Ideas from Adventures in ECE

Language Experience

*Write a book after doing a particular activity or event. Ideas include: cooking, pumpkin carving, field trips, assemblies, holidays, etc.

*There are a number of ways to do this such as taking dictation of the children and having them illustrate a picture, having them describe a photograph of the event, using a sentence structure like "We..." throughout the book and having them fill in the blanks, having them color your illustrations or help to decorate the pages, having them write their own words or sentences.

*The goal is to elicit language based on a recent interactive event and translating it into a book.

Download a copy of the book Our Trip to the Apple Orchard and Look What We're Going to be for Halloween here!

Environmental Print

*Collect environmental print from catalogs, coupons, magazines, newspapers, etc for this book. Put together a book of cereal box fronts, so simple!)

*Save candy wrappers after Halloween...a great time to start this.

*Or collect logos from toys around the holidays to create a gift wish list book.

*Children can work at home with their families to collect environmental print samples.

*The book could focus on a particular type of environmental print such as foods, toys or stores.

*Another possibility is to take photos of the children wearing clothing with logos or take photos of local environmental print around the school and community. Take photos of the children wearing clothing from favorite sporting teams. Go Detroit Tigers!

Download a copy of the book ABCs All Around Me here!

All About Us

*Our Class--a page for each person in the class with a photograph and a simple sentence such as "This is..." Decorate the pages.

*Have children make a book at home with their family all about them. They can include photographs of themselves, their family and friends, their house, etc.

*Books about us that include personal information such as eye and hair color, height, weight, birthday, phone number or address.

*Teachers can make books too so the children can get to know about you, your family and the thing that you are interested in.

Download a copy of the book Meet Your Teacher here!

Journals

*Blank journals in the classroom writing or art area. These can be as simple as paper stapled together or as elaborate as 3-ring binders. They can be used once or kept at school to be used several times.

*Take home class journal like Mr. Bear or another favorite stuffed animal or storybook character such as Clifford or Biscuit. Encourage families to create pages for the journal about the time the special friend spent with them by having children write themselves, having the parents take their dictation, draw illustrations or add photos. Include children's books and other fun learning activities for children to take home along with the traveling journal.

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

This is My Hair by Todd Parr

Create a class book entitled, This is Our Hair by having children draw pictures of themselves that include their hair. Use the sentence, "This is (name) ‘s hair (what) ." They can be silly and creative like Todd Parr too! This is great book to use when you have a beauty or barber shop in the dramatic play area. "This is Ally's hair wrapped in a towel."

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Take photographs of each child with their favorite book. Use the sentence, " (name) is wild about (book title) ." This is a good book to make in March for Reading Month.

Download a copy of the book We're Wild About Books here!

The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel

Photograph the children wearing their winter jackets. Make a page for each child using the sentence, "This is the jacket (name) wears in the snow." Title the book, The Jackets We Wear in the Snow.

Hi Pizza Man by Virginia Walter

Have a pizza party and take photos of the children enjoying their treat. Use the pictures to create a class book called, Hi Pizza Kids using the sentence, "Hi pizza (name)." on each page.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault

Using an outline of a coconut tree, have children create a page for the book by placing the first letter of their name on the coconut tree. They could use sponge-painting, stickers, stamps or write the letters themselves. Then use the sentence, " (first letter of name) is for (name) ." The children can then fill in the blanks by writing their letter and name.

Or have children draw their own coconut trees and then add the letters of their names or other letters the choose.

Download a copy of the book Chicka Chicka ABC here!

SONGS

May There Always Be Sunshine

Fill in the sentence, "May there always be (name) ." with each child’s name. Include a photograph of the child on the page.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

If possible take photos of the children holding an umbrella. Make individual pages following the lines of the song, "Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day. Little (name) wants to play. Rain, rain go away."

Happy Birthday

Create a special birthday book that you add to throughout the school year. When a child has a birthday, take a photograph and use it to make a page for the book along with the line, "Happy birthday to (name) ." Include the date of the child’s birthday and their new age.

Mary Wore Her Red Dress

Use color photographs of the children and use the lines from the song to create pages for the book. " (name) wore his/her (color) (clothing) , (color) (clothing) (color) (clothing) . (name) wore his/her (color) (clothing) all day long."

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Make up your own verses to this favorite song using any animals the children choose. "Old MacDonald had a puppy. E-I-E-I-O. With a woof woof here. And a woof woof there. Here a woof. There a woof. Everywhere a woof woof..." This is a fun book to make after a trip to a local farm.

Download a copy of the book Old MacDonald here!

A My Name is Alice

Model after the line in the song to make pages with the children using the first letter of their names. " (first letter of name) my name is (name) and I like (object that begins with first letter of name) ." Fore example: "N my name is Nolan and I like noodles."

NURSERY RHYMES

Jack Be Nimble

Change the name Jack to the names of the children. You could take photos of the children jumping over a candlestick or cut out headshots of the children and paste over "Jack's" face on the page with clip art of him jumping over his candlestick.

Little Miss Muffet

Write a book that records the thoughts of what the children think the spider would have said to Little Miss Muffet. Add to the nursery rhyme: "Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider who sat down beside her, frightening Miss Muffet away. Little Miss Muffet went back to her tuffet. This time to stay instead. The exact same spider was still sitting right there. And what do you think he said?

Download a copy of the book Little Miss Muffet here!

Jack and Jill

Use the sentence, " (name) and (name) went up he hill to fetch (object)." You can use full body photos of the children for the page to create the illusion of them climbing up a hill.