Book 'N Play: "In My Heart"

This month's Book 'N Play explored the many feelings we feel inside our heart. Here's the plan:

1. Hello!

2. Welcome Song (“The Story Time Ball”)

tune: "Wheels on the Bus"

(Roll ball back and forth to each child)
The story time ball rolls back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
The story time ball rolls back and forth,
Let's see who it found. Hi ______!
Now roll it back to me.
(Keep rolling back and forth until each child has said their name.)

3. Yoga poses: "The gifts of love"

We did a combination of 3 different poses here. 

1. "Gift" (child's pose)

2. "Heart" (butterfly pose)

3. "Flowers" (flower pose)

4. Sensory tool rhyme: "I Look in the Mirror"

I loved using our adorable story time set of mirrors for the first time so we could practice facial expressions and identifying those expressions.

I look in the mirror and what do I see?

I see a happy face smiling at me.

I look in the mirror and what do I see?

I see a surprised face looking at me.

Other faces: sad, mad, scared, silly

(source: preschoolexpress.com)

5. Multisensory experience story: In My Heart by Jo Witek

 

Our wonderful Clerical Assistant, Amy, made these flannel pieces for each child to add to the board as we read the story.

Place pink house on the board.

Hold out arms for big feelings and close arms on small feelings, LOUD feelings and quiet feelings.

Place big yellow star on board.

Hold up shining flashlight and smile wide while twirling around in place (or twirling arms if seated).

Place planet earth with clouds on board.

Reach up and stretch to the clouds (touching bowls with white cotton batting).

Place orange burst on board.

Make "Boom!" sound by clapping hands together.

Place green balloon on board.

Hold green balloons up and watch them gently fall "as quiet as snowfall."

Place bandage on board.

Each child is given a band-aid to help heal our stuffed friend's broken heart. Babar was feeling much better after!

Place elephant on board.

Place small weighted lap pad in the lap of each child so they can feel a "heavy heart."

Place plant on the board.

Reach toward the sky with our arms out like stems and branches.

Place scary beast on board.

Turn on small fan and face toward everyone so they can feel that scared feeling like a "chilly breeze has crawled up my neck."

Place magic hat on board.

Hop in place like a bouncy bunny.

Place small tree on board.

Give each child and caregiver a heart and ask them to tell us how their heart is feeling today as they place it on the board. This was so much fun! Many kids said their hearts were happy and a few mentioned hungry hearts and hearts that were feeling all of the feelings today!

6: Sensory play stations:

Discovery bin: "Rainbow of Feelings" bin filled with rainbow colored rice and plastic eggs with feelings visuals inside. (source: kiddiematters.com)

Light table play: colorful stackable shapes to build your "house of feelings"

Toy play: making heart shapes with cookie cutters and gluten-free play dough

Craft: make squishy hearts with ziplock bags (with a heart outline drawn in black sharpie), finger-paints, and duct tape to seal

     

Outreach: Valentine Sensory Story Time

My colleague, Ed, and I visited the Wing Lake Developmental Center this week to do a Valentine Sensory Story Time program for two groups of students with severe cognitive impairments and multiple disabilities: ages 3 - 11 and ages 12 - 26. Many students have low vision, so we added a variety of tactile experiences to give more meaning to the words in our songs and stories. Here is what we did:

We talked about what we like about Valentine's Day... hugs, feelings, hearts, the color red, and chocolate!

Song: "Hearts on the Move" (Tune: "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands")
We gave everyone a paper valentine heart before singing, to go with the actions during the song.

Wave your valentine, in the air.
Wave your valentine, in the air.
Wave your valentine, in the air.
Wave your valentine in the air.

Put your valentine on your nose...
Put your valentine on your head...
Put your valentine on your arm...
(Source: unknown)

Story: See a Heart, Share a Heart by Eric Telchin
This is a wonderful, simple story with beautiful photographs of hearts found naturally in the world around us... on the street, in the leaves on the trees, in a piece of wood or a heart-shaped rock. We were very descriptive of the photographs, talking about the texture we might feel and the colors. In the beginning of the story, there is a photograph of a child making a heart shape with his hands. We walked around the room and helped the students make a heart with their hands. Another page says to "Find a Heart." Ed and I walked around with a foam heart and scarf, demonstrating how we can hide a heart with the scarf and then find it when we remove the scarf, letting them see and/or feel the hidden heart. Toward the end of the story, there is an image of a hand holding a heart-shaped rock... "touch a heart." One of our library staff members had a large stone in a heart shape that we were so lucky to borrow and let each student "touch a heart," feeling how smooth and heavy it was.

Flannel Rhyme: "Counting Valentines..."
Valentines, valentines, how many do I see?
Valentines, valentines, count them with me.
I have red ones, orange ones, yellow ones, too.
I have green ones, purple ones, and some that are blue.
Valentines, valentines, how many do I see?
(count all of the colors together)

Story: I Kissed the Baby! (for the younger group)
This is a great repetitive story that you can do the actions to as you read along... feeding, singing, tickling, and blowing kisses of course! I also like to bring out my little duckling puppet that squeaks for an extra sensory experience.

Story: Colors All Around Us: Red by Daniel Nunn  (for the older group)

This non-fiction picture book is a simple look at all of the red things we see around us... in our clothes, food, and nature. We talked about our favorite red things and how some make sounds (like fire trucks!)

Song: "If You Love Somebody and You Know It..." (Tune: "If You're Happy and You Know It")

If you love somebody and you know it, give them a hug.

If you love somebody and you know it, give them a hug.

If you love somebody and you know it,

And you really want to show it...

If you love somebody and you know it, give them a hug.

If you love somebody and you know it, blow them a kiss...

If you love somebody and you know it, shout "hooray!"...

  

Craft: Coffee Filter Hearts
This is a nice, easy craft using heart shapes cut from large-size traditional coffee filters. We then use dot markers in various colors to dab onto the filter hearts (on top of a foam plate). With a little assistance, we really got to practice our fine motor skills by squeezing eye droppers of water over our colorful dots until they start to run together, giving it a stained glass look.  A dab with a paper towel and then they can take them home on the plate. When they dry in a few hours, they will have a pretty, colorful heart to hang in the window. Look at these beautiful hearts!