PeeWees: Corduroy (week 1)

[From PeeWee mom Julia...]

Okay, today was so much fun!

Synopsis - The book was Corduroy, which I think you are all familiar with. A brown bear in green overalls is waiting to be bought by a child at a department store. One day a little girl comes and want to buy him but her mom won't let her, saying, "besides, he doesn't look new. He's lost the button to one of his shoulder straps." Corduroy goes looking at night for the button and ends up on another floor of the store with all the furniture and finds "his" button sewn down to a mattress! He pulls it off but makes noise as he falls off the bed, which sends the night watchman looking for him. The next morning the little girl is back and buys him, takes him home, and sews a new button on his strap.

 

 Arrival - So we started the day with sewing and stringing activities. I had our "Very Hungry Caterpillar" stringing set as well as a couple others that the kids took turns stringing together. They were all really good at this. Then everyone took a lacing card and worked on that. I could tell Jackson was already familiar with these. Everyone caught on, though! Poppy was the least interested in the lacing and really got into the Very Hungry Caterpillar stringing. But she was really great at sharing it with others, which was impressive too. This activity kept their attention longer than I thought it would.

Circle Time - Then we sat down for circle time, doing our welcome song, our ABC's (twice!), and counted buttons to 20. The last time we counted I made them do it without me. They are getting BETTER at this.

 

 Then I introduced the book and everyone got a bear to hold. I didn't have brown bears so everyone got a Valentines polar bear instead (who knew the thrift store would have 50 valentines polar bears??!!). Anyway, they got into the story and liked that Lisa (the little girl) came back to get Corduroy.

 

Snack - Then it was time for a potty break and snack. We had round snacks: cut up carrots in rounds, raisins, bunny crackers (I thought they were bears, but they were bunnies-- lame!). And then for snack "dessert": gummy bears of course.

Art - Art came next and we constructed our own Corduroy bears. They first colored a bear brown, glued on the green overalls, and then added buttons wherever they felt they needed them. I had done a sample but I love that none of theirs looked like mine. You can see in the picture how their different personalities come out in their art.

Activity - Then we played two games: "Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?" and a button toss into a bowl. In button, button they didn't really understand about keeping it a secret. Jackson was the only one who kept the button in his hand and didn't show it prematurely. Henry was the best guesser (or best at watching me put it in others' hands).  When Poppy, Bodie, and Henry had it and we sang "button, button, who's got the button?" they would just show it! Hilarious.

But the button toss was actually pretty successful. Of course they all tried to get closer and closer to the bowl but each of them had some success getting it in the bowl. I think we'll play this one again and I'll see how far back they can stand and still get it in next week.

Closing - Before going outside we gathered on the mats again to review the book and talk about bears. Then we read, "We're Going on a Bear Hunt." The kids eyes were SO wide at the end (I got really into it). Then we went outside and had our own bear hunt. The bear was hiding in a "cave" (the garage) and we started at "home" (the trampoline) and went through tall grass, a river, mud, a forest, a snowstorm and finally arrived at the cave. Then we ran all the way home and hid on the trampoline, where they finished the last 5 minutes bouncing away. It was a great day!