When the Hungry Thing comes to town, he wants food! But the people are confused as to what to feed him. This is a fun book for the children to help solve the mystery of what the Hungry Thing wants to eat.

 Materials

• Hungry Thing container
• Cut out circles (see directions at end)
• Several colors of yarn

Vocabulary

 Before Reading the Story

Tell the children that your story today is about rhyming words. Does anyone know what a rhyming word is? (2 words that sound the same). Let the children practice making rhymes to words such as log, bat, and dish. Introduce the story.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; progresses in recognizing matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games, songs, stories, and poems.

 Reading the Story

As the little boy in the story begins to sound out the words that the Hungry Thing is trying to say, slow down and allow the children to see if they can find the correct answer.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; progresses in abilities matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games, songs, stories, and poems.  AND Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

After Reading the Story

As you dismiss the children from the rug time, make up a silly rhyme that goes along with their name. Can they figure out whose name you are calling? Werry, Herry, Kerry! Pom, Dom, Tom!

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; progresses in abilities matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games, songs, stories, and poems.

Discovery

Take a piece of food from your meal and put it in a baggie. Ask the children what they think will happen to the food if you left it out for a day or two? Let the children make predictions and then hang the baggie on the wall so that you can check it daily. (It’s gonna stink, that’s gross, it will get mushy, it will turn yellow).

Science/Scientific Methods & Skills; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations. AND Science/Scientific Methods & Skills; begins to describe and discuss predictions, explanations, and generalizations based on past experiences.

Music and Movement

Sing Rhyming Words Sound The Same sung to Here We Go Looby Loo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwPo1anFhXg

Rhyming words sound the same,

Rhyming words sound the same.

Rhyming words sound the same,

Rhyming words sound the same.

Now slowly chant; If I say log……you can say_______.

Repeat using different words to rhyme.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; progresses in abilities matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games, songs, stories, and poems.

Do a rhyming name chant.

Paula, Paula, bo Boula. Bonana fana foe Faula. Me mi mo Maula, Paula!

Ryan, Ryan bo Byan. Bonana fana foe Fyan. Me mi mo Myan, Ryan!

 Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities including listening, finger plays, games, and performances.   

Blocks

Put several strips of masking tape onto the floor. Each should be a different length from 1-4 feet long. Encourage the children to lay blocks along the tapeline. How many blocks did it take to cover the line? Or have the child walk heel to toe down the line. How many steps did it take you? Which line is longest? Which line took the most blocks to cover? Why?

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using standard and non-standard measures for length and area of objects.

Art

Make one circle for each child (see Resources). Cut the circles from cardboard or poster board. Cut out slits about ¼ inch from edge towards center. Let the children cut bits of yarn to weave around the circle and slip into the slots. When the children are finished you can punch a hole into each circle and hang them from the ceiling.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing patterns and shapes, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Sand and Water

Put damp sand and play pots and pans into the table today so the children can pretend to make food. As you pass by the center, ask the children to make you ‘thicken’ or ‘goup with whackers’. Encourage the children to make rhyming words as they play.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

Library and Writing

Tell the children that you want to play a joke on the cook today. Write on a piece of paper; Feed Me. Give the children each a piece of paper so that they can practice copying the letters. Then punch holes and add string. Have the children put on like bibs for lunch before the cook comes in with the food. Then the children can all say together, “We’re Hungry Things”!

Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their name.

Give each child a piece of paper and a marker. Tell them that you are going to make Hungry Things. Ask them to first make a great big circle to be the head. With younger children you can do it with them and they can follow your drawn example. Put a long oval nose in the middle of the circle. Add two little eyes. Now give your Hungry Thing a great big mouth. Add some teeth and some curly hair. For older children you can show them how to write ‘Feed Me’ under their Hungry Thing.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multi-step directions.  AND Literacy/Early Writing; experiments with  a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computer.

Dramatic Play

As the children play in the center today, encourage them to cook foods for the Hungry Thing. Ask them if they can make some ‘regehtti’ or ‘wackcaroni with meese’.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; progresses in abilities matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games, songs, stories, and poems.  AND Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

Math and Manipulatives

Put out play dough and a dice today. Or make cards with the numbers 1-6 written on them. Have a child roll the dice/pick a card and name the number. Then they roll that many playdough meatballs. Put out a small paper plate to stack the meatballs on to. When it is full let the children pretend to be Hungry Things. Count and eat (smash) the meatballs and begin again.

Mathematics/Numbers & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.  

Outdoor Play

If you have a piece of equipment such as a slide, stop the children before they got down and say a word and have them make a rhyming word to it. The rhyme can be a real word or a made up word. Then pretend to open the gate so they may slide. Continue until the children loose interest.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; progresses in abilities matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games, songs, stories, and poems. 

Transitions

Attach the Hungry Thing face to a box or bag. Place many triangles, circles, and squares on the floor in front. Say the following poem and allow the children to take turns feeding the shape monster.

Shape Monster, Shape Monster

Munch, munch, munch.

What shape would you like for lunch?

(Make a monster voice and ask one child to feed a specific shape to the monster. “Alison, I would like a blue triangle please”. The child then finds the correct shape and feeds it to the shape monster. My children like this when the monster occasionally burps, says thank you or gracias”

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; begins to recognize, describe, compare, and name common shapes, their parts and attributes.

Dear Parent-today we played with many rhyming words both real and make believe.  This is a part of literacy development that will be important to reading someday.  We encourage you to make rhymes with your child and read books with rhyming words.  Playing with rhymes helps your child to hear and decipher the sounds of letters and words.

Resources