Opening Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It" [standing up] with whispered added verse "If it's storytime and you know it, say Shhhh..."
[On monster page, ask “Is this really what bees look like? No! Bear was just IMAGINING they did.”]
Action Rhyme: "Two Little Black Bears" ("Two Little Blackbirds" var.)
Two little black bears sitting in the snow--
One named FAST, the other named SLOW.
Run away, FAST! Run away, SLOW!
Come back, FAST! Come back, SLOW!
Two little black bears far from the crowd--
One named QUIET, the other named LOUD! etc
Run away, FAST! Run away, SLOW!
Come back, FAST! Come back, SLOW!
Two little black bears far from the crowd--
One named QUIET, the other named LOUD! etc
Activity/guessing game: "Where Oh Where is my Teddy Bear?"
"Let's name the things on the magnet board together." (chair, pear, underwear, square). "What do you notice about the way these words sound? They all RHYME with BEAR!" Talk about value of rhyming/phonological awareness.
Chant: "Where oh where is my teddy bear? Is my bear behind the...chair?" etc
[Graphics for Teddy Bear/Underwear (pdf)]
Chant: "Where oh where is my teddy bear? Is my bear behind the...chair?" etc
[Graphics for Teddy Bear/Underwear (pdf)]
Book: Polar Bear's Underwear by Tupera Tupera
[Show ball and explain that our planet is almost ball-shaped, with a north pole--point to it--and a south pole. Does anyone know which pole polar bears live at? They live at the NORTH pole. Penguins and polar bears never meet, because penguins live at the SOUTH pole. Polar bears are the largest of all bears, so they would need some pretty big underwear!].
Song: "Bean Bag Song" (for B) by Hap Palmer
Book: Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony
[Before sharing title, show cover and ask, "Who knows what SPECIES of bear this is?” While reading, ask kids to name the animals as they appear.]
Closing Song: Laurie Berkner's "These Are My Glasses" a cappella. "Today, everything we find in our book will begin with B." Possibles before opening to kids for suggestions: Bouncy ball! (BOING BOING BOING) Baby! ("Let’s close it quietly. Baby’s napping"). Butterfly.
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Alternate Books: Bear's Big Breakfast, by Lynn Rowe Reed (TONS of opportunities for early literacy asides!) The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
