Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Rodeo Reading Roundup!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Houston Rodeo is upon us, so it's time to check out some books about cows, farms and cowpokes!

Click, Clack, Moo:  Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
When Farmer Brown's cows find a typewriter in the barn, they start making demands and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want!



Barn Dance by Pat Hutchins
After Horse, Sheep, and Pig dance until they must lie down to rest, their little ones sneak out to continue the party.



Cowboy Bunnies by Christine Loomis
Little bunnies spend their day pretending to be cowboys: riding their ponies, mending fences, counting cows, eating chow, and singing cowboy tunes until it is time for bed.



Action Song:  "I'm a Little Cowpoke"
Sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"

I'm a little cowpoke, here is my hat
Here are my spurs and here are my chaps
As soon as I wake up, I work all day
Get on my horse and ride away!

"Old MacDonald Had a Farm"

Old MacDonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on this farm he had some chickens
E-I-E-I-O
With a cluck, cluck here
And a cluck, cluck there
Here a cluck, there a cluck
Everywhere a cluck, cluck
Old MacDonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O

We sang several verses, and the children supplied the ideas for other animals on the farm, including pigs, horses, and even elephants and lions!  That's quite an exotic farm, Old MacDonald!

What does every cowpoke need?  A horse, of course!
You can make your own at home by tracing your shoeprint for the face,
then adding a neck and two triangles for the ears.  Cut some yarn for a
fabulous mane, use a black crayon for the nostrils and add googley eyes...
Thanks to the afternoon kiddos for the idea of adding a mustache to my creation!


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

And To All a Good Night!

February 20, 2013

I am feeling sleepy.  Time to snuggle up and read!

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
Parent and child ponder the different ways a dinosaur can say goodnight, from slamming his tail and pouting to giving a big hug and kiss.



Little Quack's Bedtime by Lauren Thompson
A mother duck tries to persuade her five ducklings to go to sleep on a dark night. Day is done. But there's blinking, hooting, and swaying in the night that's keeping everyone awake! Mama wants to know when it will finally be BEDTIME?


Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! by Mo Willems
Needing to brush his teeth, the narrator asks the reader to make sure that the pigeon goes to bed on time--but the bird has many excuses about why it should stay awake.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
A little bunny bids goodnight to all the objects in his room before falling asleep.



"Big, Yellow Moon" Action Rhyme:

Big, yellow moon shines so bright
Glides across the starry night
Looks down at me asleep in bed,
Whispers, "Goodnight, sleepyhead."
Big, yellow moon your turn is done
Here comes Mr. Morning Sun
I wape up, you go to bed
"Sleep well, Moon, you sleepyhead."

"Dance Your Fingers" Fingerplay:

Dance your fingers up, dance your fingers down
Dance your fingers to the side, dance them all around
Dance them on your shoulders, dance them on your head
Dance them on your tummy, and put them all to bed

"Ten in the Bed" Song:

There were ten in the bed, and the little one said,
"Roll over!  Roll over!"
And they all rolled over, and one fell out!

There were nine in the bed...

(Repeat until)

There was one in the bed, and the little one said,
"Good night!"

 
For our craft today, we made our very own Goodnight Moons!
Check out the awesome craters.  What's our secret?
Macaroni glued to the paper plates before we added aluminum foil!






Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Hugs and Kisses

February 13, 2013

In honor of Valentine's Day, we read storybooks about hugs and kisses...

I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy
Various animals tell how they saw, fed, sang to, tickled, and kissed the new duckling.




Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
How many kisses does a tired baby need to change her from crying into sleeping?




Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine by Sarah Weeks
Weeks takes readers on a tour of the animal kingdom showing them what each of the animals might give his or her sweetheart on Valentine's Day.



How Do You Hug a Porcupine? by Laurie Isop
A child figures out the best way to hug a porcupine as he watches his friends hug other animals.

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
During a bedtime game, every time Little Nutbrown Hare demonstrates how much he loves his father, Big Nutbrown Hare gently shows him that the love is returned even more.


Valentine Fingerplay:
My heart goes thump, thump, thump
And my feet go jump, jump, jump
When I see you!
Do you know why
My heart goes thump, thump, thump
And my feet go jump, jump, jump?
It's because...
I love you!

Silly Song:  "A Ram Sam Sam"

Arms up high, reach for the sky
Come and sing along to this silly, silly Ram Sam Song

A Ram Sam Sam, A Ram Sam Sam
Gooley gooley gooley gooley
Ram Sam Sam
A Ram Sam Sam, A Ram Sam Sam
Gooley gooley gooley gooley
Ram Sam Sam
A ravi, A ravi
Gooley gooley gooley gooley gooley
Ram Sam Sam
A ravi, A ravi
Gooley gooley gooley gooley gooley
Ram Sam Sam

Arms up high, reach for the sky
If you want to be a Ram Sam Master
You've got to go a little faster

(Pick up the pace and repeat several times)

You're A Ram Sam Master!


Valentine Fish are fun to make with just a few hearts cut out of paper! 
You can add a magnet, or...


Use your fish to create a Valentine Card for someone special! 
Let them know they are a "great catch" who has you "hooked." 


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Double Take

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

This morning we had a fabulous storyteller WOW us with music, song and story.  He told us some traditional African tales and taught us several songs and movement games!  Shay Shay Koolay!  Thank you, Baba Alafia.

In the afternoon, our books were all very special because they taught us to look at something more than once!  Sometimes the same word can have more than one meaning...  Or a shape can make more than one picture if we use our imaginations!

Rrralph by Lois Ehlert
The narrator describes discovering how Ralph the dog can talk, appropriately saying words such as "roof," "rough," "bark," and "wolf."



Dear Deer by Gene Barretta
When clever Aunt Ant moves to the zoo, she describes the quirky animal behavior she observes by speaking in homophones, from the moose who loved mousse to the fox who blew blue bubbles.


Duck!  Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Is it a duck or a rabbit? Depends on how you look at it! A smart, simple story that will make readers of all ages eager to take a side, Duck! Rabbit! makes it easy to agree on one thing, reading it again!


My Five Pets Fingerplay:

I have five pets I'd like you to meet;
They live with me on Mulberry Street.
This is my chicken, the smallest of all,
He comes running whenever I call.
This is my duckling who says, "Quack, quack,"
As she shakes the water off her back.
This is my rabbit, he runs from his pen,
Then I must put him in again.
This is my kitten, her coat is black and white,
She loves to sleep on my plilow at night.
And this is my puppy who has lots of fun,
He chases the others and makes them run!

"Shay Shay Koolay" Action Song:

Shay Shay Koolay
Shay Kofisa
Kifisa Langa
Kaka Shilanga
Kum Aden Day
Kum Aden Day
Kum Aden Day
Hey!


Based on the Duck! Rabbit! book, we created a DUCK...
And a RABBIT for craft time!