Nature Mysteries
Books to Share
- A Color Of His Own by Leo Lionni.
- Daniel's Mystery Egg by Alma Flor Ada.
- Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle.
- Where Do the Animals Live? by Stephanie Peterson.
Books to Show and Booktalk
- Chamelons Are Cool by Martin Jenkins.
- I Like Bugs by Margaret Wise Brown.
- What Color is Camouflage? by Carolyn Otto.
- Plants That Never Bloom by Ruth Heller.
Nametags
Give each child a chameleon nametag made from the pattern here as they enter storytime.
Rhyme
Weather
(Traditional)
Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether, we like it or not.
Action Song
Chameleon
(Adapted by Leila Raven Parrish. Sung to "Battle Hymn of the Republic)
The little green chameleon had a fly upon his nose,
(Point to nose)
The little green chameleon had a fly upon his nose,
(Point to nose)
The little green chameleon had a fly upon his nose,
(Point to nose)
And he licked and it was gone.
(Stick out tongue and try to lick nose)
Yum!
(Rub belly)
Storytelling
Tell The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle using Childcraft Literacy Bag (#353797 in catalog).
Flannel Board Stories
- Tell A Color Of His Own by Leo Lionni as a flannel board story using felt figures.
- "Fisherman's Surprise" from The Storytelling Handbook by Anne Pellowski.
- "The Mysterious Soup" in Storytelling with the Flannel Board Book Two by Paul S. Anderson or "Soup from a Nail" in The Flannel Board Storytelling Book, 2nd Edition by Judy Sierra.
- "The Caterpillar" in The Flannel Board Storytelling Book, 2nd Edition by Judy Sierra.
Crafts
Crafty Chameleon Stick Puppet
Materials
- Chameleon pattern
- Construction paper, several colors
- Glue
- Craft sticks
Directions
Precut chameleons in many different colors using pattern here. Children choose two different colors and glue them together with a craft stick in between to make a chameleon stick puppet.
Nature Camouflage Bracelet
Materials
- Masking tape
- Small leaves and flowers
Directions
Place a large assortment of leaves and small flowers on a long table. An adult wraps a piece of masking tape, sticky side out, around the wrist of the child. The child attaches leaves and flowers to the masking tape to create a bracelet.
Nature Spy
Materials
- Half gallon milk or juice carton
- Plastic Wrap
- Rubber band
- Tape
- Optional: Aquarium or container of goldfish
Directions
In advance, remove the top and bottom of the cartons. With an adult's help, the children attach plastic wrap to one end of carton using tape and/or a rubber band. Children may use the Nature Spy it to look at life in an aquarium, a goldfish or two in a container, or life in ponds or puddles.
Activity
Which is an Animal? Activity Sheet
Give each child a copy of the "Which is an Animal? Activity Sheet". Ask them to circle the animals and then let them color all of the pictures.
Guest Speakers
Invite a representative from a pet store, the SPCA, or a nature group to bring animals to the library and tell children about them.
Video
The Caterpillar and The Polliwog. (7 minutes)
Web Site
Childcraft Education Corporation
www.childcraft.com
Professional Resources
- One-Person Puppet Plays by Denise Anton Wright.
- The Storytelling Handbook by Anne Pellowski.
- Storytelling with the Flannel Board Book Two by Paul S. Anderson.
- The Flannel Board Storytelling Book, 2nd Edition by Judy Sierra.
