TURKEY TALES

Here's a video I made for your children.

http://bit.ly/drjeanTurkeyTalk

Many things go in and out of style, but a good story is everlasting. I've got two of my favorite turkey tales for you today. I first heard Timmy Turkey about 50 years ago. In the original story grandmother turns Timmy into a color that "everyone will like" and you pull out a picture of a roasted turkey on a platter. I thought that might be a little too graphic for the kiddles, so I adapted it to be "kinder and gentler." The alliteration and oral language, as well as the sequencing skills, are perfect for engaging children. I guarantee they'll want to hear the story again and again.

Directions: Download the pattern and cut the turkey's body out of the front of a file folder. Insert colors of construction paper inside the file folder according to the story. (brown, blue, red, green, yellow, purple, and multi-color) Glue the words to the back of the folder so you can just read it and remove one sheet of paper at a time.

         
*Encourage the children to join in on the chorus!  

TIMMY TURKEY                             
Once upon a time there was a beautiful brown turkey named Timmy. One day as he strutted down the road he heard a bluebird say:

Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see.
Timmy Turkey replied: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The bluebird answered: You should be blue like me. It’s such a peaceful color.
So Timmy went home a dyed himself blue. (Remove the brown paper to reveal a blue turkey.)
                                       
The next day as Timmy strutted down the road he heard a red hen say:
Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see.
Timmy replied: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The redbird answered: You should be red like me. It’s such a bright color.
So Timmy went home and dyed himself red. (Remove the blue paper to reveal a red turkey.)

The following day as Timmy was strutting down the road he heard a green frog croak:
Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see?
Timmy sadly replied: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The frog croaked: You should be green like me. Green is the color of life!
So what do you think Timmy did? That’s right! He went home and dyed himself green.
(Remove the red paper to reveal a green turkey.)

Timmy was strutting down the road a beautiful shade of green the next day when he heard a yellow cat say: Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see!
Timmy answered: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The cat laughed and said: Who ever heard of a green turkey?
You should be yellow like me. It’s such a happy color.
Yes, you’re right! Timmy went home that night and dyed himself yellow. (Remove the green paper to reveal a yellow turkey.)
 

The next day Timmy was strutting down the road again when he heard a purple parrot squawk:
Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see!
Timmy said: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The parrot squawked: Yellow’s no color for a turkey.
You should be purple like me. Purple is the color of royalty.
Timmy went home immediately and dyed himself purple. (Remove the yellow sheet of paper to reveal the purple turkey.)
 

Once again Timmy was walking down the road when he heard his turkey friends laughing. They said: Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey we ever did see!
Timmy cried and said: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The other turkeys replied: Who ever heard of a purple turkey?
You look so silly!
Timmy slowly walked home and as he walked he thought to himself, “I have dyed myself blue, red, green, yellow, and purple, and I have pleased no one.” Then he got a brilliant idea! He got all the bottles of dye and made all his feathers different colors. (Remove the purple sheet of paper to reveal the turkey with the colorful feathers.)
The next day as Timmy Turkey strutted down the road everyone laughed and cheered!
Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the most beautiful turkey we ever did see!
And that’s why you always see turkeys with beautiful tail colors!
                               

Timmy Turkey Download
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljdVlScjd2UlZzdGc/view?usp=sharing

Note!  To make the final turnkey I cut little feathers and glued them to make a collage as shown.

 

OWATAGOOSIAM 
This next story is a tell and draw story.  After you do it several times invite the children to retell the story and draw along with you.

Once there was a little old lady who lived out in the country.

Her house was shaped like an oval.  (head)

It had a little window that was a circle.  (eye)

She had a garden beside her house.  (beak)

And she planted seeds there.

Near her house there was a lake.  (body)

And there was a little island in the lake.  (wing)

Campers from the city would come and pitch tents by the lake.  (feet)

They would walk to the lake to look at the fish in the water.  (legs)

They would also watch the geese on the island.

But the people made so much noise they scared the geese and away they flew.  (feathers)

The little old lady heard all the commotion and went down to the lake to see what was going on.  (neck)

What do you think she saw?

When she got home she laughed and said, “OWA TAGOO SIAM!”

Say this faster and faster and it will sound like, “Oh, what a goose I am!”

Here’s a copy that might be a little easier to follow:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljTmk0bTZxTF9nNmM/view?usp=sharing

PUMPKIN TALES

I must have told this story thousands of times over the past 40 years. The wonderful thing is that it's "old" to me, but most of the teachers and children have never heard it before. You'll need to practice a few times before doing it for your class, but I guarantee you'll hear, "Do it again! Do it again!"

And here's the video where you can watch me tell these stories:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JetOeIrEnAU&t=52s

Pumpkin House Cut and Tell Story
Materials: orange paper, scissors
Directions: Place the orange paper and scissors in your lap. As you tell the story cut out the different parts with the scissors. At end of the story, the children will be delighted with the pumpkin house!
Hint! You can also tear out the paper with your fingers.

Once there was a little old lady who lived in a funny orange house near name of your school. Her house was shaped like half a circle with the chimney at the bottom.

This little lady had a cat named child’s name in your room. This cat had a long, curved tail, so the old lady had a special door cut just for the cat’s tail.

The little lady always wore a pointed hat. She had a special door built for herself, too, so her hat would not fall off every time she went in and out the door.

The little lady had two pet birds. Their names were child’sname and child’s name. She had a window cut just for them so they could fly in and out and in and out.

It was getting close to Halloween, so all the children inteacher’s name classroom went to her house and knocked on her door. The little lady came to the door and said, “Close your eyes.” SURPRISE! It’s a jack-o-lantern!

Here's a link so you can download the directions.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljYUVocVhRRTFHVGs/view?usp=sharing


Pumpkin Man Tell and Draw Story
Materials: large sheet of paper, marker 

Directions: Explain that you will need everyone to help you tell this story. Demonstrate the movements below. When you say the words in the story, then the children should make the motions.


“Knock” – pretend to knock on a door

“Rock” – move body back and forth

“Spin” – twirl hands around each other

“Come In” – make motion with hand


Draw the body parts on the paper as you come to them in the story.

Once there was a little old lady who would just sit all day and rock and spin and wait for somebody to come in.
 One day as she sat there rocking and spinning she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. In came two big, black boots. (Draw boots on the board.) “I can’t talk to you big, black boots,” said the little old lady. So she just sat there and she'd rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. And in came two bony legs. (Draw two skinny legs coming out of the boots.) “I can’t talk to two bony legs,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.


“Come in,” she called. And in came a funny body. (Draw a pear shaped body on top of the legs.) “I can’t talk to a funny body,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. And in came two wiggly arms. (Draw wiggly arms coming off the body.) “I can’t talk to wiggly arms,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. And in came two big hands. (Draw hands at the end of the arms.) “I can’t talk to two big hands,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. And in came a big pumpkin head. (Draw a pumpkin head on the figure.) “Well, I can talk to a pumpkin man,” said the little old lady. And she did! 


Adaptations: End by singing “Do You Know the Pumpkin Man?” to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man?”

Autumn Avocado or Guacamole Halloween???
How about some silly songs this month? You can choose the "Avocado Autumn" or "Guacamole Halloween."



http://bit.ly/drjeanHalloween

JOHNNY APPLESEED DAY

September 26 is Johnny Appleseed Day in honor of his birthday. However, here's a finger play and story you can tell any day. Johnny (John Chapman) is remembered for planting apple trees throughout Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. He was well known and liked for his kindness and generosity. Say “cheers” to him every time you eat an apple.

Apple Tree (You can say it or sing it to the tune of “This Old Man.”)
Way up high in the tree, (Point up.)
One red apple smiled down at me. (Hold up 1 finger and then smile.)
I shook that tree as hard as I could. (Pretend to shake a tree.)
Down came an apple, (Bring down one hand.)
Mmm! Mmm! Good! (Pat tummy.)

Variations:
Adapt the number of apples, or use other fruits:
Two yellow pears… (Hold up 2 fingers.)
Three purple plums… (Hold up 3 fingers.)
4 orange peaches… (Hold up 4 fingers.)
5 green limes… (Hold up 5 fingers.)

Make a flannel board from a file folder to use as a follow up for this rhyme.

And, here’s a story that I bet Johnny would have loved.

The Star
Materials: shopping bag or grocery sack
Apple (red delicious works best), knife

Directions: Put the apple and knife in the bag and have it on your lap as you begin to tell the story below. Insert children’s names in your classroom to capture their interest.

One day first child’s name went to visit grandmother. Grandmother said, “How would you like to go on a secret mission?” “Oh, I’d love that,” replied first child. So grandmother said, “I want you to find a little red house with no doors and no windows. There should be a chimney on top and a star in the middle.”

First child was so excited as he set off on his mission. As first child was thinking about what it could be, he ran into second child. “Do you know where I can find a little red house with no doors and no windows. There should be a chimney on top and a star in the middle.” Second child said, “I’ve never heard of anything like that, but would you like me to help you?” “Sure,” replied first child and off they went.

They walked on a little further until they saw third child. “Have you seen a little red house with no doors and no windows? There’s a chimney on top and a star in the middle.” “Gosh. I don’t know what that could be, but would you like me to help you?” replied third child. So off they went on their mission.

The story continues as more children join in the search.

Finally, the children had about given up when they ran into grandpa. He was on his way home from the store with something he had bought. “Grandpa,” the children said. “Grandma sent us on a mission. She told us to find a little red house with no doors and no windows. There’s a chimney on top and a star in the middle. What could it be?”

Grandpa laughed, “Well, I have the answer to your riddle right here in my sack.” And he pulled out an apple. (Pull the apple from your sack.) The children said, “How does that solve our riddle?” Grandpa said, “This apple is like a little red house. See, it’s round and the stem is like a chimney.” “But where’s the star?” wondered the children. Grandpa took a knife and sliced the apple in half. (Take the knife and slice the apple in half diagonally.) “And here’s the star!” The children were amazed to see that sure enough, there was a star in the middle.

Grandpa said, “You know people are like this star. We’re different sizes, colors, and shapes on the outside. But if you look inside, you’ll find a special star inside each person you meet!”

*Encourage each child to tell what makes him or her special.

*Bring apples for snack. Cut them in half so the children can all see their stars.

*Pick out seeds from the apples. How many seeds do they have? What would happen if you planted the seeds? Plant some and see what happens.

*Talk about where apples come from. How many parts of an apple can the children name.

*Make a list of words that describe apples.

*Purchase several different varieties of apples. Cut them into bite size pieces so everyone gets a taste. Make a graph of which apple the children liked best.

*Make apple prints. After cutting the apple in half let the halves dry on a paper towel. Dip into paint and press on newsprint or newspaper. Can you find the star?

LET'S READ AND TALK!

The best things in life are free -

like these stories, books, and language activities.

Here's a link to download all of the the activity cards: click here.

Use these prompts to encourage talking, reading, and writing with your child.

Lunch Sack Book

Baggie Book

Gift Bag Book

Box Top Book

Letters of Love

Good Book

I Can Read!

Writer’s Briefcase

Story Tapes

Bedtime Ritual

Use link above to download all of these cards.

.

TELL A STORY DAY

National Tell A Story Day (April 27th) is celebrated by encouraging people of all age groups to tell a story. A story can be read from a book, an imaginary story, or an actual memory.

In person or online, stories will capture children’s attention and nurture their literacy skills. Oral language, phonological awareness, comprehension, sequencing, and multiple skills are reinforced with stories. The secret ingredient to a good story is YOU! You add the magic with your enthusiasm and unique personality.

Before telling your story you need to focus children’s attention with a chant or rhyme similar to the one below:



Two little hands go clap, clap, clap. (Clap hands 3 times.)
Two little fingers go snap, snap, snap. (Snap fingers 3 times.)
Two little eyes go blink, blink, blink. (Blink eyes.)
If you want to hear a story go wink, wink, wink. (Wink eyes.)
(Lower your voice as you say each line.)

Hands up high. (Hands in the air.)
Hands down low. (Hands down.)
Hide those hands, now. (Hands behind your back.)
Where did they go? (Shrug shoulders.)
One hand up. (Right hand up.)
The other hand, too. (Left hand up.)
Clap them, (Clap.)
Fold them, (Fold in lap.)
Here’s a story for you!

Here's a participation story where children can listen and follow directions.

The Wiggle Family

Directions: Assign children to be the different characters below. (Two or three children can be each character.) Instruct them to stand up, wiggle, and then sit back down whenever their name is mentioned in the story.

Hint! When telling the story, pause slightly after saying each character's name.

Mama Sister Baby Cat Grandma

Papa Brother Dog Grandpa

One day Mama Wiggle said, "It’s such a beautiful day. Why don't we all get in the van and go to Grandma and Grandpa Wiggle's house. We’ll take a picnic lunch and have a great time!" Papa got the van ready while Sister packed a picnic lunch. Mother got the baby, and Brother got the cat and dog. Soon Mother, Father, and Baby were in the front of the van, and Sister and Brother, the cat and the dog were in the back of the van and they were on their way to Grandma and Grandpa Wiggle’s house..

"Oh, no," said Sister, "I forgot the picnic lunch!"

So Mama told Papa to stop the van. They turned around and drove back to their house to get the picnic lunch. Sister ran back to the house while the others sat in the van. Just then the dog started barking and scared the cat who jumped out of the van. Brother had to chase the cat and bring her back to the van. The Baby got so upset, he just cried and cried. Finally, Mama, Papa, Sister, Brother, Baby, the dog, and cat were all back in the van and were on their way to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

When they arrived at Grandma and Grandpa’s house everyone was so happy! The cat and dog jumped out of the van first, followed by Brother and Sister. Mother, Father, and Baby got out of the van last.

They spread a blanket under a large tree and put out the picnic lunch. And, oh, what a feast it was! They had sandwiches, and fried chicken, and cupcakes and fruit. After lunch Grandpa, Grandma, Mother, Father, and the Baby fell asleep and took a nap. Brother and Sister chased the cat and dog around and played hide and go seek.

It started to get dark, so Grandpa and Grandma gave Mother, Father, Baby, Sister and Brother a big hug good-bye. They all hopped in the van with the cat and the dog and set off towards their home.

What a special day it had been!

Here are videos where I tell some of my favorite stories.

https://youtu.be/L3UdCHXq03c
Scat the Cat

https://youtu.be/EEGo7achQeU
Kittens’ Mittens

https://youtu.be/xr7VdZtFFlU
Bingo

THREE LITTLE PIGS

https://bit.ly/drJ3PigsNarrated

PICNIC BOOK

Sometimes children like big books and sometimes they like little books. This book is so much easier to make when you tell the story about going on a picnic.

Make a picnic book by telling this story:

Let’s go on a picnic. First we need a picnic basket.
(Fold the paper in half.)

Next, we need hotdogs.
(Fold the paper in fourths.)

We also need hamburgers.
(Fold the paper into eighths.)

We’ll need a picnic bench to sit at.
(Open so it’s folded in half. Bring one bottom flap to the fold. Turn
over and bring the other bottom flap to the fold.)

A picnic is more fun if we share it with a friend. (Tear down middle crease
until you reach the fold.)

Now all we need is a book to write a story about our adventures on our picnic.
(Hands on top of bench, bend down, and fold around to make a book.)

  

Use for: letter books, word families
reading the room, writing the room
fact families
shape or color books
unit or theme
spelling words (picture/sentence)
friends’ names and phone numbers
opposites, story elements
original stories

Hint! Let children decorate an individual cereal box to store their picnic books.

 

Picnic Books - https://bit.ly/drJPicnicBks

Narrated version: https://bit.ly/drJPicnicNar

PUMPKIN TALES

NOTE!  Here's the video where you can watch me tell these stories:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JetOeIrEnAU&t=52s

I must have told this story thousands of times over the past 40 years. The wonderful thing is that it's "old" to me, but most of the teachers and children have never heard it before. You'll need to practice a few times before doing it for your class, but I guarantee you'll hear, "Do it again! Do it again!"

Pumpkin House Cut and Tell Story
Materials: orange paper, scissors
Directions: Place the orange paper and scissors in your lap. As you tell the story cut out the different parts with the scissors. At end of the story, the children will be delighted with the pumpkin house!
Hint! You can also tear out the paper with your fingers.

Once there was a little old lady who lived in a funny orange house near name of your school. Her house was shaped like half a circle with the chimney at the bottom.

This little lady had a cat named child’s name in your room. This cat had a long, curved tail, so the old lady had a special door cut just for the cat’s tail.

The little lady always wore a pointed hat. She had a special door built for herself, too, so her hat would not fall off every time she went in and out the door.

The little lady had two pet birds. Their names were child’sname and child’s name. She had a window cut just for them so they could fly in and out and in and out.

It was getting close to Halloween, so all the children inteacher’s name classroom went to her house and knocked on her door. The little lady came to the door and said, “Close your eyes.” SURPRISE! It’s a jack-o-lantern!

Here's a link so you can download the directions.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljYUVocVhRRTFHVGs/view?usp=sharing


Pumpkin Man Tell and Draw Story
Materials: large sheet of paper, marker 

Directions: Explain that you will need everyone to help you tell this story. Demonstrate the movements below. When you say the words in the story, then the children should make the motions.


“Knock” – pretend to knock on a door

“Rock” – move body back and forth

“Spin” – twirl hands around each other

“Come In” – make motion with hand


Draw the body parts on the paper as you come to them in the story.

Once there was a little old lady who would just sit all day and rock and spin and wait for somebody to come in.
 One day as she sat there rocking and spinning she heard a knock at the door.


“Come in,” she called. In came two big, black boots. (Draw boots on the board.) “I can’t talk to you big, black boots,” said the little old lady. So she just sat there and she'd rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.


“Come in,” she called. And in came two bony legs. (Draw two skinny legs coming out of the boots.) “I can’t talk to two bony legs,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.



“Come in,” she called. And in came a funny body. (Draw a pear shaped body on top of the legs.) “I can’t talk to a funny body,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.


“Come in,” she called. And in came two wiggly arms. (Draw wiggly arms coming off the body.) “I can’t talk to wiggly arms,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.


“Come in,” she called. And in came two big hands. (Draw hands at the end of the arms.) “I can’t talk to two big hands,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.


“Come in,” she called. And in came a big pumpkin head. (Draw a pumpkin head on the figure.) “Well, I can talk to a pumpkin man,” said the little old lady. And she did! 


Adaptations: End by singing “Do You Know the Pumpkin Man?” to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man?”

LETTER MONSTER AND LETTER BABY

This story is similar to “Scat the Cat” using alphabet letters. Trace around the monster pattern on the front of the file folder and cut it out. Write the alphabet letters in bold on paper. Place inside the file folder. Glue the story to the back of the folder. Remove one sheet of paper at a time as you tell the story.

Letter Monster wanted to read.
He thought if he ate letters, it was all he would need!
On Monday he ate A B C D E F.
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep, but the pointy part of the “A”
kept poking his tummy and he couldn’t sleep a wink all night long.

On Tuesday he chomped G H I J K .
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep, but “H” and “I” got together and made a word and he couldn’t sleep a wink all night long. “Hi! Hi! Hi!”

On Wednesday he nibbled on L M N O P.
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep, but “O” kept rolling back and
forth in his tummy and he couldn’t sleep a wink all night long.

On Thursday he feasted on Q R S T U V.
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep, but “S” kept playing snake
and going “SSSSSS” in his tummy, and he couldn’t sleep a wink all night long.

On Friday he swallowed W X Y Z.
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep and he dreamed sweet “zzzzz’s” all night long.

Sweet dreams letter monster!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljQXh1T2hpTXI4LXc/view?usp=sharing


LETTER BABY
What's not to love about Letter Baby! Your kids will love her as well.

THE ALPHABET IN MY MOUTH

(Tune: “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”)
I’ve got the whole alphabet in my mouth,
I’ve got the whole alphabet in my mouth.
I’ve got the whole alphabet in my mouth
and I can read!
I’ve got A - /a/ /a/ in my mouth
I’ve got B - /b/ /b/ in my mouth
I’ve got C - /c/ /c/ in my mouth…Z
And I can read!
I’ve got all the sounds in my mouth,
And I’m ready to read!


*Children spin the wheel around to display the letters as they sing the song.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljNDYwUzM0c0RTTkk/view?usp=sharing

 

Alphabet Train

https://bit.ly/drJAlphaTrain

 

Word Monster 

Here's a fun story for older students.

Word Monster Silent

https://bit.ly/drJWordMonsterSilent

Word Monster Narrated

https://bit.ly/drJWordMNarrated

Handouts:

Word Monster Wants to Read

https://bit.ly/drJWordMWants

Word Monster Cards

https://bit.ly/drJWordMCards

Word Monster Sentences

https://bit.ly/drJWordMSentence

 

 

RAINHAT STORY

RAIN HAT STORY

*Note! You can watch me tell the story on this video:

https://youtu.be/WhRYKyxRosg

Once there was a very creative and resourceful teacher. There was a huge thunderstorm one night and when she got to school the next morning the whole classroom was flooded. The only thing left were newspapers on the top shelf. So, the teacher gave each child a newspaper and they looked for words they could read and talked about the pictures. After a while she realized the children needed some exercise, so they turned the newspapers into rain hats so they could go outside. 

(Fold the paper in half. Open. Fold one top corner to the middle crease. Fold the other top corner to the middle crease. Fold up the top bottom edge. Turn over and fold up the other bottom edge.)

The children had fun wearing their rain hats, but then they heard a “RRRRRR” sound coming down the road. It was a fire truck, and the teacher showed the children how to turn their rain hats into fire helmets.
(Put your thumbs in the corner of the hat and bring them together. Flatten. Fold up one bottom point.) 

The children even used their fire helmets like scoops to help put out the fire.

All the water reminded the teacher of boats and pirates, so they turned their fire helmets into pirate hats.
(Bring the other bottom point up to the top.)

Now, all pirates need boats, so they turned their pirate hats into boats.
(Grab the top two points and gently pull out to make your boat.)

They went floating down the stream and ran into a rock and the front of their boat came off.
(Tear a little off the front of the boat.)

They went floating down the stream and they ran into a tree and the back of their boat came off.
(Tear off a little from the back of the boat.)

They went floating down the stream and they went under a bridge and the top of their boat came off.
(Tear a little off the top.)

Anybody else would have been a nervous wreck, but that teacher knew the children all had life preservers, so they put them on and swam safely back to school.
(Open and hold up as shown.)

And when they got back to school they drew pictures and wrote stories about all of their adventures!


Rainy Day Reads
Make a special place to read on rainy days by opening a large umbrella and putting it in a cozy corner in your classroom. Put some books and stuffed animals under it and your children won't be able to resist!
Note! Limit two at a time and they'll be lining up for their turn!

TURKEY TALES

Here's a video where you can watch me tell this story.

http://bit.ly/drjeanTurkeyTalk

Many things go in and out of style, but a good story is everlasting. I've got two of my favorite turkey tales for you today. I first heard Timmy Turkey about 50 years ago. In the original story grandmother turns Timmy into a color that "everyone will like" and you pull out a picture of a brown roasted turkey on a platter. I thought that might be a little too graphic for the kiddles, so I adapted it to be "kinder and gentler." The alliteration and oral language, as well as the sequencing skills, are perfect for engaging children. I guarantee they'll want to hear the story again and again.


Directions: Download the pattern and cut the turkey's body out of the front of a file folder. Insert colors of construction paper inside the file folder according to the story. (brown, blue, red, green, yellow, purple, and multi-color) Glue the words to the back of the folder so you can just read it and remove one sheet of paper at a time.

*Encourage the children to join in on the chorus!

TIMMY TURKEY
Once upon a time there was a beautiful brown turkey named Timmy. One day as he strutted down the road he heard a bluebird say:

Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see.
Timmy Turkey replied: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The bluebird answered: You should be blue like me. It’s such a peaceful color.
So Timmy went home a dyed himself blue. (Remove the brown paper to reveal a blue turkey.)

The next day as Timmy strutted down the road he heard a red hen say:
Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see.
Timmy replied: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The redbird answered: You should be red like me. It’s such a bright color.
So Timmy went home and dyed himself red. (Remove the blue paper to reveal a red turkey.)

The following day as Timmy was strutting down the road he heard a green frog croak:
Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see?
Timmy sadly replied: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The frog croaked: You should be green like me. Green is the color of life!
So what do you think Timmy did? That’s right! He went home and dyed himself green.
(Remove the red paper to reveal a green turkey.)

Timmy was strutting down the road a beautiful shade of green the next day when he heard a yellow cat say: Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see!
Timmy answered: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The cat laughed and said: Who ever heard of a green turkey?
You should be yellow like me. It’s such a happy color.
Yes, you’re right! Timmy went home that night and dyed himself yellow. (Remove the green paper to reveal a yellow turkey.)

The next day Timmy was strutting down the road again when he heard a purple parrot squawk:
Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey I ever did see!
Timmy said: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The parrot squawked: Yellow’s no color for a turkey.
You should be purple like me. Purple is the color of royalty.
Timmy went home immediately and dyed himself purple. (Remove the yellow sheet of paper to reveal the purple turkey.)

Once again Timmy was walking down the road when he heard his turkey friends laughing. They said: Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the funniest turkey we ever did see!
Timmy cried and said: Oh, dear, oh, dear! Oh, me, oh, me!
Why am I the funniest turkey you ever did see?
The other turkeys replied: Who ever heard of a purple turkey?
You look so silly!
Timmy slowly walked home and as he walked he thought to himself, “I have dyed myself blue, red, green, yellow, and purple, and I have pleased no one.” Then he got a brilliant idea! He got all the bottles of dye and made all his feathers different colors. (Remove the purple sheet of paper to reveal the turkey with the colorful feathers.)
The next day as Timmy Turkey strutted down the road everyone laughed and cheered!
Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!
You’re the most beautiful turkey we ever did see!
And that’s why you always see turkeys with beautiful tail colors!

Timmy Turkey Download
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljdVlScjd2UlZzdGc/view?usp=sharing

Note! To make the final turnkey I cut little feathers and glued them to make a collage as shown.



OWATAGOOSIAM
This next story is a tell and draw story. After you do it several times invite the children to retell the story and draw along with you.

Once there was a little old lady who lived out in the country.

Her house was shaped like an oval. (head)

It had a little window that was a circle. (eye)

She had a garden beside her house. (beak)

And she planted seeds there.

Near her house there was a lake. (body)

And there was a little island in the lake. (wing)

Campers from the city would come and pitch tents by the lake. (feet)

They would walk to the lake to look at the fish in the water. (legs)

They would also watch the geese on the island.

But the people made so much noise they scared the geese and away they flew. (feathers)

The little old lady heard all the commotion and went down to the lake to see what was going on. (neck)

What do you think she saw?

When she got home she laughed and said, “OWA TAGOO SIAM!”

Say this faster and faster and it will sound like, “Oh, what a goose I am!”

PUMPKIN TALES

Today I've got two of my all time favorite stories for you.  I've even got a video where you can watch me tell these stories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JetOeIrEnAU&t=52s

Pumpkin House Cut and Tell Story

Note!  I must have told this story thousands of times over the past 50 years. The wonderful thing is that it's "old" to me, but most of the teachers and children have never heard it before. You'll need to practice a few times before doing it for your class, but I guarantee you'll hear, "Do it again! Do it again!"

Materials: orange paper, scissors
Directions: Place the orange paper and scissors in your lap. As you tell the story cut out the different parts with the scissors. At end of the story, the children will be delighted with the pumpkin house!
Hint! You can also tear out the paper with your fingers.

Once there was a little old lady who lived in a funny orange house near name of your school. Her house was shaped like half a circle with the chimney at the bottom.

This little lady had a cat named child’s name in your room. This cat had a long, curved tail, so the old lady had a special door cut just for the cat’s tail.

The little lady always wore a pointed hat. She had a special door built for herself, too, so her hat would not fall off every time she went in and out the door.

The little lady had two pet birds. Their names were child’sname and child’s name. She had a window cut just for them so they could fly in and out and in and out.

It was getting close to Halloween, so all the children inteacher’s name classroom went to her house and knocked on her door. The little lady came to the door and said, “Close your eyes.” SURPRISE! It’s a jack-o-lantern!

Here's a link so you can download the directions.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljYUVocVhRRTFHVGs/view?usp=sharing


Pumpkin Man Tell and Draw Story
Materials: large sheet of paper, marker 

Directions: Explain that you will need everyone to help you tell this story. Demonstrate the movements below. When you say the words in the story, then the children should make the motions.


“Knock” – pretend to knock on a door

“Rock” – move body back and forth

“Spin” – twirl hands around each other

“Come In” – make motion with hand


Draw the body parts on the paper as you come to them in the story.

Once there was a little old lady who would just sit all day and rock and spin and wait for somebody to come in.
 One day as she sat there rocking and spinning she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. In came two big, black boots. (Draw boots on the board.) “I can’t talk to you big, black boots,” said the little old lady. So she just sat there and she'd rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. And in came two bony legs. (Draw two skinny legs coming out of the boots.) “I can’t talk to two bony legs,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.


“Come in,” she called. And in came a funny body. (Draw a pear shaped body on top of the legs.) “I can’t talk to a funny body,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. And in came two wiggly arms. (Draw wiggly arms coming off the body.) “I can’t talk to wiggly arms,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. And in came two big hands. (Draw hands at the end of the arms.) “I can’t talk to two big hands,” said the little old lady.
 So she just sat there and rock and spin until she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called. And in came a big pumpkin head. (Draw a pumpkin head on the figure.) “Well, I can talk to a pumpkin man,” said the little old lady. And she did! 



Adaptations: End by singing “Do You Know the Pumpkin Man?” to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man?”



Here are some videos that you might want to include in your October plans this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBWyLjFi9xI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70ZZzsLw_m4

HEART OF GOLD

There is a song of mine that you are probably familiar with called "Katalina Matalina." It's a silly song that the kids love, but there is also a special SEL lesson in her heart of gold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OvNvMdz7BU

Katalina Matalina
Chorus: Katalina Matalina Upsadina Walkadina
Hoca Poca Loca was her name.

Her head was shaped like a baseball bat. (Point to head.)
And right on top was a funny, old hat. (Chorus)

She had two hairs in her head. (Point to hair.)
One was alive and the other was dead. (Chorus)

She had two eyes in her head. (Point to eyes.)
One was purple and the other was red. (Chorus)

She had two teeth in her mouth. (Point to mouth.)
One pointed north and the other pointed south. (Chorus)

Her neck was as long as a ten foot pole. (Point to neck.)
And right in the middle was a big, black bow. (Chorus)

Her hips were like two ships in port. (Wiggle hips.)
One headed south and the other headed north. (Chorus)

Her feet were as flat as a bathroom mat. (Point to feet.)
How did they ever get like that? (Chorus)

But she had a heart, so I’m told. (Put hands over heart.)
That was made of purest gold. (Chorus)

*Have children discuss what it means to have a “heart of gold.” Make paper hearts from gold paper and attach a piece of string so it can be worn around the neck. When you see children being kind let them wear the heart of gold for the day.


THE BROKEN HEART

Here’s a story to remind children how words can hurt. Cut a large heart out of red construction paper and hold it in your lap as you begin to tell the story below:

This is a story about a special friend named (imaginary name). He always came to school with a smile on his face and a big heart full of love for his classmates. (Hold up the big heart.) (Name) listened to his teacher, did his best work, and helped his friends. However, some of his friends weren’t always so kind. Joe made fun of his shoes and broke a little of his heart. (Tear off a piece of the heart and let it drop to the floor.) Ann said, “I’m saving this seat and you can’t sit here” at story time and broke a little more of his heart. Sammy wouldn’t share his crayons (tear off a little of the heart) and Sara called him a mean name. What are some other things that might break his heart? (Let the children name other things that cause hurt feelings as you let the pieces fall to the floor.) By the end of the day his heart was all in pieces and it was so sad.

Who can tell me how to put his heart back together? What are some kind things you can do for your friends? As children name different acts of kindness pick the pieces of the heart off the floor. Glue the pieces together on a poster as a reminder to have a kind heart. Encourage children to write friends’ names on the poster when they are kind and helpful to them!

*Thanks to Cheri Winton Bromley for telling me this story many years ago.


Kindness Club
Make a poster that says "Kindness Club." When friends do a kind deed ask children to write their name on the poster. You could also run off "Kindness Tickets" that children to give to friends to thank them.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljaHRsT05ZYmxPZlE/view?usp=sharing