Where Is The Green Sheep? 0-12 12 M Play is the most powerful way babies learn. Every time you pick up babies, cuddle them, sing to them or read to them they are learning about language. By sharing this book and play activities with babies they will have the opportunity to: Enjoy stories and nursery rhymes. Encourage their curiosity. Respond to and communicate with you. We hope these activities will provide you with a starting point for fun play with babies. Engaging with Language and Literacy Readingtobabiesistheperfectopportunitytogive them undivided positive attention. Where Is The Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek When you read to a baby use their name frequently. Making eye-contact, exaggerating facial expressions and using a higher pitched voice will help keep their attention for longer. As you read the book to the baby, talk to them about what is happening in the pictures. Find an interesting page for the baby to look at. Sometimes, instead of reading the words sing Baa Baa Black Sheep. You could also sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the page with the star sheep. Can you find other rhymes to match the illustrations? Playwithtoyanimalswiththebaby.Uselanguagefrom the book when you are playing, e.g. Here is the big cow. Here is the yellow duck. But where is the sheep?. Give the baby a choice of which toy they would like to hold. Encourage them to ask for the toy. Hide a toy under a blanket. Ask the baby Where is the? before you find it with them. Takephotosofcolourfulobjectsthatthebabywouldbe familiar with. Use them to make a book and read this with the baby. Add some simple text to the book, e.g. Here is the blue bear. Here is the red chair. Page 1 of 2
0-12 Where Is The Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek List any other books, rhymes or activities the children have enjoyed. Discovering Sensory Play Exposing babies to many different sensations will broaden their awareness of themselves and their world. Hold a silk scarf in front of the baby. When you think the baby is looking at it move it gently from side to side. Do the baby s eyes follow the scarf? Talk to them while you are playing using words from the book, e.g. Here is the blue scarf. Tryrubbingbaby sarmswithdifferentfabricslikewool, satin and polar fleece. EnjoyingMusicandMovement Talking and singing to a baby will help and encourage them to talk to you. Turning a baby in different directions will help them develop an awareness of space and a sense of balance. Try turning the baby the following ways: Holdbabyinyourarmsandsupporttheirheadasyou turn in gentle circles. Hold the baby with their back against your body. Carry the baby with their face looking at yours. As you hold the baby sing Baa Baa Black Sheep or other rhymes to them. Babiesloveplayingwithsmallmusicalinstrumentslike rattles, bells etc. even wooden spoons and saucepans. Page 2 of 2
Where Is The Green Sheep? 0-12 Play is the most powerful way toddlers learn. Every time you pick up a toddler, cuddle them, sing to them or read to them they are learning about language. Bysharingthisbookandplayactivitieswithtoddlersthey will have the opportunity to: Enjoy stories and nursery rhymes. Join in with stories. Learn how books work. We hope these activities will provide you with a starting point for fun play with toddlers. Engaging with Language and Literacy Reading to toddlers is the perfect opportunity to give them undivided positive attention. Toddlers are active learners and learn new words all the time. Make the most of the simple illustrations in this book to help expand their vocabulary. Point to familiar objects such as the sun and the car and ask the toddler to name them or name it for them. It is important for toddlers to hear the same stories over and over again. When you re-read the story pause before the word sheep, giving the children the opportunity to fill in the missing word and join in with the story. Toddlers are beginning to understand their world and enjoy books that give them information. Read some simple non-fiction books about farm animals. Provide the children with posters and pictures to look at. Take photos of colourful objects in the room and use them to make a book. Add some simple text to the book, e.g. Here is the blue bear. Here is the red chair. Playtogetherwithtoyanimals.Usewordsthatreinforce the language in the book, e.g. Here is the big cow. Here is the yellow duck. But where is the sheep? Givetoddlerslotsofopportunitiestohandlebooks.Help them learn how to hold a book and turn the pages. Where Is The Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek Page 1 of 3
Where Is The Green Sheep? Discovering Sensory Play If toddlers are old enough let them explore with finger paint or easel painting. Use yellow and blue to make green. When you talk to toddlers use words from the book, e.g. Here is the blue paint. Here is the yellow paint. Ask them about their favourite colour. Make a collage of a sleeping green sheep. Provide an outline of a sheep and let the toddlers have fun sticking onavarietyoftextures.youcouldusewool,cellophane, scrapsofmaterial,ribbonandpaper.thiscouldbedone as an individual or a group activity. Display the finished sheep with the caption Here s our green sheep, fast asleep. EnjoyingMusicandMovement Singnurseryrhymesandsimplesongsthatrelatetothe themes in the story like Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, Little Bo Peep, Mary Had a Little Lamb and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. The more ways a child hears a song, the more they will try to copy you. Try singing a nursery rhyme in different ways. For example, use a high voice, a low voice, whisper it, sing it fast and then slow. Clap the toddler s hands together on the last word of each line. Emphasize the word a little louder than the others, for example, Baa, baa, black SHEEP (clap). Page 2 of 3
0-12 Other books to try: I Went Walking by Sue Williams and Julie Vivas Let s Go Visiting by Sue Williams and Julie Vivas Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell Spot Goes to the Zoo by Eric Hill Time for Bed by Mem Fox & Jane Dyer All of these books are available as board books. Rhymes and songs: Baa Baa Black Sheep Baa baa black sheep Have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, Three bags full. One for the master And one for the dame And one for the little boy Who lives down the lane. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Twinkle, twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are? Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are? Mary Had a Little Lamb Mary had a little lamb, Little lamb, little lamb. Mary had a little lamb, Her fleece was white as snow. Everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went. Everywhere that Mary went. That lamb was sure to go. Page 3 of 3