Penguins—circle times 


Penguins are apparently one of the most popular topics in winter. Here is how I plan out the circle times and activities. 


Songs

  1. 5 little penguins went out one day, over the hill and far away. Mama penguin sais” come back.” Only 4 little penguins came back. 

4 little penguins went out one day, over the hill and far away. Mama penguin sais” come back.” Only 3 little penguins came back. 

3 little penguins went out one day, over the hill and far away. Mama penguin sais” come back.” Only 2 little penguins came back. 

2 little penguins went out one day, over the hill and far away. Mama penguin sais” come back.” Only 1 little penguin came back. 

1 little penguin went out one day, over the hill and far away. Mama penguin sais” come back.” No more little penguins came back. 


  1. 5 little penguins slide on the ice. One hurt his leg and said “oh ouch!” Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “ put that penguin straight on the bed.”

4 little penguins slide on the ice. One hurt his leg and said “oh ouch!” Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “ put that penguin straight on the bed.”

3 little penguins slide on the ice. One hurt his leg and said “oh ouch!” Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “ put that penguin straight on the bed.”

2 little penguins slide on the ice. One hurt his leg and said “oh ouch!” Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “ put that penguin straight on the bed.”

1 little penguin slides on the ice. One hurt his leg and said “oh ouch!” Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “ put that penguin straight on the bed.”


Note: 

  1. All the lyrics can be found online and there are different versions. I usually pick a tune I am familiar with and make some small changes to suit my memories or movements. 

  2. I usually teach one song on the first day and review at the daily circle time. Once they are familiar with the song, the next one will be introduced. 



Day 1: What do we know about penguins?


As to the introduction of this topic, penguins, we talk about their habitats, looks, skills, food and some interesting facts by using a book. Then, I narrow down to 5 different types of penguins. Since my target group is ages 3 to 5, I choose the 3 most seen ones, Emperor, King, Adelie and two interesting looking ones, Macaroni and Little. I make a slideshow of these 5 types of penguins. While showing them the photos, I pause  on each photo and have a short discussion with my little ones, emphasizing on details, comparison and contrast. Then I closed the circle with a song. 

Day 2: Are you taller or shorter than a penguin? 


Math is always fun when it is related to our life experience. A poster written with the height of Emperor, Adelie and Little penguins is pre-made. Before I do this activity, I like to review the songs and have an open discussion about what they know about penguins, to explicit their existing knowledge. That helps him engage in the circle more. Then, we narrow down the focus to the height of the penguins and show the post. Friends can take turns to compare their height with the penguin and mark it on the poster. Then, I introduce the concept “ taller” anD “shorter” to the young children. Visual aid really enhances their understanding of this particular math concept. 


Note: Blocks can be used to measure the height of the penguins on the poster. It is great to review counting. 


Day 3 Let’s be “little penguins”


I selected some short video clips to show my little friends how penguins walk, swim, eat and hunt. We try to be “little penguins” and imitate how they walk, swim, eat and hunt. Then I make up a game called “you do what I say.” I shout out brief phrases including “Let’s walk on the ice,” “eating time, “ “let’s go hunting,” and “ let’s go swimming!’ It is such a fun game to draw their attention as well as enhancing their focusing skill by listening to the directions. 


I also have the materials of the sensory table ready, including penguins, walrus, seals, whales, some crystals and a piece of blue cloth. We set the sensory table together to close up the circle time. 


Note: Having different actions on cards is also a great idea. Each child can act out in accordance with the word or picture on the card. 


Day 4: Play with ice cubes


Since the habitats of most of the penguins are either in Antarctica or close to Antarctica, I decide to incorporate ice-play in a science circle. I prepared some ice cubes. First, each child has a chance to touch and play with ice cubes. We talk about how they feel and what the ice cubes are made of. Then, we have an ice cube race on two different levels of the ramps. It was a very simple but enjoyable and engaging activity. 









resources 


Penguins

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

  The importance of consistency in an age of 3 to 5  group room To young children, consistency in managing behavior helps young children to develop a sense of responsibility and accountability. It tells young children the boundaries and expectations on what is acceptable and what is not in the group setting.  The common misbehaviors are having temper tantrums, pushing, biting, fighting for their turns, or interrupting the discussions or plays among the peers. Finding the cause of their misbehavior surly is essential. However, taking action and being consistent in managing these inappropriate behaviors are more powerful and just words. Here are some approaches I consistently use to handle these situations.  1. Stop the wrongdoing Let’s say Child A and Child L are pushing each other. Instead of saying “what happened,” I always say “stop” first. Then, I take them on the side, asking them what happened or finding out what caused the fight. For young children, they are still developing ver
Read more
  We’re Going on a Bear Hunt “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” is a well-known children’s book. While I was preparing for the Bear theme, this book popped into my mind right away. Other than just reading the story, I would like to come up with an activity with hands-on and interactive elements to enhance storytelling experience.  I did some research online. However, most of the activities are either arts and crafts or making a map. Therefore, instead of just making a map, I used toys found in the classroom to create the “ plots” from the story. The first one is grass made up with some green Lego Duplo. Then, some wooden blocks are used as “mud.” The felt trees are arranged as the forest, and some blue crystals on a blue blanket as a river. Finally, the bear hinds in the cave. All the stations are small but symbolic. I also draw out the map in accordance with the story on the whiteboard to visualize the pictures for my little ones. So, here is how I conducted this activity.  We started with
Read more
  Mandarin Circle –introduce Mandarin as a foreign language to young learners at the age of 3 to 5  How learning a foreign language is beneficial for child development Learning a new language at a young age can be an enriching experience with numerous benefits. First, numerous scientific research has evidently shown that learning a new language has an impact on gaining more neurons that coordinate communication and facilitate connections between different brain regions. Second, It helps cognitive development at an early age, especially critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Moreover, attention span can be improved since language learning requires concentration. Finally,  children also benefit from learning a new language with better  memory skills and more creativity   How the first language influence the second language acquisition  The significant influence of L1 (first language) to L2 (second language) has been proven in many scientific researches in the last few decades. The
Read more