Sidewalk Sailing
Books to Share
- I Went Walking by Sue Williams.
- Sidewalk Trip by Patricia Hubbell.
- Tie Your Shoes by Sue Hendra.
- Whose Feet? by Jeannette Rowe.
- Whose Shoes? by Anna Grossnickle.
Books to Show or Booktalk
- Hello Toes! Hello Feet! by Ann Whitford Paul.
- Hooray for Feet! By Susan Pearson.
- Jonathan and His Mommy by Irene Smalls-Hector.
- New Shoes, Red Shoes by Susan Rollings.
- Taking a Walk / Caminando by Rebecca Emberley.
- Two Shoes, Blue Shoes, New Shoes by Sally Fitz-Gibbon.
Bulletin Board
Make Tracks To Your Library!
Create a scene on the bulletin board with various kinds of shoes (boots, flip-flops, ballet shoes, tennis shoes, house shoes, etc.) walking down the sidewalk heading towards a library building. Make the shoes out of construction paper, but use real shoe strings to lace them and real ribbons on the ballet shoes.
Nametags
Little Feet
Draw a simple foot or shoe pattern or use a foot or shoe shaped die-cut.
Displays
Run, Don’t Walk to Books!
Display books, videos, DVDs and musical recordings on shoes, feet, and hiking and other outside activities. Display these items with a variety of different types of shoes and colorful socks.
Refreshments
Trail Mix
Ingredients
- Raisins
- Granola
- M&Ms™
- Coconut
- Banana chips
- Plastic sandwich baggie
Directions
Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Scoop into plastic baggies for each child to enjoy. Be sure to be aware of any children with food allergies and have alternatives to chocolate.
Fingerplays
Old Shoes, New Shoes
(Traditional.)
Old shoes, new shoes. (Point to shoes)
Black and brown and red shoes. (Point at shoes on different children)
One, two, three, four, (Count on fingers)
Tapping softly on the floor. (Tap shoes on floor)
Songs
A Hiking We Will Go
(By Debbie Brightwell Brown. Line up the children in a circle and parade around the room as you sing this song. Suit actions to the words of the song.)
A hiking we will go.
A hiking we will go.
Hi, ho, the derry-o,
A hiking we will go!
A skipping we will go...
A jogging we will go...
A walking we will go...
Rhymes and Poetry
My Little Footprint
(By Debbie Brightwell Brown.)
I left my little footprint,
On this paper today.
Tomorrow when I go outside,
I will leave it as I play.
Find a Foot
(Traditional. Suit actions to words.)
Find a foot and hop, hop, hop.
When you’re tired, stop, stop, stop.
Turn around and count to ten.
Find a foot and hop again.
Audio Recordings
- “Left and Right” on Getting To Know Myself by Hap Palmer.
- “Walk around the Circle” on Learning Basic Skills through Music, Building Vocabulary by Hap Palmer.
- “Walking, Walking” on Toddler by Sara Hickman.
Puppet Play
“The Bear Went Over the Mountain” from Stories That Stick, Quick & Easy Storyboard Tales by Valerie Marsh.
Crafts
Footprints
Materials
- Construction or copier paper
- Copy of “My Little Foot Print” poem
- Glue sticks
- Crayons or markers
Directions
Make enough copies of the poem from the Rhymes and Poems section above for each child to have one. Trace each child’s footprint onto the copy or construction paper. Let the children glue the poem onto their footprint paper and then color the footprint. Let the caregiver put the child’s name, age, and the date on the paper to keep for a childhood keepsake.
Games and Activities
Playtime
Lead the children in a variety of games that can be played inside or outside using their feet and bodies. Games might include “London Bridge is Falling Down” or “Ring around the Rosy.”
Chalk Art
Lead children outside to an open concrete area (sidewalk, parking lot that has been cordoned off, etc.) Provide large sized ‘sidewalk’ chalk and allow the children to draw on the concrete.
Videos/DVDs/Films
If you have public performance rights, show these videos and DVDs, or segments of them, to the children. Otherwise, display them for home use. Times are indicated for the entire film.
Rosie’s Walk. (4 minutes)
Professional Resources
Stories That Stick, Quick & Easy Storyboard Tales by Valerie Marsh.
