Friday, April 17, 2015

School Age Storytime: Earth Day Heroes


Earth Day Heroes: A non-fiction “un-common core”  K-3rd grade storytime featuring inspiring stories of diverse people who have made a difference to our planet. Introduces American and global environmental history and issues, non-violent change agents, along with songs, and sign language and gorgeous images (visual and literary) of our planet,.

Book: The Camping Trip that Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and our National Parks by Barb Rosenstock (The true story of how a camping trip in California with John Muir inspired Teddy Roosevelt to preserve America’s natural wilderness.)  Followed by showing the gorgeous illustrations from John Muir: America’s Naturalist by Thomas Locker and booktalking: Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers by Kathi Appelt (President’s wife’s advocacy led to the beautification of America’s highways.)  and  Redwoods by Jason Chin (A boy is transported through the pages of a book into a forest of these magnificent trees.)  (Mention they can see a sequoia/redwood tree in nearby Buck Gardens.)

Book/Song: This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
or Song: “We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands” (traditional – optional props/puppets: world globe ball, brothers/sisters, bird, fish – lyrics below.)

Book: Wangari’s Tree’s of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter (The inspiring story of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner who spear-headed the reforestation of Kenya despite threats and jail time.)  (Mention “biography” – non-fiction about a person)

Book: I Love Our Earth by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson (Dan Lipow’s photographs are “eye candy” – a splendid look at the earth’s gorgeous diversity.)
Sign Language Song: “Walk the World Now Children” from Tom Chapin’s Album Some Assembly Required.  Lyrics here: http://www.tomchapin.com/docs/lwtw.html

Book: Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers by Sarah Warren (Earth Day goes beyond caring for the planet to caring for the people who harvest the food we eat…wonderfully-written story of a teacher who became an activist who followed Martin Luther King’s non-violent ideals and organized real change.)  Booktalk: Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Song: “Monday’s Child” by Fred Penner (song on his album “Happy Feet," lyrics below) (I had the lyrics printed out and we sang it through three times – the first all together, the second with the boys singing the first half of each line and the girls the second half, the third with the boys’ & girls’ parts reversed.)

Action Book: Earth Dance by Joanne Ryder (Kids stood up and acted out this poetic tribute to our earth. Touches on the ideas of earth science, gravity, seasons, and planetary rotation)
Lyrics:
We’ve Got the Whole World in our Hands – traditional

We've got the whole world in our hands
We've got the whole wide world in our hands
We've got the whole world in our hands
We've got the whole world in our hands
We've got our mamas and our daddies…
We've got our brothers and our sisters…
We've got a little bitty baby…
We've got the birds in the air…
We've got whales in the sea…
We’ve got you and we’ve got me…
Monday’s Child / Help Me to Grow  (UNICEF SONG)
Song on Fred Penner’s album “Happy Feet”

(boys)                       (girls)
Help me to grow… One drop of water
Healthy and Strong …One piece of bread
Teach me to read …One life of learning
Take me along … The long road ahead
I have a mind – I’m full of questions
I have a voice -- I love to sing
(together)
Give me one day to work and play as a part of everything.
(girls)                     (boys)
Help me to grow… One drop of water
Healthy and Strong …One piece of bread
Teach me to read …One life of learning
Take me along … The long road ahead
I have a mind – I’m full of questions
I have a voice -- I love to sing
(together)
Give me one day to work and play as a part of everything
Give me one day to work and play as a part of everything
Give me one day to work and play as a part of everything!

Bedm. 4/15

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...