The Penguin Who Hated the Cold, by Barbara Brenner

This is a silly little story about a penguin named Pablo who hated the cold. He’ll do anything to find a warm place to live. Follow him on his adventure from the cold Antarctic to the warm tropics. This book is a great jumping board for teaching opposites.

Materials

Night before, freeze small animal counters into cubes and blocks of ice.
Several trays of plain ice cubes
Hot water bottle
2 large boxes of jello
1 banana, 1 apple or pear, several strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and cherries
Animal homes cards

Vocabulary

Chilly (always feeling cold, colder than cool but not as cold as frozen)
Hate (to really, really not like something)

Before Reading the Story

Talk with the children about the weather outside (this story is best read in the winter or the summer). Ask the children what kinds of things they like to do in the cold winter weather (make snowballs, sled, eat snow, dig) and then ask them what kinds of things they like to do in the hot summer weather (swim, ride bicycles, roll in grass, pick flowers). Tell them that winter and summer are opposites. Hot and cold are opposites. Introduce the story by saying that today we are going to read a story about a penguin named Pablo. Penguins live where it is always cold. Pablo does not like the cold though, at all! Pablo wants to go where it is warm. Let’s find out if he gets there.

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

Reading the Story

Stop on each page where Pablo says goodbye to his friends. Do you think that he will get to a place where it is always warm? If not, what do you think will happen?

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates 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.

After Reading the Story

Make a graph and have the children mark if they like the cold weather or the hot weather better. Count the total and write the numbers underneath.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to express awareness o fself in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Discovery

Make float and sink jello. Have the children help cut the fruits into bite sized pieces. Make the jello according to the directions. Let the children take turns dropping the fruit into the jello and predict if it will float or sink. Let the jello cool and eat.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations. AND Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth , and toileting.

Music and Movement

Fill the hot water bottle up with water and use it to play hot potato. (Pass the hot water bottle around until the music stops. The child holding the water bottle must name something that you do either in the hot or the cold weather.

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

Show children how to use two blocks to pretend skate. Put on music and slide around the carpet.

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

Sing the Opposite Song (to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opr_7f0Z0os

Everything I always say,

You always say the opposite.

When I say _________,

You say ___________!

Good opposites that go with this story are; cold-hot, forwards-backwards, up-down, outside-inside, on-off, float-sink

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare and contrast objects, events, and experiences. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Blocks

Ask the children if they can make a house to keep Pablo warm. If you have a stuffed penguin, this would be a good center to put it in.

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

Art

Put out finger paint. Instead of using hands to paint, give the children ice cubes to move the paint about the paper.

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

Sand and Water

Put the animals in the frozen ice blocks into the table. Ask the children to see if they can get the animals out. (warm water with spoons works as does using blocks for a hammer effect)

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; grows in recognizing and solving problems through active exploration, including trial and error, and interactions and discussions with peers and adults.

Library and Writing

Depending upon the season you are in (summer or winter), ask the children to tell you a sign of the season and draw a picture about. With older children they may be able to draw and tell about an opposite season also. (Summer; sunny, swim, flowers, shorts, sandals/Winter; snow, sled, no leaves, mittens, boots)

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play.

Dramatic Play

Put out dress ups that are opposite the season you are experiencing. For summer you could put out bathing suit, sunglasses, and towels. For winter you could put out boots, mittens, and scarves.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play. AND Science/Scientific Knowledge; develops growing awareness of ideas and language related to attributes of time and temperature.

Math and Manipulatives

Make a set of animal homes cards and let the children see if they can put the animals in their proper home.

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

Outdoor Play

Roll in the grass or snow.

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

Transitions

Ask children to say or show you opposite of a word that you give.

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

Resources

The Penguin Who Hated the Cold, by Barbara Brenner

Materials

Night before, freeze small animal counters into cubes and blocks of ice.
Hot water bottle
2 large boxes of jello
1 banana, 1 apple or pear, several strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and cherries
Animal homes cards
Finger paint

Vocabulary

Chilly (always feeling cold)
Hate (to really, really not like something)

Before Reading the Story

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Reading the Story

Stop on each page where Pablo says goodbye to his friends. Do you think that he will get to a place where it is always warm?

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.

After Reading the Story

Make a graph and have the children mark if they like the cold weather or the hot weather better. Count the total and write the numbers underneath.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; demonstrates increasing interest and awareness of numbers and counting as a means for solving problems and determining quantity.

Discovery

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

Music and Movement

Fill the hot water bottle up with water and use it to play hot potato. Have the children sit in a circle. One child starts to pass the hot water bottle to the child beside him when the music starts. The children continue to pass the bottle until the music stops. When the music stops, the teacher asks the child holding the water bottle to name something that is either hot or cold.

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

Show children how to use two blocks to pretend ice skate. Put on music and slide around the carpet.

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

Sing the Opposite Song to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrUdD2dX8e4

Everything I always say,

You always say the opposite.

When I say _________,

You say ___________!

Good opposites that go with this story are; cold-hot, forwards-backwards, up-down, outside-inside, on-off, float-sink

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

Blocks

Ask the children if they can make a house to keep Pablo warm. If you have a stuffed penguin, this would be a good center to put it in.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; demonstrates increasing ability to set goals and develop follow through on plans.

Art

Put out finger paint. Instead of using hands to paint, give the children ice cubes to move the paint about the paper.

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 the animals in the frozen ice blocks into the table. Ask the children to see if they can get the animals out. Allow them to experiment with objects from around the classroom.

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

Library and Writing

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play.

Dramatic Play

Put out dress ups that are opposite the season you are experiencing. For summer you could put out bathing suit, sunglasses, and towels. For winter you could put out boots, mittens, and scarves.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play.

Math and Manipulatives

Make a set of animal homes cards and let the children see if they can put the animals in their proper home.

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

Outdoor Play

Roll in the grass or snow.

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

Transitions

Call out one half of an opposite and see if the children can name back the other half to you. If you have opposite cards, these help children as many children do not have a strong grasp of what an opposite is.

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

Resources

One fish Two fish Red fish Blue fish, by Dr. Seuss

This is a classic silly Dr. Suess book that children enjoy. It introduces opposites as well as rhyming words in the traditional Dr. Seuss style. Enjoy, the children will.

Materials

Directions for drawing fish

Vocabulary

Before reading the Story

As you introduce the book, show the children the cover. Point to the word fish on the cover and tell them that this says fish. Ask them if they can read the cover of the book. Point to the one fish and say, One ____. Point to the 2 fish and see if they can figure out what it says. Point to the red fish and sound out the word r-e-d _____. Now point to the blue fish and begin to sound out until children figure out. Repeat this on the cover page of the book.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; associates sounds with written words, such as awareness that different words begin with the same sound.

Reading the Story

As you read the story, point to the objects so the children can try to guess/read along and say the rhyming words.

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

On page 12 it talks about the number of feet the animals have. Ask the children how many feet they/people have? On page 17 the man has 11 fingers. Ask the children how many fingers people have?

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

After Reading the Story

Write ‘ish’ on the top of a large piece of paper. Tell the children that this says ish. Can they think of any words that rhyme with ish? If they can not, write d ish. Make the /D/ sound + ish. Dish! It rhymes. Try another. Allow the children to use made-up words such as bish, lish, etc.. the idea is to encourage the children to think up words that rhyme. When you have run out of ish words do at words or og.

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

Discovery

Introduce the opposites of Rough and Smooth. Use two pieces of paper and at the top of one write Rough and draw a picture of a bumpy line. On the top of the other piece of paper, write Smooth and draw a straight line. Collect a basket of objects from your room that are either rough or smooth and let the children sort accordingly. As the work, encourage them to feel the surface. Can they think of any other objects that are rough or smooth? (plastic food, a block, a crayon, a piece of sandpaper, fabrics from your collage materials, types of papers such as waxed or foil that is both flat and has ben crumpled and then smoothed, lego, etc).

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

Music and Movement

Sing Rhyming Words Sound the same, to the chorus of the Mexican Hat Dance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK4QWrecm8g

Rhyming words sound the same (clap, clap)

Rhyming words sound the same.

Name a word from the book and see if children can make a rhyme

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

For something different, you could play One Fish, Two Fish in rap for the children to dance to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evQhWcZ-gbU

Teach the children the song 1,2,3,4,5 I Caught a Fish Alive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evQhWcZ-gbU.

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

Blocks

Encourage the children to make patterns with their blocks today. (Red block, blue block, red block, blue block. Square block, rectangle block). For older childre children you could try encouraging an ABB pattern or an ABC pattern. For children who are new to patterns, try drawing it on paper for the children to follow using the blocks.

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

Art

Put out simple drawing directions for making fish. Hang the children’s fish on the wall titled, “Here to There, Funny Fish are Everywhere”.

Literacy/Print Awareness & Concepts; develops a growing understanding of different functions of forms of print such as signs, letters, newspapers, lists, messages, and menus.

Library and Writing

Tell the children that fish begins with the letter /F/. Make a list of /F/ words. The children could then illustrate the words and put them on the word wall.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; associates sounds with written words, such as awareness that different words begin with the same sound.

Sand and water

Water in the table today.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; demonstrates increasing capacity to follow rules and routines and use materials purposefully, safely, and respectfully.

With older preschoolers I have put live goldfish into the water table for the day. I use the day to clean the aquarium and it gives the children the opportunity to examine the fish from above and to gently touch the fish. We had a goldfish one year that truly seemed to enjoy being ‘pet’. This is an activity that you will have to carefully monitor and also discuss ahead of time. It is also one that the children really enjoyed.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; demonstrates increasing capacity to follow rules and routines and use materials purposefully, safely, and respectfully. AND Science/Science Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Dramatic Play

Bring several chairs into the center to make a pretend ‘boat’. The children can pretend to fish using rods made from dowel rods, rulers, or paper towel tubes. To extend, make fish and color different colors or add letters to their bodies. Put a paperclip on each fish and a magnet attached to the rod by a piece of yarn about 12-18 inches long.

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.

Math and Manipulatives

Use the fish pattern and make a page of red, yellow, blue, and green fish. Cut them out and use with the children to make patterns. Can you make a pattern just like this? Kerry made a pattern, let’s all see if we can copy hers.

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

Outdoor play

The story talks about creatures from here to there. Think of silly ways to move across the playground from here to there and there to here. Silly children everywhere!

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

Using the book, turn to a page and give the child a word from the story and see to if he/she can make a rhyming word to go with it.

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