Creatures of the Night, by Judith E. Rinard

This book is part of a series from the; Books for Young Explorers National Geographic Society. It is full of wonderful close up photographs of many nocturnal animals, a great resource for any classroom.

Materials

Nature magazines with pictures of nocturnal animals.
American Sign Language pictures
Preparation of number charts, 1 per child.
Several flashlights

Vocabulary

Nocturnal (animals that come out at night and mostly sleep during the day)

Before Reading the Book

Ask the children if they know what the word nocturnal means. Ask the children if they can think of any animals that are nocturnal. Write these down on a large sheet of paper.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Reading the Story

This is a book that may be better to take a walk through versus reading with younger children. As you go through, allow the children to name the animals they recognize and to share any observations that they may have.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

After Reading the Story

Look again at the list the children made of nocturnal animals. Can they add any others to their list? Did they think of any that were not in the book? (If someone has a pet gerbil they might have put it on the list though it is not in the book, congratulate them for thinking of something extra).

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.

Discovery

Put the book into the discovery center to allow the children to further investigate.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation;shows growing interest in reading -related activities, such as asking to have a favorite book read,; choosing to look at books; drawing pictures based on stories; asking to take books home; going to the library; and engaging in pretend-reading with other children.

Bring in a large box or put a scarf over your science center table to make a cave. Give the children nature magazines and have them cut out nocturnal animals and tape to the walls. The children can crawl inside and pretend that it is night time. Add a flashlight.

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

Music and Movement

Sing Nocturnal Animals-sung to Frere Jaqua

Nocturnal animals, nocturnal animals,

Come out at night, come out at night

You may see the owl, looking for food

In the night, in the night.

You may see the bat, flying in the sky

You may hear the frog, singing near the pond

You may see the firefly, twinkling his light

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Blocks

Give each child two poker chips. Show them how to lay one down flat and to use the other to make it jump by rubbing it quickly over the edge of the first. Suggest to the children that these are frogs. Encourage them to make a pond out of blocks and then practice jumping their frogs into the pond. This can be challenging for some children, encourage them to keep trying.

Approaches to learning/Engagement & Persistence; grows in abilities to persist in and complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects, and experiences.

Art

Let the children finger paint with a dark color to make a nighttime backdrop. Next have the children go through old nature magazines and cut out animals that come out at night. Glue these to the finger painting when it is dry. If you have no magazines, encourage the children to draw their own nocturnal animals.

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

Sand and Water

Fill the table with water. Add plastic foods. Note that raccoons look for fruits and vegetables at night and then wash them before they eat it. Encourage the children to pretend to be raccoons and wash the plastic foods, sorting out the fruits and vegetables.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as shape or size.

Library and Writing

Use the sign cards to show the children how to sign language some of the nocturnal animals. When they get good at these,you can incorporate them into the song Nocturnal Animals.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities ti understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes. AND 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.

Dramatic Play

See Discovery

Math and Manipulatives

Make number charts with the children. On a long piece of construction paper make 10 lines across going down the paper. On the left hand side write the numbers 1-10. Let the children glue the appropriate number of animals to each line. Older children can be shown how to use a ruler to draw the lines and numbers. Label the top, I Can Count Nocturnal Animals

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in a meaningful way. AND Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Outdoor Play

Can you jump like a frog? Can you hang upside down like an opossum/bat? Can you fly like an owl/bat? Can you run and hide like a mouse? Can you walk quietly like a leopard? Can you howl like a coyote? Can you leap like a flying squirrel?

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; grows is recognizing and solving problems through active exploration, including trial and error, and in interactions with peers and adults. AND Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness.

Transitions

Play, I’m Thinking Of A Nocturnal Animal. Begin to describe one of the animals in the book and see if the children can guess. (I’m thinking of a nocturnal animal that flies at night and catches insects to eat. During the day this animals sleeps upside down some place dark and quiet).

Resources

Duckling at Home on the Pond, by Judith Love

This story tells about a duckling named Dabble and what his first day out of the egg is like. It gives some duck facts in a simple and well-illustrated manner.

Materials

Rubber ducks
Smooth and rough textured items from room and home (sandpaper, rock, bark, piece of foil, the lens of an old pair of sunglasses, a plastic protector, a block, a color paddle, a marker, a lego, etc).
1 white paper plate per child.
Flannel board parts for Little White Duck
Plastic eggs, 6 for blocks and some for the water table.

Vocabulary

Reeds (grassy plants that grow beside a pond)
Cattail stems (another plant that grows beside a pond)
Gleefully (happily)
Dazzled (very impressed)
Smooth (flat)

Before Reading the Story

If ducks are something that lives in your area and the children might be familiar with, ask them to share their knowledge about ducks. (Where do they live, what do they eat, what sound do they make, can they swim, walk, fly?).

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Reading the Story

On the page where Mother duck swims quickly between the snapping turtle and the duckling, ask why do you think that the Mother duck calls her babies to swim ashore?

Literacy /Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in a bilities 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

Look at the list you made of things you know about ducks, can the children add any new facts? (Turtles eat ducklings, baby ducks are called ducklings, Mother Duck makes a soft nest from grass, and she plucks feathers from her breast to make the nest.)

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes. AND Literacy /Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in a bilities 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.

Discovery

The story talks about how the eggs were smooth. Talk to the children about things in the room that are smooth. Put out a box of items that have a variety of textures and let the children sort them by smooth and rough.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences and comparisons among objects and materials. AND Mathematics/Patterns Skills & Methods; 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.

Music and Movement

In the story Dabble liked to tip his head down into the water and catch little fish. Have the children get down on their haunches and pretend to swim by using their hands as feet. Now encourage them to try to tip their heads down and catch a fish (they will have to use their hands to support them-this should look like the beginnings of a head stand).

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; progresses in physical growth, strength, stamina, and flexibility.

Make the flannel board parts for Little White Duck and present it to the children. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y57RWhz76y8

There’s a little white duck, sitting in the water

(Put pond, duck and lily pad onto your board)

A little white duck, doing what he oughter.

He took a bite of the lily pad,

He flapped his wings and he said I’m glad

I’m a little white duck sitting in the water, quack, quack, quack.

There’s a little green frog, swimming in the water

(put frog on to lily pad)

A little green frog, doing what he oughter.

He jumped right on that lily pad

That the little duck bit and he said I’m glad

I’m a little green frog swimming in the water, glug, glug. glug.

There’s a little black bug, floating in the water

(put bug on top of the water)

A little black bug doing what he oughter.

He tickled the frog on the lily pad,

That the little duck bit and he said I’m glad

I’m a little black bug floating in the water, chirp, chirp, chirp

There’s a little red snake, lying in the water

(put snake in the water)

A little red snake, doing what he oughter.

He frightened the duck and the frog so bad,

He ate the black bug and he said I’m glad

I’m a little red snake lying in the water, ssss, ssss, ssss.

(remove all the animals)

Now there’s nobody left sitting in the water

Nobody left doing what he oughter.

There’s nothing left but the lily pad

The duck and the frog ran away, I’m sad.

There’s nobody left sitting in the water

Boo, hoo, hoo.

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

Blocks

Add several plastic eggs to the center and ask the children if they can build a block nest to keep them safe and from rolling away.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.

Art

Make paper plate ducks. Draw a line across the white paper plate and have the children cut the plate in half along the line. Help them to staple the two halves together at a right angle. This is the duck body. They can collage feathers, triangle shapes, use crayons, or paint their duck bodies. Add a small bill and webbed feet when the duck is dry.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multi-step directions. AND 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

Add flannel board parts for Little White Duck.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest in reading-related activities such as asking to have a favorite book read; choosing to look at books; drawing pictures based on stories; asking to take books home; going to the library; and engaging in pretend-reading with other children.

Sand and Water

Add rubber ducks and plastic eggs to the water table if you have them. If not just enjoy water play today.

Dramatic Play

Remind the children that in the story the Mother duck took very good care of her babies. Encourage the children to take good care of their babies also. They can snuggle them, make them a comfortable bed, swaddle them, feed them, and dress them.

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

Cut out multiple copies of the insects and use them to show the children how to make simple patterns (ABAB, ABCABC).

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Outdoor Play

Play Turtle tag. Pretend to be little ducklings swimming around the playground. The person who is “it” is the snapping turtle who tries to catch a baby duckling for its meal. Take turns being the turtle and encourage the children to swim little duckling swim!

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness.

Transitions

Hold up 1-5 fingers. The child must quack the correct number of times as they go off to the next activity. Older children try 1-10 fingers.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; demonstrates increasing interest and awareness of numbers and counting as a means for solving problems and determining quantities.

Resources

Don’t Wake Up Mama! by Eileen Christelow

Today is Mama’s birthday and 5 Little Monkeys want to do something special. Follow the antics as 5 little monkeys prepare for a birthday surprise.

Materials

Birthday hats and any other “party” supplies you may have.
Pieces of wrapping paper.
Cake mix plus ingredients needed and a can of cake frosting
Birthday candles
Metal bowl or cookie sheet.

Vocabulary

Quiet (not noisy)
Loud (noisy)
Surprise (to catch somebody unaware/unexpected)

Before Reading the Story

Before reading the story, talk to the children about how some sounds are loud and some sounds are soft. Ask the children if they can help name some loud sounds and some soft sounds, write their responses onto a piece of paper labeled Soft Sounds/Loud Sounds (whisper, the tick of a clock, leaves falling down, fire alarm, airplane, thunder). Show the children the front of the book, notice the 2 monkeys with their finger by their mother, what do you think they are saying? Notice the Mama monkey, where is she? What is she doing? What are those things on her ears? Ask the children to cover their ears, what does it do to the sound of your voice? Read the children the title of the book in a very quiet voice while putting your finger up to your mouth and saying shhhh.

Literacy/ Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction non-fiction and poetry. AND Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects and materials.

Reading the Story

Encourage the children to put their finger to their mouth and repeat, ”Shhh! Don’t wake up mama!” where appropriate. Make the loud sounds loud while you read.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction non-fiction and poetry.

After Reading the Story

Ask the children if they can tell you what the story was about. Why did the monkeys not want to wake the Mama? What did the monkeys make in the kitchen? What happened to the cake? Who came to help the monkeys? What did they all do in the end? Sing Happy Birthday very loudly with the children.

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

Discovery

Put out a metal bowl and a variety of objects (feather, cotton ball, small block, crayon). Ask the children to drop the items into the metal bowl and tell if it made a soft or loud sound. Have the children make a chart, loud sounds and soft sounds by putting the dropped object on the appropriate piece of paper.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes. AND Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops growing abilities to collect, describe, and record information through a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps, and charts.

Today would be a fun day to let the children help make cake or individual cupcakes. After they are baked and cooled, the children can use plastic knives to frost.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Music and Movement

Sing Happy un-Birthday to Us.

Happy un-birthday to us

Happy un-birthday happy un-birthday

Happy un-birthday to us.

Or…

Happy birdel daydel todel youdel

Happy birdle daydel todel youdel

Happy birdle daydel happy birdel daydel

Happy birdel daydel todel youdel.

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

Sing songs that change in voice modulation such as John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt or the Alphabet song.

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

Blocks

Add fire trucks and fire hats today.

Creative Arts/ Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations.

Art

On a piece of paper make a large M, for monkey and B, for birthday. Show the children how to roll out the playdough or use pinches of play dough to cover the letters. This can also be done with the letters in the children’s names. Cover the name with contact paper if you would like to have it for an extended period of time.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.

Library and Writing

Encourage the children to make cards to share with their parent or a friend. It can be a un-birthday card or just a card to express love/friendship. Help to dictate their words.

Literacy/Early Writing; develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology.

Sand and Water

Dampen the sand and add birthday candles so the children can pretend to make cakes. Challenge them to add 3 candles to their cake, 7 candles, etc..

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

Dramatic Play

Add some crepe paper and birthday hats and let the children play birthday party.

Creative Arts/ Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations.

Math and Manipulatives

Put out pieces of wrapping paper and tape and encourage the children to see if they can wrap blocks like pretend gifts.

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

Outdoor Play

As the children play, encourage them to notice different sounds. Do you hear that loud truck? I hear a bird up in the tree. Do you hear the wind chime?

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Transitions

As each child prepares to go to the next activity ask them if they know when their birthday is. If they do not, tell them something to help them learn when their birthday is. Kerry, your birthday is in the spring when the weather starts to get warmer. Your birthday is April 9. Roger, your birthday is very close to Christmas! Your birthday is December 23. Have the children repeat the dates.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.