Bat Jamboree, Kathi Appelt

The bats are putting on a show that you won’t forget. Count along with the bats as they present their amazing Jamboree.

Materials

Bat wings for toilet tubes
Index cards
A bag of rice or birdseed

Vocabulary

Jamboree ( a celebration with special entertainment)
Pyramid (A three dimensional triangle shape)

Before Reading the Story

Talk to the children about what is a Jamboree. What other name could we use instead? (Talent show, RIF celebration, parent night) If you have had any of these ask, “Do you remember when we sang to our parents at the PTO meeting/RIF celebration?”

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them. AND Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.

Reading the Story

As you read have the children count the bats on the pages from 1-10.

Mathematics/Number Operations; develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond.

After Reading the Story

Ask the children what they might like to do if they were part of the Jamboree show. Teach them the song, Funny Bat. Call each child into the center of your circle and let them do a funny trick while everyone else sings.

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

Discovery

Bring in pictures and books of real bats for the children to examine. Look for how they are alike and how they are different.

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

Music and Movement

Sung to the Farmer in the Dell Funny Bat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivw83QQk-Dk

As each child comes into the circle to take their turn, encourage them to do a trick. My children like to take a large pillow and do somersaults and log rolls.

There was a funny bat,

His/her name was____________

Watch him/her do a funny trick

At the jamboree.

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

Blocks

Write the numbers 1-10 on index cards. Put them on the floor. Show the children how to stack 1 block on the 1 card, 2 blocks on the 2 card. Put out a blank card and ask them to see and count how many blocks they can stack onto it without the blocks falling. Graph the results. One inch cubes or small blocks works best.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Art

Let each child paint a toilet paper black or brown. Cut out wings and let the children glue them on top. When the bats are dry, attach a string and hang them from the ceiling.

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

Sand and Water

Use rice or birdseed in the table today along with scoopers and several smallish containers . Challenge the children to count how many scoops of rice/birdseed it takes to fill the various containers. Ask them to count aloud as they scoop. Which container holds more, container A or container B?

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

Library and Writing

Write the letters AT onto an index card. Explain to the children that this makes the /at/ sound. Give the children magnet letters and show them how to put one at a time in front of the AT. Can you tell what sound this new letter makes? Can you sound out the word that these letters make? Work closely with the children to help them see how letters make sounds and sounds make words.

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

Dramatic Play

Put out costume supplies so the children can pretend that they are going to put on a show. Fun hats, bright shirts, sequence outfits, and colorful scarves.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Give the children number lines written on a piece of paper. Encourage the children to copy the numbers onto their own paper using markers or crayons. They can then glue shapes beside the number making their own number graphs.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways. AND Literacy/Early Writing; experiments with a growing variety of writing materials and tools, such as crayons, pencils, and computer.

Outdoor Play

Swoop and fly to the playground like bats.

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

Transitions

On a whiteboard or chalkboard write several letters, shapes, and numbers. Call the children to come one at a time and circle either a letter, a shape, or a number with a chalk or marker.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Resources

Mouse Count, by Ellen Stoll Walsh

One day some mice were playing in a field when along came a snake looking for his dinner. Will the mice be eaten or will they be able to get away? This is a fun book to count through.

Materials

10 mice
Dice
10 ping-pong balls or bouncy balls
Sand pail
Variety of puff balls
Tongs, tweezers, pinchers
Construction paper to coordinate with the color of the puffballs.
Snake page
Yardstick. clip board, paper, and pencil

Vocabulary

Before Reading the Story

Count how many children are in class today. Count how many girls, how many boys. Which has more?

Mathematics/Number Operations; begins to use language to compare numbers of objects with terms such as more, less, greater than, fewer, and equal to.

Reading the Story

Print out 10 mice. As you read the story, tape on the wall the number of mice as the snake counts. Have the children help you count.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond.

After Reading the Story

Draw a large jar on a white board or chalk board. Use the mice to show simple addition and subtraction. Start with 2 mice in the jar. The first child states how many. Then she rolls a dice and adds that many more mice to the jar. The classroom counts along with; 2,3,….and states the new number. Another child comes up and rolls the dice. They subtract that many mice from the jar, counting down as they go; 8,7,6,5…. If it is a negative zero number, just call it zero. The children take turns rolling the dice. The first child adds mice to the jar, the next child takes mice away from the jar. The 4^th child adds mice to the jar, the next child takes mice from the jar. Always have the child begin with the number of mice in the jar (they do not need to count from 0 to ___. They just start by saying the number in the jar at the beginning of their turn and then count either up or down.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Discovery

Use the many pictures of mice to make a matching game (make 2 sets of mice) or make one set of mice for comparing and counting.

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

Music and Movement

Sing, How Many Fingers? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNw1SSz18Gg I just count the hands verses and end the song with the last line being, “clap, clap, clap your hands, clap your hands together”.

Count to 10 and back again. Have the children get in a squatting position. Count to 10 and back again. On “Blast off” everyone jump up.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 blast off!

Blocks

Put the 10 ping-pong balls into the sand pail. Let the children/snakes take turns dumping the pail and then the children collect all the mice and put them back into the pail as quickly as possible. Ask them to count while they drop each mouse into the pail. When the children/snakes are tired or dumping and gathering, suggest they try tossing the ping-pong balls into the pail.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond. AND Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; grows in abilities to persist in and complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects, and experiences.

Art

Use play dough today to practice rolling out snakes, making mice by rolling balls of play dough, and making a pinch pot to hold the mice.

Sand and Water

Add a variety of puffballs , tongs/pincers/tweezers, and color coordinated bowls or paper squares. SHow the children how to use the tongs to pick up the puffball mice and place them in the coordinating bowl. Once they have collected all the mice, ask them to figure out which color has the most and the least puffball mice.

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

Library and Writing

Show the children how to use the snakes to make patterns using crayons or markers.

Literacy/Early Writing; experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computers. AND Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Dramatic Play

Remind the children that in the story, the snake was looking for mice to eat for his supper. Ask the children what kinds of foods they like to eat for their supper? Encourage the children to cook their favorite meal and call you back when it is ready to eat.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming diffrent roles in dratic plasy situations. AND

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns while playing games or using materials; and to interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Math and Manipulatives

Do the After Reading the Story activity again but with a small group of children instead of the whole group. Give each child some puffballs and a copy of the jar so that they can work individually with the teacher interacting.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Outdoor Play

Take a yard stick out on the playground with you and practice doing jumps. Draw a line in the dirt/sand and show the children how to do a running broad jump. Measure how far each child jumps. Now do a standing jump, measure how far the child jumps. Try a backwards jump. Measure each child’s jump and record it on the paper.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping. AND Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using standard and non-standard measures of length and area of objects.

Transitions

Write a number on each mouse so that there is one mouse for each child in your room, starting with 1 and going to…17. Give each child a mouse, but not in order., On your dry erase board or chalkboard, write the #1. The child with the 1 mouse lines up or can go to the next activity. Write #2 ont he board,the child with the #2 mouse lines up or goes to the next activity. Continue until you have written and called a number for every child inthe classroom. Collect the mice and use throughout the day to move from one activity to the next.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Resources

Splash!, By Ann Jonas

This book offers a fun way to add and subtract objects one to ten

Materials

10 objects when dropped into water will make a small splash (small blocks, crayons,
Several sponges
10 paper plates with a number written on it 1-10
Stickers of pond animals or a bingo dauber

Vocabulary

Pond (a small body of water with different animals and plants that live in or beside it).
Habitat (environments or homes where different animals live)

Before Reading the Story

Talk about habitats (environments or homes where different kinds of animals live). Ask the children if they know who lives in a forest environment? A jungle environment? A desert environment? A pond environment? Tell them that today’s story is about animals that live in a pond environment. Introduce the story.

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

Stop and count how many are in the pond on each page.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond.

After Reading the Story

Who can remember what happened to the dog in the story? Why do you think the cat was mad?

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

Discovery

If you are fortunate to have a pond nearby, collect a large container (clean mayonnaise jar) of the water. Try to get some of the mud, scum, and any water insects. Put this into the center with magnifying glasses so the children can observe and talk about their observations. Encourage the children to draw their observations on paper. Dictate any observations/discussions that take place.

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

Play in the pond on the bank. Mark off an area large enough for all the children to be able to comfortably jump inside of. Use the edge of a carpet or chalk/tape to make a ‘pond’. Have all the children stand on the outside of the pond. Explain that they are on the bank (where the land meets the water). Tell them that when you say, “In the pond” everyone is to jump inside the area. Practice a couple of times saying “In the pond” or “On the bank”. The children jump accordingly. After they have gotten good, speed up your calling or call on the bank two times in a row, etc.. This is a listening game, can they follow the directions?

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

Teach the children the song, Swimming swimming in the swimming hole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c15F0h0fyoo. Make motions to go with the song.

There’s a little white duck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y57RWhz76y8

Here is My Turtle…Finger play
Here is my turtle, ( Form fist and extend thumb.)
He lives in a shell. (Put thumb inside fist.)
He like his home
Very well. (Nod head) He pokes his head out (Pop out thumb.)
When he wants to eat. (Circle thumb around.)
And pulls it back in
When he wants to sleep. (Put thumb back inside fist)

1,2,3,4,5, (Hold up fingers as you count) I caught a fish alive (point to self) 6,7,8,9,10 (hold up fingers as you count) Then I threw him back again. (pretend to throw) What made you let him go? (shrug shoulders) Because he bit my finger so! (make a scowl face) Which finger did he bite? The little pinky on the right. (hold up right pinkie and kiss it)

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in a variety of tasks and activities AND Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.

Blocks

Tell the children that they can pretend to be frogs jumping from lily pad to lily pad today. Have them use the blocks to make a pond that goes around the edge of the center. Spread the paper plates marked 1-10 within the pond. Show the children how to jump from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, etc. to 10. Mix the plates up in the center and begin again.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Art

Paint with watercolors today.

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation.

Sand and Water

Fill the table with water and give the children objects that they can drop in. As they drop the items ask them to count for you. How many did you drop? Now drop one more, how many are in the water now?

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

Add items that will make a splash sound such as; watering can, water wheel and squirt bottles to the water table today. Can the children find any other items in the classroom that will make a splashing sound? Which one sounds louder? Why do you think that?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Library and Writing

Help the children make a number chart today. Going down the left side of a piece of paper write the numbers 1-10. Give the children stickers to put the appropriate number beside each number. If you do not have stickers, use a bingo dauber or something similar.

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

Dramatic Play

Encourage the children to set the table for four, three, or two. Do they understand how many plates they need? Can they add all the utensils that are needed for setting a table? Do they know where to put the plate, cup, spoon, etc?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use language to compare numbers of objects with terms such as more, less, greater than, fewer, equal to.

Math and Manipulatives

Trace and cut out ten turtles. Color them green and number them one through ten. Cut out spots for on the turtle’s back and color them brown. Have the children add correct number of spots to turtles back.

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

Outdoor Play

Fill a bucket up with water and give the children sponges to throw at a target such as a large piece of cardboard or a hula hoop hung on the fence.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; demonstrates increasing abilities to coordinate movements in throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing balls, and using a slide and swing.

Mud play. Have the children dig a hole in the ground and then add water. Let the children continue to make the hole bigger adding more water. After the hole is a good size, let them make mud pies!

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness. AND Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Transitions

On a dry-erase board or a chalkboard write/draw 3 letters, 3 numbers, 3 shapes, and 3 words. Ask a child to come up and use a dry erase marker to circle a number, a letter, or a word. Continue giving each child a turn to circle a letter, a number, a shape, or a word. Were they able to tell which one was what?

Literacy/Print Awareness & Concepts; recognizes a word as a unit of print, or awareness that letters are grouped to form words, and that words are separated by spaces. AND Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; knows that letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.