opportunity to do some recycled art.
3.) Have the group come up with activities that both boys and girls enjoy and just have fun doing those activities all together!
Smith, Lane. (1991). Glasses - Who Needs Èm. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc
ISBN 0-590-46087-0
This book entales a young boy needing to get glasses. He is against the idea for fear of being ``a dork``. His eye doctor tells him of the many, many people, animals, and objects that wear glasses. The ideas for glasses get wackier and more comical as the book continues, and eventually the young boy realizes what he would miss out on if he couldn`t see properly.
Along with the captivating Chalk-like pictures, Smith uses different sized wording throughout his book (Which is a clever way to engage children in letters, and resembles an eye chart). This is a great book to engage children in the idea of differences; that everyone is unique
Provocations:
1.) Make and obvious pair of glasses and wear them around the class to see what the children comment about them.
2.) Have a stuffy or puppet wearing a fake pair of glasses, sitting in your circle area
3.) You could take into context the idea of the eye, and bring in an eyechart for the children to look at (one with pictures for younger ages).
Presentations:
1.) Imagination integration - Have the children make their own glasses by shaping their fingers and putting them up to their eyes
2.) Pass around mirrors for them to look at their eyes in details (while at a pause in the book)
3.) Have the children act as the animals might if they had to wear glasses. You could also ask the children to act how the young boy is, and how he might be feeling
Extentions:
1.) Have a few pictures of famous people or heros that the children recognize, who wear glasses. (IE superman)
2.) Take pictures of each child`s face (only eyes, with little bit of nose), print them out, and have the children guess who is who.
3.) Have the children make glasses in an art project - materials could be pipecleaner, cardboard, etc. You could also make sunglasses by using coloured cellophane with the cardboard glasses.
Hill, Eric (1988). Spot's First Easter. London: W. Heinemann.
ISBN: 0-14-055299-5
This is a wonderful lift-the-flap book about a cute little dog named Spot that is very excited about his first Easter. The Easter bunny has hidden some eggs around the house for him and his best friend Helen to find. Children love the Easter bunny’s appearance on each page reminding the reader how many more eggs are left to find. This help the children improve in their basic numbers, counting and pre-reading skills. I enjoyed this book because it keeps children engaged in the story and participation in guessing where the eggs may be hiding. The lift-the-flap helps keep the children attentive and exited to keep reading; allowing them to read it over many times without getting bored.
3 Ways of Presenting The Story:
-read the story to the children and stop after each page to see if the children can guess where the Easter bunny had hidden the eggs.
-use the felt board and allow the children to calculate how many eggs are left.
-use the puppet on the stick. Place the Easter eggs around the room, and the children will use puppets to find the eggs.
3 possible extensions:
-Easter is the celebration of new life which is a great opportunity to take the children on a field trip to the farm to show them the different forms or life.
-Dyeing the eggs represents a traditional Easter activity
-Play Easter songs or games such as “who stole the egg from the Easter basket?”
This story is about a cat that learns to play with a smaller kitten who has come to live with them. At first he is very unhappy that the kitten is there but he grows to become attached to him. The pictures in this book are very funny and therefore keep children’s attention. This book is also a book that is good to read to children between the ages of 3 -5 because it can also be related to having a younger sibling and at this age many children are being placed in that situation. This book is also about being included. The pictures in the book are all bright and exciting. No two pictures look the same, this is great for the children to anticipate what is going to be on the next page.
Provocations:
Place a stuff kitten Velcro on top of a large kitten and the large kitten eating a bowl of food
Presentations:
1) Felts: you will need a cat a kitten, places the kitten could be hiding, (the cubbord a bed to look under a tea pot a couch a fridge and a bath tub. You can to it as a hide and seek. You can have fabric on top on each item and have the children lift up the fabric to see if the kitten is under it.
2) Magnets: the same items you would need for the felt story
3) Shadow Play: you will need a light projector and materials to make the shadows. I recommend using the items from the felt story. You will also need a big wall to project the images on.
While telling the story I would stop on pages 9 and 10 and ask the children how they think the cat is feeling. I would also stop and ask the children how they think the cat would feel when the cat can’t find the kitten on page 21 and 22. I would then follow the question by if they have ever lost anything special and how they felt at the time.
Extensions:
1) Have the children play hide and seek
2) The children can tell us if they have ever been in a situation where they didn't like something at first but then started to enjoy it as time passed.
3) Have the children trace the outline of the shadows on paper on the wall
Willems, Mo. (2004). The Pigeon finds a hot dog. New York, New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
ISBN # 0786818697
This story is about sharing. The story is about how a pigeon finds a hot dog and the little duck is asking questions about it and the pigeon starts to get very frustrated with him and ends up sharing it with him. It is a book that children enjoy being told for many reasons. The pictures in the story are easy to follow. The word bubbles help the children know who is saying what. The pictures do not have background colours and objects, this allows the children to focus on the pigeon and the duck. And it moves through the actions of getting frustrated when learning to share.
Provocations:
Leave a Giant hot dog out for when the children arrive. It can be a big felt hotdog or a large plastic hot dog. But the hot dog should be in a visual place that the children will see. Perhaps in the room where the children first walk in.
Presentation:
1) Felt story: You will need a felt pigeon duck, hot dog. You can also use a large word bubble. To show who is speaking.
2) Puppets you will need a puppet duck a puppet pigeon and a hot dog
3) Act it out with another teacher, one will be the duck and one is the pigeon. To do this you can have the teachers dress up in masks.
I would stop on page 10 and ask the children what they think a hot dog tastes like. I would also stop on page 28 and ask the children what they think is going to happen.
Extensions:
1) Have the children make their own felt hotdog
2) Have the children make a hot dog out of moulding clay or play dough depending on supplies available to you
3) The children can share a story about when they share
Bond, Felicia (2002). The Day It Rained Hearts. New York: Laura Geringer Books.
ISBN: 0-06-001078-9
This book is about a little girl names Cornelia Augusta who went for a walk when it all of a sudden started raining hearts. She caught many different hearts and took them home soon realizing that each heart was different in its own way. She begins to make valentine cards out of the hearts for her special friends which she then mails out later that day. After that afternoon, it didn’t rain hearts ever again but she found other ways to collect hearts for her friends. This is a great book for children in pre-school because it gives them ideas about how to do nice things for their friends. It shows how to be thoughtful by using your imagination in order to make each card special for the people you care about most.
3 Ways of Presenting the Story:
-use scissors to cut out different sizes of hearts and characters out of a magnet sheet. Place the cut outs onto a cookie sheet allowing the children to tell the story to themselves.
-use a stick puppet so that the children could participate in the story.
-read the story out loud and once you reach the end of the story, have a discussion with the children about their thoughts and emotions.
3 possible extensions:
-sing song like: if all the rain drops were lemon drops and gum drops?
Or song likes: skidamarink a dink a dink/ skidamarink adoo I love you
-discuss about the history of valentines’ day and how did it start?
-After reading this book, I could play the matching game with children.
Bang, Molly.(1999) When Sophie gets angry really really angry
ISBN: 0590189794
This is a book about a young girl who gets very angry at the beginning of the story. Its shows how her angry progressives, it then shows how she calms herself down. This is a good story to show children who are in preschool because it helps them relate to their emotions. The pictures are big and bright and attract children’s attention. The colours around her body change so it is exciting for children to guess what colour she will be on the next page. The language in this story is also language that children between the ages of 3 – 5 can relate to.
Provocations:
You can place pictures around the class room that are outlined in colours used in the book. The pictures can be of students, teachers, or photocopies from the book.
Presentations:
1) Do a felt story with Sophie in different colours for each page you turn. For this you will need Sophie cut out in different colour felts, a tree for her to sit in and her family members. The children can place the items on the felt board or the instructor can.
2) Do an interactive story: Have the children act out the story with you, stomping their feet and pretending to close the doors etc. This is a fun way to turn a story into a movement activity
3) Magnetic story: The same as the felt but they will be laminated and colourful magnets instead of felt.
At any point in this story you can stop and wonder with the children when they have been angry, ask them what they would do if they were Sophie, or ask the children if they can predict when Sophie will stop being angry
Extensions:
1) Trace all the children and have them outline themselves in the colour they are feeling. For this activity you will need large paper and material to colour with. (paint, markers, felts, etc)
2) Have the children draw a picture and outline them. For this activity you will need smaller pieces of paper and drawing materials
3) Have the children share with each other what they do when they are angry
Osorno, Julia (1994). Festivals and Celebrations. London: Islamic Publications.
ISBN: 0948656514
Nowruz is the Persian New Year that starts on the 21st of March which is the first day of spring. It is celebrated in Iran and many other parts of the world as well such as Turkey, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and some parts of Albania. This book is about the preparation of the New Year. It has great illustrations with colorful pictures for children between the ages of 3 and 5. People prepare for the New Year with spring cleaning and new clothing. For Nowruz, it is tradition to set up a “Haft Sin” which is a table full of Persian goods to elaborate the joys of life and family. These goods include apples representing beauty and health, green grass or wheat sprout symbolizing rebirth, vinegar for age and patience, oleaster representing love, coins for wealth and garlic symbolizing medicine. Decorated eggs are displayed out on the table representing each member of the family and fertility as well as a mirror wish displays honesty and cleanliness. Last but not least a bowl of gold fish is laid out on display to represent life. All of these items are believed to bring good luck and prosperity for a New Year. The celebration of Nowruz lasts 13 days. On the 13th day, the tradition states that the family should go out for a picnic and spend time together to remember the good memories of last year and wish for prosperity in the upcoming year. I really enjoyed reading this book because it displayed many beautiful illustrations and described in great detail the diversity of different cultures celebrating a New Year in unique and original ways.
3 Ways of Presenting the Story
-Use a felt board to create colorful pieces of the seven symbols used for the Haft Sin.
- Read the story out loud and discuss with children what each symbol represents.
- Use a story basket: Have a basket filled with the Haft Sin items such as the apples, eggs, coins, garlic, mirror, vinegar and oleastar. Pass them around so the children can experience a more hands on way of understanding the story.
3 possible extensions
-Before I introduce the book to the children, I will set up the Haft Sin table as a provocation allowing children to observe and understand the meaning behind the symbolic goods displayed out on the table.
-I could create a world map displaying the countries around the world which celebrate Nowruz.
-We could keep the gold fish as a pet after the celebration allowing the children to take part in the responsibility of the fish’s well being.
This book would educate children about the contributions made by the Aboriginal People towards shaping Canada and the Government of Canada commemorating this by marking June 21st as the National Aboriginal Day. The day coincides with the first day of summer. This book of facts familiarizes young children with the history and traditions of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. The content of the book is in simple and short sentences for young children’s understanding. It gives a wide range of knowledge in just ten pages, and is short enough to hold any preschooler’s attention.
The images are all prints of photographs; showing full size pictures of the colorful traditional dances, the cultural artifacts of the Aboriginal People and the landscapes of the country. The children will be drawn towards the sharp glossy photographs. The style and the layout, text framed with a border on the left side of each page and the photo images on the right of each page, are also very appealing for children viewing.
The teacher could dress in traditional Aboriginal garb and place some of the popular native items such as a lacrosse stick (or crosse), and bannock within the children`s view. Ask the children if they can identify the items. Let the children play with the crosse and taste the bread. For many, this would be a new experience and an introduction to a different culture.
3 Ways of Presenting the Story
Narration: The pictures in the book can be used to enhance children’s imaginations and understanding of the customs and traditions of the natives of Canada. As the book is read and pictures are shown, the children will notice details and ask questions. The pictures and traditions can be compared with some of their own customs and traditions by having them share their own experiences. With repetitive reading, vocabulary is enriched and the facts become easier for the children to remember.
Picture board: Create a flow chart with three sections on a wall board in sequence of the text in the book. Section one could include what National Aboriginal Day is. Section two could include the Aboriginal People’s games, songs, and dances. Section three would then include their traditional foods. The pictures can be enlarged and laminated. The children can help pin the pictures up as the book is read out to them. The active involvement of the children will keep them focused and attentive.
3 Possible Extensions
Art: Set up the easel and have bright vibrant colors available for the children to use. Play Aboriginal music and ask the children to reflect on the book and paint their feelings and experiences. Display pictures of the traditional clothes, accessories, art, dances, musical instruments, foods, and homes for inspiration. Skills in coordinating music with painting are developed, and interacting with peers is enhanced.
Project: Have children work on collecting and displaying information on the life style, language, beliefs, customs, and traditions of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. Encourage children’s thoughts by listening to their questions and comments. Discuss and share their views in class. This would widen the children’s knowledge of the heritage of the Indigenous people of Canada.
Field Trip: A day trip to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, in Squamish, will make a very informative and an adventurous trip for children. They will be greeted with a welcome song. This will be followed by a guided tour of the museum and exhibits, a 15 minutes film in the museums theatre. The tour will be finished with a cultural forest walk and craft making. For more information call 1-866 441 7522 or visit www.slcc.ca
Katz, Karen. (2004). My First Chinese New Year. New York: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 0 – 8050-7076-1
This holiday story book is about a young girl’s experience in preparation for the coming Chinese New Year and the fun she has on the day of the festival. During the days before the New Year, there are different activities taking place at home with her family, each day having a distinct meaning and a purpose. This is followed by the much awaited parade where they get to see lion dancers, and school children playing drums and cymbals. At the end, the highlight of the parade, a brightly colored dragon puppet arrives. Everyone cheers and hugs, wishing each other “Gung Hay Fat Choy,” best wishes for New Year, in Chinese.
The book introduces the Chinese New Year in a colorful and lively manner, which would make it very appealing to preschoolers. The details of the traditions are explained in short and simple sentences for young listeners to understand. The artist has used collage and mixed media to create the illustrations, making each page bright, bold, and vibrant in order to capture the interest of young children.
A very large and colorful puppet dragon would be placed for children’s attention. Most of the children may think it to be a dinosaur, when asked. A Chinese doll would be shown next. Along with the doll, the statement, “Here is a dragon and a Chinese girl,” and the question, “Can anyone help me guess what kind of a story this is?” would be posed. After a few responses, reveal just two of the festival items: the bright red envelop, and a miniature broom. This will interest them further and keep them wondering what the book is about. Then by reading the first two lines of the story with an exuberant voice, reveal the theme of the book “HOORAY! Hooray! Soon it will be Chinese New Year.” The children will be both excited and interested now to have the story read to them.
3 Ways of Presenting the Story
Cookie Sheet: The story can be presented on two sides of the cookie sheet. Using acrylic craft paint, the background of the indoor scene can be painted on one side; and the parade, on the other. The girl and her family, the festive items, the colored red paper, the plum blossom plant, the broom, the bowl of tangerines and oranges, the table filled with the feast, the red envelopes, the lion dancer, and the dragon can be traced off of the book and onto strong cardboard. Peel off colored paper (available @ Urban Source) can be cut to shape and stuck on the front side of the pieces and a small magnet glued on the back. Detailed features on the pieces can be filled in using felt pen. Using a stronger magnet glued on a stick, the pieces can be moved along the tray, while gliding from the back. As the story is narrated, the children will be fascinated to see the three dimensional pieces move around the painted backdrop. At every introduction of a festival activity, the story can be paused for the children to wonder about the significance of each item in the New Year’s celebration. This would encourage creative thinking in children and build their knowledge of how the Chinese celebrate their New Year.
Felt Board: Illustrations from the book are easy to design and construct into felt board pieces. The colorful felt pieces of the girl and her family, the festival items, along with the lion, and the dragon puppets, will make the story very attractive and hold children’s attention. It is important to keep all the pieces aside in sequence behind the board when narrating the story. As each item of the festival item is placed on the felt board, pause and wonder about the significance of the item with the children. “Oh! I wonder why this is used.”
Narration: The book has very colorful illustrations captivating children’s interest, while at the same time, influencing their imagination with what they see. As the story is read, the children can use the pictures shown, to determine the details of the events, how the girl is affected, and why each item and activity is important. After reading the story, have a few children recall some of the festival activities and items from the story. Then ask them if they can recall some of the reasons for the items and activities.
3 possible Extensions
Exploration: Have the children share information about their cultures. Encourage them to bring pictures or items from home, exhibiting their cultural festival or celebration. The library has many books for children on the cultures of the world. Pictures from these books can be photocopied and all the gathered information can be displayed and discussed showing differences and similarities. From this cultural exploration the children can begin to learn about different countries and how far they are from their individual family’s home town on the world map or globe.
Arts and Crafts: Make a Papier-mâché dragon using wire-mesh frame for the dragon’s large head. Paint and decorate it with brightly colored paint and glitter. Attach long yards of colorful fabric, large enough to allow children to go under and act out the character of the festival dragon safely. This activity will be fun, energizing, and thrilling for the children. The children can also make lanterns, which are a part of the festival, and can be taken home.
Show and Tell Game:This fun activity involves the children being asked to match an object with the corresponding festival activity from the story book. For all the children to take an active part and have a sense of belonging, their cultural festivities may also be included in the activity. This will widen children’s knowledge about the diversity of cultures surrounding them.
Wilson, Karma. (2004). Bear stays Up for Christmas.New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 0-689-85278-9
As many other books in this author’s series, this book has also been a Best-seller. It has received numerous awards and is highly commended for children ages three to seven years old. The story begins with the snoring bear being woken from hibernation, by his friends: the Mouse, the Hare, the Badger, the Gopher, the Mole, the Raven, and the Wren.It is the day before Christmas and his friends want Bear to be part of the Christmas preparation, so they go through great lengths to keep Bear awake while they find a Christmas tree, bake cakes, hang stockings, and hum Christmas songs. At night, as the friends slowly doze off in the lair and the Bear stays up to wrap presents for them, Santa Clause quietly pays a visit to fill their stockings.At dawn, when Christmas arrives, Bear’s friends awaken to the lovely surprise of gifts from both their friend and from Santa. The story ends with the friends slipping away quietly as the Bear goes back to sleep, covered warmly under a quilt his size, a Christmas gift he received from Santa.
For me, the most appealing feature of this book is that it is written in rhyming couplets. Each phrase is not more than one couplet long, making it easy to introduce young children to rhyming words and poetry. In this short story, the book has a gopher, badger, mole and wren, animals which children of young age group are not very familiar with; therefore, it is a good book to use to expand children’s knowledge of different animals that live in the forest. Short descriptive words have also been introduced in the text for enhancing vocabulary. Children love books that tell stories about bears and hares, thus the cover of the book highlights this interest provoking factor. The story and the graphics in the book are very appealing. It would excite many children to have the book read to them repeatedly.The illustrations are large and in acrylic paint, gripping children’s attention. The essence of friendship and giving is well portrayed in this book, along with familiarizing the children with the activities take place leading up to and during Christmas.
The picture of the bear sleeping in his lair and surrounded in snow, would be enlarged and laminated, to be used as a provocation. It would be displayed on a black background wall for the children to be able to identify the season on close observation. A soft mouse toy and a hare toy, representing characters from the story, would be kept on the floor near the picture. This will make the children inquisitive about the connection between the three. The cover of the book would be covered to add further interest and curiosity about what the story may entail. Next, the children would be gathered close and asked thought provoking questions, such as:
1)What do they think the bear is doing?
2)Why is Bear sleeping while the mouse and the hare are awake?
3)What time of the year is it (eg. Summer, when the flowers are all blooming; autumn, when the leaves are all falling; winter, when it is cold; or spring, when leaves start to grow)?
Finally, uncover the book to get them to match their guesses with the animal characters of the story illustrated on the cover.This will now intrigue them to listen intently to the story.
3 Ways of Presenting The Story
Felt Board: This activity will require a felt board and felt pieces representing Bear and his seven friends, Santa, a Christmas tree, a fireplace, some cookies and goodies, a few wrapped presents, and a blanket. The illustrations in the book are user friendly for tracing in order to make the felt pieces. The story has two sections where it can be easily paused in order to encourage the children to discuss and think about the book. First, when Bear stays up while the others are sleeping the children can be asked “Why Bear giggles and grins.” And “When all the gifts are opened, there’s one last surprise. What do they think is the surprise?”
Four Sided Cookie Tin:Watching characters move using magnets, makes story telling an exciting experience. Take a square cookie tin or a tin wastebasket and paint the background in 4 sections to match the sequence of the story. Alternatively, a felt cover of a measured size, stitched/glued together, can also be pulled over the tin. The animals, the Santa, and the Christmas tree pieces can be made using a strong cardboard; colored, sticker paper on one side; and glued on magnet on the other. Glossy colored sticker paper is available in many colors from Urban Source, Vancouver. To move the characters around, use a long stick with a magnet at the end, inside the tin. When narrating the story, the two sections where you stop and discuss with the children can be enhanced by bringing the presents, goodies, and blanket (made of felt) out after they have made many guesses as to what the surprise may be.
Narration:The story introduces many rhyming and action words with every turn of the page. By reading slowly, pausing, and asking the children to act out the scenes as the story progresses, their interest can be peeked. For example, “… snuggled on his floor, Bear sleeps soundly with a great big snore…”, “Dear Bear, GET UP…!”, “He stands with a stretch and a great big sign..” , “…but his friends all frown….” These are all scenes that the class can have a lot of fun acting out.
3 Possible Extensions
Have the children make all the festive Christmas items mentioned in the book: Set up a Christmas tree and decorate it with popcorn strings, bake fruitcake and cookies, cut and decorate stockings made from felt, wrap presents using small used boxes, and sing Christmas songs. Many families have their own traditions when celebrating Christmas, thus the children can be encouraged to share this with their peers, thereby making them aware that there can be different ways of celebrating Christmas.
Dramatic play would be a good idea for children to act out the Christmas message of friendship and giving. Children would act out the characters in the story wearing color capes, brown for the bear, white for the hare, black for the raven, red for Santa, etc. One of the children could be decorated with a string of popcorn and presents all around while others sing Christmas songs. Adding a little humor and animal mimicking would make the story more fun and interesting.
Using reference books from the children’s library, explore with them some other animals that live in the forest and some which also sleep through the winter. Having the ability to explore some of their theories, and ideas would be interesting for the children.They could also display their research on posters around the room, giving them a sense o
