Penguins Story Time

What is the perfect way to jump back into story time after winter break? PENGUINS!

Everyone loves a good reason to waddle around like you are a penguin.

I decided to add in a few minor tweaks to my overall story time pattern using some of the knowledge gained from my first semester observations.

I wanted to add in a Hello song again but this time I have the lyrics written down on a big yellow pad so that everyone can see them. If the parents know the words ahead of time they can join in and eventually so will the kiddos. I chose to use the version we also use in lapsit story time so if anyone has graduated from that program and has moved into my toddler program they will feel comfortable.

Hello Song

Hello everybody (Wave Hello)

and how are you (Open hands so hand is flat and make them go up and down)

How are you, (Same as above)

How are you? (same as above)

Hello everybody(Wave Hello)

and how are you, (Open hands so hand is flat and make them go up and down)

How are you today?

To kick off our topic today, we first read If You Were A Penguin by Wendell & Florence Minor. It quickly shows some of the things that penguins can do such as living in warm or cold places, as well as how they can wear tuxedos and make funny faces!

Now for my flannel board story I made up a rhyme to go with some penguins I found here. I laminated the hats and put velcro on them so they can attach to the penguins head much like it shows to do to turn them into a lapbook activity. After I said the verse, I would ask if anyone could see a matching color.

The Penguins Are Missing Their Hats!

I found a red hat, red hat, red hat

found a red hat, wonder where it goes?

(For more verses replace the word red

with orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)

Next story on the agenda, is Flip and Flop by Dawn Apperly. This is a charming tale of an older and younger brother penguin. The younger one is constantly trying to do the same thing that his older brother does.

Next I had a fingerplay written on the big yellow pad so that kiddos and parents could join in. ( I can't remember where I found this at, at the moment.)

Penguin Family
One royal penguin feeling very blue (hold up one finger)
Called for his brother and then there were two (hold up two fingers).
Two royal penguins swimming in the sea (swimming motion)
Called for their sister and then there were three (hold up three fingers)!
Three royal penguins waddle on the shore (waddle),
Call for their mother and then there were four (hold up four fingers).
Four royal penguins learning how to dive (make diving motion)
Call for their father, and then there were five!

Our final story is one of my absolute, all time favorites! Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester is such a great tale about it is okay to be unique and march to the beat of a very different drum.

The reason for leaving Tacky until the very end is because our craft is making our very OWN Tacky the Penguin! I found the pattern for the penguin part here and traced an outline of the body to make the shirt. I used different scrapbook paper to make many different and unique shirts.