Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner Play is the most powerful way young children learn. Every time you play, sing or read with young children they are learning about language. The following activities have been designed for early childhood professionals to use as a starting point for developing children s early literacy skills through play. Please feel free to adapt them for the home and with children of different ages. Don t forget to record your own ideas, activities that worked really well, relevant songs and rhymes in the Notes section opposite. Visit our website for more fun printable activities based on this book. The Terrible Plop Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner Engaging With Language and Literacy Before reading the book: Look at the front cover and ask the children what they can see? Talk about the apple falling. Read the blurb of the book to the children. Discuss the questions o What is plop? o Where does it hide? What do the children think? Examine the front and back inside covers with the children. Can they spot the difference between the two drawings? Visit.au to read the book as an e- book. Book Making: In the book the chocolate cake is a photo rather than drawing. The children can create their own poster or book using the same technique. They may like to a draw themselves eating their favourite food. The children can cut out pictures of their favourite food from magazines. Notes Page 1 of 3 For more book suggestions, information and activity sheets visit.au
Being Creative Through Play Chocolate Cake: In the story the rabbits are enjoying chocolate cake. You could make a chocolate cake with the children. There are several healthy versions of chocolate cake available on the Internet. Don t forget to write or print out the recipe so the children can read it with you. After making (and eating) the cake ask the children to draw or write their own chocolate cake recipe. Animal Masks: The children can make bunny ears and animals masks from the story such as tiger, pig or elephant. Small paper plates cut in half make great bases for masks. Finger Puppets: Make animal finger puppets from cardboard cylinders. Provide the children with a variety of textures such as cotton wool, faux fur and feathers to use. Bingo Game: You could create your own bingo game with the animals from the story. The children may like to choose their own animal sound to make when they have bingo. Imagine the fun of roaring like a bear instead of saying bingo! Exploring Our World We re Going To The Zoo Organise a visit to a zoo so the children can experience some of the animals from the story such as a bear or monkey. Taking photos of the various animals will enable the children to recreate the story or make up their own story once back at the centre. Can You Hear A Terrible Plop?: Walk around the block listening for all the sounds the children can hear. Cars driving, horns beeping, can they hear a terrible plop? Page 2 of 5
Map Making: Using the picture in the front of the story as a guide so the children can create their own maps. They may like to use the maps to navigate their way around the centre. Or they can use their imagination to create their own maps. Can they find a lake, forest or an apple tree? Enjoying Dramatic and Musical Play Forest Setting: Create a forest in the home corner where the children can re-enact the story. You may like to read the story or use the e-book for the children to play along with. The children will have fun making the various animals sounds what noise does a moose make? You may like to include some real branches and leaves or alternatively you could make the trees and flowers from paper or cardboard. Include dress up props or costumes for the children to re-enact the story. The children could also use the masks and bunny ears they created. We re Going On A Bear Hunt: We re Going On A Bear Hunt is a story with a similar theme that you can sing or act out. Michael Rosen, the author of We re going on a Bear Hunt has a video on YouTube that you could show the children. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytc0u2waz4s Please note that The Little Big Book Club has deemed this clip appropriate at the time of publishing, however cannot be held responsible for any additional comments or content that may be published on the site in the future. As with any internet usage with young children, adult supervision should take place. Little Peter Rabbit: Sing Little Peter Rabbit Little Peter Rabbit got a fly upon his nose A fly upon his nose A fly upon his nose Page 3 of 5
Little Peter Rabbit got a fly upon his nose So he flicked and it flew away buzz buzz Try changing the words to Little Peter Rabbit heard a terrible, terrible plop A terrible, terrible plop A terrible, terrible plop Little Peter Rabbit heard a terrible, terrible plop So he hopped and hopped And he hopped away We're Going on a Bear Hunt (Children repeat each line after adult) Grass, Long, wavy, grass. Swishy swashy, swishy swashy. Mud, Thick, oozy mud. Squelch squelch, squelch squelch A river, A deep, cold river. Page 4 of 5
Splash splash, splish splosh. A forest, A big, dark forest. Stumble trip, stumble trip. A cave, A scary, dark cave. Tiptoe, tiptoe. (Say the following verse all together and quickly) OH NO IT'S A BEAR!!! Quick! Through the cave, tiptoe, tiptoe, Through the forest, stumble trip, stumble trip, Through the river, splish splosh, splish spolosh, Through the mud, squelch squelch, squelch squelch, Through the grass, swishy swashy, swishy swashy. Run to the house, run up the stairs, Oh oh forgot to shut the door! Run back downstairs, shut the door, Run back up, to the bedroom, Jump into bed, pull up the covers, WE ARE NEVER GOING ON A BEAR HUNT AGAIN!! Page 5 of 5