Wake Up Mama

Wake Up, Mama by Hope Vestergaard

Illustrations by Thierry Courtin

It may seem a bit early to be developing your child’s comprehension of texts, but the truth is: it isn’t! Of course, don’t turn these questions into a quiz show, just have fun searching for the answers together, and looker deeper than you might otherwise!

Knowledge:

1. Where is Mama?
2. What room in the house is she probably in?

Comprehension:

1. Who does baby look more like: Mama or Daddy?
2. What is baby going to do to Mama?

Application:

1. How do you like to wake up your Mommy?
2.  What are your favorite things to climb?

Analysis:

1. What is the first thing baby crawls over?
2. What is the last thing baby does?

Synthesis:

1. Why does it say, “ Pass her piggies- please don’t tickle!” What would happen if baby tickled?
2. Do you like to climb in bed with your Mommy?

Evaluation:

1. Which picture is your favorite?
2. What’s your favorite part of the story? Why? Does it match the picture?

Multiple Intelligence Projects for

Wake Up, Mama! by Hope Vestergaard

Illustrations by Thierry Courtin

Verbal/ Linguistic

One of the best ways to promote literacy in children is to read and reread and reread again the same story over and over. While it can get a bit monotonous for parents, it is only in this repetition that children build the blocks for reading. SO, give yourself over to reading Wake Up Mama at least three times in a row!

 Teach your child the classic Mother May I. Remember it? Have one child be the mother. This child stands at the end of the room. The other children stand opposite of the "mother". The children must take turns asking "Mother may I take ____ (number) ______ ." (May stand for baby steps, giant steps, frog leaps etc.) The mother grants the wish only if the child has said mother may I. The first one to mother becomes "mother". Then it starts all over again.

Mathematical/ Logical

Cut out large squares of two-color construction paper. (It could be the same colors as Mama’s quilt in Wake Up Mama, to make the game more fun!) Then, set up patterns with the color. Pink, orange, pink, orange, and then ask child to put down the color that would come next. Increase complexity with age! (From A, B, A, B…. to A, A, B, A, A, B and so on.)

-or-

Cut up a variety of color of squares (or just snag pairs of socks of a variety of colors from family members) and practice matching colors!

Visual/ Spatial

Focus on Colors:

Look through the book one final time, and talk about the colors on each page. After several days of this, start asking child to point to one color throughout the whole book. Multiple opportunities for success will help them remember! A fun way to follow up is to make a color collage. Find scraps and items from all over the house of the focus color and collect them together to make a color sculpture. Once one color is established, move on to the others!

Make a gift for mom:

Take a small snack size cereal box and cut all but the bottom two inches away on three sides. Leave one side on (but not the top), and paint the inside of the box to look like a window. Paint the outside of the rectangle to look like a flower box. Then, put some play doh or other clay into the bottom, and push in some silk or dried flowers. Give mom her miniature window box planter… perhaps with some breakfast in bed?

Body/ Kinesthetic

Read Wake Up Mama aloud and “act out” the book as it is being read. Then, for fun, change roles! A big sib can read or play Mama. Also fun to play this with stuffed animals!

Musical/ Rhythmic

Put baby on your lap and as you read the text to Wake Up Mama clap out the syllables with baby’s hands between yours. This will help them hear the changes in sound, and help develop their phonemic awareness- an important pre-reading skill!

-or-

Sing to the tune: Here We go Round the Mulberry Bush

Here I go over the Mama Mountain

the Mama Mountain

the Mama Mountain

Here I go over the Mama Mountain

so early in the morning!

Sing to the tune: Frere Jacques

Are you sleeping?

Are you sleeping?

My Mama?

My Mama?

I am going to wake you!

I am going to wake you!

My Mama.

My Mama.

Interpersonal

Ownership is important to toddlers! Take a basket and collect items around the house from various members. Then, put a picture out of each family member and help baby sort the items to whom they belong. You’ll be surprised how well they can do it without prompting!

Intrapersonal

Play emotional charades. Have each family member take turns acting as if they are: tired, sad, hurt, excited, and mad. Help baby to recognize these important feelings, and “show” the actor how much you care!

-or-

Give baby a plain paper plate to decorate with whatever art supplies you choose. Then, tape a family picture in the middle of the frame, and hang above baby’s bed.

UP!

UP!

By Kristine O’Connell George

Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

Pre-reading:

What do you like to do with your daddy? Where do you want him to take you? What’s your favorite thing about dad?

Questions for your tot:

What do you see?

What is baby doing?

Where are they going?

This color is ___________ Do you see another color?

Do you see any animals? What kind?

Which picture do you like best?

What do you like to play with your daddy?

Play I Spy with UP!

See if together you can find the following objects:

child on a sled

alarm clock

an apple slice

unmade bed

green chair

a teddy bear

a brown dog

a blue bird

a see saw

a butterfly

baby ducks

a ladybug

What can you see?

Art Projects:

Using your camera (or camcorder) recreate each scene from the book with your tot and his or her dad. Narrate the tape to match the text of the book. Or, create a parallel UP scrapbook with the pictures.

On a paper plate have your child draw (or paint) a picture of them with their daddy doing their favorite thing. Or, a portrait of their dad is cute too. Wash the edges of the plate with brown paint to make it look like a frame. Hang on a prominent wall or give as a Father’s Day present.

Create a special card (or again, video) just for dad. Ask your child to complete the following phrases and then have them find pictures in magazines that relate to add to the card. (Warning: these could be hilarious)

I love Daddy because…

Daddy likes to….

Daddy’s favorite place to go…

Daddy likes to eat…

This reminds me of Daddy because…

Daddy is a great….

Or..

Draw the trunk of a tree (or cut out of brown grocery bag) and have your child glue onto a larger white paper. Then, press their thumb into ink or nearly dry paint to create the leaves. Print on the bottom: Thanks for helping me grow!

Let your child help make a special Father’s Day meal for that special guy. Be sure to put many of his favorite foods on the menu!

Simple gift:

Using the new clay that dries without baking, have your child make a sculpture that winds around a pencil cup (plastic lemonade containers are perfect) for dad’s desk.

Sing this song to the tune of “London’s Bridge”

Daddy’s arms can hold me high

to the sky, I can fly

Daddy’s arms can hold me high

or hug me tight.

Pre-reading skills:

After reading through the entire book at least once, flip back and read only the rhyming words. Exaggerate the different sounds, so baby can hear the difference. (This develops phonemic awareness, a building block to later reading skills). Then, see if you can come up with other words that rhyme with these (even nonsense words).

Have your tot put his or her hands in the air each time he or she hears the word UP!

Choose any word from the story and then list other words that start with the same letter. For example: Dad. Dad begins with D, it makes the sound “d” so do the words dog, dear, doll, dig, etc. Maybe your child will think of some too!

Make an ABC book based on all your child’s favorite things to do. First, make the list, and then break out the camera for great action poses! Your child will love this one of a kind book where they are the star.

McDuff

McDuff

By Rosemary Wells

Illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Get to know McDuff:

McDuff is a scrappy terrier who is lucky enough to escape from the dogcatcher and find a home with Fred and Lucy at number seven Elm Road. The McDuff stories offer readers adventures with new neighbors, an escape, and a new baby. Children will feel like they have a friend of their own while they learn to read with one of children’s literatures most darling dogs.

About the illustrations:

Susan Jeffers has created an historical setting that makes readers feel like they just moved in next door. The beautiful palette and the vivid depiction of emotion are just two of the elements that draw children into the stories. Ask children whether this story is set in present times or somewhere in the past or future, and then make them give examples as to why they know this to be true. This critical analysis of the illustrations will also help tune-in readers before you get started.

Sight words and McDuff

Create a McDuff board game using any of the generic ones available on the net (or create your own). Make a stack of sight words that you want to reinforce with your students and if you like add trivia from the McDuff books like: who are McDuff’s owners? What is his favorite treat? What color is McDuff? Where does he live? Around the gameboard add details from the stories too like the four streets: Main Street, Pine Street, Oak and Elm. Also include a few chance squares like: McDuff gets lost, lose a turn or McDuff Saves the Day, extra roll or McDuff chases a rabbit move ahead three spaces. Students pick up a sight word and if they read it correctly (and/or spell it correctly) then they can roll the dice or spin. More difficult sight words can be added as needed, or for students who are already proficient more challenging stacks can be created.

McDuff Moves In

Ready to read:

What is a dog pound or shelter? Have you ever been to one? What are they like? How do animals end up in a pound? What can people do to help these animals?

Pet Ownership:

What does it take to own a pet? Make a clock face out of construction paper and then add pictures near the hour of what your pet will need. For example, at 7:00 put a picture of walking the dog.

Verbs:

Rosemary Wells always uses strong, descriptive verbs to bring her stories to life. Review with your students what a verb does in a story and then reread McDuff Moves In. As you go along have students raise their hands when they hear a verb. Next, as a class brainstorm a list of other verbs that McDuff might do. Or, take your students out to recess five minutes early and have them take notes of what actions (or verbs) the other classes are doing. Then, write at least five sentences using those words.

Names:

Where did Fred and Lucy get McDuff’s name? Tell the story of how you came up with your own pet’s name. Don’t have a pet? Make up an imaginary one and name him.

Find out from your parents how they decided upon your name. Write it down and illustrate it.

Music:

Sing this song to the tune “The Farmer in the Dell”

Love your pet today

Love your pet today

Give him food and water and love

Then take him out to play!

McDuff  and the Baby

Starting the story:

Look at McDuff’s face. Does he look happy? How do you think he feels? Have you ever had a new baby in your house? What was it like?

Every day in every way:

McDuff is happy “every day in every way.” List the things that make McDuff happy. What types of things make your pet happy? What types of things make you happy? What would be a perfect day for you and your pet?

Dialogue:

McDuff never speaks aloud, but he doesn’t have to- his face shows exactly what he is thinking and feeling. Let students write the dialogue McDuff would say if he only could! These can be written on post-it notes and left in the book for kids to read independently too.

Comics:

McDuff loves to hear the comics read aloud to him. Have students bring in their favorite comics to share with one another. Then, have students create their own comics about a topic they think would cheer up McDuff.

Music:

Sing this song to the tune of “Rockabye Baby”

McDuff likes to walk the trails in the park

and listen to radio, just after dark

feed him some pudding for a treat

and he will love baby just as sweet.

McDuff Comes Home

Starting the Story:

Look at the front cover what do you think McDuff has been doing? Have you ever had a pet run away or get lost? What did you do?

Senses:

One of the fabulous things about the way Rosemary Wells writes is that she knows how to wake up the senses! Read through the story once, and then read it again, but this time have students point to their eyes, ears, nose, mouth or palm to indicate a part that appeals to each sense. Or, create a chart listing the same and sort phrases under the correct sense.

Then, have students brainstorm things that would go in each list from school, home, and other locations.

Art:

Make a lost poster for McDuff. Describe him under the portrait including what he looks like and what he might be doing. Be sure to include information about his home and who they should contact if he’s found.

Drama:

Make up the dialogue between Fred and Lucy when they realize that McDuff is missing. What do you think they say to each other? What do they decide to do? Act the scene out in small groups.

Seasons:

What season is it? How do you know? Make a poster split into four sections (for the seasons) and have students offer clues to how they came up with the setting. Do this for the other McDuff books too.

McDuff  Goes to School:

Starting the story:

What’s exciting about starting school? What’s scary? What kinds of things might McDuff learn in school?

New Friends:

How do Fred and Lucy make new friends with the neighbors? What could you do for a new neighbor to make them feel welcome? Brainstorm a list of things that you’d like to tell a new student to the area about fun places to go and great places to eat.

New Words

McDuff learns to understand French! Learn these common phrases in French:

Please= s'il vous plait

Thank you= merci

You’re welcome= de rien

Good-bye= Au revoir

My name is= Je m’appelle

Different Rules:

Marie Antoinette is not allowed on the furniture at her house. McDuff always sits with Lucy and Fred on the couch at home to listen to the radio. How do you know what the rules are at someone else’s house? How do you keep out of trouble? How do you help your friends know the rules at your house? Make a list of rules that you have to follow at home. Illustrate them and then post them on an inconspicuous door. Share with your friends if you need to.

McDuff Saves the Day

Ready to Read:

How can someone “save the day?” What does that mean? Can you think of some examples?

Fourth of July:

How does your family celebrate the Fourth of July? Where do you go? What do you see? Hear? See? Eat?  What is your favorite part? What do you think McDuff will do?

Writing:

Write a story about your own family’s Fourth of July celebrations. Be sure to include many details and use at least three of your five senses to tell the story. Use the answers to the previous questions to get you started.

Supplies:

What things do Lucy and Fred bring for the baby? Why is it important to bring so much stuff? As a class, brainstorm a list of items you should bring for the following events: a picnic, a day at the beach, afternoon at the park, camping or spending the night with a friend. For an extension, have students rate the items to pack from most important to least important.

Art:

Create firework art! Drip acrylic paint onto paper and then blow the drops into a starburst pattern using a common straw. To add vibrant dimension to the project use neon paints on black paper.

Make up your mind

McDuff can’t get comfortable in the front or the back seats. One way people make up their minds is to create a pro/con list. What are the pros and cons of each place McDuff wants to be? Write (or draw) a pro/con list about something you’re trying to decide on for yourself. For example: whether to play soccer again, to go swimming or to the park, what to buy with birthday money.

McDuff’s Wild Romp

Ready to read:

Do cats and dogs always fight? What kinds of things can happen when they get together? Why don’t they tend to like each other?

Give me Similes!

Rosemary Wells is a master at using similes effectively. Reread McDuff’s wild romp and find examples of them. Then, have students write their own similes based off these examples:

The wind blew like ______.

The snow looked like ____________.

The coat felt like _______________.

See if they can come up with more of their own by observing other kids on the playground, at gym, or in art class.

Cause and Effect:

Each thing that happens in McDuff’s Wild Romp causes something else to follow. Make a list of each plot point and have students say what the effect of that action was. You can use this information to create a chart, or have students create their own by drawing pictures to go with the text.

Predicting Outcomes:

After reading the story with the children, ask them the following questions:

What will happen next? What makes you think so?

Who do you think will get in the most trouble? Why?

Will they be invited back again to Aunt Frieda’s house? Why?

Will McDuff be allowed to go back again? What will the do next time if he is?

www.TracieVaughnZimmer.com

LOOK!

A Guide for Parents and Teachers

--------------------------------------

How to use LOOK! with your baby or toddler:

LOOK is a fabulous introduction to the world of art. Bright colors and shapes always fascinate babies, and this little masterpiece will give them a museum for their hands. The open-ended text will inspire many interactions between you and your child as you play with ideas and interpretations together. Before peppering your babe with questions, be sure to read the whole book through once first. This satisfies their need for completion and then they’ll be more likely to respond with you as you delve into the art. In addition, be sure that any of the supplies you use for the art projects are non-toxic, as we know babies and toddlers love to put their fingers in their mouth, clean or not!

Interactions:

• Match up cut construction paper to the shapes in the book.
• Let older tots do the matching, and let babies pull the pieces off. Be sure to repeat the names of the shapes each time baby grabs one.
• Trace baby’s fingers around shapes as you name them.
• Point to colors and name them.
• Count the large shapes.
• Match shapes and colors from the book to objects in the room or on clothing.
• Read LOOK! before dressing in the morning, and ask your child to point out  a color he or she would like to wear that day.
• Ask the child to move or dance in a way that matches an image in the book: Jittery? Smooth? Blocky?
• Supply children with baby instruments and have them create sounds to match the art. Should the music be exciting? Soft? Jumpy? Loud?
• Take LOOK! with you to a museum and see if you can find colors, shapes or styles of art that remind you of images in the book.

Questions:

• What colors do you see?
• This color is ___________ Do you see another color?
• Do you see any shapes?
• Which shapes are big, little, sharp, round, curvy, etc.?
• Where do you think these lines go?
• Does this shape remind you of something?
• How do these colors make you feel? Happy? Angry? Calm?
• Can you touch the circles, squares, or diamonds?
• Which page is your favorite today?

Art Activities:

• Pudding Art:

You may not like to play with your food, but babies do! Let your baby “paint” with pudding. They will love the tactile experience of spreading soft pudding on a large piece of paper…and licking it off too.

Variations: Use cool whip with food coloring and let baby mix the colors as they play. Navy beans also take food coloring well, as does dry rice.  Children can learn to sort beans into cups of the same color too.

• Splurt Art:

Water down finger paints and pour into spray bottles (available at many dollar stores) then roll out paper or lay posterboard on the driveway and let kids spray or splatter away. (Warning: need to wear protective clothing!)

Variations:  Use large paintbrushes and let kids rub their hands across the bristles to spray paint. Use sponges, crumpled trash bags, leaves to make stamp impressions. Use many colors or just one. After the paint dries, the pages can be cut or torn and glued into collages.

• Collage:

Hate all that junk mail? Let your kids have it! Show them how to tear and glue onto a new piece of paper to create a one-of-a-kind design.

Variation: Show tots how to trace around common objects (like plates, books, cups, staplers, etc.) to create shapes. Help little hands cut out the shapes and re-arrange into their own collages.

• Mirror Mirror:

Try to recreate one of the pictures from LOOK using construction paper or the child’s own hand-painted papers.

Pre-reading Activities:

Phonemic awareness is the building block to early literacy. Children have to be able to distinguish the minute sound changes within words. To practice, they can identify words that have the same beginning sound (and then advance to ending sounds and middle sounds). Think up other words that begin with the same sounds as those in the book: Look (like, lips, loud, learn, etc.), Color (crayon, cat, cookie, etc.), Blue (bubble, berry, bat, etc.), See (supper, sun, see saw, etc.) 

www.TracieVaughnZimmer.com

Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms

by Christine Kole MacLean

Illustrated by Mike Reed

Pre-reading

What do you think this book is about? What do you think the two children are playing on the front? What’s wrong with the teddy on the back?

Knowledge:

What are the jobs the kids pretend to have?

What are your favorite things to play pretend?

Comprehension:

What things from the house do the kids use to set up their make believe play?

Could you use these things at your house?

Application

Choose your favorite page. Why is it your favorite?

What do you think the kids would use if they wanted to play cowboy?

Analyze

What else could you use to dress up like an astronaut?

Who tells this story?

Synthesis

What would you like to be when you grow up?

What types of things does that person use in his or her job?

Evaluation

What do you think happens after the book ends?

Which game would you most like to play with the boy and his sister? Why?

Multiple Intelligence Projects for

Even Firefighters Hug their Moms

by Christine Kole MacLean

Illustrated by Mike Reed

Verbal/ Linguistic

Pretend you are a news reporter, and report on one of the incidents in the story. For example, how did the fire get started? Interview the firefighters who rescued the family. How is the family doing now? Report live from the scene! Use a “microphone” and maybe even your mom or dad can be your camera crews to capture the news live!

Logical/ Mathematical

Count how many times these things appear in the book:

pink pig

teddy bear

pacifier

purple dinosaur

American flag

radio

Visual/ Spatial

Supplies: Paper, yarn, straws

Directions: Precut circular and rectangular shapes from construction paper. Have kids glue the precut shapes on to a piece of construction paper to look like a fire truck. Add yarn or string for the fire hose and use straws to make a ladder.

Body/Kinesthetic

Act out all the scenes from the book as your mom reads them aloud. Then, invent your own scene in the job that you want to do when you grow up.

Musical/ Rhythmic

 Sing these fun songs, or make up a new one on your favorite job.

Sing to the tune: "I'm A Little Teapot"

I am a fireman dressed in red.
With my fire hat on my head.
I can drive the fire truck, fight fire too,
And help make things safe for you.

Sing to the tune:  "3 Blind Mice"

9-1-1, 9-1-1,
Help's on the way, help's on the way.
If I need help, I know what to do,
I can call the police and the firehouse, too,
It makes me feel safe to know what to do.
Dial 9-1-1.

Interpersonal:

Cooperative learning.

Play school, with one child being the teacher and the other(s) being students. Take turns teaching friends about things you already know. Use a chalkboard or wipe board if possible. Pass out stickers, “read” aloud, and have fun!

In the Kitchen:

Make these yummy building logs:

Ingredients: 1/3 cup peanut butter, 3 tablespoons honey, 1/2 cup crushed corn flakes, 1/2
cup quick oatmeal, 1/4 cup dry milk, chocolate sprinkles, measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, wooden spoon, baking sheet

Place the peanut butter and honey in a mixing bowl and mix well with the
wooden spoon. Add the corn flakes, oatmeal and milk to the peanut butter
mixture and mix well. Pinch off a small amount of the dough mixture. Roll the
small amount of dough into 2-inch-long by 1/2-inch-wide logs. Place the
sprinkles on the baking sheet. Roll the logs in sprinkles. Stack the logs on a
plate on top of one another in a building formation. Serve the building as a snack!