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Preschool Programs Chapter

By Teresa Chiv

1958: Happy Days - Celebrate Your Happy Days

• Books to Share
• Books to Show or Booktalk
• Costumes and Props
• Bulletin Board
• Nametags
• Displays
• Decorations
• Refreshments
• Fingerplays
• Flannel Boards
• Rhymes and Poetry
• Audio Recordings
• Crafts
• Games and Activities
• Guest Speakers
• Web Sites
• Professional Resources
• Craft Materials

Books to Share

• Do You Know What I’ll Do? by Charlotte Zolotow.
• The Happy Hippopatomi by Bill Martin, Jr.
• The Happy Man and His Dump Truck by Miryam Gergely and Tibor Gergely.
• So Happy! by Kevin Henkes.
• The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper.
• Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep by Joyce Dunbar.

Books to Show or Booktalk

• Crossing the New Bridge by Emily Arnold McCully.
• Happy to Be Nappy by Bell Hooks.
• If You’re Happy and You Know It by Raffi.
• It’s a Perfect Day by Abigail Pizer.
• Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey.

Costumes and Props

Wear 1950 clothing styles such as a poodle skirt, jeans with white tee shirt, oxfords, loafers, pointy glasses, scarf, or a button up sweater.

Bulletin Board

Happy Days

For a border, place smiley faces made of laminated five-inch circles around the edge of the board. Within the border place seven images or three-dimensional objects of fun things, such as an ice cream cone, puppy dog, circus tent, book, package with a bow, two people holding hands, swimming pool, or sports ball. Label each item with a different day of the week.

Nametags

Keep Smiling!

Use the pattern provided in this program to print nametags with a smiley face border that say “Reading Makes _________ Happy!”

Displays

Display a family of dolls or puppets surrounded by books with the word “happy” in the title, or books that depict happy scenes on the cover. Examples of books that depict happy events include Octopus Hug by Laurence Pringle, I Like Your Buttons by Sarah Lamstein, The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman,and many of the books by Shirley Hughes.

Decorations

Smiley Puppets

Create paper bag or stick puppets. Using the patterns provided in this program, cut shapes out of the foam sheets for the eyes and mouths and nose. Glue wiggly eyes onto the foam shapes. You can purchase curly hair for crafts at a craft store, or use yarn, or cut foam sheets into zigzag shapes for the hair. Glue the puppets onto craft sticks or paper bags and place them around the room.

Refreshments

Smiley Snacks

Serve Wal-mart brand smiley face crackers and fruit snacks. Serve red punch or other red-colored drinks to leave a red smile on the children’s faces.

Fingerplays

If You’re Happy and You Know It

(Traditional.)

Smile, Don’t Frown

(By Teresa Chiv.)

Flannel Boards

H-A-P-P-Y

(By Teresa Chiv.)

Make a flannel board with the letters H-A-P-P-Y to go with the song “I’m H-A-P-P-Y,” from 50 All-Time Children’s Favorites Vol. 2. Begin with all the letters on the board and point to them as you sing the song once. Then remove one letter, sing the song again, and clap instead of singing the removed letter. Continue repeating the song, removing another letter with each repetition, until no letters remain.

Make a flannel board story from the book It’s a Perfect Day by Abigail Pizer.

Make the flannel board story “Mandy’s Mad Day” in Telling Stories Together by Linda Haver.

Rhymes and Poetry

Star Light, Star Bright

(Traditional.)

“The Land of Happy” in Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.

Audio Recordings

• “Harmonica Happiness” on Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Soundby Ella Jenkins.
• “I’m H-A-P-P-Y” on 50 All-Time Children’s Favorites Vol. 2 by Various Artists.
• “Shake It and You’ll Be Happy” on Wiggle Wiggle and Other Exercises by Bobby Susser.
• “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things”by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein on The Sound of Music soundtrack.

Crafts

Happy Puppets

Materials

• Paper bags
• Curly craft hair
• Yarn
• Feathers
• Foam sheets
• Tacky glue

Directions

Show the children some of the puppets previously made for decorations, and let them create their own puppets. In advance, purchase curly hair from a craft store. Using the patterns provided in this program, cut shapes out of the foam sheets for mouths, eyes, noses, and hair. Let the children glue facial features on the bags using the shapes cut out of the foam sheets. The children can glue on the curly hair, feathers, or foam sheets cut into zigzag shapes to give the puppet hair or a beard.

Changing Face Cup Puppet

Materials

• Scissors
• 2 plastic cups per child
• Masking tape
• Permanent markers

Directions

In advance, cut a circle about two inches in diameter out of the side of the cups near the bottom of the cup. Give each child one cup with a hole in it, and one intact cup. Wrap masking tape around the bottom half of the intact cup. Insert this cup into the cup with the hole. Let the children draw a happy face on the masking tape in the area surrounded by the hole. Then they can rotate the inner cup just enough so that the happy face doesn’t show and draw a sad face. They can rotate the cup again and draw a mad face and then a sleepy face.

Games and Activities

Happy Zoo

(By Teresa Chiv. Form a circle with the children. Repeat the rhyme five times, replacing the word elephant with various zoo animals on each repetition. Each time you say the rhyme, show the children how that animal might express that it was happy, and encourage them to move around the circle like that animal. For example, an elephant might stomp its feet and raise it’s trunk into the air and trumpet. A monkey might raise its arms, jump up and down, and clap, while crying “eee, eee, eee.” A crocodile might sling his tail and go “snap, snap, snap.” A turtle might stretch out its neck and slowly walk around. A donkey might bray and kick its feet. A seal might waddle and clap its fins and bark.)

Harmonica Happiness

Play the song “Harmonica Happiness” onPlay Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Soundby Ella Jenkins. Act out the lyrics with the children.

Shake It

Play the song “Shake It and You’ll Be Happy” On Wiggle Wiggle and Other Exercises by Bobby Susser. Act out the lyrics with the children.

Star Light, Star Bright

Lead the children in reciting “Star Light, Star Bright.” At the end of the poem, tell the children to make a wish for something that makes them really happy.

Guest Speakers

Invite a professional clown to entertain the children.

Web Sites

Up To Ten
www.uptoten.com

This on-line game site for children from 0 through age 10 is organized by age group. All of the activities and games are designed for a fun and happy time.

Professional Resources

• Crafts from Your Favorite Children’s Songs by Kathy Ross.
• 50 All-Time Children’s Favorites Vol. 2.
• I Like Your Buttons by Sarah Lamstein.
• It’s a Perfect Day by Abigail Pizer.
• Octopus Hug by Laurence Pringle.
• Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Soundby Ella Jenkins.
• The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman.
• Telling Stories Together by Linda Haver.
• Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.
• Wiggle Wiggle and Other Exercises by Bobby Susser.

Craft Materials

Keep Smiling! Nametags

Smiley Puppet Decoration (AND)

Happy Puppet Craft (Page 1 of 2)

Smiley Puppet Decoration (AND)

Happy Puppet Craft (Page 2 of 2)