Farm animals try to help a little boy find the perfect gift for his Mother’s birthday. Find out what the perfect gift is while reading this simple book with your children.
Materials
- Picture of cow and bear with word printed underneath.
- Feely box (shoe box with a hole cut out of each end so child can put their hands inside) A pillowcase will work also.
- Bear Face
- 1 brown lunch bag per child
- Many foil squares and wrapping bows
- Roll of crepe paper
- Homemade or store bought “birthday” hats and any other birthday supply
Vocabulary
- Fine (something that is made very well)
- Wool (a kind of fur)
Introducing the Story
Turn to the first page and ask the children how they think the little boy is feeling. Why do you think he is feeling this way? Explain to the children that Danny is sad because he does not know what to get his Mother for her birthday. Ask the children what they would do if it were them? Tell them the story is called Ask Mr. Bear, why do you think it is named that?
Social & Emotional Development/Social relationships; progresses in responding sympathetically to peers who are in need, upset, hurt, or angry; and in expressing empathy or caring for others.
Reading the Story
As you read the story give the children the opportunity to name the animal and make the animal sound in the appropriate places When you get to the page where Danny’s Mother is guessing what Danny has gotten her for her birthday, stop and ask the children if they can guess too.
Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in an increasing variety of tasks and activities. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find o more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.
After reading the Story
Show the children the front cover of the book. Ask the children to remember what animals were in the story that are not on the cover (bear and cow).
Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell or dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in as story.
Cover the cow and bear picture with a piece of paper. Slowly slide the paper off the picture and stretch the word so the children can hear the individual sounds.
Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness f beginning and ending sounds in words.
Discovery
Introduce the feely box. Put a familiar object inside the box/ pillowcase and show the children how to put their hands in the holes to feel it. Use familiar items from your classroom. Can they guess what you have put in the box? Teach them to play this game with their friends.
Science/Scientific Knowledge & Skills; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.
Music and Movement
With the book in hand, ask the children to show you what walking looks like, skipping looks like, hopping, galloping, trotting, and running
Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary. AND Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency , control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, hopping, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.
Blocks
Put out the many foil squares and encourage the children to wrap blocks like birthday gifts. Let them attach wrapping bows for decoration.
Physical Health & Development/Fine Motors; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.
Art
Have the children cut a bear head out and glue it to a brown paper lunch sack to make puppets Let the children water color their puppet.
Physical Health & Development/Fine Motors; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer. AND Creative Arts/Art; develops growing ability to plan, work independently, and demonstrate care and persistence in a variety of art projects.
Sand and Water
Fill the bottom of the sand table with an inch or two of dirt. Take the children outside to help gather sticks, small branches, and rocks. Put these into the table along with several plastic animals or people. Encourage the children to make a forest scene.
Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.
Library and Writing
Put out the cow and bear pictures, encourage the children to practice writing the words and then drawing their own animals.
Literacy/Early Writing; experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computers.
Dramatic Play
Set up a birthday theme by adding hats, crepe paper, and small boxes that the children can put objects in. Add self sticking wrapping bows.
Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations.
Math and Manipulatives
Use counting bears to make simple patterns. Ask the children to make one just like yours. Ask the child to show you how many bears old they are, how many people are in their family
Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances ability to recognize, duplicate, and extend patterns using a variety of materials. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.
Outdoor Play
Encourage the children to act out the story with you. Depending on how many children are interested you will have to include other animals and movements. Example; Then Kerry asked Kangaroo, do you have a gift I can give my mother? But Kangaroo said no and so they all jumped along and jumped along until they met Snake.
Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell or dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in as story.
Transitions
As children are laying down for nap or getting ready to leave, give each a hug and say; Here’s a big bear hug just from me.
Dear Parent- Today we read the book Ask Mr. Bear in which a child tries to find the perfect gift for his Mother’s birthday. Talk to your child about when his/her birthday is. Give the child the date and then state something that will happen close to the date so the child can begin to become aware of things that happen near their birthday. (Kerry your birthday is in the spring when it starts to get warmer outside. Roger, your birthday is just after your father’s birthday).
Resources
Book Play Everyday 
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