Here's what we did at the library today:
Everyone gathered as we sang to a tape of the song, "The more we get together (the happier we'll be)."
We talked to Tony the Monkey puppet (who hates snow because he lives in hot, tropical weather) and sang Tony's song:
Toe-knee-chest-nut (point to various body parts as you sing, head=nut)
Nose-eye-love (hug self) you (point out)
Toe-knee-nose, Toe-knee-nose
Toe-knee-chest-nut (point to various body parts as you sing, head=nut)
Nose-eye-love (hug self) you (point out)
That's what Toe-knee-nose
If you have trouble with homonyms, here's another more meaningful version:
Tony Chestnut
knows I love
Tony knows, Tony knows
Tony Chestnut
knows I love
That's what Tony knows.
Arianna is wild over that little puppet and she loves the song.
Then we did Ring around the Rosy:
Ring around the rosy
A pocketful of posy
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.
The (cows, hippos, horses, whatever the kids say) are in the middle
Lying down and sleeping (head on floor, asleep, although sometimes we hear some animal noises!)
It's raining, it's pouring (drum hands on the floor quickly)
They all jump up (jump up).
Repeat with various animals.
We have a special fingerplay to help us get ready to listen to a story:
Open them (open hands), close them (close hands)
Open them (open hands), close them (close hands)
Give a little clap.
Open them (open hands), close them (close hands)
Open them (open hands), close them (close hands)
Put them in your lap.
Creep them, creep them, right up to your chin.
Open up your mouth, but do not let them in!
There's another verse I can't remember and we learned it as shut them instead of close them.
The librarian read a book called, "My nose, your nose." Nice little multicultural book about how we may look differently but we are also the same in many ways too.
She taught us a new song:
Laugh a little, laugh a little, ha ha ha
Sing a little, sing a little, la la la
Dance a little, dance a little, tap tap tap
Spin a little, spin a little, clap clap clap
One more verse, and then Rest a little, rest a little
I need to take notes or something, my memory is shot!
She read another story about an elephant's nose.
We did a fingerplay about elephants:
An elephant goes like this and that (stomp feet)
He's terribly wide (Use arms out at side)
And terribly fat (same)
He has no fingers (closed fists)
He had no toes (wiggle feet)
BUT, goodness gracious WHAT A NOSE!!!! (pretend arm is a trunk in front of nose)
She passed out colored shapes to each child (circle, square, rectangle, triangle).
She held up a large cut out of each shape and asked the children to come up and give her their shape if it matched hers. She introduced the heart shape for Valentine's Day.
Then we did an optional arts and crafts activity with shapes. We each took a sentence strip and some cut out shapes and glued them onto the strip, stapled the strip and made a headband of cutout shapes. We were given the option to take the materials home and do it there.
She also had handouts to make a shape mobile
www.storyplace.org/preschool/activities/shapestakehome.asp?themeid=9
and an adorable valentine's elephant: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/melephant.htm
Last week, we didn't have an individual craft project, the children were given crayons and all helped color a playhouse made from a large box. We also ended with ring around the rosy and gave Tony hugs goodbye. The songs and fingerplays went along with the Three Bears book (Peas Porridge Hot) and another book about a mother and her three cubs.
Pease Porridge Hot
Pease porridge hot; (slap knees, clap hands together, slap partner's hand)
Pease porridge cold; (repeat action above)
Pease porridge in the pot (slap knees, clap hands together, slap partner's right hand with your right hand, clap hands together)
Nine days old. (Slap partner's left hand with your left hand, clap hands together, slap partner's hands)
Some like it hot; (repeat directions)
Some like it cold; (repeat directions)
Some like it in the pot
Nine days old.
"Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear"
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Turn around. (twirl slowly with arms out to side)
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Touch the ground. (touch ground)
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Show your shoes. (point toe forward)
Teddy bear, teddy bear
That will do.
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Go up stairs. (pretend to climb stairs)
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Say your prayers.
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Turn out the light. (pretend to turn out the light)
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Say good-night! (rest head on hands and pretend to go to sleep)
There is a program on Tuesdays, but it is led by a different person and Andrew really hated it. I think we'll stick to Fridays.
Was this totally boring to read? We had a blast and I thought the activities were fun and appropriate.
Rebecca