Thursday, March 22, 2012

Pre-K March 22, 2012 Spring!

Today we celebrated Spring!  It's a little less climatic here in Arizona (where we don't really have winter), but we still do get to enjoy the weather like folks in other states do.

Each child picked a colorful scarf on the way in to use throughout storytime.

Memory Box:  Rabbit (From Hurray for Spring!)


We discussed what happens in the spring and then sang the song below using flannel pieces and doing the actions/raising our scarves when we shout, "HOORAY FOR SPRINGTIME"

Flannel:


Books:
Hurray for Spring! by Patricia Hubbell.  Rhyming text (and stunning illustrations) celebrates the joys of spring.



Kite Day by Will Hillenbrand. Bear and Mole build a kite and take it out on a windy day, but when the weather suddenly turns stormy the birds are thankful for the kite.

Movement:
We danced to "The Ants Go Marching" using our scarves as umbrellas

Flannel:  So Many Kites
(Adapted from http://www.nancymusic.com/SOM/2009/lots-of-cars.htm)

So many kites up in the sky (wave scarf or make diamond shape with hands)
What color kite is flying by? (X as many colors as you put up)

So manky kites up in the sky
What's the biggest/smallest/thinnest kite flying by?

Then we talked about patterns and where else they can see these patterns (on zebras, cheetahs, snails, etc.)


Letter of the day:  Kk for kite (good guess, guys!)

7 comments:

  1. Lovely blog! I like the idea of using the scarves for movement. Can you tell me a little more of your use of the memory box?

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    1. I was wondering about the memory box, too. It looks intriguing! Would love to know more about it.

      I really like the books you have chosen to share. I have used Hurray for Spring before. It is always a big hit! I have also used Bear and Mole books but the kite one is new to me. I just put in a request for it. I'm sure it will be just as popular as Mr Hillebrand's other books. I love his illustrations! :-) Thank you for sharing it!

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    2. The memory box is straight from http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2009/09/memory-box.html

      I've credited her before because it's totally important to give credit for great ideas. I pull an item out of the memory box that the kids will see in the book and it's the one time when it's ok to raise their hands and shout that they see it while I'm in the middle of reading....and then we put our listening ears back on. Keeps the kids engaged, works on those memory skills, and has never been a distraction.

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    3. Thank you for the information on the memory box. I do some similar things that I call "interactive booksharing" but I have never used an item in a memory box. I love anything that helps keep the little ones focused and engaged in the story. Great idea! I'll have to try it soon.

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    4. Yes, thank you for the info. I can see it would give the kids something to focus on.

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  2. Good stuff, Tara... You have me thinking. I like the letter of the day. I like the memory box idea a lot (abby!). thanks for sharing it.

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  3. What is the tune for the spring song?

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