Receptive language, Expressive language, Awareness of differences in sounds
Toddlers participate in a book sharing about rain that includes opportunities to notice word sounds.
Rain by Carol Thompson
[Invite several toddlers to read a book about rain.]
Our book is about a rainy day. Our book uses silly words to describe the rain!
[Show book cover. Point to the child.]
Here is a child on a rainy day.
Have you ever been in the rain? What was it like?
[Encourage toddlers to talk about their experiences in the rain.]
Rain comes from clouds. Let’s look again at the cover of our book.
[Display book cover and point to the cloud when you describe it.]
The raindrops are coming from this cloud. This is called a rain cloud. The cloud is gray.
Our book is called Rain. Let’s open the book and find out more about rain.
Our book has pictures and words.
Here is a picture.
[Point to the opening sentence on the page.]
Here are words. These words say ___.
[Read the book, using strategies, such as the following, to engage toddlers in the book sharing:
Our book has some fun words. We heard the words plip, plop, drip, drop, splish, splosh, and sploosh! What are these words about? (rain!) The words in our book told us about a rainy day. The pictures in our book showed us what a rainy day looks like. We saw raindrops and a girl playing in the rain. There are pictures of clouds in our book. Remember, rain comes from clouds. What happened in our story when the clouds went away?
Rain is an enjoyable book for helping toddlers strengthen their understanding of how books work, including the difference between words and pictures. The book’s illustrations of the child playing in the puddles are likely to be familiar to toddlers. As always, help toddlers connect book information to their experiences. There is an opportunity to expand toddlers’ understanding of rain by drawing attention to the rain clouds pictured in this book.
The novel words used to describe rain are likely to appeal to toddlers and can enhance their understanding of words and word sounds. Pay attention to toddlers’ responses to novel words, such as “splosh” and “sploosh,” and encourage them to repeat some of the words with you. Say the words slowly and accentuate the beginning sounds. It is not necessary to teach word sounds at this age, but promoting toddlers’ awareness of the sounds of words can be beneficial to later skill development.
Extra support
Enrichment
Receptive language, Expressive language, Awareness of differences in sounds
Toddlers participate in a book sharing about rain and a follow-up activity of making “rain” and rain sounds with items in the water table.
Invite several toddlers to read a book about a rainy day. Emphasize words that describe the sounds of rain when you read the book. Use book sharing strategies recommended in Option 1.
At the conclusion of the story, invite toddlers to play at the water table. Introduce the sponges and demonstrate how to put a sponge under the water to “fill” it with water. Once the sponge is full of water, demonstrate how to slowly squeeze water out of the sponge. Describe toddlers’ similar efforts. Example: “Rael is holding the sponge under the water. He is filling the sponge with water.” Point out how we use our hands to move sponges and other items in the water. Limit the number of play items in the water table to avoid crowding and help toddlers focus on 1–2 items.
Encourage toddlers to pretend we are making rain. Invite toddlers to be quiet so we can listen to the sounds of the pretend rain hit the water in the table. Draw attention to the “rain” sounds. Example: “Sydney is making raindrops with the sponge. Listen to the sound her raindrops make! We can hear ‘plip, plop.’” Remind toddlers of the words we heard in our book that describe how rain sounds.
Learning is enhanced when toddlers can use their senses to explore an aspect of their environment. The water table provides an excellent sensory experience that can be connected to the story. A sponge encourages experimentation and exploration. Some toddlers will enjoy exploring the sponges, whereas others will continue their play with familiar objects, such as the cups and funnels. Acknowledge all participation and talk with toddlers about their actions with the water and materials, with emphasis on water sounds.
Extra support
Enrichment
Receptive language, Expressive language
Toddlers participate in a book sharing focused on creative illustrations of clouds and a follow-up opportunity to make clouds with play dough.
Invite a pair of toddlers to read a book about clouds and make their own cloud from play dough. Emphasize differences in the shape of the clouds when you read the book. Use your finger (or encourage a toddler to use his/her finger) to trace some of the cloud images. Draw attention to the items shown in the clouds: sheep, airplane, shark, trees, rabbit, and a hat on a clown. Invite toddlers to name some of the more familiar items, such as trees and an airplane.
At the conclusion of the story, invite toddlers to a low table to make their own cloud dough. Ask toddlers to assist you in mixing the two ingredients. Help each toddler measure the flour and put it in the bowl. You may wish to add the oil yourself. (Note: The more common recipe for cloud dough uses baby oil instead of vegetable oil. The baby oil recipe smells lovely, but the vegetable oil is safer if ingested.)
Give each toddler the opportunity to stir the mixture. Use your hands to work the dough thoroughly until it is soft, silky, and well mixed. Place on the table in front of each toddler about one-half of the dough to manipulate. Encourage the toddlers to use their dough to make some of the things shown in the book’s pictures. Show selected book illustrations as reminders.
Describe and ask questions about toddlers’ efforts. Example: “You are poking your cloud dough. How does it feel?”
Expect toddlers to interact with the cloud dough in different ways.
Expand on toddlers’ comments. Example: A toddler pushes the dough flat and says “dinosaur.” A caregiver responds “You are making a dinosaur with your cloud dough. Please tell me about your dinosaur.” The toddler responds “Big dinosaur.” A caregiver acknowledges the response with “You are making a big dinosaur. You like to play with dinosaurs in our room. I think you like big dinosaurs!”
This activity extends an enjoyable book reading experience into a creative opportunity to make clouds with play dough. Book information is connected to a sensory experience. Toddlers will respond to the cloud dough in different ways. Some will enjoy manipulating the dough and may attempt to make some of the shapes from the book. Others will simply enjoy exploring the dough that they helped to make. Look for opportunities to acknowledge each toddler’s participation by describing actions and encouraging toddlers to manipulate the dough in ways they wish. Example: “Rheanna, you made a big hole in the middle of your cloud dough. What are you going to do next?”
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: The Little Cloud by Eric Carle; large batch of cloud dough (8 cups flour to 1 cup vegetable oil); sensory table; items to use to explore cloud dough, such as measuring cups and spoons, scoops, cookie cutters, plastic molds
Place the cloud dough and items for exploring the dough in the sensory table. Talk with toddlers about pictures in the book, and invite them to explore the cloud dough with the items provided. Toddlers will enjoy exploring the texture and consistency of the dough, and some may choose to form shapes with the dough. Talk with toddlers about their observations, ideas, and actions.
Materials Needed: The Little Cloud by Eric Carle, large batch of cloud dough (8 cups flour to 1 cup vegetable oil), sensory table, construction paper
The book, The Little Cloud, may be shared with all young children in your setting. Cloud dough is a sensory activity that both toddlers and older children can enjoy. Older children can measure the flour and oil, and younger children can help stir the mixture. Place some cloud dough in the sensory table for the younger children to explore. For older children, place cloud dough on individual sheets of construction paper at a table. Invite the older children to use their cloud dough to make shapes shown in the book, as well as other objects of their choice. Talk with the children about what they are doing with the cloud dough.
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