Library April 27-May 1: Poetry and Nursery Rhymes

DAY 1
Let's wrap up April by spotlighting poetry! Poetry is such a fun way to introduce or reinforce concepts such as rhyme, rhythm and vocabulary with your children. 
  1. Prep with any breathing exercises.
  2. Ask you child what they think poetry is? Share your definition with them, or use this one from Britannica Kids Dictionary.
  3. Watch Mrs. Echols' story time (sorry about the terrible singing!). 
  4. Possible discussion questions: 
    1. What did the Pete the Cat version of the itsy bitsy spider add or change about the song?
    2. Why couldn't the spider get to the top of the water spout? (rain)
    3. What helped the spider finally get to the top? (his friends cheered him on/he wore sneakers).
    4. What helps you get through something hard? How can we help other people get through hard things? 
  5. Extension activities:
    1. Read more nursery rhymes in Epic (pre-k / kindergarten)! Email Mrs. Echols (eechols@stfrancis-school.org) to get a FREE login if you don't have one yet). 
    2. Make your own itsy bitsy spider to use when singing the song!
      1. Easy: printable spider coloring page
      2. Medium: toilet paper roll spider (sub paper circles for googly eyes if you don't have them)
      3. Involved: climbing spider craft with paper and string

DAY 2
  1. Prep with any breathing exercises.
  2. Stand up, get a little space around you, and move along with Mrs. Echols' (silly!) interactive reading of "The Terrible Ten" by James Carter from Animal Poems.. If you have an Austin Public Library card, you can check out Animal Poems right now on Hoopla. Hoopla is a one-to-many eBook provider, so you'll never have to wait or put a hold on any titles! 
  3. Discuss any unfamiliar words! Use Britannica Kids to find definitions.
  4. Locate rhymes (words that have the same sound at the end) in the "The Terrible Ten" or download this fun rhyming game. Ask your child to cut out the pictures and match the rhymes. Increase the difficulty of this game, by turning it into a memory game. Turn all the cards face down, and arrange them in a grid. Take turns flipping two cards per turn. Each time you match a rhyme pair that player gets to remove the cards.