Katy No-Pocket by Emma Payne
Summary: A mother kangaroo struggles because she doesn’t have a pouch for her joey, until a kind contractor gives her an apron full of pockets.
Story Treasure: Apron (Project for Memories on Pg 89 of Before Five in a Row)
Centers:
MEMORY
We did the memory activity from Pg 88 of Before Five in a Row. I had brought in as many items that matched as I could and hid them in my lap under the table. I asked them to remember the items from the book and as the named each one, I pulled it out from under the table.
SCIENCE: Zoology
We did the Animals activity from Pg 87 of Before Five in a Row, only I brought in stuffed or plastic animals instead of cards.
I also brought in a number of mom/baby sets of animals. I used beanie babies and teeny beanie babies and happened to have 8 matching sets. I made of pile of the babies in the middle and then gave each student a mother animal and asked them to help the mother find her baby. Afterwards we talked about the different ways moms carry their babies and they demonstrated with the stuffed animals (dogs carry by the mouth, monkeys ride on their backs, kangaroos in a pouch, etc.)
MOTOR SKILLS: Fine
I brought in a variety of kid’s toy tools, wooden tool boxes and benches. They hammered pegs and twisted bolts for a looooong time.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Habitats
I laid out three silks: yellow (sand), blue (sky) and green (grass). The students then helped me sort the animals into their appropriate habitats.
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
I passed out the aprons so the kids could try them on. We then filled their pockets with the smaller stuffed animals and they hopped around like Katy.