A frog in the bog

Book information:

A frog in the bog

Wilson, K. (2003). A frog in the bog. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

ISNB#: 0-689-84081-0

Book contents:

This book “A frog in the bog” by Karma Wilson is a cumulative rhyming tale that tickles your tongue and  causes the readers to snicker over the hilarious scenes.  It is about a frog on a half-sunk log that grows larger and larger as he eats more and more bugs until he realizes that the log is actually an alligator.  The surprised frog then throws up all the bugs one by one, so the bugs crowded inside the frog’s belly eventually escape to freedom. 

The reason that I choose this book for 3-5 year olds:

This book is perfect for three to five year olds age group for three reasons.  First, it uses the cumulative rhyming throughout the story. Learning to recognize rhyming pattern is an important skill for early readers.  Children in this year of ages will build a number of skills that are key to literacy, including alphabetic knowledge, phonological awareness, and concepts about print conventions (Berk, 2009). Children will be phonemically aware of the word and become familiar with it as they are listening the story. Second of all, it shows repeating patterns in both rhyming and unrhyming lines of the story. The constant repeating helps children to predict upcoming lines, and story developments which can develop their cognitive abilities.  Finally, the book is fun.  We often see children get bored and do not focus while they are listening. Yet, the hilarious scenes and unexpected incident will catch their eyes and ask their participations.  But most importantly, children love gross things!

Illustrations:

The book uses watercolour painting methods throughout, so readers can very easily find different colors of paint splashed together making beautiful scenery.  Because the illustrator did not use many colors, the illustrations could look pale, but she used bright and vivid colours for the bugs to balance it out. I think children will like these illustrations, and I definitely want to draw watercolour pictures with them because it is a great way to express soft and dreamy moods.

Provocations: water-table play

Material: water table, muddy water (add mud in the water), big alligator-shaped wooden toy, small frog stoy (if possible different sizes of frog), leaves, logs

Before I read the book to children, I am going to have water table play with children. (If it is not winter, I will take children outside where actual mud is located)   In this empty water table, I will decorate a small bog.  First I will put a big alligator-shaped wooden toy in the middle of the table and then fill the water table with muddy water until the alligator half sinks.  Next, I will float leaves and logs on the table and put small frog toys on the logs and the wooden alligator. Then, I am going to suggest children play there. While they are playing, some of them will notice the wooden toy is an alligator shape and some of them will not.  It does not matter whether they find it or not. It works both ways. Because during the reading time some of them can predict what is going to happen to frog and some of them can laugh at funny ending. Also, while they are playing, I will ask some questions to children so they can share their background knowledge with peers.  

4 ways to present the book:

1) Felt book

I am going to make a whole new book made out of cardboard and felt. 8 sheets of 12.5 inches x 17.5 inches of smooth, 1.mm thick poster cardboard will be used for each page and it will be covered with white felt for background. All the illustrations will express by felt and text will not be included on the book.  One the top of the white felt background, the felt bog will be stitched. However, I will not stitch the felt characters (bugs, an alligator, and a frog) because after the storytelling time children can freely move the characters and create a whole new story of their own. 

Because the book does not have text in, I will have to memorize the lines when I present the story in front of children.  On each part where the frog eats bugs, I am going to drag bugs into the belly of the frog, showing that bugs are in the belly of the frog. On the page before where the logs start to rise, I am going to let children wonder for a while.  There will be a great percent of possibility that children will shout out loud “I know I know!!!” because they might realize the fact (the log is actually an alligator) from the water-table play activity.

2) Matryoshka (Russia nesting) dolls

Matryoshka is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed on inside the other.  I ordered one set of five blank Matryoshka dolls online for $16. The frogs will be painted in each size with bugs on the bellies.  For coloring, I am going to use water color paints and the paint will be covered with a layer of Nitor-lacquer to preserve the colour.

I am going to start from the smallest doll to biggest doll.  First, I will stop the reading on the page where frog first eats one tiny tick and then I will take out a smallest doll from my pocket and put it in front of children.  Then I will keep read the book until the frog eats two flees. Next, I will take out second last size of the doll and put the first doll in the second one and then repeat it until frogs eat 5 snails   I will keep read the story until the part frog throws up all the bugs in order. On each part the frog throws up I will take the doll off one by one and put it on my pocket again until the smallest doll shows.

3) Singing and acting

I am going to dress like a frog and act like a frog in the book “A frog in the bog” while I sing a song. For songs, I ask my friend (Her name is Haeun and she is studying general music in UBC) to put melody on the text of the book.  The melody is very simple so children can easily sing along with it. For the clothes I am going to put green felt gloves on my hands, green felt shoes on by feet, and frog felt mask on my head.  And then, I will hang the green felt board with a string attached on my neck.  Felt bugs will stick on the felt board, so when I act, I will grab felt bugs very easily.

4) Story bags

I am going to present the by using bag filled with small miniatures.  The bag will be used for the background: a Bog. The frog puppet will be made with zipper pencil case and the bugs will be made out of cloth and cotton balls. I will buy a small alligator toy in the dollar shop.

I am going to memorize the line and preset the story without book. I am going to take miniatures one by one out as I tell the story.  The part where the frog eats the bugs I will zip up the zipper and put bugs inside the frog puppet. The children will wonder what will be in the bags.

Three possible extensions

1) Children’s participations (role play)

I am going to read book several times until children memories the storylines.  And then I will role play with them.  The green blanket will be the frog, children will be the bugs and I will the narrative. Huge blanket will be place in the middle of the room and children with printed and illuminated bug masks will get in and out the blanket as I narrate the story.

2) Game (Word rhymes puzzles)

Since it is a rhyme book, I will teach children how rhymes used in the book “A frog in the bog” by ask them to put the puzzle pieces together.  For puzzles, I am going to pint the word from the book such as frog, log, and bog with each picture on the top of indicating nouns. Next, I will laminate them and then cut them into puzzles one letter per each puzzle piece.

3) Art

I will ask children to draw a frog on the log in the middle of the bog.  The painting medium will be the watercolour paint just like the illustrations of the book “a frog in the bog.” I am expecting some of them will draw an alligator instead of a log.

A frog in the bog on PhotoPeach


The squeaky door on PhotoPeach

Little owl's night book

Srinivasan, D. (2011). Little owl’s night. New York, NY: Viking Press.
ISBN 978-0-670-01295-4

This book is about a little owl’s curiosity and adventures throughout one beautiful night. It explores, through little owl’s eyes, all the other animals that come out at night like hedgehog, skunk, turtle, beaver, raccoon, and more of our west coast animals; it also describes what they eat. It describes the sounds little owl hears throughout the night forest like the crickets who chirp and the frogs that croak. Toward the end of the book; little owl’s bedtime, little owl asks his mum how night ends; she describes how the colors of the sky change, how some flowers open and tells little owl about some of the animals who are awake during the day.
4)
I would use this book for three to five year olds because it has beautiful illustrations that small children could relate to, the story line is simple, there is not too much writing and they would not lose interest. The words as well as the images are very descriptive and it teaches children of which animals are nocturnal and diurnal; giving me the opportunity to teach children of these meanings. I find the storyline to be gender neutral; I think both boys and girls would like this book. Young children can make connections to their experiences with these animals as they are animals we are familiar with in our environment. Some descriptive words I may have to explain to children are grumbly, gnawed, rustling, hovered and gazing.
5)
The illustrations in this book are created by the author; they are very bold and descriptive. Some of the flowers show transparencies through drawing or shading. The book contains uses of different line art (trees) and shading. It looks like she may have used graphite, chalk pastels or digital blending for some of the shaded images however; she most likely used a combination of mediums for her art work; sketching the images by hand then coloring them digitally using a computer graphics program. Her illustrations are very friendly, calm and provoke wonder while perhaps attracting the child to the details; her use of drawing the animals, with their big, bright eyes makes me smile; I love their cute but somewhat realistic features; thought still fiction. I think some of her images would make children laugh and I think they would enjoy searching for the details in the background; once the book is read over and over, the smaller details can be noticed and appreciated. I also think children can relate to the images in this book as they mirror real life. I was immediately drawn to the little owl with the big, bright eyes on the cover; as I further explored the book I was very drawn to the details and how the author ‘drew sound and movement’; bringing the images to life. I find the images to be unique and creative.
6) I would build background knowledge and provoke interest for children by asking children about their walk or drive to school; what trees, animals or bugs they saw. I would ask them if they noticed what the moon looked like the night before or if they had ever seen a full moon; I could start a discussion on bats; do we ever see bats in the day? Where might they live? It could turn into a discussion of what animals we see in the daytime. I could also develop the conversation further by wondering what differences we see in the color of the sky and forest during the day and night; notice what connections are made. Provocations: I would start by taping laminated pictures of the real-life versions of the animals the author used in her story as well as hanging laminated pictures of the big, bright owl eyes around the classroom but I wouldn’t tell the children why they were there, I would just let them wonder. I would also ask children about animal sounds; if they can act out the sound an owl makes, squirrels, crickets, frogs, crows, bears, etc. I could also ask children if they knew what these animals liked to eat. I would take the children on a nature walk where we would look into the trees to see if we could see any animals or bird’s nests; while teaching the children why it is important not to disturb any nests or animals we may find. I would have the children collect a pinecone each and any materials from the walk like moss, sticks or dried leaves; (with supervision to not disturb any important habitats), to bring into the classroom; while on our walk I would play recorded animal sounds to help the children make a connection between animals and nature. (I haven’t decided whether I will tell them I am playing these noises; I may have to let them discover that).
7) Ways to present the book:
1) Audience Participation: I would gather all the children in a big circle (outside; weather permitting), after we have read the book. I would ask who would want to play each character and colors related to the story; taking turns so every child has a chance to participate if they chose to. I would have a conversation with the children about the different sounds and movements the animals made to help them feel comfortable with their role; some children may not know how to make a cricket sound in which we could discuss as a class what we want the cricket to sound like. I would narrate the story line; putting it into my own words but stating the main things little owl saw and a description of his’ and the other animal’s movements or characteristics. I would have a child pretend he or she was a tree (little owl’s tree); with one arm straight out for a branch and another child pretend they are the moon with both arms over their head like a circle. I would have the children wave colored scarves (from music prop box), around to describe the river, sky and fog. Props: Finger puppets- bear, owl, hedgehog, skunk, possum, rooster, fox, crow. Turtle (beanie baby). Rubber bats, cricket and frogs. Scarves- dark blue, red, orange and light blue for sky (and river) and a lavender/grey piece of a sheer curtain for the fog.
2) Story Basket: I would have the children sit in a ‘U’ shape facing the stage as I set up. I would place my basket in front of the children with a sheet covering the top the entire time; to provoke wonder. Inside the basket I would prepare my story with the beginning characters and objects at the top and the end ones at the bottom so the story can flow. I wouldn’t use every character from the story but definitely the ones I found were most important. At the top of my basket I would have a small tin of sparkles that I would place openly behind the basket for later use; I would have a black sheet to lay down as the stage but also for the children to imagine is the dark forest and sky. I would use the same finger puppets as I used for the ‘audience participation’ story (a way to save money). When I first read this story, I felt very calm; this is the atmosphere I would try to create using a very calm tone of voice. I would put emphasis on the descriptive words the author chose as I believe this can teach children of connections between these words and the characters movements. I would have the characters move off and around the stage to give the story some life. I would use a sheer curtain for the fog and I would act out how ‘the fog hovered just over head’. Toward the end, I would sprinkle a tiny bit of the previously hidden glitter over the stage when mama is describing the dewdrops falling like stars. I would use my colored scarves (from prop box) to dance in front of the scene, describing how the sky changes color from dusk to dawn, then I would place a cardboard or wooden stand; covered in a light blue sheet, behind the scene to represent the day sky when little owl falls asleep. (When cleaning up the story pieces, I would do it neatly as to teach the children a lesson that all pieces are to be taken care of and placed back into their basket when finished playing). Props: Deep, square, wicker basket with handles; for story basket, a sheet to cover the basket throughout the story, finger puppets: snail, owl, hedgehog, skunk, turtle (beanie baby), beaver, bear, raccoon, fox, rooster, rubber cricket, frog, a fake small tree, fake mushrooms and purple and white flowers. Piece of wood that looks like a sawed off tree trunk, acorns, stick of wood with chunk missing. Scarves blue, red, orange. Wooden or cardboard stand; covered in light blue sheet, and small tin of glitter.
3) Felt Board: I would first read the book with the children then have the children sit in front of me so everyone can see, I would place my black felt board in front of my body and have all my characters lain out behind the board so the children cannot see. I would start placing little felt stars on the top of the felt board to stay there throughout most of the story then I would start telling the story. I would place little owl in the sky and describe his wonderful night; all the animals he saw and had a visit with; as he flies on and above the felt board. I would then place a piece of green felt on the bottom of the board and a few berries above, I would have the skunk waddle in and eat the berries; I would make munching noises with the skunk and have the berries disappear into my hand. As raccoon and little owl would sit together; I would have a grey strip of felt (fog) wave in and stick just above them. I would then place a tree with a branch on the board and a moon behind it; owl would fly in and perch on his branch, I would describe the colors of the sky changing; placing a piece of dark blue felt on the board then red bellow then orange. I would take a large piece of light blue felt to cover all the colors and switch an ‘awaken owl’ for a fast asleep one. (Once again telling the story in my own words and giving the characters ‘life’). Props: Black felt board (ordered through Barb), Little owl felt characters (one fast asleep, one awake and perched), two possums (one mama, one baby), skunk, berries (hole punched red felt), raccoon, fox, grey moon, brown tree with green leaves, green felt piece for grass, grey strip of felt for fog, 3 grey stars, sand paper for backs of all pieces, dark blue, red and orange strips of felt and one large light blue one for the day sky. I had a look on the ‘3H Craftworks’ webpage but they don’t have the ‘little owl’s night’ felt story; I will have to make the pieces; I will either trace the animals and cut them out and assemble details or print the characters onto a t-shirt decal then iron them onto felt.
4) Clothes Line/ ‘story vine’: I would start by tying a piece of rope to two areas of the classroom or I would have two teachers hold either end. I would wear an apron with pockets to hold my pictures and clothes pins and I would tell the story, placing the characters and scenes from the children’s left to right but still trying to ‘bring them to life’. (All of my pictures would be laminated and I would use clothes pins to attach them to the rope as I told the story). I would first pin a picture of the cover of the book to the clothes line (my right, their left). I would then take little owl and have him fly in and around before I pinned him to the rope, then the other animals little owl saw; leaving little owl by the cover as if he was watching all the animals. I would use a piece of sheer, curtain to wave in front of the characters like fog (when finished I would put the curtain back in my apron). I would then narrate that the sky is beginning to lighten and it is almost little owl’s bedtime as little owl flies away, I would take a blue, then red, then orange scarf and wave them in front of the characters (attaching them to my apron when finished). All laminated pictures would have to be organized in my apron and labeled on the back so I could tell what is where. After presenting all the stories I create, I would allow children explore the pieces on their own.
Props: Rope (preferably died dark blue or black to light blue to mark the beginning and end of the story line; night to day). Little owl awake, little owl sleeping, two possums, hedgehog, mushroom, berry tree, skunk, raccoon, sleeping bear, fox, rooster (all laminated images may be scenes rather than only characters), apron, dark blue, red, orange and light blue scarves (sky), grey scarf (fog).
Pages to stop and wonder with children (what to wonder and why)
When owl is watching the possum family, I would stop and wonder with the children of where the possum family might be going (encouraging all their ideas). When skunk is eating berries because he couldn’t find any snails; even though there are snails slithering behind him, I would stop and wonder if the snails are hiding from skunk. On the twelfth page there is a picture of a large wing but no explanation of why it is there, to me it looks like it could be little owl’s mama flying close by but I would stop and wonder with the children of who they think the wing belongs to. When the sky is beginning to lighten and change colors, I may stop and wonder what color the sky will turn into. I would prepare to ‘chunk’ the book on page fourteen where I would wonder who could be sleeping in the grumbly cave. I would chunk the book here because there is a bear’s foot sticking out of the cave as a hint but some children may not see this, striking up a conversation; little owl does say “wake up bear, don’t sleep all night” in which I just wouldn’t say ‘bear’; leaving it open. On page sixteen I have covered the bear with paper, so we can continue to wonder who is sleeping until I reveille it.
8)
1) Extensions: With the items gathered from our nature walk; moss, sticks, pinecones etc. (provocation). I would have the children, as a group, create an owl’s nest; we could bunch all the materials together; using glue where necessary. Using the pinecones each child collected, we could individually create our little owls to place in the nest. The owls could have a triangular, orange, felt nose, big googly eyes and two small feathers to stick to the back for wings.
2) As another extension, I would teach the children an owl song we could sing as a group called; “Be like an owl” (sung to London bridge)
Flap your wings and fly around, fly around, fly around
Flap your wings and fly around, just like an owl.
Open your eyes big and wide, big and wide, big and wide,
Open your eyes big and wide, just like an owl.
Land on the ground and hop along, hop along, hop along,
Land on the ground and hop along, just like an owl.
Turn your head and say “Hoo! Hoo!”
Say “Hoo! Hoo!”
Say “Hoo! Hoo!”
Turn your head and say “Hoo! Hoo!” just like an owl.
I like this song because it is fun and can teach children of an owl’s characteristics; children can act these out.

3) Discussion: the book could lead to a wide discussion of nocturnal vs. diurnal animals (scientific words) and what this means. We could wonder which animals we think, through our experiences are day time or night time animals and why. I could use a book that tells us about these differences and we could compare our thoughts and reasons; children could make connections between their experiences and what they have learnt. I would also take the laminated photos of the real life animals from the story book and compare them with the author/illustrator’s animated versions; children could make more connections.
One more activity I think would be fun would be to bring in non-decorated cupcakes and vanilla icing; we could color the icing with the children (to the colors of little owl) and we could decorate little owl’s face on the cupcakes. This could also be done using fruits; for a healthier choice. An orange could be sliced into an oval for the owl’s head, strawberries sliced thin for the feathers, green apple slices for the outer part of the eyes, kiwi slices for the inner parts of the eyes and a diamond pineapple chunk for the nose. (All items would have to be prepped before-hand for safety purposes; children could then just assemble their fruit owl faces).
Little owl's night book on PhotoPeach

The rainbow fish

Pfister, M. (1996). The Rainbow Fish. New York: North-South Books Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-55858-536-2

Description:  This books main idea is about sharing and the joys of sharing. It is about a young fish with many beautiful scales named Rainbow fish. One day when he was swimming in the sea a blue fish asked him for a shiny scale and he said no. He would wonder why he was alone. He asked starfish and she told him to go to see octopus as she was wise. When he went to see octopus she advised him to share his scales. The little blue fish came and asked Rainbow fish for a beautiful shiny scale. In the end Rainbow fish shared his shiny scales and they all became friends.

Why use it for 3-5 year olds?

I would use this book for three to five year olds because of the lovely illustrations on each page. This book would be a really good idea to use to bring a simple idea of sharing between the children. I also chose this book because it was one of my favorite books as a child. It is also be good because of how it is calming. Also the shiny scales and the bright colors can be an eye attractor which would keep the children interested in the book.

Illustrations: The drawings in the book are hand drawn and colored with pencil crayon and then done with water colors. It gives of a calming feeling which is really nice to calm the children down. The way the pictures are colored they are made to catch the attention of the children and with the shiny scales and the colors it attracts them even more. When I was younger I was mainly attracted to the scales because they were shiny and how it worked well with the colors in the book. Even now much older I am still attracted to the book for the same reasons.

Provocations: 

·      If the children have ever been to the aquarium with their family. They can connect the story to fish they might have seen.

·      Have a board on the wall with rainbow fish and all of his shiny scales. Then day by day bring out one fish and put one scale on him on a daily basis.

·      Story rocks of the characters in the play area and see what the children make out of them.

·      Tell the story if a new child to the center is unable to make friends and wants to try.

 Presentation: 

-Role play

·      Elastic head bands

·      Printed rainbow fish with removable shiny scales

·      1 starfish

·      1 octopus

·      Many colored fish

Have a child be rainbow fish, one star fish, one octopus, and the others as the blue fish. They can act out each role at the end of the story rainbow fish can share his shiny scales with his friends.

­- Felt board

·      Felt board

·      Felt pieces (images can be printed and ironed onto felt)

·      One rainbow fish with all of his shiny scales and one with only one shiny scale.

·      One octopus

·      One star fish

·      A bunch of different colored fish

Have the felt board at an angle and have all the pieces prepped in the order at which the story is going to be told.

-Magnet Story

·      Baking sheet painted as if it were under the sea. And the second side painted where the octopus is.

·      One rainbow fish with removable scales

·      One octopus

·      One star fish

·      Many different colored fish

Have the sheet at an angle and have all the pieces ready and in the order of how which the story will be told.

-Story blanket

·      One large blue blanket for the underwater theme

·      Fake seaweed, rocks caves Etc.

·      Toy starfish, octopus, rainbow fish and the different colored fish.

Have the blanket placed on the floor with the accessories to make it look like it’s underwater. And act out the story.

Wonder:

-I would stop and wonder at the page 3 how the blue fish felt when rainbow fish did not give him a shiny scale.

-I would stop and wonder how rainbow fish felt when he did not have any friends.

Extensions:

-I would bring in a real fish to class where the children can feed and take care of the fish and explore it up close and I can have a magnifying glass so when the fish is near they can see the scales even bigger.

- At an art table I will place a bunch of the fish templates where the children can cut and color them. For the shiny scales they can put glue where they want and sprinkle some sparkles for the shiny scales.

-At circle time we can sing the song tuna fish…and that can bring us into exploring different types of fish and that not all the fish are the same. Maybe this can lead to a trip to the aquarium for the children?

The rainbow fish on PhotoPeach

That's not my sister

Bently, P. (2008). That’s Not My Sister!. United Kingdom: Parragon.

ISBN 987-1-4075-0876-4

Manny and Molly are brother and sister young moose. Molly suggested playing a game of “Hide and Seek”. Manny will count to twenty while Molly hides. During his search he met many other forest animals who tried to help him find his sister. It took a while for him to finally find her. When he found her they switched roles and he ran off to hide so that she and the other animals would look for him.

This book is suitable for three to five year olds because the children would know about hide and seek. Also, the pictures are very lovely and have pretty colors. Another attractive feature is the fold out pages that children of these ages would love to open. This activity would involve the children and make them part of the story telling rather than being passive listeners.

The illustrations are mainly done in water colors and colored pencils. These techniques create a comfortable and gentle mood which would encourage the children to be drawn in and want to be interested in the story. Each animal in the story is shown to be unique characters. Their facial and body expressions could help the children know what is going on in each particular moment. I was mainly attracted to this book because of the simple and gentle illustrations. There are no sharp lines and great attention given to details.

I would show the children the book and tell them what it is about. Next I would ask them who has a sister or brother. Then I will ask them who knows what hide and seek is. Then maybe I would have them play a short game of hide and seek. After the game I would ask them what their favorite animal is. Another activity could be to bring pictures of the animals in the story, tell the children their names so the children would have a better familiarity with the characters in the book.

Four Ways to Presentation:

1)    A Felt Board Bag

n  I followed simple directions to make a portable felt board. http://mayamade.blogspot.com/2010/08/summer-camp-castle-peeps-diy-travel.html

Using small pieces of felt I cut out the animal’s shapes and also their hiding places. I will go through the story placing the characters (boy moose, girl moose, grandpa moose, hare, owl, beaver, bear and porcupine), two trees, a pile of logs, an outline of a cave, and a pile of leaves on the board.

2)    Shadow Theater

n  To create this, I will use a very thin cardboard box. I will cut out a frame. This will be my stage. Then I will decorate the outer edges to create the appearance of curtains. The next step will be to attach a piece of clear plastic to the frame, behind which the action of the story will be shown. Lastly, the characters will be cut out from heavy black paper. Each animal will have a hole into which I will insert a wooden chopstick. I will act out story moving the characters by the stick.

3)    Can Story

n  Another method of presenting the story will be to use recycled pop cans. The cans will be washed and covered with colored paper decorated with each character. I will act out the story using the cans.

4)    Hair Bands Story

n  I would use this method after at least one of the above presentations. I will make hair bands with the head of each character glued to the hair band. The children would then act out the story. Once the original story has been told they would then tell it their way.

Three Possible Extensions:

1)    Hide and Seek

n  Once they are familiar with the story one way of extending it is to have a game of “Hide and Seek”. The first step would be to show them a short video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHtQRQ3C-8M) that shows through music how the game is played. Then I would ask them who knows how to play the game. I would ask the ones who know to help the ones who don’t know. Everybody would go outside to a back yard or playground and then I would divide the children into small groups and limit both the time and the area of the game. The story would probably become very vivid in their minds.

2)    Familiar with Animals

n  Use the felt board or real pictures of animals in order for them to identify each animal in the story then they will put the felt animal on the felt board. Another activity would be to ask them to tell me and the other children about the places and things such as the pile of leaves, the cave, the pile of logs and the actions of the animals’ actions such as crying sneezing in the story book as well. At the same time, I would have pictures of the real habitats of each animal and ask them where the animals actually live; for example, does Beaver live under a pile of logs or in a pond?

3)    Coloring

n  The final extension would be to cut out the animal’s shapes and have the children color them. The animals could be whatever color the children desire. Once the shapes are colored I would give the children the ears and tails to attach with glue. They could take their animals home. 

That's not my sister on PhotoPeach

The little hummingbird

Yahgulanaas, N, M.(2010). The little hummingbird. Greystone Books.
ISBN : 978-1-55365-533-6
The little hummingbird is such an insignificant animal in the forest. One day the forest was on fire. All the creatures fled away from their homes except a little hummingbird. She picked up a single drop of water from a lake nearby in her beak and dropped the water off onto the ferocious fire. She continued to fly back and forth between the lake and the forest without any complaining. All the other animals wondered what the tiny bird was doing. The little hummingbird replied, “ I am doing everything I can.”
This book tells a parable with origins among indigenous people of South American. I like to read this book for 3-5 years old children because the story is simple ,easy to understand but its meaning is significant. The story encourages every one to take responsibility to protect the environment.
The book is painted by renowned artist Michal Nicoll Yahgulanaas, who has a unique Haida Manga style. It is a hardcover book and is printed on durable thick paper. The story of the book evokes questions about why the tiny hummingbird is willing to take such a huge responsibility. After reading the book, I hope children can identify themselves with the tiny bird and appreciate every little right action they can do. I think children will enjoy the book because the content of the story is attractive and all the animals are painted in a distinct style. I was drawn to the book after I read story about Nobel Peace Prize Laureat Wangari Maathai who is a real life little hummingbird . Her action has inspired millions of people in Kenya to protect the environment.

Provocation:
I will print out the little hummingbird picture and tape it on the wall. I would not say anything for a few days, just observe children’s reaction. The other provocation is to praise a child for doing a good thing by giving him/her a little hummingbird card. Children will relate good actions to the hummingbird card, it will help them to understand the parable of the book.

Four ways to present:
1) Box Sets
I have painted story pictures on three sides of each box. There are 4 boxes in total. I will start telling the story from the biggest one .Then I pull the medium size box out and pile it on top of the biggest one ,I will continue to tell the story till I talk about all the pictures on the smallest box. When the story is finished , I will pile up all the boxes with the bottom sides facing the audience .On these sides a totem pole is painted.
2) Felt Story
Felt board (black)
Felt characters: I will make felt images of the characters in the book : hummingbird, elephant, beaver, frog, birds, squirrel, rabbit, wolf, owl, bear.
3) Storyvine
I will draw or scan pictures on white paper and laminate all the characters so that they can be clipped to a clothes line. I choose this method because I think this story is good to present out of doors, in the woods or forest . Children will then have a real experience connected to the story.
4)To tell the story
I will tell the story with the book and meanwhile play for the children some sounds like the noise of fire cracking and animals running etc. I can give each child a piece of paper to crumple like fire cracking and instruct them to pat on the ground to make the sound of animal running. After I read that “all the animals huddled at the edge of the forest and watched. All except for one.” I will set the book aside and ask, “Who is that one and what is she doing?” I hope the image of the tiny bird will cause sharp contrast to the superhero that children might have. Later children will realize that if they take responsibility , they also can do extraordinary things.

Three possible extensions:
1) Create a book called “I am a little hummingbird.” Children can draw pictures about what things they can do or let others take photos about them. It will encourage children to take responsibility and be proud of doing little things.
2) Field trip to Aboriginal Museum . Children may wonder about the images on a totem pole. The trip will expand their understanding of Native culture and art . We also can build our own totem pole by using various materials.
3) Discuss the end of the story and talk about story of Laureat, a “little hummingbird” in real life. Encourage the children to make their own special thank-you card and mail it to Laureat.
The little hummingbird on PhotoPeach

Dear Bunny

Morgan, M. (2006). Dear Bunny. United Kingdom:  The Chicken House.

ISBN 043974833X

This is a sweet and kind bunny love story. The two shy bunnies live across the hill from one other and wish to meet so they decide to write a letter to each other and put it in the hollow log for the other one to find; eagerly they await the others reply. One bunny even adds some leaves and petals for the other bunny to munch on. Meanwhile the weather turns to rain and a family of mice are getting very wet in their nest so they go looking for a warm, dry place to rest. They come across the hollow log and discover it is the perfect place to make a cozy new shelter. They tear and chomp the letters as well as use the leaves and petals to make a delightful nest. When the rain finally stops the two bunnies are saddened to find no reply to their letters in the hollow log. The mice realize they have torn up the letters to make their nest and decide to solve the problem by pieces together one final message for the bunnies. When the two bunnies read the message they are full of joy and love for each other and a somewhat difficult situation is pleasantly resolved.

I want to share this book with 3-5 year olds because I find it warm and inviting. When I opened the front cover I found an exquisite page of what looks like handmade paper infused with natural plants and fibres. It reminded me of how much I love the feel and beauty of handmade paper. The ink colours throughout the book are gentle but vibrant with depth added to the images through shadows and “textures”. The book has a scrap book effect created from small cut out pieces of plants and flowers pasted about. The illustrator has outlined her cartoon style drawings in black pen and created adorable animal characters with faces that express a variety of feelings and emotions that children can readily relate to within their own friendships and relationships. The author uses a simple yet descriptive style of writing including making some words come to life such as the sound of the rain and keeps the story at a length children can fully engage. I appreciate that the story presents children with the rich language of kindness and love in an accessible tale (no pun intended) as they connect parallels to their natural environment through elements of weather, seasons and the animals that call it home.

To provoke interest around the story I would wear my regular clothing but also wear bunny ears. Appealing to their sense of wonder, the children would notice the change in my usual appearance and question as to why I am dressed up like a bunny. I would also do some bunny things like hop to the book shelf or eat a carrot at snack to get them thinking like bunnies and raise their interest. I may even write a letter.

Ways of presenting the book:

1.     Clay story-I would have plain clay already split into pieces roughly the size for each object needed to create throughout the story and place them around the table. I would then begin to tell the story at the same time shaping the clay into the characters and objects. These clay images would be created in a very simplistic and representational way and would act out the story. In this way each time the story was done the objects would look somewhat unique and it would be fun to have the children give ideas as to how they could look. The clay can be purchased from Opus Art Supplies.

2.     Paint a story-I would have an easel and enough large pieces of paper to flip for each scene (about 15). I would use large bull clips at the top to secure the papers but still be able to flip them up and over the top after painting each scene. I would need colours of paint ready and mixed in clear jars (light grey, green, purple, brown, dark grey, blue, pink, yellow, and black) and various sized paint brushes. I would paint very simple images to represent each scene in the story as I tell it and then flip the paper to start the next one. The easel can be purchased from Ikea, the bull clips from Staples and the other craft items can be purchased from Michaels.

3.     Shadow box story-I would create a shadow box with a cardboard box and parchment paper and then create the silhouettes of the characters and objects in construction paper covered with mactac paper and attach them to skewers. I would darken the room and have a lamp shining from behind to illuminate the screen as I performed the story. The craft items can be purchased from Michaels, the parchment paper and cardboard box from a grocery store and a lamp from Canadian Tire.    

4.     Visual acting-I would collect all the props to tell the story (2 stuffed animal bunnies, 3 small pieces of paper, 2 feathers for pens, a hollow birch bark log, fake and real flower petals, fake and real leaves, 5 cat toy mice, a rainstick for the rain sounds, a little nest made of raffia and moss. The craft items and bunnies can be purchased from Michaels, the hollow birch bark log, real flower petals and real leaves I collected from the forest, the rainstick I made in class and the mice from a pet store,

5.     Audio recorded-I would have a couple of people use animated voices to read as a character from the book and play various recorded sounds such as rain, mice squeaking, etc. while I recorded it. I would then burn it onto a CD to play for the children either just for listening or even along with turning the pages of the book. The sounds can be purchased from itunes and the CD and recorder from Staples.

6.     Interactive drama and self watching-I would have 2 sets of bunny ears, 2 feathers, 3 large pieces of paper, 2 feathers for pens, a play tunnel for a hollow log, fake flower petals, fake leaves, about 3 sets of mouse ears (adapted from bunny ears), rainstick for the rain sounds, a cardboard box for a nest.  Then video them performing the story so they can experience the acting out and then watch themselves doing it on the video. The craft items can be purchased from Michaels, the bunny ears from a dollar store near Easter time, I made the rainstick in class, Ikea for the play tunnel and Future shop for a box and camera to video.

During the reading of the story I would stop when the mice are trying to find a new shelter to keep them dry and wonder where a mouse might find shelter. This way the children could imagine being a mouse and think of places they might hide. I would again stop and wonder when the mice realize they have torn up the letters and the bunnies are very sad. This way the children can think of some solutions to the problem and empathize with their emotions.  I wonder what they are going to do? I would not chunk this book because it is not very long and there isn’t really an appropriate place to stop as it would be too close to the end of the story.

Expanding from the story:

1.     Making paper – Inspired by the background illustration from the story as well as the process of writing letters on paper. Making paper is a very interesting and easy method. First collect scraps of paper from the recycling, etc and have the children rip it into small pieces. Add warm water to a large rectangular tub and add the torn paper. The children will really enjoy mashing and squishing the paper until it is all soft and mixed together. Next use window screens or paper making screens and dip them under the floating mush, then pull up and let the water drip through the mesh until you are left with a thin layer of the mixture covering the screen and put the screen on top of a towel near heat or in the sunshine to dry. They will have to dry overnight. The next day peel the newly made paper of the mesh and use to make books or letters.  The children will learn about recycled paper and have hands on experience.

2.     Investigating mice and where they live - How do they stay dry and what do they use to make their nests? Watch short video clip of a real mouse snoring. Have books about real mice and their lives available around the classroom. Take a nature walk outside to areas where mice live and take pictures of what we think would make a good nest. The children can imagine they are little mice getting curled up in their warm, cosy, nests for nap time while playing some gentle rain sounds.

3.     Real animal discovery - Take the children to the petting zoo to feel bunnies, listen to their sounds and see them hop or have a pet mouse in the classroom.

Dear bunny on PhotoPeach

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
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