Twinkle. Twinkle, Little Star adapted by Kristi Fisher

This classic song has been transformed into a gentle book about animals settling in for the night.

Materials

Glitter or colored salt (in a bowl add a cup of salt and several drops of food coloring, mix well)
Food coloring
Flashlight or laser pointer
1-5 stars, cut out

Vocabulary

Twinkle (to flicker and shine)
Gaze ( to look at something for a long time)
Dusk ( the time of day when the sun is going down and it is almost dark outside)

Before Reading the Book

Tell the children that you are going to hum a song and see if they can guess the name of it. Start off humming one or two songs that you know your children are familiar with. Then hum, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Can the children name it? Sing the song Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star with your children. Explain to the children that the time of day when stars come out is called dusk. Ask the children if anyone ever stands outside and looks/gazes at the stars with their parent? What do they look like? How do they make you feel? Introduce the book by telling the children that they can help you read today by singing along with you.

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

Reading the Story

Practice ahead of time so that you can sing the words to the story. When you get to the last sentence on each page, Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are, point to the words with your finger. Encourage the children to sing”Twinkle, twinkle little star” as you point to the words.

Literacy/Early Writing; develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes. AND Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of musical activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and musical performances.

After Reading the Story

Go back through the pages and ask the children if they can name all the animals. Name each habitat as you look at the animals. Show them how all the animals are gazing at the star.

Discovery

Let the children experiment with a laser pointer or flashlight that has easy on-off so they can make twinkling patterns on the ceiling and walls. Challenge them by placing the flashlight taken apart so that before they can use it the children must put it together.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills;develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as stapler, paper punch, scissors, and hammer. AND Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to take apart and put together shapes.

Music and Movement

Sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or change it up. Sing about;

Twinkle, twinkle great big star, Teeny tiny star, Gargantuan star, miniscule star, humongous star, etc. Show size of sta with hands and arms while singing. (Try to use or hear the children using the various size descriptors throughout the day).

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Sing, 5 Little Stars Shining Down on Me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIwyDUfDVzE

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

Blocks

Put out many plastic animals. Encourage the children to match like kinds.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in a series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

Art

Cut out large star shapes on yellow construction paper (older children can cut out their own stars). Show the children how to make glue designs on their star by holding the bottle upside down and moving it over the paper. Let the children use glitter or salt that has been mixed with food coloring to cover the glue on their paper. Gently shake the excess glitter/salt off of the paper.

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

Give each child a blackened page with star shapes. Put out colored chalk and small bowls of water. The child dunks the chalk into the water and colors a star. Fill in the night time picture with colored chalk, magic markers, or crayons.

Literacy/Early Writing;experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, markers, crayons, and computers.

Sand and Water

Put dry sand into the table. Add drops of food coloring throughout and let the children mix it. What colors did you make?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins t use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Library and Writing

Teach the children the poem, Star Light, Star Bright. Ask them what they would wish for. Encourage them to draw a picture about their wish and write their wish underneath. Tonight I wish for_______. Or write their wishes on star shapes and make a bulletin board.

Star Light, Star Bright

Star light, star bright,

first star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might

Get the wish I wish tonight.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & problem Solving;develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, taask, or problem.

Give a child a star making sheet. The child uses a pencil or marker to draw from 1-2,2-3,3-4,4-5,and 5-1 in order to make a star. (This tends to be difficult at first but once a child gets the hang of it, they have been known to make LOTS of stars by tracing a circle and marking across. Best for older children).

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding;shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Math and Manipulatives

Put the 1-5 star cutouts on the table with a basket of small animal counters. Have the children place the correct number of animals on each star. For younger children put the stars in 1-5 order. For older children mix the order around and see if they can recognize the numbers and add the correct number of counters.

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

Outdoor Play

Bring out the bouncing balls today. Show the children how to bounce and catch, bounce and catch. count 1-10 catches. Let the child try, count along with them. Bounce and catch 1, bounce and catch 2, etc..

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

Transitions

Cut out mother animal and baby cards. Out them into a bowl or bag that the children can not see through. The children take turns pulling up a card and naming the animal and also the letter otr letter sound that the animal name begins with.

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

Resources

Inside a Barn in the Country, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

The barn is in turmoil because a little mouse squeaked. Children enjoy this book with silly illustrations and the repetitive lines. It’s also in Rebus form so that once you have read it with the children several times, they can remember the story and re-read on their own.

Materials

Animal headbands that go with the story
Box of dominos
Pictures of animals that live/do live on the farm
Several large boxes from the grocery store.

Vocabulary

Country (far away from the city, where farms are)

Before Reading the Story

Using the picture cards of the animals in the story; play, One of these is not like the other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsRjQDrDnY8 Put out 3 cards where the children can see them making 1 different from the other. (2 birds & 1 not bird, cat-cow&pig, 2chicks-cards with only 1 animal, 2 w/4footed&1 w/2feet).

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Reading the Story

Give the children the animal headbands to wear (keep them in order of the story the first few times you read this book). Tell the children that today they are going to help you tell the story. When you point to the child/children they are to make the animal sound that is on their headband. Practice this several times so the children can get used to making the animal sound on command. If you have more children then animals, make a couple sheep, hens and chicks. In this story everyone needs a part.

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

As you read the story begin at a slow pace and then begin to read faster as you get towards the end of the book. As you point to the children as they continue to make their animal sounds but expect mix-ups and laughter along the way.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; shows growing capacity to maintain concentration over time on a task, question, set of directions or interactions, despite distractions and interruptions.

After Reading the Story

Ask the children if they can remember why the mouse squeaked at the beginning of the story? Can they recall the order of the animals?

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

Have the children sort animal pictures by those that live on a farm and those that do not live on a farm.

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.

Music and Movement

Teach the children the song, Come and See My Farm. Teach it in Spanish if possible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJzpFDA2rCw

Continue doing a variety of farm animals.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems. AND Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities, including listening, singing, finger plakays, games, and performances.

Put on the song, The Barnyard Dance and have the children do the movements along with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jcbcgg1pQjY

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

Blocks

Put a box of dominos into the center today. Show the children how to stand them up on end close together. After they are all stood on end, gently tap the first domino and let it fall onto the next causing the row of dominoes to fall. This is like the story, one thing affects the next!

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

Art

Pick a paper plate animal and put out the materials that the children will need to make. Cotton balls for sheep, pink paint for pigs, black lima bean shapes for cow.

Creative Arts/Art; develops growing abilities to plan, work independently, and demonstrate care and persistence in a variety of art projects. AND Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; demonstrates increasing ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans.

Library and Writing

Play I’m thinking of an animal who lives in the barn in the country. Draw a letter onto a piece of paper and see if the child can guess the animal that starts with that letter (This is the letter P. It sounds like /p/. What animal starts with the letter P sound? /p/ /p/ pig! This is the letter H. It sounds like /h/. What animal starts with the letter H sound?)

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

Sand and Water

Add farm animals and sand to the table. The children can either dig for animals or you can dampen the sand and the can build a farm.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; shows increasing abilities to use compromise and discussion in working, playing, and resolving conflict with others.

Dramatic Play

Let the children use the animal headbands in the center to act out the story or make up their own.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress 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

Make an extra set of the Barn animals from the story. Tape a line of masking tape onto the table. Give the children directions on where to put the animal cards. (Put the horse on the line. Put the sheep above the line. Put the cow next to the sheep. Put the mouse under the horse. etc.).

Mathematics/Geometry & SPatial Sense; builds an increasing understanding of directionality, order, and positions of objects, and words such as up, down, over, under, top, bottom, inside, outside, in front, behind.

Outdoor Play

Bring the grocery boxes and red paint outside for the children to work cooperatively painting ‘barns’. When the barns are dry, the teacher can cut a door into one side. These can then be used for outside play, dramatic play center, or even the block center.

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

Transitions

Play, Who’s Being Fed? The teacher says’ (Someone on the farm today was happy to be fed. _____ _____ _____ ______ is what that someone said. So tell me (child’s name) who was fed? The child then names the animal.

Turkey-gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble Goat-naa, naa, naa, naa Etc.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Resources

Stellaluna, by Janell Cannon

When little Stellaluna gets separated from her mother, what will become of her? This story tells about how two very different animals become friends and take care of each other.

Materials

Several pictures or books about bats.
Animals of Nighttime and Daytime
Mango
Toilet paper tube per child (optional art activity)

Vocabulary

Sultry ( hot and humid)
Clambered ( to climb something and not be very good at it)
Escape ( to get away from something)
Symmetrical (where both halves are the same )

Before Reading the Book

Show the back cover of the book and ask anyone if they can guess what kind of animal these are? If a child says birds, point to the moon and say birds fly during the day. If no one knows, tell them these are bats. They fly at night. Ask the children if they know anything about bats and record any information that they share.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, living things, materials, and natural processes. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ides, and tasks.

While Reading the Story

As you read, note how bats and the birds are different and alike.

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

After Reading the Story

What do you think might have happened to Stellaluna if she had not made friends with the birds? Ask many friendship related questions. Do you and your friend always have to do the same things? (Sometimes Kerry wants to color but I want to do puzzles). Do you and your friend have any things that are different? (Kerry likes peanut butter but I don’t). Are there some people that you don’t know very well that you think you could be friends with? (Next to my house there is a baby that I like to talk to but she can’t talk back to me).

Social & Emotional Development;progresses in responding sympathetically to peers who are in need, upset, hurt, or angry; and in expressing empathy and caring for others. AND Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction and non-fiction and poetry.

Discovery

Bring in pictures of real bats to discuss with the children. The back page of the books has Bat Facts.

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

Bring in a mango for the children to taste. Make a graph of those who like mango and those who do not like mango.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; begins to make comparisons between several objects based on a single attribute.

Music and Movement

Tell the children that you are going to sing a song about opposites. Explain that opposites are a person or thing that is totally different from someone or something else. Sing Everything I Always Say– to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel https://nurseryrhymescollections.com/lyrics/pop-goes-the-weasel.html

Everything I always say,

You always say the opposite.

When I say ____, You say ____.

(Use opposites in-out, up-down, day-night, happy-sad, yummy-blucky)

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Blocks

Show the children how to make a “bat” using a block in the center and making the wings exactly the same on either side. Explain that when both sides are exactly alike it is called symmetrical. Tell the children that a body is mostly symmetrical, a butterfly, and car. That a square shape and a circle are also symmetrical. Ask them if they can build other symmetrical structures.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary. AND Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart.

Art

Give each child a piece of construction paper and ask them to fold it in half. After they have folded it in half, have them open it back up and pour a tablespoon of paint onto one side of the paper. Close the paper back up and have the child use the side of his hand to rub the paint about. Open up and there will be a symmetrical design on their paper. Add another color if they like. Can they tell you what it looks like?

Creative Arts/Art; begins to understand and share opinions about artistic products and experiences.

Make toilet paper bats and hang them from the ceiling. (See resources)

Sand and Water

Fill the table with mud. Add grass clippings. Allow the children to mix it all together and pack into bowls. These will be bird nests. Put them out into the sun to dry. The children can find small stones to make eggs. You can add a paint station so the children can paint the eggs to go in their nests.

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

Library and Writing

On an index card write the letters AT. Tell the children that this makes the “at” sound like in bat. Give them magnetic letters and ask them if they can make the new sounds by putting the magnet letter in front of the AT index card. For children who are not familiar with blending words, begin with the letters B-C-F-H-M-P-R-S.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds of words. AND Literacy/ Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.

Dramatic Play

Today is a good day for Parent and Child play. Include food so the parent can feed their children.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; participates in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more extended and complex.

Math and Manipulatives

Make a copy of the Nighttime and Daytime animal page. Make a copy of the animals and cut them out. Cover all with contact paper. Put the animal pictures into a small basket and ask the children to sort them by animals that come out at night and animals that we see during the day.

Mathematics/ Patterns & Measurement; shows increasing abilities to match, sort, putting in series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Outdoor Play

Play Bats and Owl. This is really tag with a twist. The person who is “it” is the owl. The other players are the bats. To make it more real, give the bats each a scarf to use as their wings. The owl tries to tag the bats. When he/she catches one, the bat becomes the owl and the owl becomes the bat.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping,hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

Transitions

As you call a child off to the next activity, ask him to invite a friend to join him/her in the activity.

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; shows progress in developing friendships with peers.

Resources

Dear Parents-Today we read a book about two friends. Ask your child to tell you about his day. Whom did he play with, what did they do?

Use poster board for the wings. Once assembled have the children paint their bat black or brown.

Bat Facts

Farmers like bats because they eat insects off their plants so they do not need to use as much pesticide which saves farmers lots of money.
Bats help pollinate fruits and flowers by dropping the seeds onto the ground.
Bats can fly up to 60 miles per hour, as fast as a car!
Bats love to eat mosquitoes.
Bats are nocturnal, they sleep during the day and come out at night.
Some bats carry a sickness called rabies so you should NEVER touch a bat.