The Books We Read and the Things We Did

The Books We Read and the Things We Did 

Perhaps it's obvious that a writer suddenly turned teacher would develop curriculum for preschool enrichment classes by focusing on picking a great book to read each day. Literature that complements the lesson plan, enhances the theme, engages children, sparks curiosity and discussion - and sometimes even books that I love so much that I design the day's plan around them - that's how I choose books for class. 

Here’s a semester’s worth of the books I read in my classes, and the activities we did afterwards. Storytelling and Process Art were classes which I took over at a moment's notice, which is why there's neither many entries nor are the descriptions quite as detailed. I'm still writing and teaching and having fun finding the best books for each class, so watch for this semester's list of the books we read and the things we did - coming late January 2018!

For the Storytelling class:

Penguin and Pinecone, by Salina Yoon (Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 2014) 

Hand puppets with felt tree and yarn scarf and feathery penguin with googly eyes

Puppet show

Cinnamon graham crackers

Cinnamon pinecone to take home

Hunt outside for mini pinecones

Sneezy the Snowman, by Maureen Wright & Stephen Gilpin (Two Lions 2012)

The Snowman Shuffle by Christianne C Jones & Emma Randall (Picture Window Books; Brdbk edition 2015)

Pizza Pie Snowman by Valeri Gorbachev (Holiday House 2016)

Snowman puppets with wooden snowmen on paper circles, coloured, glue to popsicle sticks

Puppet show

Snowman stickers on construction paper

Snowman snack – large and small marshmallows plus pretzel sticks

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal (Chronicle Books 2014)

Make snowglobes with small jars, water and glycerin, glitter, and mini Styrofoam balls

Puppet show

Bugs For Lunch by Margery Fackham & Sylvia Long (Charlesbridge 1999)

Insect sensory bin

Insect rubbing plates
Insects with pipecleaners, pom poms, and google eyes

Bumps on a log snack

So much fun to dig through! Snakes were the favourite

Bug Finger Puppets

Insect Rubbings

Sharks by Phillip Clarke, Peter Scott & Reuben Barrance (Usborne 2005)

Marine life sensory bin with water beads

Beach sensory bin

Shark clothespin puppets

Shark jello cups

Baby shark, doo doo, doo doo da doo

The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend & John Manders (Candlewick 2007)

Bird and nest puppets (double-half paper plate, glue on straw, pom-pom and feather birds pop up)

Puppet show

Winter Bird Puppets

Nests for Bird Puppets to Pop Out Of!

For the Process Art class:

Winter’s Rhythm by Donna Hutchison-Lang (studioWorks 2013)

Winter smells sensory bin

Cinnamon graham crackers

Clean Clouds – melt Ivory, add shredded toilet paper and water, and mix

Seriously, this stuff makes for endless fun. 

Corduroy by Don Freeman (Puffin Books 1976)

Stamp corduroy fabric glued onto corks in paint and make a pattern

Push different shapes of buttons into model magic

Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright & Stephen Gilpin (Two Lions 2012)

The Snowman Shuffle by Christianne C Jones & Emma Randall (Picture Window Books; Brdbk edition 2015)

Pizza Pie Snowman by Valeri Gorbachev (Holiday House 2016)

Paint snowman circles with Q-tips and white paint.  Let dry.  Add googly eyes, yarn scarf, and use markers for nose and mouth

Indoor Fizzy Snow – start by mixing baking soda and shaving cream on trays.  Add vinegar to make it foam partway through.

Snowman snack – large and small marshmallows plus pretzel sticks

Snowman stickers on construction paper

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal (Chronicle Books 2014)

Glue large sparkle bits to make a collage on natural wooden disks/log slices to hang at home

The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer (Dragonfly Books 1994)

Insect sensory bin

Insect rubbing plates

Butterfly art, butterflies with pipecleaners and beads

Bumps on a log snack

The Sand Castle Contest by Robert Munsch & Michael Martchenko (Cartwheel Books 2005)

Marine life sensory bin with water beads

Beach sensory bin

Seahorse painting with sponges, bubble wrap, and egg carton circles

Shark jello cups

Marine Life Sensory Trays

Water beads and animals  = fantastic

That Chickadee Feeling by Frank Glew & Marlena ad Myrna McBrien (Pmara Kutata Enterprises 2001)

Collages about “chickadee” feeling

Creative nest building

Creative Nests - messy and unique!

For the Growing Things class:

Everything is Growing  by Donna C. Hutchison-Lang & Alice P. MacKenzie (studioWorks Publishing 2018)

Discussion about the different ways in which they are growing, and what helps them grow. 

Growth chart - measure their height (take home). 

Nature wall - observe different types of seeds, pods, leaves, etc. 

Seed collage project 

Food connection/snack - make popcorn

I had no idea how much they'd love this.  I think it was the variety of seeds in different colours, sizes, shapes that engaged them.

Fresh popcorn! The crowd went crazy.

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (Little Simon 2009)

Discussion: different kinds of growing mediums - water, light, soil, compost, sand, gravel, etc. and what conditions people, animals, and plants need to survive and grow (temperature, environment, nutrition, etc).  

Sprout avocado pits 

Food connection/snack - make guacamole as part of discussion about where seeds are found, and what people do with plants once grown.    

Plant paperwhite bulbs in a pebble bed and clear container.  Water, and observe and measure the growth of roots and tops.  Keep a chart record.  Smell the flowers once they bloom.  

The Pinecone Walk by Barbara Springfield & Patti Brassard Jefferson (Halo Publishing International  2014)

Discussion: different types of cones that encase seeds, such as the different size and shapes of pinecones, sweet gum balls, and sequoia and redwoods.  Some fall to the ground and easily sprout, but some need just the right conditions – even fire! – to release their seeds.  

Watch a video of someone climbing the tallest sequoia, and a 360^ interactive shot from the top of a sequoia.   

Make and hang pinecone & suet bird feeders in the nature center.  Talk about the mix of seeds and why birds need extra food in winter, and why they need a variety of seeds.   

Food connection/snack – roasted chick peas.

Ready to make pinecone bird feeders!

Getting messy, icky, slimy, and smelly.

Ready to hang outside!

Sing a Season Song by Jane Yolen & Lisel Ashlock (Creative Editions 2015)

Discussion: parts and life cycle of plants, how and where beans and carrots usually grow, and the many ways to prepare and eat them. 

Plant bean seeds, measure their root and sprout growth, and watch buds appear, then flowers, then beans (which are both food and seeds for new plants).   

Sprout carrot tips with water and marble-based shallow container, and watch what happens. 

Food connection/snack - carrot sticks plus pretzels and hummus. 

First sprouted beans on wet paper towels to see their root growth

Then repotted in soil and watched them grow (and grow, and grow!) in a windowsill greenhouse

Good Job, Oliver by Laurel Molk (Knopf Books for Young Readers 1999)

Sylvia’s Spinach by Katherine Pryor & Anna Raff (Readers to Eaters 2014)

Discussion: Talk about the components of good soil, and what food crops can be grown in our gardens and farms nearby and what is grown elsewhere.  Talk about the soil cycle of planting, harvesting, eating, and then making compost to enrich the soil. 

Grow micro-greens in soil. Start different varieties of tomatoes in soil.   

Food connection/snack - make a simple salad with micro-greens and tomatoes and a green smoothie.

Mixing the potting soil with water to get the right mix - literally a hands-on activity (and quite satisfying)

Blending fresh green smoothies!

  

At Grandpa’s Sugar Bush by Margaret Carey & Janet Wilson (Kids Can Press 1997)

Maple Moon by Connie Brummel Crook & Scott Cameron (Fitzhenry and Whiteside 1999)

Discussion: where does maple syrup come from? How is it made? What weather conditions do sugar maples need to produce sap?  

Food connection/snack - try maple syrup on top of mini-pancakes, make maple slushies with snow and maple syrup. 

Paint sugar maple leaf outlines with liquid watercolours.

"It tastes like cupcakes and rainbows" - actual quote re: maple slushies

Tat the Herbalist Cat Works with Basil and Tat the Herbalist Cat Works With Lavender by Pamela Humphrey & Heather Doxtater (Kindle Edition 2016)

Discussion: talk about the many uses and benefits of  herbs (fresh, dried, cooking, tea, baking, flavour, smell, health supplements, medicine).

Smell and taste fresh herbs, plant chives in eggshells and take home.  

Food connection/snack:mint tea, cheddar and chive scones

Sprouting chives in eggshells - an ideal spring project!

Traveling Butterflies by Susumu Shingu (Owlkids 2015)
Glasswings: A Butterfly's Story by Elisa Kleven (Dial Books 2013)
The Reason for a Flower: A Book About Flowers, Pollen and Seeds (Explore!) by Ruth Heller
(Puffin Books 1999)
Talk about the importance of butterflies and bees to the environment, and why we need them for many reasons, including pollinating food crops.  Take home a pollinator-attracting seed packet. 

Make beeswax candles.  

Paint pictures of bees and butterflies

Food connection/snack – try different types of honey including honey comb.

I think they'd still be eating honey if they could

Finished projects - watercolour butterfly, pom pom caterpillar, beeswax candle, and seeds to plant at home!

One Bean by Anne Rockwell & Megan Halsey (Bloomsbury USA Childrens 1999)

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal (Chronicle Books 2017)

Spend the whole class time outside in the nature center.
Discuss importance of compost: feed the soil so that it can grow plants which feed us.
Work in compost into the garden bed, transplant tomatoes, beans and herbs
Paint abodes made out of terracotta pots flipped upside down, with an opening cut out, and the saucer glue on top to keep the rain out and make a little "awning" (take home)
Play in the nature center, picnic snack

Compost, created from food and garden waste, to feed the soil, so it can grow food to feed us.  A beautiful cycle.

Our tomato plants that we started from seed.  We were all quite proud.

Working in the compost and getting the garden bed ready

Over the summer our heirloom tomatoes grew like crazy - and were delicious!

Spending all morning in the nature center was blissful

Painting pots to make toad abodes

Toad abodes, ready for a shady spot in the garden, provide shelter for amphibians in both summer and winter.  Providing shelter attracts toads, which makes for a fun way to perhaps get a glimpse of occupants!

For the Spin the Globe class:

 Introduction:

First of all, it turns out that preschoolers are pretty clear about what town they live in (sometimes they know their address too).  But they've got no idea what country they live in and might at best have a tenuous grasp that we're all living on one miraculous planet: Earth.  So to introduce Spin the Globe, I started by reading the below books - which are amazing. 

Then out came a globe which, yes of course, they got to spin, and showed them the dot where they live, and next the city, region, or country of the day and how far away - or close! - it was.  How much do they retain of all this? In my view, the point is simply introducing them to basic concepts and setting a foundation and perspective for future learning.  Just that we live on a sphere-shaped planet and that there's a huge world out there full of fascinating people, art, food, music, books, plants, animals - starting to grasp that was my goal. 

Over the Ocean by Taro Gomi (Chronicle Books 2016)

This is How We Do It: One day in the Life of Seven Kids Around the World by Matt Lamothe (Chronicle Books 2017)

By request, we started each class by first pointing to where we live, and then circling round to the country or city of the day.

1. Philadelphia:  

The Life and Work of Alexander Calder by Adam Schaefer (Heinemann 2003)

Sandy’s Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee Stone & Boris Kulikov (Viking Books for Young Readers 2008)

Art - Calder sculpture – pipe cleaners, rock base, decorations (buttons, felt scraps, stickers, beads, nuts and bolts)

Snack – basic nuts & bolts – pretzel sticks and cheerios

Music – Philadelphia Chickens

Activity – Philadelphia scenes colouring pages

Calder-inspired sculptures

All of the children loved this. Some could have kept on working for hours, stacking beads, washer, and nuts onto pipecleaners.

2. New York City: 

Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg & Sandra Jordan & Robert Andrew Parker (Square Fish 2007)

Art - Jackson Pollock – marbles in a box with paint

Music – classic Broadway showtunes, New York New York video

Snack – bagel bite pizzas

Craft – watercolour skies with cityscape silhouette

Rolling marbles in paint make for vivid and unique masterpieces.

   Of course, we had a lot of "runaway marbles", which became a catch-phrase.

"RUNAWAY MARBLE!"

3. Morocco:

 The Butter Man by Elizabeth Letts & Ali Alalou & Julie Klear Essakalli (Charlesbridge 2008)

Art - zellig - tile mosaics using chipboard and glue-on geometric shapes

Snack - sfinge - doughnuts

Music – Putumayo Presents Arabic Beat

Yes, of course I served mint tea from a Moroccan tea pot - it wouldn't be the same otherwise!

Working hard at making zellige, tile mosaics

As in "real" life, artists create their own zellige patterns

4. France:

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (The Viking Press 1967)

Magrite’s Marvelous Hat by D.B. Johnson (HMH Books for Young Readers 2012)

Art - Cubism – Picasso – portraits with construction paper shapes. 

Music – Putumayo French Cafe

Snack – palmiers, mousse

Art - Impressionism – watercolour paint and paper

Finished Impressionistic watercolours, ready for framing

I've learned that liquid watercolour art is by far the most favourite medium

5. Nunavut:

Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse & Barbara Lavallee (Chronicle Books;English Language edition; 1998)

Berry Magic by Teri Sloat & Betty Huffman (Alaska Northwest Books 2004)

Art - Inuit-stylized animals with black, white and red paint on cardstock

Activity – polar animals with indoor snow on trays

Snack – akutaq (berry-flavoured sno-cones)

Craft – igloos with mini marshmallows/cups/cotton balls

Music - wooden frame drum (qilaut) played on edge with a wooden beater (qatuk) - videos

The only snag with this project was trying to get the children to not keep stacking mini-marshmallows endlessly (the towers were falling down) and to spread them out (how about around the igloo form?) without disrupting their process.

Arctic animals were placed in a "snow" sensory bin

With some things, I am steadfastly dictatorial: no penguins in an Arctic sensory bin! There are no penguins in the Arctic! Only southern South America and Antarctica.  I removed all the penguins from the "Arctic" set and kept them safe for another time.

I scheduled this class for winter, and was lucky enough to gather and freeze fresh snow for our delicious akutaq.

6. Japan:

One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Mannis & Susan Kathleen Hartung (Puffin Books 2005)

Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories by Florence Sakade & Yoshisuke Kurosaki (Tuttle Publishing 2014)

Craft: Paper koi with construction paper and iridescent overlay

Art: Ink brush and zen paper writing”

Snack: Edamame, rice crackers
Music – Miyazaki themes, Head & Shoulders in Japanese, Putuymayo Music From the Tealands

Learning to write kanji with brushes,water,  and "zen" paper

Painting koi

7. Tanzania:

We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania by Julia Cairns & Laurie Krebs (Barefoot Books 2003)

How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck: A Tale From the Akamba of Kenya by Verna Aardema & Marcia Brown (Scholastic Trade 1995)

Art -  rock art

Snack – plantain chips

Music – Putumayo Africa

Activity – savannah sensory bin

Tanzanian savannah bin.  Note that all tigers were removed from the package contents before assembling the bin. There being no tigers in Africa.

Our exploration of rock painting, an ancient tradition found round the world, including many parts of Africa, such as Tanzania.

9. Mexico:

Holy Mole!: A Folktale from Mexico by Caroline McAlister & Stefan Czernecki (August House 2006)

Adelita by Tomie dePaolo (Puffin Books; Reprint edition; 2004)

Cuckoo/Cucu: A Mexican Folktale by Lois Ehlert & Gloria de Aragon Andujar (Harcourt Children's Books 1997)

Craft – “god’s” eyes with twigs and raw yarn

Snack – tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole, mini churros

Music – Putumayo Latin Dreamland, Mexico

Art – folk art watercolours

Making "god's eyes" with natural dyed wool

Learning how to wind the wool is fun, a tactile experience, fine motor practice, eye-hand coordination, creative, and cultural.  All that!

Once you get the hang of it, it's actually soothing and almost hypnotic.  Down, around, and over, hold tight.  Repeat.

Of course, there's more than one way to wrap twigs with wool - which is great! We encourage process over product, and developing skills and creativity at our preschool.

10. Italy:

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 1979)

Papa Gatto: An Italian Fairy Tale by Ruth Sanderson (Little, Brown 1999)

The Mysterious Giant of Barletta by Tomie dePaola (HMH Books for Young Readers 1988)

Art – frescoes, Sistine Chapel scenes under the table

Music- Putamayo Classics Italian Cafe

Snack – macaroni and cheese

The children said "This is hard!" and I said, "Yes, it is! That's the point.  Think how Michaelangelo felt"  "Ohhhh."

This was great - painting frescoes on, as required for the medium, wet plaster.  But a one-time activity - producing the molds was immense work as the plaster had to be mixed and smoothed right before the children painted them. 

11. Amazon:

Jabuti the Tortoise; A Trickster Tale from the Amazon by Gerald McDermott ( HMH Books for Young Readers 2005)

Music – Brazil

Activity – rainforest sensory bin, amarelhina (hopscotch)

Snack – banana chips, dried pineapple, coconut treats

Art - tissue paper collage turtles

Rainforest sensory bin

Covering paper plate turtles with bits of tissue paper to make our own Jabutis

13. India:

Monkey: A Trickster Tale from the Amazon by Gerald McDermott (HMH Books for Young Readers Reprint edition; 2014)

Snack – Thaati (rice crackers), cookies

Music – Putumayo Classics India

Craft – diyas with chai-scented playdough and beads

Art –  sand art with lotus outlines

Activity - yoga

Chai-scented diya

Playdough plus sequins and beads? Fantastic combo

14. Tibet:

Mog in the Fog by Helen Nicoll & Jan Pienkowski (Puffin 1986)

Tibetan Tales From the Top of the World by Naomi C Rose (Dancing Dakini Press 2009)

Music – traditional singing bowls

Art - dream flags

Snack – sweet rice

Craft – stringing wooden beads

I wasn't at all sure how the children would respond to the opportunity to string beads.  Even the younger ones loved it though, and spent a good while focusing on carefully stringing bead after bead, in different sizes and colours, with any pattern or design choice entirely their own (and mysterious to observers)

17. China:

The Dragon Painter by Jon Nez & Rosie Dickins (Usborne Books; New edition; 2006)

The Empty Pot by Demi (Square Fish 1996)

The Lost Horse: A Chinese Folktale by Ed Young & Tracey Adams (HMH Books for Young Readers 2004)

Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong (Albert Whitman & Company 2017)

Activity –fireworks craft

Music – learn Gung hay fat choy – NY greeting, listen to Shanghai Orchestra Joy song

Craft – dragon puppets, rooster colouring page

Snack – fortune cookies; red envelopes with chocolate coins

Fireworks on paper!

In the midst of the process - first make a design with glue, then cover the glue with salt to make it puffy.  Drip red and gold liquid watercolours on top for the final effect!

18. Australia:

Whale’s Canoe: A Folktale from Australia by Joanna Troughton (Peter Bedrick Books 1993)

Rainbow Bird: An Aboriginal Folktale from Northern Australia by Eric Madder & Adrienne Kennaway (Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd 1996)

Art – handprint outlines, cave art with butcher paper and kangaroo, crocodile, and platypus stencils, dab outside with brown, yellow and red paint, leaving outline, use q-tips and white paint to add dots

Snack/activity – TimTams

Music – didgeridoo, Australia Songs of the Aborigines and Music of Papua New Guinea

The children sponge-painted around cardboard cutouts of Australian animals; kangaroo, platypus, crocodile and koala

Then they added white dots with Q-tips and paint, in addition to using traditional colours, as part of learning about the Aboriginal art and culture.  We used brown paper to get the effect of a cliff wall.

21. Cuba:

Rabbit Wishes: Cuban Folktales by Linda Shute (HarperCollins Publishers 1995)

The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folktale by Lucia M. Gonzalez & Lulu Delacre (Scholastic Trade 1994)

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy & Michael Austin (Turtleback Books 2014)

Snack – Goya Maria cookies, plantain chips, guava wafers, pastries.

Art – Tody bird with construction paper shapes

Craft – Ruffled Ramba Conga Shakers

Music –  Putumayo’s Latin Beat, video of Guantanomera

Making Tody birds by matching construction paper cut-outs to an outline drawing - like a puzzle, only art!

Once you've made your own ramba conga shaker, what else is there to do but shake it and dance with your friends?

A Cuban drum provided another opportunity to feel the beat