School Age Storytime: Sea & Seashore

 

The last K-3rd Grade Storytime of the school year…celebrating the wonders of the ocean, introducing a famous oceangrapher and encouraging students to explore their own passions this summer – including creating books, art, and films about the things they enjoy. (Long program so didn’t use everything with every class)

Read: Flotsam by David Wiesner (Wordless -- A  boy studying sea creatures on the beach gets the surprise of his life when a wave brings him an underwater camera – mentioned that they might want to write a sequel this summer about the cloud the boy dreams of bringing home next.)

Booktalk (& show a couple of pictures from): The Girl on the High-Diving Horse: An Adventure in Atlantic City by Linda Oatman High (In the 1930s, horses & girl riders used to dive from a four-story-high platform.)

Flannel/Song: “There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea”

My Life with the Wave by Catherine Cowan (based on a story by Octavio Paz, this is the tale of a boy who brings home a wave to live in his house.)

Booktalk (& show a couple of pictures from): Sector 7 by David Wiesner (Wordless: A boy on a class trip to the Empire State Building befriends a cloud and is taken on a tour of the cloud factory where his drawing skills cause mischief!  BTW, David Wiesner is from Bridgewater so look for that destination tag at the factory.) 

Action song: “We Waded in the Water and we got our toes all wet…”

“Here is someone who did more than wade…he created special equipment so he could study creatures underwater…and his movies and television shows showed them to the world…”

Read (Non-Fiction): The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino (younger classes) Manfish by Jennifer Berne (older) – mentioned that they might want to make their own movies this summer – easy to do on cell phone or with tablet cameras.

Booktalk (& show a couple of pictures from): Life in the Ocean: The Story of Sylvia Earle by Claire Nivola.

Sing: (Kindergarten only): Baby Beluga by Raffi – book illustrated by Ashley Wolff

Booktalk (& show a couple of pictures from): Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas by Molly Bang (Reminded kids of the book Living Sunlight about the sun and plant photosynthesis, then said they could look for this gorgeous book on the ocean food chain.)

Read (younger classes):  I Spy Under the Sea by Edward Gibbs (Quick guessing game book)

Read (younger classes) : Into the A, B, Sea by Deborah Lee Rose – collage illustrations by Steve Jenkins (suggested they might want to do their own cut or torn paper collages this summer.)  or Rain Fish by Lois Ehlert (collage illustrations with found materials)

Read (older classes): The Old Woman and the Wave by Shelley Jackson (An old woman who has lived under a wave all her life finally lets it take her away on an adventure – pointed out the painted & collage illustrations)

Sing (with book & puppets): Puff the Magic Dragon – concluded with the hopeful verse suggested by the illustration but not included in the text:

Puff the Magic Dragon – (book illustrated by Eric Puybaret, last verses with puppets-- this happier ending is  from Peter, Paul, and Mary’s album “Peter Paul & Mommy.)

 

Puff, the magic dragon,

Lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist

In a land called Honalee

Puff, the magic dragon,

Lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist

In a land called Honalee

Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff

And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff

Oh, Puff, the magic dragon,

Lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist

In a land called Honalee

Together they would travel

On a boat with billowed sail

Jackie kept a lookout

Perched on Puff's gigantic tail

Noble kings and princes

Would bow whene'er they came

Pirate ships would lower their flags

When Puff roared out his name.  Chorus

 

A dragon lives forever,

But not so little boys

Painted wings & giants rings

Make way for other toys

One grey day it happened,

Jackie Paper came no more

And Puff, that mighty dragon,

He ceased his fearless roar. Chorus

 

His head was bent in sorrow,

Green scales fell like rain

Puff no longer went to play

Along the cherry lane

Without his lifelong friend,

Puff could not be brave

So Puff that mighty dragon

Sadly slipped into his cave. Chorus

 

Jackie, he got married and they had a little babe,

Jackie’s daughter Sophie went adventuring one day.

Happily she wandered down the busy beach alone,

And passing by a hidden cave,

She heard a muffled groan.  Chorus

 

Bravely Sophie slipped in,

To the place where Puff did dwell,

The startled dragon spun around,

And frightened her as well.

Then she saw his lonely eyes

And quickly lost her fears,

Kissed the dragon’s scaly nose

And wiped away his tears.

Final chorus:

Puff the magic dragon LIVES by the sea

And frolics in the autumn mist in a land

Called --  Han--na--lee!

 

 

Book: The World is Waiting for You by Barbara Curley (children are invited to imagine the places they might go in this beautiful book)

No time to use:

One Less Fish by Kim Michelle (an environmental counting book)

Bedm. 6.16