On Instagram, my friend Elisha Cooper, drew an alligator from an "A". His alphabet book is one of my favorites.
Mr. Beihler, my friend and fabulous PE teacher (follow him on Twitter here), is home with his twin 4 year olds and 6 year old. Yesterday he told me that he is printing out practice worksheets during "preschool" and that (along with Elisha's post) made me think more about...
(I feel like I am the mouse with the cookie when I say this) the alphabet and one of my favorite alphabet songs from Maurice Sendak and sung by Carole King, "Alligators All Around."
And that (and Elisha's alligator) reminded me of Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) by Julie Falatko and illustrated by Tim Miller, which incidentally, features the letter "P" quite a bit!
So...today is all about the alphabet, alligators and anything else I can squeeze in! Happy Friday, folks!
A is for...
This short video from Elisha will amaze you. How many animals that start with the letter ___ can you draw in one picture? Me? Easy. Zero.
This is Elisha's alphabet book I love. Can you try any of these things at home?- List as many animals you can for each letter. Don't peek in the book, if you have it! Did you come up with any that Elisha didn't think of?
- Make a game out of it. Play the "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing my friend, the alligator, the bat, the cougar...etc." How good is your memory? That will be a lot to remember when you get to Z!
- Can you write your own "8 A ____ Alphabet Book"? Try it with food, books, things outside, your friends' names...anything!
- Be like Elisha and try drawing pictures from letters.
Let your imagination go WILD!
Letter of the Week
This is a link on Pinterest for many"Letter of the Week" resources from Random House. Here are a couple of reproducible examples. If you have a little at home (or two like Mr. Biehler) learning to write or who needs practice, I highly recommend heading to that page. There's a page for every letter and each includes three book recommendations. I chose "C" because even though it's not listed, be sure and add Elisha's Big Cat, Little Cat to the list. You can find him reading it aloud on his Instagram, too. I love that book. Did you know it won the Caldecott Honor in 2018?!
Alexis and I when she was in kindergarten in December 2017.
Alexis (now in 2nd grade), her sister, Grace (kindergarten) and I on our self-proclaimed "Leggings Day" this past Wednesday.
Alligators All Around
This section is dedicated to Mrs. Kosinski. I know she loves Carole King almost as much as I do. The Really Rosie album would be a good pick me up right now. And I can belt out every word to every song on Tapestry.
Here's a sheet you can print out. Maybe draw something fun in the extra white space? I love alliteration (i.e., Pastries and Prose, Dewey Duty...). Can you come up with some alliteration phrases on your own?
Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book)
- Make a comic strip and tell the story from your point of view.
- Snappys's shopping list consists of foods with the letter "P". Create a shopping list with only foods that start with a different letter.
- Plan a party. Make a list of all things you will need. Find out how much everything will cost. Do some math and add it all up.
- Research alligators and crocodiles. What is the difference between the two?
- Make some pudding. Think about the science behind it. How does the milk solidify?
My Apologies
Sorry in advance if you are singing Carole King or the Jackson Five all day. It could be worse. Turn the Spotify up. Throw yourselves an alphabet dance party. Eat foods that begin with every letter. Twist your body into words. Have fun and point your chin way up! Stay inside. Keep healthy. Be positive. Smile at your family and know that we will get through this and all be together again soon. xo
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