Tag Archives: dinosaurs

What Do Storybook Dinosaurs Have in Common?

25 Jan

I was reading dinosaur stories to my preschoolers yesterday, and I noticed a common theme between three books we read. I wonder if you can figure out what it is? One of the teachers got it. The books were:

  • Waddell, Martin. The Super Hungry Dinosaur.  I love this book – especially for Hal’s bravery when defending his family and how he makes the dinosaur apologize.
  • Yolen, Jane. How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food.  All these dino books are favorites of the kids. Even if they won’t admit that YES, sometimes, they DO bubble their milk. But NEVER stick beans up their noses.
  • Shea, Bob. Dinosaur vs. Bedtime. ROOAAARR! Dinosaur wins! Except when it comes to bedtime. Bedtime ALWAYS wins.

Have you figured out what these books have in common? I mean, besides DINOSAURS, obviously. It is…..

Spaghetti. Yes, spaghetti. In The Super Hungry Dinosaur, after Hal makes the dino apologize and clean up, he declares he’s still hungry. So Hal’s mom makes him a Super Hungry Dinosaur Dinner, which happens to be spaghetti and meatballs. In How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food we are asked if a dino would “flip his spaghetti high into the air?” And finally, in Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, the dino goes up against a bowl of spaghetti. Who will win? Dinosaur, OF COURSE.

*SLURP*

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Dinosaurs and Teddy Bears; Plus, It Starts Early.

18 Oct

It’s been a while since I posted any stories about things the preschoolers have done/said! Well, that changes TODAY (mostly because today I a) have some stories to tell and b) can remember them):

We were reading How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, and were on the last page where there’s a picture of a dinosaur snuggling with his teddy bear in bed.

This picture has nothing to do with anything. But there's a dinosaur!

Me: “what does he have?”

Kids: “a teddy bear!”

One particular girl: “I was in the jungle when I was little.”

Me: (usual response) “Oh?”

Girl: “And then I didn’t want my teddy bear any more so I gave it to a dinosaur.”

Seems like a good solution. Lucky dinosaur.

Yesterday, this little vignette took place, which cracked me up for a few moments. I had to put my face behind the book to regain my composure:

The scene: little boy, wearing an orange baseball cap, is sitting in front of another little boy. The boy in the back surreptitiously reaches around and pokes the bill of the orange hat, just enough to make it move. Boy wearing the hat feels this, but does not know who does it. Boy in baseball cap looks around at the boy behind, who, looking innocent, immediately points at the girl next to him.

It starts early.

 

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RAAR! It’s a Dinosaur storytime!

2 Feb
Raaahr! I’m a dinosaur! Nothing can stop me!  Is there a better topic to appeal to preschool boys AND girls than dinosaurs? We all love it — although my throat gets a little sore from all of the roaring.  But what’s a little soreness when we’re having so much FUN?
My little dinosaur-in-an-egg puppet starts things out. The kids guess what I’m holding while the dino is still inside. We talk about what kinds of things could be inside the egg, and then he comes out and gives his tiny “raaahr!” and shows off his two teeth.  Then we settle in for some books:

Raaaaaaarrr!

  • Waddell, Martin. The Super Hungry Dinosaur. A new title that I adore. Hal and his dog, Billy, are set upon in their backyard by a Super Hungry Dinosaur who threatens to eat them. Hal bravely stands up to the dinosaur, and in the end they are able to satisfy his hunger and make him promise never to eat people or dogs again.  A few almost-wordless pages allow the kids to describe what’s happening, broadening their vocabularies. For example: what does Hal use to tie the dinosaur up? Not a rope…
  • Stickland, Paul.  Dinosaur Roar!.  A CLASSIC. Another vocabulary builder, with opposites like sweet and grumpy.
  • Flannelboard/Song: Thanks to MelissaZD for this one! I printed an image of each dino and stuck them to felt (with their names typed underneath for added print awareness).  We talked about what each one was, and some characteristics (lots of them knew quite a bit about the dinos!). Then we sang each dinosaur’s verse:
 

The Tyrannosaurus Rex goes grr grr grr

 

grr grr grr, grr grr grr

 The Tyrannosaurus Rex goes grr grr grr…

All through the swamp.

The Triceratops’ horns go poke poke poke…(etc.)

The Stegosaurus tail goes spike, spike, spike…(etc.)

The Apatasaurus mouth goes munch, munch, munch…(etc.)

The Pteranodon’s wings go flap flap flap…(etc.)

  • Shea, Bob. Dinosaur vs. Bedtime.  I read this in a monster-truck-announcer voice. “DINOSAUR VERSUS….A BOWL OF SPAGHETTI! WHO WILL WIN??” We guess who’s going to win. Bedtime always wins.
  • Song/Action Rhyme!: “Dinosaurs in Cars.”  WAY fun. Teachers always want to know where I found it, and I have Krista P., a former co-worker, to thank for directing me to Nancy Stewart’s website. It’s gold!
  • Other book possibilities:
    • Gurney, John Steven.  Dinosaur Train. Did you know there’s now a TV show called Dinosaur Train? I sure didn’t, until the kids alerted me to that fact. This book long predates the show, and has always been a winner. We even talk about what Jesse means when he tells the dinos to “duck!”, and why the train falls over.
    • McMullan, Kate. I’m Bad!  “Are YOU bad? I’m REALLY bad.” T-Rex thinks he’s pretty tough, but he still needs some help. Lots of great sounds in this one!
    • Gall, Chris. Dinotrux. A new favorite! Did you know that trucks were once dinosaurs? Me neither!

I have learned SO much doing this storytime. Did you know that if a creature swam or flew, it was NOT a dinosaur? It was simply something that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs.  And can you tell the difference between a pteranodon and a pterodactyl? I can.  And what is it with dinosaurs and spaghetti?

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