Once Upon a Book ~ In the Small Small Pond

In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming

Summary: The animals and insects that live on and in a freshwater pond wiggle, waddle, hover, swoop and swirl through the stunning spreads--and through the seasons of the year. Fish, frogs and fowl cavort first in the vibrant greens and yellows of spring and summer, then on through fiery autumn reds and oranges and, finally, amid barren browns and icy whites as winter sets in. Young children are introduced to the basic habits of common North American wildlife and to the characteristics of the changing seasons even as they are treated to an array of zippy verbs. Fleming's color-saturated handmade paper technique makes for dramatic tapestries that feature both sharp contrast and subtle shading. Scenes depicting clacking crawfish and parading geese are especially spirited. Ages 2-6

Poster Board Pond

Need:

• Poster board
• Blue Paint (we used dark blue, light blue and white for a watercolor effect)
• Paint brushes (we used a small paint roller for something new and fun plus it gave a really neat pebbled effect)
• Paper bowl
• Tarp or outside

To Make:

• Lay down your tarp or go outside ifs it is nice and paint on the driveway or in the grass

• Get your blue paint and pour it into a paper bowl and start painting with your LO, you can use 2 different shades of blue or use a combo of blue with a little bit of white
• Paint and let dry, then cut out into a pond shape

** Now you can tape or push pin it to the wall in your LO's room or playroom and get ready for some fun Pond Theme crafts that will end in a Great Pond Mural you and your LO make and read together! **

Color Fish Recognition:

Need:

• Fish Printout (click to download from our Totally Tots website)
• Crayons, Markers, Paint-something for your LO to color the fish
• scissors
• glue, or tape
• pond painting

To Play:

• Printout and cut your fish, have your LO color the fish, or you can color them if your LO isn't so into coloring!
• Ask your LO to pick up the green fish? if they pick up the right one have them glue the fish to the pond, if not then show them the green and you can either repeat later on in the activity or have them glue it after you show them the color.

After all the fish are glued onto the pond ask them to tell you the colors!

Here is a song that you could sing to your LO...

Color Fish Song: (tune of Here we go Round the Mulberry Bush)

I saw a fish go swimming by, go swimming by, go swimming by.
I saw a fish go swimming by, so early in the morning.

I saw a fish that was ???( ex: yellow), ????(yellow), ????(yellow).
I saw a fish that was ???(yellow), so early in the morning.

Extra Bonus: Color Sheet from the authors website: Small Small Pond Color Sheet

Next Book in our Pond Series...

Little Green Frogs by Frances Barry

Supplies needed: Green construction paper, scissors, glue, frog Stickers (15) or (I'll include a frog sheet that you can use to cut out 15), and googly eyes.