Duck and Goose, Tad Hills

Duck and Goose are not really friends but must learn to get along as they wait for an egg to hatch.

Materials

Many 1-2 inch circles cut in a variety of colors
Large circle of paper, 1 per child
Circle graph, label one side “duck” and the other side “goose”
Several ping pong balls or other small balls that will float
5 paper ducks (color each a different color) and an egg shape that fits underneath without showing.

Vocabulary

Before Reading the Story

Cut a one inch hole in a manila file folder. Cut out interesting pictures from magazines. Place the picture behind the file folder with a section showing through the 1-inch hole. Have the children see if they can guess what the picture is behind the file folder. Move it around some to help them see just a little bit of the picture at a time. After you have done this several times, tell the children that today’s story is about two friends who find something that they think is an egg but it is not an egg. Ask them if they guess what that thing might be. Show them the cover after they have made their guesses and introduce the story.

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in a n increasing variety of tasks and activities. AND 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

As you read the story, use an assertive voice when the two friends are arguing about what to do with the egg.

After Reading the Story

Ask the children what they would do if they and another child both wanted the same toy? Use your social cues to help talk about taking turns, sharing, or asking the teacher for help. (If me and Juanna wanted the baby I would give her the other one. If someone tried to take a toy from me I would tell them “No, it is my turn, you can be next”. When Kim took the truck from me I cried and then told the teacher she was mean”.

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

Discovery

Put out pictures of a real duck and a real goose. As the children look at the pictures, ask them to compare them using a circle graph. Write their responses in the appropriate sections.

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

Play a passing game using a small ball. Sing or chant the following.

We will pass this ball from me to you to you

We will pass this ball and that’s just what we’ll do.

Have the children sit in a circle and pass the ball around the circle. Have the children turn to their right so they are facing the child beside them’s back and pass the ball overhead. Have the children pass the ball under their legs, using only one hand , etc..

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

Sing 5 Little Ducks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZw9veQ76fo

5 little ducks went out to play,

Over the hills and far away.

Mother duck called quack, quack, quack

4 little ducks came running back.

Sing 4,3,2,1

0 little duck went out to play,

Over the hills and far away.

Mother Duck called QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!

5 little ducks came running back.

Children hold up the correct number of fingers to go with each verse and wave their hand back and forth to the rhythm.

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

Blocks

Remind the children that on the one page, duck and goose made fences around the ball so the other could not get it. Encourage the children to make a fence with the blocks. Can they make a patterned fence using two or three sized blocks?

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

Art

Give each child a large circle shape of paper and many smaller circles in a variety of colors that they can glue onto the large circle. After is has dried, trim any pieces that go over the edge so that the finished product is a large circle with a many circle design.

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

Sand and Water

Put floating balls and/or ping pong balls in the water table today. Give the children spoons or similar to try to scoop the balls from the water.

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 in books that show real ducks and geese for the children to examine.

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

Dramatic Play

If you have a large yoga ball, bring it in and the children can act out the story.

Math and Manipulatives

Use your colored ducks and 5 pieces of paper with 1-5 dots on it. Ask the child to show you 3 ducks, 1 duck, 5 ducks, etc.. For older children ask them to show you 3 ducks and then add 1 more…now how many ducks do you have?

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

Outdoor Play

Bring out the balls today and practice kicking from a stand still and while the ball is rolling. Practice catching the ball, bouncing and catching, and dribbling.

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

Play Duck, Duck, Goose with the children. Have the children hold hands and make a big circle. One person is ‘It’. ‘It’ walks around the circle lightly tapping the children’s heads saying either duck or goose with each tap. If ‘It’ says Duck then nothing happens and ‘It’ goes onto the next person. But if ‘It’ says Goose, the person tapped must chase ‘It’ around the circle and try to tag him/her. ‘It’ is safe when he/she runs around the circle and back to the place where the other child was goosed. The new child now becomes ‘It’.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Transitions

Lay the 5 colored ducks out in the middle of the circle. Have a child cover their eyes and hide the egg under one of the ducks. The child must then guess which duck the egg is under by naming the color duck. I usually give the children three guesses. That child then hides the egg for another child to guess.

Resources

Screen Shot 2018-11-05 at 1.06.37 PM — use for colored ducks

Screen Shot 2018-11-05 at 12.48.56 PM — Saw this on the internet, could be fun to make for dramatic play.

First The Egg, by L. Vaccaro-Seeger

This simple story shows how things transform from one thing into another. The simple text and bold pictures make transformation of animals and things so much easier for young children to comprehend.

Materials

1-2 Cheese Graters
1 bar of Ivory hand soap
2 rolls of toilet paper

Vocabulary

Before Reading the Story

Go over your daily schedule with the children. Talk about how first you do this and then you do that. (First we eat breakfast and then we have a group time. First we use the bathroom and then we go outside). Use words first, next then, and after.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; develops growing awareness of ideas and language related to attributes of time and temperature.

Reading the Story

Read the book slowly allowing the children to fill in the words if they can. Pause before turning to the pages that start with ‘then’.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes. AND Language Development; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for varied other purposes.

After Reading the Story

Ask the children if they can recall all the transformations in the book. If they can not recall, use the book and say, “First the ____ Then the see if the children can fill in the then.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; progresses in abilities to initiate and respond appropriately in conversation and discussions with peers and adults.

Discovery

Put out any books or materials that you have about life cycles and transformation.

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.

Music and Movement

Teach the poem, Dig a Little Hole

Dig a little hole Follow the poem to make actions

And put the seed

Cover it with dirt

And let the sun shine in.

Add a little water

And keep it fed,

Pretty soon a little plant

Will show its head.

Roly Poly Caterpillar Make actions to words

Roly Poly Caterpillar into a corner crept.

Spun a blanket around himself

Then for a long time slept.

Roly Poly Caterpillar waking by and by

Found he had beautiful wings

And was changed to a butterfly.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; shows increased awareness and beginning understanding of changes in materials and cause-effect relationships.

Blocks

Add the book Changes, Changes by P. Hutchins. Go through it with the children talking about all the changes that the blocks go through. Then leave the center and see what the children choose to make. Observe, did they make changes, changes in their play?

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

Art

Put out primary colored paints today. As the children prep for painting, tell them , “first you mix the yellow and red and then you get the orange”.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to describe and discuss predictions, explanations, and generalizations based on past experiences.

Sand and Water

Tell the children that today you are going to make clean mud with them. Give a child the cheese grater and let them begin to grate the ivory soap bar into the water table. While this child is grating soap, others can be tearing apart toilet paper, one square at a time and dropping it into the water table. After all the soap has been grated and the toilet tissue torn, add a little water and start mixing up the soap and toilet paper. Continue adding more water until you have a smooth and slippery consistency. The toilet paper should be sculptable at this point. Let the children experiment sculpting in the medium.

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

Library and Writing

If you have any sequencing cards put them out today.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as size or shape. AND Literacy/Print Awareness & Concepts; demonstrates increasing awareness of concepts of print, such as that reading in English moves from top to bottom and from left to right, that speech can be written down, and that print conveys a message.

Dramatic Play

Watch how the children choose to use the center today. Try to use the first/then in conversation with the children. I see that first you are making dinner and then you will eat it. I see that you are getting the baby dressed what will you do then? Oh, you are first putting on the red dress and then will you add some sparkle jewelry?

Science/Scientific Knowledge; develops growing awareness of ideas and language related to attributes of time and temperature.

Math and Manipulatives

Any kinds of pattern play materials that you may have today.

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

Outdoor Play

Play Transformation. Suggest that the children make themselves very small. Now tell them to transform into something very long. Transform into something very tall, humongous, teeny tiny, tall, that moves slowly, moves quickly, is jumpy, hardly moves at all, etc.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Transitions

Call the children to line up or move to the next activity two at a time. First Alison, then Sean. First Ryan, then Paula. First Jamie, then Kim.

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

Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones, by Ruth Heller

This book is a wonderful introduction to oviparous creatures. Besides being a fun word to teach children, the pictures and simple text will help children to really see and understand that lots of creatures are egg laying and thus, oviparous indeed.

Materials

Box large enough for a child to get inside.
Animals that are oviparous pictures
3 raw eggs
1 boiled egg per child in the classroom
Plastic Easter eggs, lot
4 shallow boxes and 4 small balls (golf, ping-pong, or larger marble)
Jelly bean graph
10 one-inch tall eggs in three colors

Vocabulary

Oviparous (animals that lay eggs from which their babies hatch)

Before Reading the Story

Ask the children if they can name an animal that is oviparous. Define the word and help them to pronounce it. Ask again if they can name an animal that is oviparous. After they have named any, or not, tell them you are going to play a game using oviparous animals. Hold up the pictures of the animals from the copy page one at a time. Let the children name them and then lay them down where all the children can see them. After naming the animals play, Which Oviparous Animal is the Egg Hiding Under? A child hides their eyes and then a second child puts the egg shape under an animal. When the egg is hidden the class choruses, “Which oviparous animal is the egg under?” The first child opens their eyes and must guess. Continue to play until everyone has had an opportunity to hide the egg and guess.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions, to take turns in games and using materials, and to interact without being overly submissive or directive. AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken language.

Reading the Story

Introduce the story by saying, “We know that lots of animals lay eggs. Our story today is called, Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones”. Make sure to point out the eggs and their shapes while reading the story.

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

After Reading the Story

Bring in a box large enough that a child can fit inside of it. Make sure it still has all its flaps on it. Introduce the poem Oviparous Animals. While reciting the poem,one child gets in the box and pops out declaring what kind of an animal that they are. Congratulate them when they think of specific animals not in the book (shark, brontosaurus, rattle snake,etc).

Oviparous Animals

Oviparous animals out of the egg crack Out comes a _________and that is that!

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

Discovery

Show the children how to tell if an egg is hard boiled or raw. Lay the egg on its side and spin it. If it wobbles, it is raw. If it spins freely it is hard boiled. Let the children spin several times and then give them a hard boiled egg to peel and eat. Or make egg salad if you like.

Science/Scientific Methods & Skills; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations. AND Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; grows in abilities to persist in and complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects, and experiences.

Music and Movement

Oviparous Animals

Oviparous animals out of the egg crack.

Out comes a _______and that is that!

Child hides in the box and then pops out declaring what kind of an oviparous animals they choose to be.

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

Make egg shakers to use to sing songs and keep rhythm with. Use plastic Easter eggs and fill with rice. Tape them closed.

Creative Arts/ Music; experiments with a variety of musical instruments.

Blocks

Can you build letters with your blocks? Tell the children, “E is for egg”. Model making an E out of blocks, children copy. Can you make a T, V, F, H,etc? If the teacher is modeling for the children, sit facing them and build your block letters upside down so they can see how you put the blocks together.

Literacy/Early Writing;experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computers. AND Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.

Art

Cut out egg shapes that fit as large as possible inside the shallow box. Dip a small ball in paint and put it on top of the egg shape. Let the children roll the ball back and forth, side to side to make a design on their egg.

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

Put mud into the table. Let the children make mud balls (eggs). Add baskets and grass clippings so the children can put the eggs into nests. Ask them what type of oviparous animal eggs they have made.

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

Library and Writing

Ahead of time, put the pictures you found of oviparous animals under an egg shape that covers them completely. Cut several small holes in the egg so that children can see a small peak of the creature below. On the egg write clues of what is underneath. Read the clues to the children and see if they can guess. Let the children lift the egg and see if they are correct. As they name the animal ask “What kinds of animals lay eggs?” Have the child say oviparous animals!

I am long. I have no legs, I say hiss.

I live in a nest, I have feathers, I eat worms

I am huge, I am extinct, I am a plant eater

I am fat, people eat me, I say gobble, gobble

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Dramatic Play

Add plastic Easter eggs and sanitized egg containers. Observe how the children use the eggs in their play today and any vocabulary that accompanies it. Note any oviparous play. (I have had children decide that the eggs were dinosaur eggs, that the children were crocodiles and lived under the table, and others who just cooked or ignored the eggs all together).

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

Math and Manipulatives

Jelly beans look like eggs. Have a fun math and eating project. Give each child a cup full of jelly beans, about 15-20 each. Have the children sort their eggs by color. Use crayons to mark the graph of how many they have in each color. Count the color that has the most and eat them. Count the color that has the least and eat them. Now how many jelly beans do you have left? Which color left is your favorite? Count them and eat them. Play until all the jelly beans are gone.

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

Outdoor Play

Tell the children that the book said that insects are oviparous. Go outside and look for insects. Take your insect catchers with you (purchased or small plastic jars). After you catch an insect, invite the children to come and examine it. Can they count how many legs it has? Do you see the antenna? If they have caught more than one insect, can they describe the differences and similarities between the two?Make sure you let them go before you come inside.

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

Transitions

Cut out about 10 one-inch tall eggs in two to three colors. Use these eggs to make patterns (ABABAB or ABCABCABC) Put the pattern up where the children can see it and then ask the children if they can see what color comes next in the pattern?

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

Resources