Tag Archives: Problem-solving

Imogene’s Antlers, by David Small

            What happens when Imogene wakes up one morning with antlers on her head?  This funny story will have children thinking of all the things they could do if they suddenly developed an animal body part.

Materials

  • Several different sized popsicle sticks or twigs
  • Head shape
  • Bag of birdseed
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Several hats and ribbon or crepe paper

Vocabulary

  • Milliner (someone who makes hats)

Before Reading the Story

            Ask the children if they ever thought what it would be like if they could be an animal.  What animal would they like to be and why?  Show the children the cover of the book and introduce.  Ask them if they can think of any problems that Imogene might have with her antlers.  What could you do if you had antlers?

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

Reading the Story

            As you read the story, stop on the page where Imogene’s mother faints. Ask the children why they think Imogene’s mother faints (She can not believe her daughter has antlers)! What do you think is going to happen? What would you do if you woke up and had antlers on your head?

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences. AND Literacy & Book Knowledge; 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

            Show the children several peephole pictures of animals to see if they can guess what each animal is. (Make a peep hole by cutting a one-inch circle in a manilla file. Put a picture behind it and move it around. Can the children guess what the picture is by just looking through the small hole)?

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.

Discovery

            Bring in pictures of animals with antlers and horns.  If you are lucky perhaps you know someone who will let you borrow some antlers, horns, skulls for the children to explore.

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

Music and Movement

            Sadly I know no songs that would go along with this book , so make it children’s choice day!

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics,and preferences. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; develops increased ability to make independent choices.

Sing, If You’re Happy and You Know It but doing actions.

If you’re happy and you know it jump up and down

If you’re happy and you know it jump up and down.

If you’re happy and you know,

Your body will show it.

If you’re happy and you know it jump up and down.

(turn around, touch your toes, take a big leap, squat down low, etc.).

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

Blocks

            Add animals to the blocks.  As the children play, encourage them to talk about the different animal attributes.

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

Art

            Give the children a head page and Popsicle sticks.  They can draw the face and put popsicle stick/twig antlers on top using glue.

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

            Fill the table with birdseed (very soothing sound and can be used later to fill a bird feeder by your science window).  Give the children things for scooping and pouring. Ask the children if they can remember what Imogene fed the birds? Remind the children to keep the seed in the table as birdseed on the floor can be slippery.

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

Library and Writing

            Ask the children to illustrate the following.  If I had _____I could_____!  (If I had wings I could fly, If I had a tail I could wag it hello).

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

Dramatic Play

            Bring hats and ribbon into the center and be milliners.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell 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

            Give the children 2 pipe cleaners to practice twisting together, like a candy cane.  The teacher can then help twist several together to make antlers. These can be attached to a sentence strip for wearing.

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

Outdoor Play

Play a ring toss game by having children try to toss hula hoops over a box or street cone. (Remember in the story how Imogene had donuts on her antlers? Let’s pretend that the hula hoop is a giant donut and see if we can get it to land on the cone/antler).

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

Transitions

            Do animal riddles with the children. I’m thinking of an animal that has… (spots all over its body and a very long neck and legs.  It eats leaves from the tops of the trees)

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

Resources


Katy No-Pocket, by Emmy Payne

            Kangaroos carry their young in front pockets on their bodies.  What is to become of Katy’s son Freddy when she has no way to carry him?

Materials

  • Pocket chart or hanging shoe holder.
  • Animals from the story and several others that begin with the same letter
  • Picture of a kangaroo with a pocket and a baby
  • Pocket shape
  • Several long scarves

Vocabulary

  • Awfully (extremely) really big hops
  • Enormous (another word for really big)
  • Cross (angry or crabby)
  • Carpenter (a person who uses tools to build houses and things of wood)

Before Reading the Story

            Hold up the picture of the kangaroo and ask the children if they know what kind of an animal this is?  Ask them if they can see the baby kangaroo?  Explain that the mother kangaroo has a special pocket in her stomach to carry the baby kangaroo.  Read the title of the book.  Ask the children what they can guess what the problem is in the story (the mother has no way to carry her baby).  Ask them if they can think of a way to help the mother kangaroo to carry her baby.  Have the children look at their clothing and count the number of pockets that they are wearing.  Show the children the front of the book and re-read the title and begin.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; amnd to predict what will happen next in a story. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins toi use one-to-one correspondence is counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Reading the Story

As you read, pay attention to the different feelings that the animals are experiencing. Let the children talk about them.

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

After Reading the Story

            Use the pocket chart and put an animal into each pocket.  Ask the children if they can guess which animal is hiding in each pocket by listening to you make the sounds.  Sss-nake/snake, cro-co-d-ile/crocodile.  As the children guess the animals, pull them out of the pockets so they can see them.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing ability to hear and discrimainate separate syllables in words.

Discovery

            Bring in pictures or books of real animal adults and babies for the children to look at, compare, and discuss. Do the babies look like the adults?

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

            Finger play, Kangaroo.

 Jump, jump, jump goes the Kangaroo                    

(jump fist up and down)

I thought there was one, but now I see two              

( Hold up one finger, then two fingers)

The mother takes her baby along in a pouch            

(put thumb inside palm of other hand)

 Where he can nap like a baby on a couch.

  (open palm and lay thumb across)

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

            Sing,  I’ve Got Something in My Pocket.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkO7UKUBXUY

I’ve got something in my pocket,

That belongs across my face.

I keep it very close at hand

In this most convenient place.

I’m sure you will not guess it

If you guess a long, long while

So I’ll take it out and put it on,

It’s a great big happy smile!

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

Blocks

            In the story the carpenter who helped Katy carried many tools.  Add a carpenters apron or tool belt and tools for the children to build.

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

Art

            Give each child a pocket shape that they can cut out and decorate.  They can then cut out pictures from magazines and put them in their pockets.  (My children like to cut out pictures from toy magazines).

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.

Library and Writing

            Color and cut out the animals from the story.  On the pocket chart attach the letters that correspond. (L,T,C,B for lion, turtle, crocodile, and bird).  Have the children match the animal to the correct letter/letter sound.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds of words. AND Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; increases in ability to notice the beginning letters in familiar words.

Sand and Water

Dramatic Play

            Add several aprons with pockets.  (Ask your local home improvement store for donations) Or… Explain to the children that many mothers use or make baby carriers to help hold their babies. Show the children how to take a large scarf and turn it into a carrier for their baby dolls.

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

Math and Manipulatives

            Copy the kangaroo picture onto a manila file and punch holes all around to make a lacing board.

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

Outdoor Play

            Explain to the children that kangaroos are really good jumpers and can jump over 10 feet in one jump.  Let the children pretend to be kangaroos and measure their jumping abilities.  Measure and record, standing broad jumps and running long jumps.

Mathematics/Pattern & Measurements; shows progress in using stand and non-standard measures for length and area of objects. AND 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 the children go off to the next activity ask them to name something that could fit in their pocket or as the teacher ask them if something could fit in their pocket. (Could a tree fit in your pocket?  Could a penny fit in your pocket?  Could an apple fit in your pocket?)

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; begins to make comparisons between several objects based on a single attribute. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

fold along dotted lines and glue
tying a scarf to hold a baby