Floating, Rowing, Splashing
Books to Share
- A Canoe Trip by Bobbie D. Kalman.
- The Raft by Jim LaMarche.
- Rambling Raft by Lynne N. Lockhart.
- High-Speed Boats by Simon Bornhoft.
Books to Show or Booktalk
- Canoe Days by Gary Paulsen.
- Canoeing by Laura Purdie Salas.
- Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Susan Jeffers.
- River Thrill Sports by Andrew David.
- Wake Up and Water Ski by Kimberly Robinson.
Displays
Display water sports equipment and gear such as life jackets, kayak paddles, kick boards, surf boards fishing gear. Surround them with books about fishing, canoeing, rafting, tubing, kayaking, water skiing, parasailing, and other water sports.
Incentives
Demco, www.demco.com, sells a variety of inexpensive bookmarks that promote summer fun that can be used as prizes and incentives. Oriental Trading Company, www.orientaltrading.com, sells waterproof wallets that make great incentives.
Songs
Crawdad Song
(Traditional. The music is available on Ultimate Kids Song Collection: 101 Favorite Sing-A-Longs by Wonder Kids Choir and on many other recordings.)
You get a line and I'll get a pole, honey,
You get a line and I'll get a pole, babe.
You get a line and I'll get a pole,
We'll go fishin' in the crawdad hole,
Honey, baby mine.
Boats Out On The Lake
(Adapted by Shelly Lane. Sing to the tune of “The Farmer In The Dell.”)
Boats out on the lake
Boats out on the lake
Rowing up and down and all around
Boats out on the lake
Rhymes and Poetry
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman.
Crafts
Canoe
Materials
- Brown construction paper or grocery bags
- Crayons and markers
- Yarn
- Hole punch
Directions
Fold the piece of construction paper or grocery bag in half lengthwise. Draw an outline of the side view of a canoe on one side of the paper, using the fold as the bottom of the boat. Cut out the shape, leaving the bottom crease intact. Punch a few holes on the sides. Use the yarn to weave through the holes and to sew together the curved ends.
Games and Activities
Boat Races
Materials
- Clay or modeling dough
- Plastic lid from margarine tubs or snack tubes
- Plastic straws
- Construction paper
- Markers
- Hole punch
- Scissors
- Wading pool or plastic tub
- Water
Directions
In advance, cut the plastic straws in half. Place a ball of clay or modeling dough in the center of a plastic lid. The clay may stay in a ball or the children may shape the clay, as long as it is tall enough to hold the straw. Make a sail by cutting a triangle shape out of construction paper and decorating it with markers. Punch two holes on one edge of the triangle, in line with each other, and slip a straw through the holes. Stand the straw in the clay ball. Fill a small container with water. Let four or five children at a time race their boats in a wading pool by blowing on them to make them sail across the water.
Web Sites
Maverick 's Paper Boats
www.highhopes.com/maverickboats.html
This web site provides instructions for making simple paper boats.
Professional Resources
Ultimate Kids Song Collection: 101 Favorite Sing-A-Longs by Wonder Kids Choir.
Demco
www.demco.com
This library supplier sells a variety of inexpensive bookmarks.
Oriental Trading Company
www.orientaltrading.com
This carnival supply company sells waterproof wallets and other boating items.
