5 Reasons Why I Love Mrs. Wishy-Washy (Joy Cowley Classroom Giveaway 2014)

One of my most vivid memories from kindergarten is reading Mrs. Wishy-Washy aloud in a chorus with my teacher and classmates. I delighted in calling out, "Along came Mrs. Wishy-Washy," and to this day there is just something thoroughly satisfying about the phrase, "Oh, lovely mud!" Today, I am promoting Hameray Publishing's Wishy-Washy 2014 Contest, and I want to share the reasons I loved Mrs. Wishy-Washy at age five, and still love her to this day. 

1. Mrs. Wishy-Washy has the perfect name. It's doubly alliterative, fun to say, and it tells the reader exactly what the character is interested in and concerned about.


2. Mrs. Wishy-Washy is a lovable grump. Though she is strict with the animals and often stands disapprovingly with her hands on her hips, there is also a hint of affection in her tone of voice and her demeanor. Kids can relate to both her desire to keep the animals clean and to their need to defy her in order to play in the mud. I also think her pink slippers go a long way toward softening her supposedly stern persona.


3. The Mrs. Wishy-Washy books build upon familiar concepts in a fun way. Kids feel comfortable in Mrs. Wishy-Washy's world because they have already learned about farm animals as toddlers. They don't feel like babies, however, because these stories use those animals in a more sophisticated way that suits the five-year-old sense of humor. The moment at the end of the original Mrs. Wishy-Washy where the animals all jump back into the mud the exact kind of thing that gives kindergartners the giggles because they don't see it coming.


4. Mrs. Wishy-Washy and its many sequels provide many possibilities for classroom and library use. Mrs. Wishy-Washy can easily support common classroom and story time themes such as bathing, farm animals, mud, and the letter W. This is especially wonderful because kids who have grown attached to the character can stick with her even as they continue to learn new things.


5. Lastly, I like the original Mrs. Wishy-Washy because it is endlessly adaptable. In story time, I can just read the story straight through, or I can tell it from memory using puppets or flannel board pieces. Kids can also easily tell and retell the story themselves, which helps build their narrative skills. There are also tons of crafts, writing activities, displays, bulletin boards and other creative ideas all over the internet that extend the reading experience beyond the story.

In celebration of Mrs. Wishy-Washy, Hameray Publishing Group is giving away lots of books and a set of finger puppets. Information about the contest can be found by clicking here, or by reading and clicking on the image below. 

 

To learn more, you can visit Hameray Publishing and Mrs. Wishy-Washy on these social media sites: 

• https://www.facebook.com/Hameray 
• https://www.facebook.com/Mrs.Wishy.Washy 
• https://twitter.com/Hameray 
•  http://www.pinterest.com/hameray/ 
• http://blog.hameraypublishing.com/blog/

Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Temperature

Last week, I kicked off a series of blog posts in which I'll be sharing story time starters for preschoolers inspired by the Fizz, Boom, READ! summer reading theme. Last week's post began with the basics - the five senses. This week, I'm moving on to the concept of temperature, with a specific focus on the differences between hot and cold.

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• Temperature by Kay Manolis
  This basic non-fiction title explains the concepts of hot and cold using photos and basic child-directed text. Depending on the age of the preschoolers, it might be necessary to pick and choose sections of the book to read. (An alternative to this book for libraries with older/deeper collections might be Temperature and You by Betsy and Giulio Maestro, but this title is out of print and not even listed on Goodreads!)
• Hot Air (The Mostly True Story of the First Hot Air Balloon Ride) by Marjorie Priceman
  Join the animals who were lucky enough to take the first-ever hot air balloon ride in 1783. Parts of the story have been fictionalized, but it's an excellent read-aloud, and  the illustrations invite all kinds of commentary and discussion from the kids. Depending on the age of the kids, you might even get into a discussion about the inner workings of hot air balloons.
• Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
  In the heat of the summer, this chilly tale will be most welcome at story time! Kids will enjoy seeing the various ways the townspeople in the story keep warm, and they will get the giggles as the icicle on the nose of the statue in the heart of town gets longer and longer as the cold snap wears on. 

Other Possible Books

• Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli
• Hot Day on Abbott Avenue by Karen English
• Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer 
• There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro 
• Cold Little Duck Duck Duck by Lisa Westberg Peters
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears (any version) 
• Winter Lullaby by Barbara Seuling
• Ten-Gallon Bart Beats the Heat by Susan Stevens Crummel
• Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
• Stanley Goes for a Drive by Craig Frazier

Rhymes and Songs

• Rhyme: Frozen is the Lake
  I wrote this simple fingerplay based on Blue is the Lake. If you repost it, please provide credit and a link to this blog. 
• Song: Hat, Coat, Pants, and Shoes
  This song is all about what keeps us warm in Winter. You can also change the words to Visor, Tee Shirt, Shorts, and Shoes for a warm-weather -focused verse. I wrote this one as well, so please credit me if you repost or print. 
• Song: Pigs in the Mud
  This song is about pigs keeping themselves cool by rolling in the mud.

Games

• Hot or Cold? Sorting Game
  Have the kids help sort objects into hot and cold categories. Kim at Destination Storytime has a great post about this type of activity, complete with a photo of the flannel board pieces she created. For those who prefer clipart, there is a great set of cards of hot and cold objects available here.
• Hot Potato
  Quickly pass around a ball, bean bag, or other object while music plays in the background. ("Hot Potato" by the Wiggles would be a fun choice.) Stop the music periodically - the child holding the "potato" when the music stops is out. This is a good game to play at the end of the story time, so that kids who are "out" can either head to their parents or transition to any coloring activity or craft you might have planned.
• Getting Warmer
  Hide an object in the story room. Ask the children to begin searching for it. Let them know when they are "colder" or "warmer" as they get closer to or further from the hiding place. (This would work best with a group of ten kids or less who are not new to story time and whose names you know.)

Visit These Blogs for More Ideas

• In the Children's Room: Theme Thursday: Baby It's Cold Outside
• Storytime Katie: Winter
• Mrs. Andre's Library: Summer Theme Story Time

Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Five Senses

Though I'm not working in a library this summer, that hasn't stopped me from being inspired by the Fizz, Boom, READ! summer reading theme. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing a series of story time starters for preschoolers (roughly ages 3-5) on various science themes. Today's post is about the five senses, as this is the basis for all scientific exploration. I have included my preferred titles that I would use if I were to present this story time, as well as additional books related to the theme that can be substituted for any one of my recommendations. For each theme, I'll also be sharing any relevant extension activities, including rhymes, songs, and games.

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• My Five Senses by Aliki
  This book's simple text will make a nice introduction to the concept of the five senses for kids who aren't yet familiar with them. Encourage the kids to point to their own eyes, nose, and mouth, as the child in the pictures shows how he uses each of his parts to take in information about his world. The chart at the front of the book would also be fun to use for a discussion, if you'd rather not read through the entire book, or if your group is slightly older.
• Senses at the Seashore by Shelley Rotner
  This book demonstrates each sense using a setting that is familiar to a lot of kids in my area - the beach. The eye-catching photos and simple text will help keep the kids focused and hopefully, some of them will have personal connections to the experiences portrayed in the pictures. Depending on your community and what the kids are familiar with, you might want to switch this book out for one of Rotner's other titles: Senses on the Farm or Senses in the City.
• Rain by Manya Stojic
  This third book is an actual story in which the five senses play an integral role. A series of animals living in the African savanna anticipate a rainstorm, and make guesses about its arrival based on what they can see, smell, taste, touch, and hear.

Other Possible Books

• Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff
• The Eye Book by Theo LeSieg
• Farley Follows His Nose by Lynn Johnston
• Five for a Little One by Chris Raschka
• Listen, Buddy by Helen Lester
• Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss
• Nosy Rosie by Holly Keller
• The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon
• Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young 
• Yoko by Rosemary Wells

Songs & Rhymes

• Song: My Eyes Are Made for Seeing
  This song, sung to the tune of The Bear Went Over the Mountain, reminds us of the purpose of our eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and hands. Have the kids make suitable motions for each verse to make it truly interactive.
• Flannel Board Rhyme: The Parts of the Body
  To share this rhyme, you will need flannel board pieces representing a bird, shovel, airplane, flower, street, and eating/talking, as well as pieces for each of the body parts mentioned. (KizClub has a set of body parts that would work nicely.) Have the kids guess each body part before you put it up. It might also be fun to provide each child with a body part to be brought to the board at the correct time.
  
  

Games & Activities

• Poem: Ears Hear
  This poem is best shared with the higher end of the preschool age group. Ask the kids to make each sound you mention, and tell them not to be afraid to be loud. This poem works especially well with large or unusually rambunctious groups.
• Guessing Game: What is that Smell?
  Prepare a few brown paper lunch bags, each containing an item with a distinct smell. Without allowing the kids to look in the bags, let them smell each one and guess what it is. Suggested smelly items include: chocolate, mint, lemon, garlic, cinnamon, etc. I would avoid truly gross smells - the idea is for the kids to enjoy the experience of new smells, and preschoolers are often not yet amused by truly disgusting humor.
• Sorting Activity: Smooth or Rough? 
  Set out a tray of objects. Pass each one around and let the kids feel it. Have them tell you whether the object is smooth or rough. Suggested objects might be: sandpaper,  notebook paper, pine cone,  balloon, rocks, shells, etc. 
• Game: I Spy
  Play a traditional game of I Spy. Have one child at a time describe something he or she can see in the room and have the other kids try to guess what it is. For the sake of time, this might work best in a smaller group - it also helps if your story room isn't too bland-looking, or there won't be much to choose from! (Make this game even more fun by creating cardboard magnifying glasses for the kids to use as they look for objects.)
• Flannel Board Activity: 5 Senses from Miss Meg's Storytime
  This is a discussion-generating flannel board that encourages kids to think about how we interact with different objects using our senses. Meg provides a full set of instructions here.

Visit These Blogs for More Ideas

• Fingerplay: The Five Senses Story Time Stretch from Ryan the Librarian
• 5 Senses from Miss Sarah's Storytime
• Five Senses Storytime from Story Share
• My Five Senses Storytime from Busy Crafting Mommy

Flannel Friday: There Was an Old Man with a Beard

I have a slight obsession with Babybug magazine. I don't have a subscription, but my local library allows back issues to be checked out, so I have borrowed a few here and there. On the last page of the March  2013 issue, I found "Nonsense Rhyme" (also called "There Was an Old Man with a Beard") by Edward Lear. I had heard the rhyme before, but the illustration in the magazine by Ruth Tietjen Councell made me think it might work as a flannel board. Thus, the following adaptation was born.

There was an old man with a beard,
Who said, "It is just as I feared!

Two owls

and a hen,

four larks

and a wren

have all built their nests in my beard!"

This flannel board would be a fun addition to a bird-themed or hair-themed story time, or even to a Father's Day or Grandparent's Day program. 

Flannel Friday is hosted this week by Jenna from Stories with Ms. Jenna. For more on Flannel Friday, visit the official website.