We read stories about fish and talked a bit about how fish breathe underwater! Below are some of the stories and activities we shared:
You remember the story about The Three Little Pigs, right? Well this is an underwater take on this classic story. Author Ken Geist replaced those pigs with three little fish and instead of the “big bad wolf” he gives us the “big bad shark”… Everyone loved this story, especially when they find out what happens to the bad shark at the very end!
(Our shark mascot – Smiley!)
A boy goes fishing and catches a small grey fish…as time goes on, he realizes that the little fish is growing (exponentially) into a HUGE grey whale. Eventually the boy runs out of containers (jar, fish tank, bathtub) to hold the rapidly expanding creature and he does the right thing and returns the whale to the sea. He feels lonely without his companion and he consoles himself by buying a tiny goldfish. Every now and then he gets a glimpse of his beautiful grey whale when he looks out the window at the ocean. Keith Faulkner and Jonathan Lambert do a marvelous job with the visuals, the lift-the-flap surprises and the overall cadence of the story. One of my personal favorites and always well-loved by children and adults alike.
Our Flannel Board:
Five little fish swimming near the shore,
One got caught and then there were four.
Four little fish swimming in the sea,
One got caught and then there were three.
Three little fish in the ocean blue,
One got caught and then there were two!
Two little fish, swimming in the sun, One got caught and then there was one.
One little fish heading straight for home, she decided she would NEVER, EVER ROAM!
Our Fingerplay:
One, two, three, four, five…(put one finger out at a time – right hand))
Once I caught a fish alive! (put hands together and wiggle fingers like a fish)
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten…(put one finger out at a time – left hand)
Then I threw it back again. (make a throwing motion)
Why did you let it go? (hold out hands asking why)
Because it bit my finger so (shake hand as if hurt)
Which finger did it bite? (shrug shoulders)
This little finger on my right. (wiggle pinky finger)
(Our fish mascot – Charley!)
Classic Taro Gomi – the visuals are crisp, simple and stunning and the premise is irresistible to preschoolers. There is a little pink fish who likes to roam. The trick? The reader has to figure out where the fish is hiding. Each scene becomes more complex as we follow the little fish as he moves from a small glass bowl, to a potted plant, to a candy jar and eventually to a busy circus scene. Ultimately, we find the fish at his final destination – a large, fish-filled swimming pool!
We watched the film, Fish is Fish from the Scholastic Video collection titled Swimmy. Fish has a friend who starts out looking like a fish but turns into a tadpole and then a full-grown frog! Fish wants to believe his friend is a fish and will never leave but that’s not possible; however, Frog does come back to visit and tells fish about the wonderful things he sees on land…Fish decides he wants to see these beautiful things too and jumps out of the water and onto the shore. I won’t give away the ending. The children loved this movie.
More Books to Share at Home!
