Friday, February 18, 2011

Hugs

Today’s early literacy skill is print awareness, or being aware of how books work and how we follow the words on the page.

Opening Song: Welcome, Welcome Everyone
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Welcome welcome everyone,
Now you're here we'll have some fun.
First we'll clap our hands just so.
Then we'll bend and touch our toes.
Welcome, welcome everyone,
Now you're here we'll have some fun.

Book: Hugless Douglas by David Melling
Douglas the bear wakes up one morning wanting a hug. He unsuccesffully tries hugging a rock, a tall tree, and an odd-feeling bush that runs away. Won't anyone give him a hug?

Aside: Holding the book upside down and backwards to see if the children notice is a great way to test what they know about book mechanics.  Children need to know how to hold a book, which part is the front, and which is the back of the book.

Action Rhyme: I Have Ten Fingers
I have ten fingers.
They all belong to me.
I can make them do things.
Would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight.
I can open them wide.
I can put them on my head.
I can put them at my side.
I can raise them up high.
I can put them down low.
I can set them in my lap,
And fold them just so.

Book: Snappy Little Hugs by Dugald Steer

Aside: Run your finger under the words of the title as you say it.  This helps children understand that you are reading the text, not the pictures.  Do this only with the title or a repeated phrase so it doesn’t get in the way of sharing the story.

Rhyme: Clap Your Hands
Clap your hands, touch your toes.
Turn around and touch your nose.
Flap your arms,
Jump up high,
Wiggle your fingers
And let your hands fly.

Rhyme: Hands
My hands upon my head I’ll place
On my shoulders, on my face.
At my waist and by my side.
Then behind me they will hide.
Then I'll raise them way up high,
And let my fingers fly, fly, fly.
Then clap, clap, clap,
And one-two-three.
Now see how quiet they can be.

Book: Hug by Jez Alborough
Bobo the chimp seeks hugs among various jungle animals and their young, but he does not get what he wants until he is reunited with his own parent.

Aside: Wordless or nearly wordless picture books are great for trying dialogic or interactive reading at home with your child. Simply ask questions about what you’ve read. Possible questions are "What else do you see?" "Tell me about." "What if..." and "I wonder how...." or "How did that happen?" or "What do you think?". Try to ask questions that cannot be answered with yes or no, or just by pointing to the pictures.

Action Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
v.1 Clap your hands
v.2 Stomp your feet
v.3 Turn around
v.4 Jump up and down
v.5 Shout hooray

Puppet Story: Kitty’s Cuddles by Jane Cabrera
Kitty tries out hugs from all different animals but finds he likes the hug from his baby brother the best.

Closing Song: Hands Go Up
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Hands go up and hands go down.
I can turn round and round.
I can jump upon two shoes.
I can clap and so can you!
I can wave,
I’ll show you how.
Storytime is done for now.


Attendance: 14, 39 (Ages 0-6 with caregivers)
Evaluation: The first program went much, much smoother than the second, mostly due to the size of the crowd.  I wasn't really able to sneak in any of the asides in the second program as the kids were just too, too squirrelly and the parents wouldn't have been able to hear them anyway.  That being said, the stories worked extremely well with all the age groups.  I definitely would do this program again with no changes necessary.