Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, by Leo Lionni

Alexander Mouse befriends a little wind-up mouse named Willy. But one day Willy’s life is about to change. The child he belongs to has thrown him into the trash. What will become of Willy? What will Alexander do to help his friend?

Materials

A pebble that is purple or painted purple
Pictures of animals both real and not-real
lizard shape
Eye droppers and food coloring
3-4 wind-up toys

Vocabulary

Envy (wishing to be like someone else)
Vain (to think you are the best looking, always)

Before reading the Story

Bring a purple pebble to your rug time. Tell the children that this is a magical purple pebble. With this pebble you can pretend to be any animal that you wish to become. Pass the pebble around and let the children tell you what kind of an animal they would choose to be. Or, ask them to make the animals call sound and see if you can guess what animal they chose to be.

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in an increasing variety of tasks, activities, projects, and experiences. AND Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preserfences.

Reading the Story

When you get to the part where Willy is telling Alexander about the magic lizard, stop and ask the children what they think is going to happen next.

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

Ask the children if they thought Alexander was a good friend, why or why not? Ask the children if they have a favorite toy at home, what is it?

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

Discovery

Sort animal pictures by real animals verses not real animals.

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 color.

Music and Movement

Sing, There is a Child, to the tune of BINGO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuBBo8uudYw

Write the children’s names onto sentence strips. Hold up one of the names as you sing and point to the letters.

There is a child at our school,
Can you guess his/her name-o
S-e-a-n, S-e-a-n, S-e-a-n,
Yes, Sean is his name-o.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their name.

Blocks

Add a variety of animals today. Ask the children to sort them, build a house for their favorite animal, or arrange from smallest to largest.

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 color.

Art

Cut the lizard out of white construction paper or watercolor paper. Put out cups filled with water that you have added food coloring to. Show the children how to pinch the eye dropper to suck the water up and then drop it onto the lizard shape. Let the children experiment with mixing colors by dropping them onto the lizard shape.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Sand and Water

Depending upon the children in your care, fill the table up with fish gravel and small pebbles that the children can scoop or pick up with tongs or tweezers. If you have children that you fear might put the small stones into their facial orifices, use larger stones with sand to scoop and pour as they look for the pebbles.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Library and Writing

On top of a piece of paper write: I wish, I wish , I wish I was a ___________. Ask the children to fill in the blank, write their response and then ask the child to draw a picture of what they would like to become. For older children you can ask them why they chose to become a _______. Write their response on the paper.

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

Dramatic Play

Give the children a box or bag and ask them to help you clean the center. Use the box for all the broken or unused items. It’s time to bring in some new dramatic supplies.

Math and Manipulatives

Bring in any wind up toys that you may have. (Children seem to really like music boxes where they can see the gears move).

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Outdoor Play

Rhythm march to or around the playground. As you march chant, “Friends forever, friends forever”.

Creative Arts/Movement; shows growth in moving in time to different patterns of beat or rhythm of music.

Transitions

Have the children repeat the following phrase and insert an animal into the blank. They can then do the animal movement on their way to the next activity. “I wish, I wish, I wish I was a ________”.

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

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

Alphabet Under Construction, by Denise Fleming

This colorful book shows Mouse building the letters of the Alphabet. With plenty of new words, there is lots of room for conversation as you read. It comes with an alphabet poster to boot!

Materials

Many small boxes, toilet tubes, pipe cleaners, and other building junk
Several rolls of masking tape
Tool pictures
An old small appliance (toaster, wall clock, radio, hair dryer) Plug cut off!
10 paper plates

Vocabulary

Many unusual words look through the book ahead and make sure you can define words that you think your children might not know.

Before Reading the Story

Bring pretend or real tools to the rug. Ask the children to help you name the tools and what they are used for.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of families & Community; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them.

Reading the Story

As you read, draw your finger over the letter that Mouse is constructing. Take time to talk about each picture with the children as there are lots of unusual words. With the help of the children define what it is that Mouse is doing on each page.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shape and sound. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

After Reading the Story

Bring out your tools again and review what each is called and what it is used for.

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

Discovery

Bring in an old small appliance that you have removed the plug from. Let the children disassemble it using small screwdrivers, pliers, and wrenches. (Make sure you pay attention to the children’s play as there may be small parts).

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

Music and Movement

Sing the Alphabet Song with the children. Ideally have an alphabet chart with you that you can point to as you sing the name of each letter.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; knows the letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be named individually.

On each of the 10 paper plates write a letter of the alphabet. Scatter them about and have the children stand in a circle around the letters. Let them take turns jumping from 1-5 letters as you call the letter name out. Or call out the letter sound and have the child jump.

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

Blocks

Add tools to the center along with a couple construction hats.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of families & Community; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them.

Art

Let the children experiment with 3 dimensional building. Put out the boxes and building junk you collected along with various lengths of masking tape. The children can tape the boxes together and add pipe cleaners, Popsicle sticks, etc. Take these outside and drop paint onto them.

Creative Arts/Art; develops growing abilities to plan, work independently, and demonstrate care and persistence in a variety of art projects.

Sand and Water

Tell the children that shovels are also a tool. What do you use a shovel for? Fill the table with sand and include shovels for digging holes.

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

Library and Writing

Use the lines and circles that you cut out and let the children try construction their own alphabet letters. Can you make a letter in your name? Can you make one like this? As they make the letters, observe who is able to name the letter/s.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds. AND Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart.

Dramatic Play

If you have lots of play tools you can put some in here as well as the block center. If not, perhaps the children can pretend to call the plumber and a child from blocks can come make a repair or lend a tool.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of families & Community; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them.

Math and Manipulatives

Use the tools pictures and the small mouse. Hide the mouse under a tool while the child’s eyes are closed. The child must guess which tool the mouse is under. Give the child clues as to where the mouse is hidden; “If I wanted to hammer a nail into the wood, which tool would I use, If I wanted to take apart that chair what tool would I use, If I wanted to make this block smaller which tool would I use”?

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary. AND Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; begins to make comparisons between several objects based on a single attribute. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Outdoor Play

Take out plastic hammers or some half arch blocks from your block center. Gather a variety of leaves or flower heads and show the children how to put the leaf under a piece of light colored paper. The leaf needs to be sandwiched in between the paper and a hard surface like the sidewalk or a board. The child hammers the paper on top of the leaf. Pick up the paper and you will see a design made by the leaf. Try doing several different kinds of leaves or flowers.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Transitions

Dismiss the children to the next activity by first letter in the children’s name. Say (and write the letter), “If your name starts with the letter R you may go to the next activity.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; increases in ability to notice the beginning letters in familiar words.

Dear Parent- today we read an alphabet book. You can help your child learn the letters of the alphabet by working with him/her to recognize and name the letters that make his/her name. Magnet alphabets on the refrigerator are a fun way for children to play and with letters.

Resources