Louis Armstrong sang this song/book and made it popular everywhere.  This is a great book to learn to sing to your children.  It has a lovely message for young and old alike.

Materials

• Map of the world or a globe
• Tongs, tweezers, chopsticks
• An assortment of natural objects-rocks, shells, seed pods, twigs, etc.
• One or two pair of binoculars
• One ‘I See’ chart for each child

Vocabulary

• Map (a picture from the air of the world or a part of the world)
• Globe ( a model of the earth)

Before Reading the Story

            Show the children the map or globe of the world.  Ask them if the know what it is.  Show them where you are on the map.  If you have children whose parents have come from other countries show them where their family homeland is.  Talk about the water and mountains on the map.  Show the children where it is always a frozen tundra, a big river, where the rain forest is and the dessert.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; begins to express and understand concepts and language of geography in the contexts of the classroom, home, community.

Reading the Story

            Sing the story or bring in the music and use it while you turn the pages.  The tune is lovely and children seem to enjoy this to music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3yCcXgbKrE

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

After Reading the Story

            Talk about how we must help to take care of the earth.  Ask the children if they can think of ways that they can help keep the world beautiful.  If they can not, give them some suggestions (throw trash in the garbage and not on the ground, walk around insects instead of squishing them, smile to people you meet on the street, try not to break tree branches and flowers).  Think about your school, is there anything that you see that is destructive to the earth? 

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and respect for their bodies and the environment.

Discovery;

            Encourage the children to use binoculars to look out the window.  Do you see any birds or plants?  Look up into the sky, what do you see? (If you do not have binoculars, tape two toilet tubes together as this helps focus the view to a smaller peripheral and works as pretend binoculars. Give each child an I See sheet and they can circle what they see.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops growing abilities to collect, describe, and record information through a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps, and charts.

Music and Movement

            Sing I’ve Got Something in My Pocket https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkO7UKUBXUY

I’ve got something in my pocket,

That belongs across my face

I keep it very close at hand

In an easy to get place.

I’m sure you wouldn’t guess it

If you guessed a long, long while

So I’ll take it out and put it on

It’s a great big friendly smile

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs and poems.

            Dance to music from different cultures and use soothing music from other cultures at rest time.

Creative Arts/Movement; expresses through movement and dancing what is felt and heard in various musical tempos and styles.

Blocks

            Encourage the children to make shapes using the blocks.  Can you make a big triangle from all these little blocks?  Can you make a big square using these rectangle blocks?

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take apart shapes.

Art

            Ahead of time, cut out long strips of colored paper about 1/2 inch wide. Give the children scissors and ask them to cut the strips into little pieces. You can then use the small pieces to make a collage or to fill in a rainbow shape. Today, just let them practice cutting the strips.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Library and Writing

            Bring a bean bag or small koosh ball to the center.  Toss or roll it to a child and ask them to think of three words that start with their first letter sound of their name. (/R/ roar, Roger, roly poly   /T/ toes, train, tomato).  If your children are good at letter sounds, expand to different letters then the letter of their first name.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds of words.

Sand and Water

            Fill the table with sand or water.  Add small objects that the children can try to pick up with tongs, tweezers, and chopsticks (if you put a rubber band on the end of the chopsticks they are easier for children to use)

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Dramatic Play

            Put out any multicultural clothing you may have.  Or put out large scarves which are great for making saris, head wraps. skirts, and capes.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; progresses in understanding similarities and respecting differences among people such as genders, race, special needs, culture, language, and family structures.

Math and Manipulatives

            Bring in an assortment of natural objects for the children to sort (rocks, shells, seed pods, twigs).  Put out a piece of dark colored paper and show them how to use this for a frame and ask them to use the objects to make a beautiful design with the natural objects.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials. AND Mathematics/Geometry & SPatial Sense; shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

Outdoor Play

            Draw a hopscotch on the cement.  Tell the children that children all over the world play hopscotch type games.  Fill the squares in with numbers, letters, or shapes depending on what the children need to focus on. Have the children throw a beanbag or small stone onto a square, name the letter/shape/number and then jump or hop to that square and collect their stone and jump back to home.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways, AND Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, galloping, and marching.

Transitions

            As the children go to the next activity, draw a shape on their back with your finger and have them try to guess what shape you drew.

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

Resources