Reading is a Ball
By Teresa Chiv
Books to Share
- The Blue Ribbon Day by Katie Couric.
- Franklin Plays the Game by Paulette Bourgois.
- Froggy Plays Soccer by Jonathon London.
- Soccer Mom From Outer Space by Barney Saltzberg.
- Winners Never Quit! by Mia Hamm.
- Zachary’s Ball by Matt Tavares.
Books To Show or Booktalk
- Baseball Ballerina Strikes Out! by Kathryn McKeon.
- Kick, Pass, and Run by Leonard Kessler.
- Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry G. Allard.
- My Baseball Book by Gail Gibbons.
- My Soccer Book by Gail Gibbons.
Bulletin Board
Reading is a Ball
Photocopy the sports ball patterns (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) onto card stock. Write the titles of books about sports involving balls on the card stock. Place the balls all around the board.
Nametag
Play Ball!
Use the size feature on the photocopier to reduce the sports ball patterns (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Copy one for each child.
Decorations
Hang balls, pictures of balls, or photocopies of the patterns of balls (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) from the ceiling using fishing wire.
Fingerplays
Recite “Three Balls” by Emile Poulsson in Children’s Counting-Out Rhymes, Fingerplays, Jump-Rope and Bounce-Ball Chants and Other Rhythms by Gloria Delamar.
Dance and Movement Songs
Coach MacDonald Had a Team
(By Teresa Chiv. Sing to the tune of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”)
Coach MacDonald had a team,
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
And on this team he had a batter, (Pretend you are holding a bat)
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
With a swing, swing here, (Pretend to swing your bat each time you sing “swing”)
And a swing swing there,
Here a swing; there a swing,
Everywhere a swing swing.
Coach MacDonald had a team
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
And on this team he had a pitcher, (Pretend you are holding a baseball)
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
With a throw throw here, (Pretend to pitch a ball each time you sing “throw”)
And a throw throw there.
Here a throw; there a throw,
Everywhere a throw throw.
Coach MacDonald had a team
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
And on this team he had a runner. (Begin to run in place)
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
With a slide slide here, (Slide down on one leg every time you sing “slide”)
And a slide slide there.
Here a slide; there a slide,
Everywhere a slide slide.
Coach MacDonald had a team
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
And on this team he had a shortstop (Stand in a crouched position with hands clasped together in front of you)
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
With a tag tag here, (Stretch clasped hands out in front of you each time you sing “tag”)
And a tag tag there,
Here a tag; there a tag,
Everywhere a tag tag.
Coach MacDonald had a team.
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
Songs
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” by Jack Norworth. Lyrics are available at NIEHS Kids’ Page, www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/ballgame.htm.
Crafts
Sports Ball Mobile
Materials
- Photocopies of sports balls (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
- Yarn
- Sticks or dowels (about 12 inches long)
- Scissors
- Colors
- Hole punch
Directions
In advance, photocopy the sports ball patterns (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Cut out four sports balls and cut six 8-inch pieces of yarn for each child. Hole punch the top of each ball. Cross the sticks or dowels and tie them together at the center with a piece of yarn so that they make an “x.” Let the children color the sports balls and tie a piece of yarn to each ball. With adult assistance, the children tie another piece of yarn to the center of the crossed sticks so that it hangs down about five inches. This will be used to hang the mobile. The children then tie the balls to each of the four ends of the sticks so that they hang down about 4 inches. The children can hang the mobile at home or in a special place in the library.
Painting With Balls
Let the children make the craft “Painting With Balls,” in Toddler Theme-A-Saurus by Jean Warren. Additional suggestions for a ball-themed storytime are included on pages 8-13.
Professional Resources
- Children’s Counting-Out Rhymes, Fingerplays, Jump-Rope and Bounce-Ball Chants and Other Rhythms by Gloria Delamar.
- Toddler Theme-A-Saurus by Jean Warren.
- NIEHS Kids’ Page www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/home.htm
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences provides lyrics and sound files for a variety of children’s and family songs.
