Storytime: Elephants (and Mice)

Discussion Questions:

We are going to meet some elephants in our stories today.  Can anyone remind me... Is an elephant BIG or small? (show sizes with arms) Does it make a LOUD or quiet noise?  How does it make that noise?

Story: Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young*

Seven mice, identified by colors, visit a mysterious object to determine what it is. Only after Is that really a rope? What part of the elephant is it?
combining their findings are they able to figure out what it really is!  An elephant! This is a fun and simple story; I added lots of interactive questions along the way to ensure the younger listeners understood each aspect of the elephant. 

Movement Song: Elephants in the Bathtub (adapted from Kenosha Public Library)
One elephant in the bathtub 
Going for a swim Knock, knock (clap twice) 
Splash, splash (jump twice) 
Come on in! (swimming motion with arms) ... Repeat until... 
Five elephants in the bathtub 
Going for a swim Knock, knock (clap twice) 
Splash, splash (jump twice) 
They all fell in! (BIG jump then "fall" to the floor) 

Fingerplay: Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout 
Down came the rain and washed the spider out 
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain 
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again 
Variation: Great big hairy spider

Story: That Fruit is Mine! by Anuska Allepuz*

This is a new picture book featuring a team of elephants and a team of mice on opposite sides of a tree with some delicious-looking fruit.  While the elephants squabble, the mice work together to get to the scrumptious food, teaching a great lesson about teamwork while being absolutely hilarious! The elephant's ideas are all a bit silly so the kids can get a good laugh. This is also a great opportunity to ask kids how they would get the fruit before starting your story.

Craft: Elephant trunks

You will need:

• A long roll of receipt paper (cut into strips about 2.5 feet long)
• Coloring tools

That's it! We had a roll of receipt paper left over from a previous device.  It was incompatible with our new printers so it became dozens of long elephant trunks instead! The kids absolutely loved creating patterned and colorful trunks and the caregivers were appreciative of a craft with minimal mess.

*Links for books are to Amazon; I am not affiliated with the company.