Eric Carle Day 5 -The Very Busy Spider

The Very Busy Spider

Read: The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

Discuss: Farm Animals

Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider or Old Mac Donald

Spider Web Snack

We used string cheese to form the spider's web, a grape for the spider's body, and pretzel sticks for the spider's legs.

The Very Busy Spider Story Stick

I printed out and laminated The Very Busy Spider Story Stick animals.  Then I put velcro on the backs and put velcro on the yardstick too.  I gave each child an animal and they could stick them on the yardstick in the order of the story as I read it to them again.

Spider Web

The children sat in a circle and I held a ball of white yarn.  I passed the yarn across the circle and held on to my part.  That child said what his favorite farm animal was and then passed the yarn across the circle to another child still holding on to his part.  Then the second child said what her favorite farm animals was and passed the yarn across the circle to another child still holding on to her part.  We continued this until every child was holding part of the spider web.

Spiders Web On Fence Post

Materials:

• 6 wooden craft sticks
• White yarn
• Glue
• Googly eyes
• Black pipe cleaner
• Black pom-pom
• Construction paper

Directions:

1. Glue the craft sticks in the shape of a rectangle onto the construction paper.
   
2. Mix glue with a bit of water.
3. Glue on small pieces of yarn to form a web by dipping the yarn in glue and placing it on the paper between the craft sticks.
   
   
4. Create a spider with a black pom-pom, black pipe cleaners, and googly eyes on the web.

Eric Carle Day 4 -The Mixed-up Chameleon

The Mixed-up Chameleon

Read: The Mixed-up Chameleon by Eric Carle

Discuss: Review colors and that everyone is unique.

Song: Do You Have Green Skin?

(sung to tune: “Do Your Ears Hang Low”)

Do you have green skin?

Can you shed the skin you’re in?

Can you change the color, too?

Turn from green to red to blue?

Do you live among the trees?

Blending in with sticks and leaves?

Do you have green skin?

Chameleon Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• food coloring

Directions:

1. In a bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms. 
   
   
3. Divide dough into 9 parts and color one part with each color of the chameleon on the front of the book with food coloring.
   
   
4. Shape the dough like a chameleon. (I traced the front cover of the book onto wax paper and shaped my cookie dough on the wax paper before transferring it to the cookie sheet.)
   
   
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
6. Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until lightly browned and let cool.

Story Sequencing

I printed out The Mixed-up Chameleon Sequencing Cards for the kids to put in order as I read the story to them again.

Hide-N-Seek Chameleon

I traced the chameleon on the front cover of the book onto a transparency sheet. 

The kids took turns hiding the chameleon (laying it on a flat surface to see it camouflage itself).  Then the other kids went to look for it.  Whoever found it got to hide it next.

See the chameleon on the floor in front of A's feet.

Tissue Paper Chameleon

Materials:

• Chameleon Outline
• Tissue Paper Squares
• Glue
• Paintbrush
• Googly Eye

Directions:

1. Mix glue with a bit of water.
2. Paint glue onto the chameleons face and add green tissue paper squares.
3. Then paint glue onto the chameleons front foot and a stripe of body behind the green and add pink tissue paper squares.
4. Then add glue to the next foot and stripe of body behind the pink and add red tissue paper squares.
5. Continue adding the color that comes next in the story one stripe at a time all the way to the tip of the tail.
   
   
   
6. Glue on a googly eye on the head.
   

Eric Carle Day 3 -The Grouchy Ladybug

The Grouchy Ladybug

Read: The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

Discuss: Telling Time

Song: Ladybug, Ladybug

Ladybug, lady bug -- red and black.

I see circles on your back.

Ladybug, ladybug fly up high.....

fly back safely from - the - sky

Ladybug Pretzels

I dipped half of the pretzel into red candy melts and added mini chocolate chips to it and let them harden.  I dipped the front of the ladybug pretzel into melted chocolate and then added tiny white frosting dots for the eyes.

Story Sequencing 

 I printed pages 37-40 of The Grouchy Ladybug download and cut apart the animals.  They kids put the animals in order as I read the story again.

Ladybug Number Match

 I made a file folder game with pages 6-8 of The Grouchy Ladybug download.  The child counts how many dots are on the ladybug and then matches them up with the correct number.

Ladybug Clock

Materials:

• 2 paper plates
• clock on pg 10 of The Grouchy Ladybug download
• red paint
• paint brushes
• markers
• glue
• 2 brass fasteners
• hole puncher
• scissors

Directions:

1. Paint paper plates - 1 front and 1 back side.
2. Cut out the clock and glue it onto center of the red front plate. 
   
3. Cut out 2 arrows - 1 small and 1 large for clock hands - and attach to middle of clock on paper plate with brass fastener.
   
4. Take the plate with painted outside and fold in half and cut. Punch hole near top - make sure plates are slightly on top of each other. This will be the wings and will open and close to show the clock on the inner plate.
   
5. Attach a head cut from black construction paper to the head of ladybug so that clock is easily seen when wings are opened.  Add eyes to the ladybugs head.
6. Add black dots to the top wings with black markers.
   
   

Eric Carle Day 2 -Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

Read: Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you See? by Bill Martin Jr.

This is E's favorite book right now!

Discuss: Review Colors

Song: BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR

Brown bear, brown bear, turn around.
Brown bear, brown bear, touch the ground.
Brown bear, brown bear, reach up high.
Brown bear, brown bear, touch the sky.
Brown bear, brown bear, bend down low.
Brown bear, brown bear, touch your toe.

Brown Bear Snack

I gave the kids chocolate Teddy Grahams, Goldfish crackers, and gummy Frogs.

Story Sequencing 

I used the Brown Bear Sequencing cards on page 22 of this download for the kids.  They each got an animal card and as I read the story again they placed them in a line.

 

Brown Bear Graph

I made a Brown Bear Dice on page 26 and printed out the Brown Bear Graph on page 28 for the kids to play a fun game.

Which animal was rolled the most and least?
 

Coffee Grind Bear

Materials:

• Bear outline
• Glue
• Brown Paint
• Paintbrush
• Dry Coffee Grinds
• Black Pom-Pom
• Googly Eyes

Directions:

1. Give each child a Brown Bear outline to cut out.
   
2. Use the paintbrush to spread brown paint all over the bear.
   
3. Quickly add the coffee grinds to the painted bear.
   
4. Glue on a black pom-pom nose and googly eyes.
   
   

Eric Carle Day 1 -The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Read: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Discuss: Days of week

Song: Days of the Week

(sung to the tune of the Adams Family theme song)

Days of the week (snap, snap)
Days of the week (snap, snap)
Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week (snap, snap)
There's Sunday and there's Monday
There's Tuesday and there's Wednesday
There's Thursday and there's Friday
And then there's Saturday
Days of the week (snap, snap)
Days of the week (snap, snap)
Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week (snap, snap)

Caterpillar Snack

Cut up foods from the story for the kids; apples, oranges, plums, strawberries, pears, swiss cheese, watermelon, summer sausage, pickles, and cupcakes.

Story Sequencing

I taped a caterpillar outline around the Pringles can.  Then I glued the food pictures onto milk caps.  The children took turns feeding the caterpillar as I read the story again.

Food Toss

I had the children line up and take turns tossing plastic play fruit into the picnic basket.

Caterpillar Bracelet

Materials:

• Green and Red Pony Beads
• Yellow String

Directions:

1. Put 1 red bead and 5 or 6 green beads on the string.
2. Tie the string so it can fit over the child's wrist easily.