The very clumsy click beetle

Carle, E. (1999). The very clumsy click beetle. N.Y. Philomel Books.
ISBN # 0-399-23201-X

This book is about a clumsy little click beetle that went for a walk in the day. When it became night the beetle went to sleep in a tree only to fall out onto its back. It could not get back onto its feet. An older click beetle saw it and told the little click beetle it would show the little beetle how to flip back onto its feet. The little beetle tried once and did not succeed. Different animals pass by and encourage the beetle to keep practicing. Then something the little beetle had never seen before scared it and the beetle clicked and flipped and successfully landed on its feet!
I think this is a good book for children ages 3-5 because it is an encouraging story about when something is hard to do to not give up and to keep on practicing till you get better. I also like it because of the encouraging words the other animals give to the click beetle to help it keep on practicing.
I’ve always been drawn to Eric Carles books because of the clear and simple illustrations. Medium used for the illustrations is brush with either goache or tempera paints. The pictures are then cut out to form the illustrations.
The mood of the illustrations evokes curiosity and encourages a child to identify with needing help when they don’t know how to do something. The children will enjoy anticipating whether the little beetle will make it back onto its feet. I was drawn to this book because of the simple but colourful illustrations and a story that inspires determination not to give up on something new or difficult.
I would provoke interest in the story by singing a song I composed to bring the children together. I would then ask the children if they have ever tried something once and didn’t succeed? What happened? How did you feel? What did you do then? How were you able to get better at it? That will open a good sense of what the story is about and how the beetle goes through with its difficulty. I would also use a little toy beetle, lying on its back on the floor next to a piece of paper with “HELP” written on it. I would then ask one of the children in the group to tell us how we could help this beetle. Then I would sing the song again and begin to read the story.

https://webmail.shaw.ca:443/attach/03_Song_of_Encouragement.m4a?sid=&mbox=Trash&uid=27584&number=4&filename=03%20Song%20of%20Encouragement.m4a
Encouragement song: Melody produced by Mt. Currie Native Russell Wallace, words by Melissa Dixon:
Better luck next time, keep trying
Don’t worry worry; you’ll get there
You need a little practice, try once more
(X4) Last verse end with: try once more, try once more, try once more.
4 Ways to Tell the Story:
1) Felt story- I would need are a black felt board and each character piece (little click beetle, wise click beetle, worm, grass, rocks, moon, tree, turtle, snail, mouse, and boy).
2) Music story- I would need a musical instrument for each character. For the little click beetle and the wise click beetle I would use the small and big copper chimes. For the worm I would use the ‘ring for service’ bell, for the turtle I would use the sandpaper blocks. For the snail I would use the wooden stick with many bells on it. For the mouse I would use the mouse squeak toy and for the boy I would use my native drum.
3) Magnetic story- I need a cookie sheet painted black for my background, plastic toys for each character and magnets to glue onto the toys.
4) Free play story- I need a basket to put my objects in, a toy as each character, green scarf for the ground.
I would wonder with the children about the wise old click beetle telling the little click beetle that it would teach it how to click and flip in the morning. I would wonder ‘How the little click beetle might feel having to sleep on its back all night?’ When the little click beetle tries clicking and flipping for the first time I would wonder with the children as to whether the beetle will make it or not. When the little boy enters the story I would cover the boy’s shoes and wonder with the children ‘ What it is that the little beetle has never seen before?’.

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3 possible extensions:
- A nature walk to look around and see what kind of characters from the book we could find during our walk.
- An Insect book to explore other kinds of beetles and bugs and what sounds they make.
- Art project: to cut click beetles out of construction paper and sticky tac them to a clothes pin, so they actually click and flip. Some children could paint scenery for the click beetles.
- Return to the song I used in the presentation of the story and encourage the children to participate by singing encouraging words of their own.

The Raven

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Leaves

Big Bear Hug

      BIG BEAR HUG

Oldland, N. (2009). Big bear hug. Toronto: Kids Can Press.

ISBN # 978-1-55453-464-7

This bear is unlike many, he loves to hug.  He hugs all he sees; even to the animals that bears have been known to eat.  The thing he loves to hug the most is tree.  One day, the huggable bear doesn’t feel like hugging anymore when he sees the man chopping down one of the tallest, oldest and the most magnificent trees in the forest....

I chose this book for three to five-year olds for several reasons.  To begin with, children love it.  The weeks we read it, we had many, many big bear hugs and laughs!  The story line is adorable and is mutually loved by both boys and girls.  Hug is a way to express love and care, and it promotes and projects a friendly environment as well.  I also like it honours the fact that bears eat other animals and explains this bear is different.  The story also helps leading to some bigger topics I would like to explore with children about nature and conservation.

The illustration is likely digitally created, using solid colours and lines.  It is presented in one dimension.  The simplicity of the drawing tells the story as it.  Young children are able to tell and create the story by reading from the picture.

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Provocation:

I would like to have a longer period for provocation before reading the book to children.  I would like to take this chance touching subjects about nature and conservation.  Due to the materials and plans I have for provocations and extensions, I would select summer months for the activities. 

The provocation spreads through two weeks.  I will focus the first week on the animals and the second week on the trees from the story.  At the beginning of the first week, I would post real images of bears, rabbits, moose, birds, skunks, snakes, and beavers on the wall around the classroom and put the related non-fiction children’s books under the images.  As children looking at the images, I will ask children if they know what the animals are and what they know about the animals.  The second week, I will change the images to firs, cedars, birches, apple trees, pear trees, and peaches trees.  Besides books and images, I’ll also put out the stuffed animals around for children to discover and play with it. 

I will read “Big Bear Hug” in the third week.

Four Ways to Present:

1) Felt Board with Felt Characters

• What I need:
• Felt Board, made from 18’×24’ corrugated plastic (available at Home Depot) covered with felt on one side or both sides using spray glue or contact.
• Felt Charactors: 1 Bear, 1 Rabbit (roundest), 1 Moose (bigger than the bear), 1 Bird, 1 Skunk, 1 Snake, 1 Beaver, and 1 Man.  Plus, 1 Big and 1 Small trees, 1 of each Apple, Pear, and Peach trees, and 1 Axe. **when making felt charactors, cut double the pieces to sew together.  Leave a small gap in the bottom for putting the sticks in and turn them to the stick puppets.  As it is puffier and heavier, sew a small piece of coarse side Velcro in the back, the charactors will stay on felt board better.
•  
• Other felt shapes: a few trees, some white cloud and blue sky for background.

2) Puppet Theatre

• What I need:
• Theatre Stand, made from three-side presentation board (available at Staple).  Cut a square or a rectangle big enough as a screen on the upper side of the board.  Paint the rest of the presentation board or glue with fabric (I prefer felt, so I can put name for our different production using felt letters below the screen and/or children’s name on the side panels if it is children participation, or making it as a story TV, see below).  On top of the screen, hang a rope and use a piece of fabric (I prefer velvet), big enough to cover the screen, to make as the curtain.  Put a hole at the top corner of the two side panels of the presentation board and hand a rope to connect the two sides.  The rope is for hanging the backdrop of the story using two laundry clippers.
• For this story, draw a picture, a little bigger then the screen, of a simple forest with a few trees and white cloud with blue sky.  Clip it on the clips as the background.
• Use the felt charactors made from felt story and put sticks in as the puppets.
•   

3) Story TV

• What I need:
• The Theatre Stand made from puppet theatre; take the curtain, rope, and backdrop off.
• If the stand is covered by felt, cut out a black felt frame to frame the screen and put some circles made from white felt or other materials as the pretended channel, volume, and on/off bottoms.
• Using banner paper roll (available at Michael’s) and draw the story on it.  This story takes about 10 scenes.  Measure and make grid of 10 pictures slightly larger than the height and width of the screen.  Cut the paper after measuring and leave about 5 inches at each end for attaching to the rolls.  Then, either, I will enlarge and make colour copy of the pages from the book to glue on the paper, or I will draw the background on the paper and use cut-out from calendars for the animals and trees to glue on the paper.  The 10 scenes are: 1) title with the bear, 2) bear hugging the roundest rabbit, the biggest moose, the smallest bird, the most skunk, and the most scary snake, 4) bear hugging big tree, and small tree, 5) bear hugging apple tree, pear tree, and peach tree, 6) bear hugging beaver and a man with axe, 7) bear and man looking up to a big tree, 8) man chopping the tree and bear growling, 9) bear; and man running away, and 10) bear hugging a big tree with axe mark. 
• Use two long rolls, preferably the empty wrapping paper rolls.  Glue each ends of the paper on the rolls.  Once it is dry, roll it up from the end side of the story to the beginning.

• To tell the story:
• Place the TV board in the front and a children size chair behind it.  I sit on the chair while my two hands controlling the top of the two rolls and the bottom of the rolls planted on my thighs.  As I am telling the story, I roll the rolls and rotate the 10 scenes.
•   

4) Telling the Story from First Person Point of View with Stuffed Animals/Hand Puppets

• What I need
• Either the stick puppets made from puppet theatre or with stuffed animals (bear, rabbit, moose, skunk, snake, bird, man, tree…)

• To tell the story:
• Arrange and hide the stuffed animals nicely, so it is easy to find them when it is their turn to be shown while not giving too much away.
• Use the bear as the first person narrator to tell his story about who he is, what he likes, and acts on his encounters, please see the following script:
• “I am a big black bear.  Unlike other bears who like to hunt and eat other animals, I am filled with love and happiness; I hug every living thing I see.  All day, I roam through the forest (pretended running) and hug, the roundest rabbit, the big moose, the tiny bird (showing each animal and hugged by the bear)…  I don’t care if the skunk is smelly or the snake is scary; I hug them all.  The thing I love to hug the most are TREES, big tree, small tree, apple tree, peach tree, and pear tree… (Bear hugs the skunk, snake, and different trees)

(Bear hugging beaver and a tree, a man walking in)  Who is this man with an axe?  Let me follow him, bye-bye beaver, hug you later!  (Both man and bear look up)  What is he looking?  One of the oldest and the most magnificent tree in the forest, wow, he must love trees as much as me... (Chop, chop, man chopping the tree)  I am shocked; what are you doing?  I am so angry; I am going to eat you…. (Sighed)…I can’t; I can’t eat you…  I know!  (Bear gives the man a hug and the man run away) Bye-bye! (Bear hugs the tree) No worry, you’re safe now.” 

Possible Extensions:

1)    Nature Talk/Drawing

Fortunately, most of the animals in the story are natural habitat in BC.  Some of the children may have seen bears, skunks, rabbits, moose, beavers, and maybe snakes.  I will let children talk about and share their encounters in the large group.  We may wonder together why bears visit our backyard, why skunks are smelly, why snakes are scary, and are they all so scary, and etc.  We may go back to the children’s non-fiction books I displayed during provocation and look for some answers to our questions.  Then, we can take out papers and draw our wonders and connections.  At the end, we can share and talk about our drawings with the group. 

2) Natural Walk/Drawing and Fruit Tasting

Like the animals, most of the trees in the story are natural habitat in BC.  Some of the children may have firs, cedars, birches, apple trees, pears trees, or peach tress in the backyard or garden, or have seen them on the streets or been to farms where apples, pears, and peaches grow.  This is a two-part activity. 

In the first part, children can share their encounters with the trees, and we can wonder together if leaves are all different among those trees, if the trees are all very tell and can live very long, if they are always green and have fruit…  We may take out the children’s non-fiction books to find out the answers to some of our questions. 

In the second part, I will divide the large group to two smaller groups.  In one group, we will have a natural walk outside using our naturalist tools, like hand lens, binoculars, pencils, drawing pads, and transparent zip bags.  I will explain how to use the tools, and we will practice using them.  Before we go, I will remind children about how the bear loves trees and that trees are living things, we shouldn’t pull or break the leaves or branches off the trees when we are outside.  However, we can take or draw pictures, or they can collect fallen leaves or corns from ground and put in their zip bags.  The walk will take about 45 minutes to an hour with 4-5 children, and we’ll look at the leaves of the trees; mostly, we may come across firs and cedars, occasionally arbutus and apple trees.  We can also compare and feel the texture of the trunks.  I will jog down observations and questions from children that we will talk about or find out the answers later.  Along the way children can draw their wonders and connections on the drawing pads; we’ll also find a place to sit, continue more drawing and have some snacks.  At the same time, the other group will stay indoor and look at the different fruits mentioned in the story.  First, the facilitator will put apples (from different varieties, like granny smith and gala), pears (Anjou and Bosc pears), and peaches (yellow and white peaches) in separate cloth-bags.  Without seeing it, let children put their hands in the cloth-bag, feel, smell, and guess what’s inside.  Then, the facilitator will reveal one bag at a time showing the different apples, or pears, or peaches and pass them around for children to touch, feel, smell, and look at.  We will talk about the different colors, shapes, and smells of the fruits.   The facilitator will explain to children that they will be the panel of fruit evaluators.  Children will be each given a sheet which has drawing of the fruits; children are asked to use markers or crayons to colour the fruit, and below it, is where they will put the emotion stickers to show how they evaluate the taste of the fruit.  Happy face means they like it; two happy faces mean they like it very much.  On the other hand, unhappy face means they don’t like it, and two unhappy faces mean they don’t want to try it again.  We’ll wash one fruit at a time, cut it, and taste them, and evaluate.  At the end, when the outdoor group is back, we’ll give children time to share their earlier experiences, observations and evaluations with each others, and let them know we’ll switch the indoor and outdoor group tomorrow.  Later on, with the leaves we collect, we will do different things with it.  We can do drying, painting, or printing with leaves.

3)    Conservation:

Introduce book, “What Does It Means To Be Green?” from Little Pickle Press.  I will use the story to share with children about what we can do in the classroom or at home to conserve the energy and reduce cutting of trees.  We’ll learn papers, i.e. drawing papers, paper towels, paper plates and cups, and etc, we use are made from trees, and how we can respect the resources we have by reducing, reusing, and recycling.  As so, we can still have trees to look at, t

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Christelow, E. (1989). Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. New York: Clarion Books.

ISBN-13: 978-0-395-90023-9
ISBN-10: 0-395-90023-9

        It is bed time for the five little monkeys. All the monkeys put on their pajamas and brush their teeth. As their mother turns off the light and closes the door, all the monkeys start jumping on the bed. One falls off from the bed and bumps his head, thus mother calls the doctor and the doctor says, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!” One after the other, five little monkeys fall off from the bed and injure their heads. So mother has to call the doctor every time the silly monkeys bump their heads. Finally, the little monkeys decide to settle down and go to bed for the rest of night. However, the mother ends the story by deciding to jump on the bed and have some fun by herself.
  
        I think this book is suitable for children from age three to five because this book contains colourful pictures that can easily grab the children’s attention. This book has an advantage of early exposure to poetry because this book repeats enough times for children to have a sense of nursery rhyme. Finally, this book allows young children to learn simple mathematic skill from counting down the number five to zero in a descending order as the monkeys fall and bump their heads.

How are the illustrations made?
        I love the illustrations in this book because its colourful pictures bring out the excitement when I read the book. Next, I really like how each monkey has their unique facial expressions when they are in different situations.

What medium was used?
       This book is printed on thick paperboard which is more durable for young children. Young children around age three to five are mostly likely to break the books, thus I would choose the books that are more enduring.

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What mood do they evoke?
        Reading the book Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed allows me to feel happy and excited.  Right from the beginning, I can acknowledge a happy feeling because the smile on each of the monkey’s face shows that they are all having a fun time. I think the author did a great job on presenting the mood of this book because the colourful pictures and the unique facial expressions on each monkey’s face make the story much more enjoyable.

Why would the Children enjoy them?
        This book is fun to read and to learn from. The colourful pictures and the fun nursery rhyme bring the excitement out when the children read them. Therefore, these features from the book bring a lot of joy when children read it.

Why were you drawn to them?
       When I first read the book, I was immediately drawn to the colourful pictures, nursery rhyme that allows young children to engage in other parts of the brain and the simple math that allows children to count the descending order from number five to zero. I love how the story brings out a message that advises children not to jump on the bed without parent’s guardian because they can easily get hurt.

 
   (Represents the bed)                                                        (Doctor Monkey)
       In order for me to provoke the children’s interest or to make them wonder about today’s exercise, I will place a blanket in the middle of the classroom where I will sit or lie on it before the children come in to the day care. Next, I will have a stuffed monkey that represents the doctor from the story and place it on the chair next to the blanket. As soon as the children gather around me and the monkey, I will introduce Dr. Monkey to the children and allow the children to ask questions that they are wondering about. Also, Dr. Monkey will talk to the children about the kinds of dangers that can happen during play time. This exercise allows the children to understand that they can get hurt even when they are having fun just like the little monkeys in the story so therefore they need to be very careful while playing.

The Four Ways
A) Felt Board Story

       Before I present the story on the felt board, I will at least read it four times alone with the same group of children because this enables the children to be familiar with the story and the characters in it. A felt board story provides hand on learning opportunities for children. For example, the children can participate by removing the monkey when one of the monkeys falls off from the bed. Felt board story can stretch on the children’s imagination and enrich their vocabulary. Also, it helps with their memorization, enhances the children’s listening, reading and speaking skills and allows them to learn the difference in colours, shapes, and textures.
Materials
1) I need two beds for this felt story because, one for the five little monkeys where they can jump and sleep on after they get tired. The second one is for mama monkey where she can also jump on while the other little monkeys are sleeping. The bed for the five little monkeys should be a big one because it needs to fit all five little monkeys.
2) I need one blanket for the five little monkeys after they fall asleep.
3) I need seven monkeys. The first one is mama monkey; the second one is the doctor monkey and the rest is for the five little monkeys. All the monkeys should be unique with different facial expression and clothes.
4) I need two telephones. One is for mama monkey and the other one is for doctor monkey.
5) I need five bandages for each monkey after they bumped their head.
6) I need five pillows for the five little monkeys when they go to bed.
7) I need a bathtub for the five little monkeys to take a bath.
8) I need five different colors of tooth brushes.
9) I need a big sofa for the monkeys that hurt their head to sit on while the other jumps on the bed.

I am drawing all these pieces out and make them into the felt. However, if you don’t want to draw all these pictures, you can go online to search for the picture and print it out, then you can glue it on a piece of felt.  Another option is the dollar store; however, not all dollar stores carry all the pieces you want.

Wonders
My first “wonder” will be on page one. “I wonder do we still eat after we brush our teeth.” I want to share this wonder with the children because I want the children to know the reason why we brush our teeth at night and I also want the children to know the advantages for brushing our teeth. 

The second “wonder” is on page twenty six where Mama is missing. “I wonder where mama is going.” The reason why I want the children to think where mama is going is because I want the children to extend on their imagination.

The third “wonder” is on page twenty seventh where Mama is jumping on the bed. “I wonder whether mama will fall off from the bed.” I want the children to wonder whether Mama will fall off the bed because mama witnessed all her little monkeys fell down and got injured, but she still jumps on the bed.


I will chunk the book, because this is not a long story and it has rhyming pattern throughout the book; thus I think if I stop in the middle and continue the next day will confuse the children, causing them to mix up with their counting order.

B) Puppets
  
    I will use puppets as another way to present the story after using the felt board with the same group of children, because the children are already familiar with the story and they can participate by being one of the characters inside. I think using different puppets is a great way to make story more interesting for children to learn. I will encourage children to sing songs along with the puppets because this provides an opportunity for them to improve their verbal skills. There are many advantages from using puppets as a way of storytelling. It helps the children with their listening skills, enhances their imaginations, develops their dramatic expressions, gives them confidence, and provides an opportunity for team works.  I believe using puppets in a conversation with children can help them overcome their shyness. Also, it can stimulate their thinking process. I will choose not to follow the exact story line because this will help children improve with their imagination, thinking process, and their vocabulary. 

Materials
1) I need two hand puppets for mama and doctor monkey. I suggest both monkeys dress like their character in the story. For example, doctor monkey should dress like a doctor.
2) I need five stick puppets for the five little monkeys. Each monkey should dress differently and they also should have different facial expression, because in this way children can learn the dramatic expressions.
3) I need two shoe boxes that will be decorated like a bed. One is for the five little monkeys and the other one is for mama. The first bed that is for the little monkeys should look different compared to mama’s bed. The shoe box for the five little monkeys should have a hole that is big enough to fit one of my hands because the hole is for my hand to control the monkeys to jump or to move.
4) I need two telephones for the conversation between mama and the doctor. I will use the telephones that are broken or that I don’t use anymore, because children might damage the telephones.
5) I need bandages for the monkeys after they bump their heads.
6) I need tooth brushes for the monkeys to brush their teeth.  These tooth brushes are the ones that I don’t use anymore.
7) I need a plastic bowl to replace the bathtub. I choose plastic bowl is because they don’t break easily.

I can purchase all the monkeys from the dollar store. I need to put the stick into the five little monkeys and take the stuffing out from the bigger monkeys (mama & doctor) in order for me to make them into puppets. I can purchase the shoe boxes from the dollar store. I am using the ones from my house because I got these boxes when I purchased my shoes. I can get the fabric for the decoration of the beds and the monkeys from Fabricana and the dollar stores, but dollar stores do not have a lot to choose from. For the telephones, I can just take the ones that my family does not use anymore or the cell phones that are broken. I can get the bandages and the plastic bowl from the dollar stores. For the sticks, I can just pick it up from outside of my house or I can get it from a dollar store. I will use five different tooth brushes, because I want the children to know they shouldn’t share tooth brushes with each other even with family members.


I will chunk the book with the puppets because in this case, I will be able to let all the children to participate in the activity. If I spread the book in half and do the other half in the next day, it is very easy for educators to lose track on who else needs a turn.
C) Story Act Out

       Making children act out the story is another way to make the story more interesting. I will use this method after using the puppets with the same group of children because in this way, the children are familiar with the passage or the flow of the story. I will have some background music throughout the play and an educator as a narrator, because the narrator can match with the children’s pace. I think the CD that reads along with the book is too fast, so children will be in a rush and might hurt themselves. Children can perform the story out to the parents during parents and teachers’ night. This will help build their interest in performing and build their confidence. Allowing children to act out the story can also help them improve their speech skills, listening skills, and verbal skills and provide an opportunity for team works, help develop appropriate voice modulation, and help the development of fine motor skills.

Materials
1) I need seven masks. Five for the five little monkeys, one for mama and the last one is for the doctor. The mask for mama and doctor should be different; however the mask for the five little monkeys can be the same.
2) I need two blankets to represent the beds for the little monkeys and mama.
3) I need five tooth brushes.
4) I need two telephones for the communication between mama and doctor.
5) I need an apron for the child who acts the mama monkey. The apron is a symbol of mama monkey.

I got the masks, the tooth brushes and the apron from dollar stores. I got my blanket from home, but you can purchase the blanket or piece of cloth from Fabricana or Fabric Land.  I suggest using a small apron because the child can fit perfectly.

D) Unique Story Tale
 
        The unique story tale will be my last method to present the story with the same group of children. This allows children to create in their own mind how scenes appear. Children can use different animals that they want to replace the characters inside the story, and educators should write down the story that children create. Educators should encourage the children to draw pictures to go along with their own story. This helps the children with their imagination, build their confidence, and learn the difference of colors and the names of the animals. I suggest that educators should always take pictures with the children’s work, because children can show their finished creation to their parents and other people. Once the children are finished with their own unique story, educators should encourage them to tell their story to other children. This can help the children with their vocabulary and speech skills. On the other hand, children who are listening can improve their listening skills, and they can also learn how to respect other’s creation. The unique story tale is a great way for children to express the story in their own creative way.

Materials
1) I need a camera for educators to take pictures throughout the process.
2) I need white and color papers for children to draw or to do anything they want.
3) I need different kinds of animals in different colors.
4) I need paint or crayon that children can draw with.
5) I need a large table that allows children to create their work freely.
6) I need glue that help glue children’s work together.
7) I need scissors for educators to cut whatever children wants. For example, educators need to cut the animals that are not in the material box.
8) I need an art and craft box that contains yarn, glitter glue, etc.

I think it is better if we provide as much materials as possible for children to use, because in this case we won’t limit the children’s creativity or imagination.

I can purchase the glue, crayon, paint, yarns, small animals, etc. from the dollar store, Michaels or Superstore. However, if you want to get extra art and craft materials in a cheap price, you can go to the thrift store.

        The first thing that we can do after reading the book is to learn songs about monkey, such as “Monkey see monkey do”. This song allows children to imitate different movement of animals and it also allows children to learn the uniqueness of different animals. The most important thing is that music allows children to exercise their body and improve their motor skills.

       The second thing that we can do after reading the book is to watch some clips about real monkeys. This way, children can extend their understandings about monkeys. For example, there are different kinds of monkeys and they live in different areas due to the weather. Also, this can give extra information about the way monkey lives.

       The third thing that we can do after reading the book is to go on field trip to the zoo. Field trips are a great way for children to learn while having fun. It also provides a hand-on learning opportunity while also being introduce to a new environment. For example, children can actually be in contact with the monkeys in the zoo and they can also learn the real monkeys’ movement. 

Big Bear Hug

Oldland, N. (2009). Big bear hug.

                New Brunswick: Kids Can Press.

ISBN   987-1-55453464X

Big Bear Hug

This is a cute story about a bear that loves everyone and everything in the forest where he lives. There was so much love in him that the way he manifested that love was by hugging; he hugged every animal that crossed his path, big or small he hugged them all. He also hugged trees; he loved trees, all kinds of trees.

One day something unexpected happened something that made him experience an unhappy feeling, a man came in the forest with an axe trying to chop down a tree, the bear gets so angry that he feels like hurting the man, but at the end he decides to do what he does best. And he gave the man a big hug, and the man obviously ran far away from there.

Why would I use this book for three to five-year olds?

I think is a fantastic book, the content is easy to follow and to connect with; the vocabulary is simple and funny, children would definitely be drawn to the book. The pictures are clear, bright and colourful, it represents the forest idea in a simple yet attractive way; the reactions of the animals the bear hug are hilarious. I personally like the colors that were used, the sky so blue the nice little hills and the trees, that’s what I like trees everywhere. It is a good book with a nice message.

Provocations

·       One idea I have is to print the picture or the bear hugging the apple tree, the pear tree and the peach tree and bring one of them in to the class and place it in a strategic area I know the children will see it, and maybe later that day (or even another day) bring another picture with the bear hugging a different tree and see if the children can notice what’s different. And they are going to start wondering, what is the bear doing? Why is he hugging trees?

·       Another idea is to build some background knowledge about what real bears do? what they eat? The book specifically talks about the bear hugging animal that he has been known to eat.

 I’ll have some pictures of animals including the bear and the ones in the book and together with the children try to figure out which animals bears eat, which ones live in the forest where the bear lives.

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Ways to present the book

·       Felt Story: For the felt story I would have all the characters in the book: bear, rabbit, moose, bird, snake, skunk, the man and the axe, and trees (apple, pear, peach and some pine trees). I already made most of the characters with felt fabric.

 And since what attracted me in the book were the pictures and the whole idea of the forest I’ll have to include the blue skies and some little hills. I’ll probably wonder what the animals are thinking, because they obviously look confused.

·       Puppets(stuffy)also would work, I would have the characters (could use rabbit, moose, skunk only) and create a forest background with fabric (scarves) or a forest picture on the back ground(from a calendar) and some toy trees and recreate the story.

·       Felt characters on sticks(since I have the characters already made it’s just matter of sticking them on to the sticks with tape)

·       Basket presentation, I like the idea of a having a basket covered with a piece of fabric, that contains all the characters in the story; and as I’m telling the story get help from the children to try to figure out what animal is next to be hugged by the bear.

Extensions for learning  

·       Ecosystems: Where the bears live, types of bears. How is our habitat? Emotions: How do you feel when you get angry, how do you deal with it? How you show love?

·       Another bear book: Avery cranky bear.

·       Arts: What kinds of tree are in the place we live? Draw what kind of plants and trees do you see in you habitat?

·       Songs and finger play:

Songs:

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Turn around!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Touch the ground!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Do a clap!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Touch your lap!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Arms out wide!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Touch your side!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Hop on one!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Your turn is done!  

 Bear
(can be sun to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Big bear, big bear,
Hunting near the trees.
Feasting on the honeycomb
Made by busy bees.
(bzzz, bzzz, bzzz)
Big bear, big bear,
Wading in the lake.
Fish is your favourite dish:
Which one will you take?
(swish, swish, swish)
Big bear, big bear,
Resting in your den.
Sleeping through the winter
Before you're out again.
(zzz, zzz, zzz)

Little Bear
(to the tune of frere jacques)
Are you sleepy, Are you sleepy
Little bear, little bear?
Wintertime is coming,
Wintertime is coming,
Very soon, very soon.
Find a cave, Find a cave,
Little bear, little bear
Wintertime is here,
Wintertime is here,
Go to sleep, go to sleep.
Are you sleepy, Are you sleepy
Little bear, little bear?
You will wake in springtime
In the warm, warm springtime
Little bear, little bear
Time to wake up, Time to wake up
Little bear, little bear
Springtime is here, springtime is here
Wake up now, wake up now!
What is he?
Big paws,
Big black nose,
Stubby tail,
And growl he goes.
What is he?
Well, who knows?
He sleeps all winter
When it snows.

Finger play:

Five little bears were sitting on the ground.
Five little bears made a deep growling sound: Grrrrr!
The first one said,"Let's have a look around."
The second one said, "I feel rather funny!"
The third one said, "I think I smell honey."
The fourth one said, "Shall we climb up the tree?"
The fifth one said, "Look out! There's a bee!"
So the five little bears went back to their play,
And decided to wait till the bees flew away.

Five Little Bears
Five little bears
Heard a loud roar
One ran away
Then there were four!
Four little bears
Climbing up a tree
One slid down
Then there were three!
Three little bears
Deciding what to do
One fell asleep
Then there were two!
Two little bears
Having lots of fun
One went home
Then there was one!
One little bear
Feeling all alone
Ran to his mother
Then there were none!

Poem:

The Black Bear
In the summer, fall, and spring
the black bear sports and has his fling,
but winter sends him straight indoors and there he
snores... and snores... and snores.

In Front of My House

Book: In front of my house

Author & Illustrator: Marianne

Dubuc, M. (2010). In front of my house. Toronto, ON, Canada: Kids Can Press.

ISBN: 978-1-55453-641-2

In front of my house is circular story about a child using their imaginations. Its starts and ends in front of a child’s house, in the duration of the book the child imagination takes the reader from outer space to the sea. This story of a child’s imagination, can help you to see that imaginative play can be used in any place during your daily routines, and can take you all over the world while just sitting in your front yard.

I would choose this book for 3-5 year olds because there are many extensions you can do with this book by just going outside your house or daycare. Also it’s a great was to introduce creative play.

The illustrations in this book are beautifully simple, they are drawn with pencil crayon. I think children would like them because they are very colorful and exciting. I was drawn to the illustrations for the simplicity and child like drawings.

For provocations I would talk with the children a few days previous to reading the book asking them what sort of things they see when they look out their windows from the class room. Perhaps I would get a few pairs of binoculars and get them each takes turns looking out the windows to see what interest them.

 The first way I would present this book is using a felt board , I am going copy the pictures from the book either scan or draw them out myself and laminated them.   I am going to make a felt board at home.  This is a book where I can stop and wonder at almost any place, I think I may stop and wonder when its says “in the dark” on page 48.  I will ask the children what they think will be in the dark.

The second way I was going to present the book is going to be using a clothes line and hanging different pictures from the book on the clothes line while telling the story. For the clothes line I’m going to use a long piece of string and either use two tables to tie  on each end or I might even tape it to the white board in the classroom. I am going to copy the pictures from the book either scan or draw them out myself.

The third way I am going to present this story is singing a song about the story. I am going to use my guitar either use a piggyback song or make my own tune. I might stop in parts of the song and ask the children to fill in the blanks to what they think might be coming next, and perhaps that will change the story a little bit as well. This was they are involved a little more even if they don’t know the story.

The forth way I am going to present the book was doing story yoga. I was going to first read the book to the children and then show them some yoga moves using objects from the book, then perhaps ask some of the students if they have any poses they might want to make up for some of the things in the book.

The first extension from this book may be to go on a walk with the students and get them to list all the things they see around them, and then get them to wonder what may be beyond what they see. By making them wonder it can take them into the imaginative play part that the book takes us into.

The second extension I was thinking would be to get the children to make their own book about the things that they saw from their walk. I would make 4 or 8 pages booklets for each child and they could draw what they see in their surroundings. Then we could all share with each other and see if any of us see the same things even though we live in different areas.

The third extension that came to mind was after the walk and the making of the books we could use the tune that I used for my song about the book and get the children to use their books to make their own songs.

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

ISBN-13: 978-0-06-134955-3

ISBN-10: 0-06-134955-0

Numeroff, L. (1998). If you give a pig a pancake. City of publication unknown: HarperCollins.

“If You Give a Pig A Pancake” is one of many circular stories written by Laura Numeroff.  It follows the story of a pig with a very short attention span and a little girl trying to keep up with her many requests from pancakes to a bath to music to a tree house and ending back with a request for more pancakes.  This book is fantastic for young children of about preschool age (3-5).

I consider this book to be perfect for children aged three to five years old.  It is short enough to read easily in one sitting with most preschool aged children, the story has the right combination of fun and silliness, and the illustrations are not only bright and colourful but they are full of quirky details.  Felicia Bond illustrated this story and I find it almost confusing how her pictures can be so simple and so detailed all at the same time.  The last picture in the book shows this example perfectly.  It’s a very basic picture but it contains every element from the entire story in one drawing. The expressions on the pig’s face are adorable.  The ones that stand out are the pig diving into the bathtub, the pig missing home (heartbreaking!) and the pig being wheeled to the mailbox.  I’m not an artist but my best guess is that Bond uses basic supplies such as pencil crayons and makers in her hand drawn illustrations.

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PROVOCATION

My provocation for this story will be making pancakes!  The supplies I need are:

·      Pancake mix

·      Water

·      Mixing bowl(s)

·      Mixing spoon(s)

·      Measuring cup(s) – liquid and solid

·      Electric Grill

·      Butter/Margarine

·      Variety pancake toppings: syrup, honey, jam

Children would help measure ingredients, mix the batter, and then an adult would cook the pancakes.  The children will then get to pick a topping(s) for their pancakes.  After the pancakes are finished and the children are sitting together, we’ll have a discussion about the pancakes, who liked them, who didn’t, what topping they tried, etc...  I would then tell them that I have a friend who loves pancakes and would they like to meet her?  I will then pull out my pig puppet.  “Did you know that pigs like to eat pancakes? Would you like to hear a story about a pig that ate a pancake?”  Then I will read the book.

WONDERS FOR THIS STORY:

While reading the book or telling the story on any of the four ways below, I will stop on various pages to offer the children “wonders”.  Obviously I wouldn’t use the same wonders every time and I wouldn’t use all of these the first time I read the book. Some of these wonders are more specific to the pages shown in the book but some of them could be used in any of the following ways I would tell this story.  The pages of this book are not numbered but I have listed the wonders in order as they appear in the story.

·      I wonder where this little pig came from that’s looking through the window.

·      I wonder if the little girl made these pancakes herself or if she had help from a grownup.

·      I wonder if the pig has ever had a bubble bath before.

·      The pig looks so sad.  I wonder who she misses the most from home.

·      I wonder what song she plays that makes the pig dance on the table.

·      I wonder how she stacked the furniture so high.

·      I wonder if pigs can really climb trees.

·      I wonder why the pig isn’t tired after that very busy day.

WAY #1: FELT STORY

·      Felt Board

·      Felt Pieces (as shown)

·      One page summary of the story

I purchased this felt story from the website www.aprilsdaycare.com for a reasonable price, approximately $15.  I have typed up the story on one sheet of paper (see attached) which I will use when telling the story.  Words that have a felt item are in bold. I will tell the story by placing the items in a circle (as shown) to reinforce the concept of starting and ending with the pancake.  After telling it once, I will pass out the pieces to the children and, while I told the story again, they can place the items wherever they chose.  My daughters like to act out the story by putting the suitcase under the bed, the tap shoes on the pig, pouring the bubbles into the bath, etc.  A wonder that I thought of that was more specific to this felt story is: “I see two pieces of wood here.  I wonder how many pieces of wood you need to built a tree house.”  That wonder could be extended to the nails and the wallpaper too.

WAY #2: MAGNET BOARD

·      Magnetic board

·      Magnetic objects:

·      Pig, girl, pancake, syrup, bubbles, duck, suitcase, tap shoes, dress, camera, envelope, hammer, nails, bath, bed, piano, stamp wood, wallpaper, glue.

·      One page summary of the story

As the magnet board version of the story is very similar to the felt story, I will follow the similar ideas as listed above. 

WAY #3: STORY LINE

·    String

·    Clothes pins (the clothes pins I purchased are magnetic so if there was a large magnetic board in the center, the string wouldn’t be needed).

·    Laminated colour copies of pictures from the book.

·    One page summary of the story

I will set up the string and clothes pins and have the laminated pages together in the correct order.  As I tell the story, I will put the pages up for the children to look at.  Because this will be the fourth time the children have heard the story, I might challenge the children in a new way: “I wonder what picture is coming next?”

I thought an extension that is specific to this version, as they have heard the story a few times, will be to have the laminated pages out and the children can try to put them in order, like a puzzle, and then tell the story themselves according to the pictures.

WAY #4: LARGE PROP STORY

·      One page summary of the story OR the book itself

·      Up to 18 children standing in a large circle; children can take more than one turn if there is a smaller group.

·      The following props: Pig hat, box pancake mix, empty syrup bottle, baby bathtub, empty bottle of bubble bath, rubber ducky, suitcase, dance shoes, kids size dress, piano/music (haven’t figured this one out yet), camera, envelope, stamp, piece of wood, hammer, jar of nails, piece of wall paper, bottle of glue.

This is the final way I have to tell the story and, as it’s the fifth time the children will hear the story, I thought it would be fun to turn it into more of a game.  The children will stand in a circle with props in the middle and, together, try to figure out the order in which they should hold the props.  If this is too advanced, I will simply read the story again and the children can go into the center of the circle and pick up the correlating item.

EXTENSIONS

·      TAKING PICTURES: In the story, the pig gets all dressed up and wants the little girl to take pictures of her.  The children will take turns with the dress up items in the center, creating a character, and then having their picture taken.

·      MAILBOX: In the story, the pig takes the many photos that have been taken of her and mails them to her family members.  Children can help stamp and address an envelope containing their photo along with a drawing or letter to his/her family.  We would then walk to the nearest mailbox and each child will take turn mailing his/her letter.

·      HANDS ON: The felt board, magnet board, and story line from the ways above could be placed out for the children to play with and explore on their own.                       

·      SONGS AND FINGER PLAYS:

The Tail of a Pig (sung to “The Wheels on the Bus”)

The tail of a pig curls round and round,
Round and round, round and round.
The tail of a pig curls round and round
All through the mud.

The mouth of a pig goes oink oink oink...

The snout of a pig goes root root root...

The hooves of a pig go run run run...

The ears of a pig go twitch twitch twitch...

P-I-G-G-Y (Sung to “Bingo”)

            There was a hungry little hog;
            And Piggy was his name-o.
            P-I-G-G-Y, P-I-G-G-Y, P-I-G-G-Y,
            And Piggy was his name-o

Eight Baby Pigs (finger play)

            Two mother pigs lived in a pen (thumbs)
            Each had four babies and that made ten (fingers of both hands)
            These four babies were brown and white (fingers of one hand)
            These four babies were black as night (fingers of the other hand)
            All eight babies loved to play (wiggle fingers)
            As they rolled and rolled in the mud all day! (roll hands)

·      MORE CIRCULAR STORIES: There are many other stories from Laura Numeroff that could be read that follow the same pattern as this story.  Some examples are:

            If You Give a Moose a Muffin

            If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

            If You Take a Mouse to School

            If You Give a Pig a Party

One Page Version of “If You Give a Pig a Pancake”

If you give a pig a pancake, she’ll want some syrup to go with it.

You’ll give her some of your favourite maple syrup.

She’ll probably get all sticky, so she’ll want to take a bath.

She’ll ask you for some bubbles.

When you give her the bubbles, she’ll probably ask you for a toy.

You’ll have to find your rubber duck.

The duck will remind her of the farm where she was born. She might feel homesick and want to visit her family.

She’ll want you to come too.  She’ll look through your closet for a suitcase.

Then she’ll look under your bed.  When she’s under the bed, she’ll find your old tap shoes.

She’ll try them on.  She’ll probably need something special to wear with them.

When she’s all dressed, she’ll ask for some music.

You’ll play your very best piano piece, and she’ll start dancing.

Then she’ll want you to take her picture.  So you’ll have to get your camera.

When she sees the picture, she’ll ask you to take more.  Then she’ll want to send one of each of her friends.

You’ll have to give her some envelopes and stamps and take her to the mailbox.

On the way, she’ll see the tree in your backyard.  She’ll want to build a tree house.

So you’ll have to get her some wood, a hammer, and some nails.

When the tree house is finished, she’ll want to decorate it.  She’ll ask for wallpaper and glue.

When she hangs the wallpaper, she’ll get all sticky.

Feeling sticky will remind her of our favourite maple syrup.  She’ll probably ask you for some more. And chances are, if she asks you for some syrup, she’ll want a pancake to go with it.