MSU Extension Child & Family Development

BEFORE READING:

• Show the children the front of the book. Ask them to guess what the book is about.
• Ask them to point to the different colors on the front of the book as you name them.

WHILE READING:

• Stop at any time if there is something you or the children would like to talk about.
• Ask them questions so that they can connect what is happening in the book to things they already know about. Try some of these ideas:
• Point to the different animals and ask them what they are.
• Ask the children what sound the animals make (What does a horse say? What sound does a bee make?)

AFTER READING:

• Spend some time talking about the story. Ask the children things like:
• What color day were the bees (or their favorite animals)?
• What color day are they having today? What colors are in a mixed-up day?

MATH AND SCIENCE

Count the pictures of the animals in the book. Point at each one and say the number out loud. Put the book down and count again, using only your fingers.

THINKING SKILLS

Play the “I wonder” game. Say, “I wonder what it would be like to be a flamingo,” or “I wonder why owls sleep in the day.” Listen to the children’s answers and ask more how and why questions.

READING READINESS

Go back through the story and point out where the rhyming words are. Ask the children to make up some rhyming words of their own. It doesn’t matter if they are really words or not— they just need to notice that the sounds are the same.

ART

Ask children to draw a picture of their happy face. When they are done, turn the paper over and ask them to draw a picture of their sad face. Talk about the different things that make them feel happy and sad while they draw.

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

Move like the animals in the book. Kick up your heels like a horse, flap your wings like a bird, sleep like a bear, buzz like a bee, watch like an owl, play like a circus seal, swim like a fish, drag like a dinosaur, jump and balance like a flamingo, and growl like a coyote. Make up some of your own, too!

PRETEND PLAY

Have the children pretend to be a rainbow. Find as many of the colors in the rainbow as the children are wearing. Try to include all the colors that are in the book. Lay on the floor and bend in a half circle to be in the shape of a rainbow.

MOTOR SKILLS

Stack different colored plastic cups, bowls, or containers on top of each other to make a tower. See how tall you can make it. Say the names of the colors out loud as you build.