A is for...

Today in storytime we started our alphabet adventure with the letter A.  The letter A is interesting because it can make several different sounds (short a as in apple, long a as in acorn, air as in airplane, ar as in Arctic, and aw as in autumn).  This, of course, can be very confusing to children so I choose to focus on the short a sound.  The primary reason for this is because when children start to read some of their first words are cat, rat, hat, etc. all with a short a sound in them.

Although each of the five early literacy activities are usually quite integrated this outline will point how each is used in storytime--Singing, Talking, Reading, Playing and Writing.

Books (of course fall into the reading category, but also lend themselves nicely to talking)

Young Mouse and Elephant:  An East African Folktale by Pamela J. Farris
(Animals from Africa)

This books allows children to name different animals found in Africa and talk about how strong a little mouse really is.

A isn't for Fox:  An Isn't Alphabet  by Wendy Ulmer

This rhyming book allows children to look at the pictures to find things that really begin with each letter of the alphabet.  The whimsical pictures are silly and fun to talk about.
[This book was a little long for the three year olds, so on Thursday I read Snip, Snap! instead.]

Snip, Snap! What's That? by Mara Bergman

This story keeps kids on the edge of their seats as they anticipate what is coming into the house and then waiting to find out how the children get away.  Parents and children can talk about what scares them and how they can deal with those fears.

Songs and Nursery Rhymes (singing, talking and writing):
The songs we sing every week are along the right side of the blog.

The Ants Go Marching
Parents can count with their children before or after the song

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, the littlest stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching down...to the ground...to get out of the rain
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching two by two, the littlest stops to tie his shoe
And they all go marching down...to the ground...to get out of the rain
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching three by three, the littlest stops to climb a tree
And they all go marching down...to the ground...to get out of the rain
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching four by four, the littlest stops to shut the door
And they all go marching down...to the ground...to get out of the rain
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching five by five, the littlest shouts, "I'm glad I'm alive!"
And they all go marching down...to the ground...to get out of the rain
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

One, Two Buckle My Shoe
The words are in a sentence strip pocket chart and I point to the words as we say the rhyme together.  At home a parent can easily point to words in a book.

One, two buckle my shoe
Three, four shut the door
Five, six pick up sticks
Seven, eight lay them straight
Nine, ten a big fat hen!

Enrichment Activities  (playing, writing, talking, reading)

• Match animals and their shadows by drawing a line (from www.tlsbooks.com/preschoolworksheets.htm)
• Play dough with alphabet letter "cookie cutters"
• Sort animals into "farm animals" and "zoo animals"
• Letter card games (from the Dollar Store)
• Apple Survey (What's your favorite way to eat an apple?)