Storytime: U is for Under
Can you think of some words that fit with the word, UNDER? Perhaps… underground, under the sea, under the umbrella, under the bed, and even underwear! Directional words are a great learning tool for children, especially when they begin writing their letters and words. They help your child to see things like… lowercase j goes “under” or below the line. So, try talking with directional words as your child discovers where things lie in relation to each other in their world.
Join us Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. or Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room.
Ages 2-5
Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play
Tip
Phonological awareness is a set of critical pre-reading skills: the ability to hear, identify, and play with the sounds in spoken language — including rhymes, syllables, and phonemes. Children with strong phonological awareness skills are ready to become readers.-- www.readingrockets.org
Activity
Sing "Five Little Monsters" with your child and stop on the last word of each phrase. Help him to see how many words can end with the same sound, or rhyme with each other, such as "head" and "bed." Then play the rhyming game. Pick a word, and find new words or even made up words that rhyme with the first.
Books Presented

Over, Bear! Under, Where? by Julie Hendlund
Two animal friends at a park encounter a seemingly scary creature, but not everything is as it seems, and wordplay adds to the fun. Introduces the concept of compound words and homophones, and incorporates fun puns throughout.

Wombat Underground: A Wildfire Survival Story by Sarah L. Thomson

Dear Big, Mean, Ugly Monster by Ruth Berglin
Joe is afraid of the monster that lives under his bed until they exchange letters and learn surprising things about one another.

My Under the Sea Pop-Up Book by Gil Davies
Friendly sea creature pop-ups, humorous rhyming text, fun illustrations.
Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Five Little Monsters
Five little monsters laying under the bed.
One stubbed her toe and bumped her head.
“It’s too crowded!” the _________ one said.
So, she took her blanket and she left the bed… room!
Four… three… Two…
One little monster laying under the bed,
Stretched up tall and turned his head.
“Finally alone,” this last one said.
So, he fell asleep laying under the bed.
Wombat, Wombat
Wombat, wombat underground.
In which of these caves will he be found?
Popcorn Kernels
Popcorn Kernels (wave scarves overhead)
In the pot (make their scarves 'disappear' by bunching them up in their fists)
Shake them shake them shake them (shake)
'til they POP (Toss scarves up into the air)
Credit: Jbrary
Slippery Fish
Slippery fish, slippery fish, sliding through the water,
Slippery fish, slippery fish, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp!
Oh, no! It's been eaten by an ...
Octopus, octopus, squiggling in the water
Octopus, octopus, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp!
Oh, no! It's been eaten by a ...
Tuna fish, tuna fish, flashing in the water,
Tuna fish, tuna fish, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp!
Oh, no! It's been eaten by a ...
Great white shark, great white shark, lurking in the water,
Great white shark, great white shark, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp!
Oh, no! It's been eaten by a ...
Humongous whale, humongous whale, spouting in the water,
Humongous whale, humongous whale,
Gulp! ... Gulp! ... Gulp! ... BURP!
(Cover your mouth.) Excuse me!
Credit: Amy Liz
Crafts and Activities

U is for Under

Underground Craft
Make a fun groundhog that pops up from underground.
Additional Books

The Tide Pool Waits by Candace Fleming
Twice a day when the tide goes out, an astonishing world is revealed in the tide pools that form along the Pacific Coast. Some of the creatures that live here look like stone. Others look like plants. Some move so slowly it's hard to tell if they're moving at all, while others are so fast you're not sure you really saw them. The biggest animals in the pool are smaller than your hand, while the smallest can't be seen at all without a microscope. During low tide, all these creatures - big, small, fast, slow - are exposed to air and the sun's drying heat. And so they have developed ways to survive the wait until the ocean's return.

Jitterbug Jam by Barbara Jean Hicks

Wombat Said Come In by Carmen Agra Deedy

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