Monkeying Around!

After signing in this morning we went outside to see what the weather was like. The children were very quick to recognize that it was cloudy with no sun shining through and chilly. When we went inside they made sure I put up the cloudy plate along with the windy one. 

We quickly reviewed some of the things we've already studied and then moved right into the reading of our first book: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow. Most of the children were familiar with the story and could tell me what was coming next, but greatly enjoyed doing this. We discussed how naughty these monkeys were and some of the children added comments about things they do/or don't do that are naughty. 

At the craft table Mitzi gave each child a printout of the monkeys in the book and they practiced their scissor skills as each did some of the cutting. The adults were allowed to help as the paper was a heavier stock and  little hands and kid scissors didn't always work well. The monkeys were then glued to craft sticks so everyone had five puppets. 

Upon returning to the reading rug we used our puppets to act out the story. Using the felt board, Mitzi showed us which monkey fell off the bed and the children had to find their matching monkey and make him/her fall off the bed [their legs were used as beds]. All the children did an excellent job retelling the story. They were especially good at scolding like the doctor.

It was then back to the table to play a monkey memory game. I showed the children ten different pairs of cards. As each was shown the children talked about what the monkey was doing. Then the cards were mixed and placed face down in rows on the table. I was so pleased with how great they were about taking turns turning over the cards and how well they applauded each time a person found a match. 

We ended the morning by getting a couple pieces of candy for being such good sports and playing a monkey toss game where we threw bean bag type bananas into the mouths of three monkeys. Again the sportsmanship was wonderful!

In addition to incorporating past skills we also worked on identifying like objects and developing fine motor skills through cutting; as well as counting to five which most children could do quite well.

Next week: children may come in a costume or partial costume, as long as they can move about freely [we will not use paint or anything that should harm them].  Also remember that Story Hour will be cancelled on November 6 so Mitzi may attend the Wisconsin Library Association Conference with our director.