Thanks to Samantha Carpenter for this super-fun guest post!
Youth Services is preparing to host 1st grade
field trips at LEPMPL, and I thought I’d pass along a fun activity that kids
this age group invariably loves. It’s a great way to celebrate National Poetry
Month and can be an active or passive program.
I read a couple of poems from Jack Prelutsky’s Scranimals
(“The Detested Radishark” is deliciously scary!) and then let the kids combine
a collection of library toys to create their own silly creatures. I put
some hard plastic food and small, soft stuffed animals into a big soup
pot. I hold the pot above kids’ heads and ask them to pick one hard toy and one
soft toy from the pot. Then I write the names of the toys on a white board and
ask them to help me combine the two words into a new word/creature. Sometimes I
attempt to draw a picture of the new creature (usually the most hilarious part
of a very funny activity overall). If the group isn’t too big and I am sure
everyone will get a turn, I let the kids draw it. Or I ask the teachers! The
kids love that, too.
There are several things I like about this activity:
- It
uses materials you probably already have. You can use a chalkboard or
paper and crayons instead of a whiteboard. A paper bag instead of a soup
pot. And whatever toys you have at hand, though food tends to lend itself
to the silliest result (it’s also nice if you pick things that are fairly
easy to spell, like “apple”).
- It
encourages kids to sound out letters and words as we make the new animal’s
name.
- It
highlights our poetry collection, which is sometimes a hard sell.
- Scranimals
includes some REALLY challenging vocabulary—words I am sure none of the
kids know, like “detested”. But they always get the gist of the poem. I
hope some of the classes come away from the visit with the idea that they
can enjoy books above assigned or assumed reading levels. Or just the
feeling that big words are FUN.
Labels: class visits, National Poetry Month, playing with words, poetry, programs
