The Napping House

LANGUAGE ARTS

Beginning Phonics:  N is for Napping
If you are learning the alphabet and letter sounds, consider introducing N for Napping.  For a fun activity, get a box and have an N adventure.  Look inside and outside (weather permitting) for things that start with N.  Here is an N is for Napping mini book for your student's lapbook.  Additional N mini-books found on the Alphabet Lap ~n~ Note Page.

Similar Stories
Discuss how the small flea causes such excitement!  Many other stories have similar plots where the tiniest character saves the day or a small character has a big job.

Book suggestions:
Berlioz the Bear by Jan Brett
The Turnip by Pierr Morgan
The Enormous Carrot by Vladimir Vagin

This story is also a cumulative tale.  You may want to read other similar stories such as This Is the House That Jack Built, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, and Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.   You could also sing "There's a Hole in My Bucket" or "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" together this week.

Similar Words
This book has many different words for sleeping (snoring, dreaming, dozing, slumbering)!  An older student may have fun trying to think of as many words as possible for the following:  big, little, happy, and sad.

Finger Plays and Songs
You can find lots of different songs and finger plays about sleep to sing and act out with your preschooler.  Here are a few that come to mind.  You will find some printable versions in this file.  You may also want to sing some sleepy time songs (lullabies) with your student this week.
"Ten in the Bed"
"Are You Sleeping?"
"Lazy Mary, Will You Get Up?"

My House
Discuss what happens in the Napping House.  What is in or what is happening in your house?  Let your student add words or pictures inside the house shape mini-book to describe his house.

Choral Reading
After a few readings, encourage your student to help you read the book as they can.   You may even want to pause before "where everyone is sleeping" and let your student chime in with the phrase.

ART

I Spy with My Little Eye ~ Details in the Illustrations
After you've read the story once or twice, go back to the first illustration and ask your student if he can spy the other animals.  They are there!  It may take a little bit to find the mouse and flea, but they were in the room from the beginning of the nap. 

Another observation activity would include watching what is happening out the window.  The day starts out rainy, but ends with sunshine and a rainbow!

Colors in the Illustrations
Notice the artwork and how it changes as everyone in the house wakes.  What color is used the most on the illustrations of everyone sleeping?  (blue)   What color is used in the art when everyone wakes up (see the page that says "break the bed")?  (yellow)    Discuss this with even a small student asking him to point out the blues on the sleeping pages and the yellow on the waking-up pages.

MATH

Sequencing
The story starts with granny in her cozy bed and then the dreaming child joins her followed by a dog, cat, mouse, and a tiny flea!  This is a great opportunity to discuss sizes of things with your young student.   Get a bucket of multi-sized blocks (or a stack of various sized books or even different sized lids from jars and jugs) and let your student sort them into two groups-- small and large.  You may want to try small, medium, and large.  If your child is ready, you can even put five sizes in a row and let him order them smallest to largest or largest to smallest.   Here is a page of five of the story characters for sequencing.

Shapes
Look at the shape house and discuss different shapes with your student.  If your student has already mastered shapes and colors, try having him follow the instructions printed at the top of the page.

Counting Idea included in the Story Pattern suggestions below.

SCIENCE

In a very basic way, introduce your student to day and night sleeping animals.  Discuss animals that sleep in the day and animals that sleep at night using the mini-book provided.

Additional Links and Fun

Story Patterns
Use the story patterns from Kizclub for various activities.
1.  Count the characters.
2.  Let your student use the characters to retell the story.
3.  After a few days of reading the story, place the sleepy patterns on a table.  Ask your student the following questions:
    ~Who is snoring?
    ~Who is dreaming?
    ~Who is dozing?
    ~Who is snoozing?
    ~Who is slumbering?
    ~Who is wakeful?
4.  Practice the preposition on.  Put the grandma on the bed.  Put the boy on the grandma.  Put the dog on the boy. If this is too easy, try other positional statements- "put the boy next to the cat" or "put the dog under the mouse."  Another positional word found in the book is between.
5.  Sort the patterns into two groups- awake and asleep.   You may want to make pockets for your lapbook or notebook with the words awake and asleep on them.

Printable Book
Ten in the Bed Printable Book
Ten in the Bed Story on-line

Just for Fun
Create a pretend play corner.  Put pillows, blankets, pajamas, a CD with lullabies, an alarm clock, stuffed animals, and other sleepy time things in the corner.  Let your student pretend to go to bed.  Help him set the alarm clock (to go off in 1-2 minutes) and help him put a lullaby on the CD player.   You may even want to have a pajama day!  This would also be a good time to teach the life skill of making a bed.