"From Head to Toe" Eric Carle

My favorite Eric Carle Book is "From Head to Toe"
I read the book with the kids... it says something like
"I am a crocodile and I can wriggle my hips"
I show the kids how to do the action, then I read:
"Can you do it?"
The kids yell back
"I can do it!!!"

You could incorporate this with an all about me theme, talking about
parts of the body:
http://123child.com/UBB/showthread.php?t= 6248
Or talk about a different animal featured in the book, one per day:
http://123child.com/UBB/forumdisplay.php? f=19

Penguins

Penguin Fingerprints
Have the child use grey ink to make fingerprints. Add an orange beak and black eyes and wings with a marker.

Torn Paper Penguins
Supply the children with a full sheet of blue paper and a quarter sheets of white and black paper. Ask them to make polar penguin by tearing pieces of the white and black paper and gluing them onto the blue paper. Small amounts of other orange may be used for the beak.

Penguin Hop
Play the bunny hop song and have the children pretend to be penguins hopping around.

Paint like a Penguin
Supply the children with paper and paint and have the children paint like a penguin might paint. Place a pair of clean socks on their hands to help them imagine not having fingers to use.

The Penguin Song
by chicky sung to "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Penguins like the cold weather,
cold weather, cold weather,
Penguins like the cold weather,
And they like to play.

Penguins like to swim and play
swim and play, swim and play,
Penguins like to swim and play
And they rest at night

Penguins eat a lot of fish,
a lot of fish, a lot of fish,
Penguins eat a lot of fish,
Each and every day.

Doing the Penguin
Featured on Hot Hot Hot Dance Songs By Sesame Street

Penguin Race
Have the children race like penguins with a ball between their knees.

Giraffes

Fingerprint Giraffe
Click here to see an image of this project
Have the children make black fingerprints on orange paper with either a non-toxic ink pad or non-toxic paint. When dry trace a giraffe shape onto the paper and have the children cut it out. They can glue their giraffe onto another piece of paper then add torn green paper for grass and leaves.

Giraffe "z"
Click here to see an image of this project
Have the children cut out a yellow or orange "Z". Then have the children glue on brown paper for the spots and add two clothes pins for the legs.

Monkeys

Felt Monkey Board
Click here to see an image of this project
Make monkey faces and bananas from felt. Number each monkey. The children will place the correct number of bananas next to each monkey.

Banana Treat
Click here to see an image of this project
Cut a banana into sections, place on the end of a straw. Dip the banana into warmed chocolate. Freeze, then eat!

Act Like a Monkey
Have the children pretend to be monkeys. Have them hop around the class making monkey noises.

Five Little Monkeys
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
So Momma called the doctor and the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
(Sing with 4,3,2,1 little monkeys) then...
No little monkeys jumping on the bed
None fell off and bumped his head
So Momma called the doctor and the doctor said
Put those monkeys back in bed!

Five little Monkeys!!!!
Five little monkeys, swinging in a tree (hold up five fingers, and swing hand)
Teasing Mr. Alligator, can't catch me, (make wings by placing thumbs in arm pits, and rock elbows up and down)
You (point to child) can't catch me!!! (point to self)
Shhhh (index finger to your mouth)
Along comes Mr. Alligator.... quiet as can be (Place palms together thumbs pointing up, and fingers away from you, and move back and forth like a fish)
And he snaps (clap hands in front of a child) that monkey right out of that tree.
Repeat with Four, three, two and one. After the last monkey, say No more monkeys swinging in the tree.
(use gesture for "all gone" or "I don't know")

Banana Frozen Pops
Click here to see an image of this project image submitted by Julia
Cut a banana in half. Insert a popsicle stick in one end of the banana. Spread peanut butter onto the banana then drizzle with honey. Finally roll the banana in Rice Crispies and freeze.

Cats
Cats

Camel

Sally (Alice) the Camel
Featured on Barney's Favorites, Vol. 1 . Click on the link to buy the CD from amazon.com.
Sally (Alice) the camel has 5 humps
Sally the camel has 5 humps
Sally the camel has 5 humps
Now ride Sally ride,
boom boom boom!

Sally the camel has 4 humps
Sally the camel has 4 humps
Sally the camel has 4 humps
Now ride Sally ride,
boom boom boom!

(sing with 3, 2, 1, no humps then...)
Now Sally is a horse of coarse.

Elephant

Elephant Paper Plate Mask
Each child should paint a paper plate gray. When it is dry, have the child cut out two huge ear shapes from gray paper and attach them to the plate with staples. Cut out a hole for the nose and push a gray sock through the hole so the toe of the sock is the end of the nose.

Elephant Tracks
Affix elephant track shapes on the floor in a path with contact paper. Have the children follow the path. You can make the shapes close together or far enough apart so that they can hop from one to the next.

I can do it book
Create a book that shows the skills that the child has attained. Take pictures of the children doing the activities in the book or choose other activities.

Some other ideas for "I can do it"
I can paint
I can cut
I can color
I can count to ____
I can hop on one foot
I can tell you my phone number
I can tell you my address